XXL’s Songs of the Week (July 18 – July 24)

If he's being honest with himself, the biggest event in J. Cole's life this week was probably his turn on "No Sleeep," the new single and video by Janet Jackson. But the North Carolina native also helped his longtime friend and collaborator, Omen, drop his album, Elephant Eyes. Their collaboration from that LP appears here, alongside poultry-themed demos and feline lead singles from Young Thug and Run the Jewels, respectively. Together with new work from Mick Jenkins and DeJ Loaf, they make for XXL's Songs of the Week in the week ending today, July 24.

Omen Feat. J. Cole, "Things Change"

J. Cole is from a school of rap that works methodically, scribbling notes in the margins, working and re-working song structures and meticulously crafting panoramic LPs. It would make sense that his close friends and collaborators follow the same pattern, and in the case of Omen, that's exactly what happened. Elephant Eyes was announced three years ago, but its release this week seemed worth the wait to most fans. "Things Change" wrestles with coming of age questions--"The only Black in my class, wondering, 'Where do I sit?'"

Young Thug, "I Need Chickens"

It's entirely possible that we haven't heard a single song Young Thug recorded in 2015. The massive batch of leaked tracks included some that clearly date well before last fall's Rich Gang tape, as well as nearly-finished versions of Barter 6 cuts. "Pacifier," which is being pushed by 300 as a new single, is at least 14 months old. The producer of that song, Mike WiLL Made It, dropped "I Need Chickens" on his Soundcloud page this week. The unfinished demo sees Thug channeling the eight-year-old son of a jazz master as he bounces around an abandoned Dave & Buster's. Which is to say, in his natural state.

DeJ Loaf Feat. Future, "Hey There"

Today (July 24), Detroit upstart and 2015 XXL Freshman DeJ Loaf dropped a new EP. #AndSeeThatsTheThing is ostensibly tasked with proving the "Try Me" rapper isn't a flash in the pan, but as anyone who has followed her output over the past ten months can attest, it's an exercise in showing up industry rappers. One of the only artists who can slide in easily beside her is Future, whose turn on "Hey There" puts him in the unusual position of being the less emotive one on a track. Ready the speakers in your bedroom.

Mick Jenkins, "Get Up Get Down"

The monoculture might be dead, but the press cycle moves so quickly that to find genuinely groundbreaking new rap music, you either have to know where to look or wait until the innovators make a hit (or are embraced by a major label's marketing department). But last year, Mick Jenkins more or less bullied his way onto radars around the country with The Water[s]. Now, he's announced a follow-up EP called Wave[s]; the single, "Get Up Get Down," is produced by Stefan Ponce and ThemPeople and should push the Chicago native onto the really good festival stages.

Run the Jewels, "Meowrly"

By now, it's Internet folklore: Seeking the funds necessary to complete their second album as Run the Jewels, Killer Mike and El-P turned to the crowdsourcing wave. Believing no one would go for a truly big-ticket donation, they added absurd incentives in the fine print, like the rappers showing up at a designated person's door step to slap them. The one fans doubled down on, though, was the promise to re-make Run the Jewels 2 with cat sounds meshed into the production. Now, Meow the Jewels is finally coming; the single, "Meowrly," re-works "Early" from the original.