Listen to Meek Mill, Chris Brown and French Montana, “Poppin’ (Remix)”

Sometimes records develop a momentum all their own, one that can't be stopped or accounted for. That's what apparently happened with Rico Richie's massive, menacing, 808 Mafia-produced "Poppin'." The track began creeping through airwaves and RSS feeds when Meek Mill nodded to it on Twitter; now, he appears here, on the song's remix, alongside A-listers French Montana and Chris Brown. (Sadly, Rico Richie is absent from the new version of his single.) While the embattled singer and New York's most endearing social climber more than hold their own, the original version of "Poppin'" was tailor-made for Meek and his careening-off-the-rails flow. He commands the song, reminding all comers that, while he's become a tabloid fixture of late for his supposed engagement to Nicki Minaj, he has been a superb no-frills rapper since Beef DVDs were still a prudent purchase.

Below, watch a video blog that traces the original record's release, video shoot and spread through social media: