Happy Hip-Hop Monday: New Music From Macklemore, Jarv Dee and Brainstorm

Fences (left) and Macklemore (right)

Macklemore x Ryan Lews - "Otherside" Remix Feat. Fences: In advance of the re-release of The VS. EP, the emcee/producer duo let fly the remix of their biting, Red Hot Chili Peppers-flipping "Otherside"--you know, the one that accrued more than 250,000 views on YouTube. Already a brave acknowledgement of the struggles of addiction, the addition of singer/songwriter Fences, aka 27-year-old Chris Mansfield, manages to make what was already an eerily beautiful track even more goosebump-inducing.

Jarv Dee - "I Just Wanna" (Plus 10.4 Rog Remix): Taking on an air reminiscient of somewhere near Nappy Roots or Devin the Dude, Cloud Nice's Jarv Dee finally let fly with the track he had originally named "I Just Wanna Smoke" and uploaded to soundcloud.com. It's simple and relatable--"Just because I get money doesn't mean I got money"--and so easy to bump over and over again, whether or not you enjoy the company of Mary Jane as much as he does. The tone changes with 10.4 Rog's remix--not for better or worse, just different, more ambient and relaxed. In the words of Helladope partner-in-crime Taysean:

One of the things I really like about this track is that you get a sense of Jarv's genuine frustration with day-to-day bullshit, be it the stresses of paying child support or fighting a drug case. But at the same time the song isn't really about the grief as much as it is about just chillin in the whip, blastin your favorite shit, maybe with a chance of mild intoxication.

Brainstorm - "Kush N Whiskey" Featuring Noah Jones: Produced by Portland's Trox, the runner-up of Seattle's 2010 Red Bull Big Tune, and joined by Anaheim emcee Noah Jones, this latest track from Dyme Def's Brainstorm cuts a sharp contrast between his mic persona and real life. You can listen to him rap a hook of "Got my kush and whiskey, I'm gon' be alright tonight/Got a couple bad ones down to ride," but at the same time Brain's a glowing new father: his son Eli was born Sunday morning. Putting out a song while his girlfriend was in labor shouldn't surprise anyone familiar with his work ethic--when he promises new music, he follows through with it--nor should it draw his familial dedication in to question; see "Eli's Song" for proof. In the end, this is just another reminder that the mid-November release his solo debut The Celestine Prophecy can't come soon enough.