As the hip-hop world continues its slow creep toward June 18th—a.k.a. Judgment Day a.k.a. the day Mac Miller, J. Cole and Kanye West drop new albums—we've been staying busily distracted by new music from emerging stars as well as teasers from recent XXL favorites.

In the past few days, we've been blessed with a new video from Kids These Days' former frontman Vic Mensa; a new mixtape from Sir Michael Rocks, who's close to completing his highly anticipated Banco EP; a teaser single from Brooklyn native Joey Bada$$, who's Summer Knights EP will be out in a few weeks; and a peak at the tracklist and cover art for Action Bronson and Harry Fraud's upcoming SAAAB Stories. Also, your favorite rapper's favorite singer The-Dream released his incredible fourth LP this week in IV Play, and to celebrate it we compiled a list of his 15 best hip-hop collaborations.

In our weekly column called In The Cut, the diversely opinionated XXL staff celebrates another lively week in hip-hop and picks some of their favorite releases from the past week. Until next week—keep it trendy, rap fans.

Vic Mensa - "Orange Soda" Video
After months of rain and schizophrenic temperature drops, summer's finally hit New York, leaving many people's summer playlists ill-prepared. Luckily, Chicago's Vic Mensa comes through with a jam that fits perfectly with the city's scorching 90-degree weather. "Orange Soda" is a laid-back cut that seamlessly blends Vic's sing-songy stream-of-consciousness flow with a catchy chorus straight out of Pharrell's playbook. Even though a lot of fans are still reeling from the break-up of Kids These Days, Vic Mensa proves that he's not going anywhere anytime soon.—Sean Ryon, News Editor

The-Dream Ft. Pusha T & Big Sean - "Pussy"
There is one thing every music fan can agree on, and that thing is that The-Dream is great at making music. He's also great at being one nasty mother, and this song is a perfect representation of his inner pornstar. For "Pussy," he enlists horny rhymers Pusha T and Big Sean to spit some aggressive bars, and splits up their verses with the beautiful hook: "I got my left hand on that booty, got my right hand on that pussy." Hello summer lovin'.—Dan Buyanovsky, Associate Editor

J. Cole - "Niggaz Know"
It was crazy when the hip-hop world saw that J. Cole pushed up his album release date to June 18th, the same date as Kanye West's album Yeezus. It just didn't make sense. However, over the past few months North Carolina's finest has been releasing nothing but heat. These aren't just regular fillers; they're pure, divine works of ridiculous and unadulterated awesomeness. "Niggaz Know" is no different, and on it we can clearly hear his producing prowess matched by lyrical brashness. Maybe J. Cole wasn't crazy after all. Born Sinner coming.—Emmanuel C.M., Assistant Editor

Jadakiss Ft. The-Dream - "Dope Boy Dialogue"
Jadakiss' Top 5 Dead Or Alive has been announced for years now, but for now, he gets the conversation started with this new booming banger that is super dope. That's not to say that I'm surprised, because I've been a Jada fan for years, but we can all agree that fans didn't know what to expect on this jawn. On it, he slings that big boy talk that's helped him get to this spot, and I personally can't wait for Top 5 Dead Or Alive. But, knowing Jada and his history of empty promises, we'll definitely be anticipating this LP for some time before it actually arrives.Ralph Bristout, Lifestyle Editor

Young Dro - "F.D.B." Video
There have been talks as of late about Young Dro making a comeback. Though he took a backseat after dropping a lot of gems, Dro's recent output finds him sticking to his crossover-friendly Southern style. While this won't make waves like "Shoulder Lean," Dro's "F.D.B." is his first real return to relevancy. It features his slick delivery and stays consistent with his ATL roots, as he drawls out every syllable over brash production. I can't wait to see what else Dro has been cooking up.—Eric Diep, Assistant News Editor

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