In The Cut: Wu-Tang And A$AP Ferg Made XXL’s Top Songs Of The Week

We're not sure why, but it feels like this next week is going to be a really important one for new music. It could be Kanye's upcoming appearance on SNL, where he's rumored to be premiering a brand-new single ("I Am God"?), or maybe it's the release of Daft Punk's anxiously awaited Random Access Memories (we've heard it on the low, and it's awesome), but something's definitely in the air and it's got us excited.

This past week saw some interesting releases, including new mixtapes from Soulja Boy and Gilbere Forte, as well as the premieres of a new single from Gucci Mane's upcoming Trap House III and a "new" EP from retired Queens MC Big Baby Gandhi. On the news side, rapper Tim Dog is alleged to have faked his own death and Diddy managed to troll the Internet by pretending to be a new cast member on Downton Abbey (in reality he was working on a Funny or Die skit called Downton Diddy, which you can watch here).

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 crispy, rap fans.

Waka Flocka Flame Ft. T.I. - "50K (Remix)"
Waka replaces Gucci Mane with T.I. on this brooding joint off DuFlocka Rant Halftime Show, and the result is pretty amazing. Flockaveli continues his verbal bum-rushing ("Run up in your house...no mask just to let you who do it hoe"), while Tip takes it back to the trap to let us know that he's still 'bout it, patna. He raps, "Got my youngin' with me, bust at anything I tell him hit."—Ralph Bristout, Lifestyle Editor

A$AP Ferg Ft. French Montana, Trinidad Jame$, ScHoolboy Q And A$AP Rocky - "Work (Remix)"
I was honestly looking forward to this song more than I was looking forward to my own birthday, so walking in the office on Tuesday and hearing this playing extra-loud from everyone's computers felt a little bit like Hanukkah. Ferg might be my favorite A$AP mobster, and the features he was able to pull on a remix of a mixtape cut is just impressive. French sounds exhausted trying to rap on this beat, but on the bright side Trinidad knows just what to do with it. Shout out to the shottas.—Dan Buyanovsky, Associate Editor

Curren$y - "Mary" Video
This week, Curren$y dropped the visuals to "Mary," off his recent New Jet City mixtape. On it, Mr. Jet Life professes his love for his favorite babe, Mary Jane. The moments captured at Spitta's three shows in New York, DC and Rhode Island are amazing, and director CJ Wallis cuts all of the footage together perfectly, as you sit back and watch the NOLA native and his fans freely smoke inside concert venues. If you've ever been to a Curren$y show, you know the "No Smoking" rule typically goes out the door, and this is a nice reminder that it's Jet Life to the Next Life.—Emmanuel C.M., Assistant Editor

Wu-Tang Clan - "Execution In Autumn"
With all the talk of there being a Wu-Tang reunion in the works, it's been somewhat depressing to hear that not all of the members are on the same page. But suddenly, with all the stealth and speed of a ninja, the Wu came through with a new song titled "Execution in Autumn." Is it the first single off A Better Tomorrow? Probably not, but that's not a reason to find fault in it; it's just the Clan (namely Inspectah Deck, Raekwon, RZA and U-God) spitting over a stripped-down, sample-heavy cut produced by Frank Dukes. That's all the fans ever could've asked for.—Sean Ryon, News Editor

Gucci Mane - "All Of My Niggas"
This song surfaced on Thursday with the title “Birds of a Feather,” which confused me, because Wop’s already got a song with Rocko by the same name. I was also confused by the line “You know I fuck with Flocka, he’s a crazy motherfucka,” proof that the track has probably been sitting around for a while, waiting for an opportunity to pick up some steam before an album release (Trap House III comes out on Tuesday). Anyway, while the blogosphere got all wet about a new Gucci “diss,” I was geeked at all the other amazing name drops to be found here. From recalling how hot Mya was/is to naming Project Pat his favorite rapper to calling out his longtime manager Coach K as a “nerdy mothafucka,” “All Of My Niggas” is actually the closest Gucci’s come to his old silly, funny self in quite some time.—Neil Martinez-Belkin, Associate Editor

The Weeknd - "Kiss Land/John Carpenter"
The Weeknd has expertly kept his mystery intact after initially announcing his upcoming album Kiss Land by posting a picture of his computer desktop, which featured a folder titled "2013 untitled album." He then continued to build anticipation with a subtext-filled tweet: “If you thought my shit knocked before... 2013." Then, around midnight last night, the Toronto-based singer released the track, "Kiss Land," accompanied by a still of a pornography clip. The epic 8-minute still/video also includes the full version of the previously-teased "John Carpenter." In typical Weeknd fashion, the song is filled with sex-tinged lyrics, and it seems like only Abel can sing about getting some head and make it sound this elegant.—Eric Diep, News Editor