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Now that the dust has settled on the frenzy of the June 18th face-off, and as we look ahead to the July 4th release of the God MC Jay-Z's new album Magna Carta Holy Grail, we're trying to stay focused on celebrating the music that's going to be soundtracking our summer.

For starters, the forever-underrated Wale released his new album The Gifted this week, and it's filled with a handful of fun bangers that are reminiscent of Folarin's earlier work. And as last week closed out, the gentleman Drake took to his SoundCloud to drop four new songs—including the insanely catchy single "The Motion"—and announced his new album, due out this fall.

On the news front, Rick Rubin teased the possibility of another installment of Yeezus; Jay-Z is in the process of planning a surprise concert in New York's Times Square; and R&B phenom Frank Ocean has apparently been working on new music, as he premiered three new songs during a performance in Germany.

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 twerking, rap fans.

Killer Mike & El-P Feat. Prince Paul - "Twin Hype Back"
Killer Mike and El-P have crafted an heir-apparent follow-up to last year's R.A.P. Music with their collaborative Fool's Gold effort Run The Jewels. Anchored by El Producto's schizo-sampling production, Mike and El share a symbiotic relationship on the mic, with Mike's brash braggadocio perfectly offsetting El's frantic musings. Perhaps the project's greatest moment is "Twin Hype Back," featuring the always-hilarious Prince Paul dropping laugh-out-loud pick-up lines in between the duo's pitch-perfect back-and-forth.—Sean Ryon, News Editor

Da$h - "Brighton Beach" Video
I might have a special love for this jawn because of all of the time I've unwillingly spent (doing Russian stuff) in the forever uncool Brighton Beach, and I respect the fact that a rapper would name a song after it. But despite its name, this is actually just a great song. The production is summery and hypnotizing, and Da$h's voice is fittingly raspy and immaturely confident, as he tosses out gems like "How many lives am I living? Four or five; each one I'm surely high." Shout out to Brighton Beach, looking nicer than it ever has.—Dan Buyanovsky, Associate Editor

Ty Dolla $ign Feat. Juicy J - "Ratchet In My Benz"
Ty Dolla $ign's Beach House 2 is out July 1st. In anticipation of the looming release date, the West Coast singer/rapper unleashes this collab with Juicy J, titled "Ratchet In My Benz." As expected, its woozy backdrop is a perfect soundscape for the pair’s sex-tinged lyrics. Make it nasty.—Eric Diep, News Editor

Big Sean Feat. Jhene Aiko And Lil Wayne - "Beware"
This playful, head-nodding beat takes the edge off a song that, lyrically, is a big "Fuck you" to any significant other who you may have spent a little too much time and energy on. Sean takes the relatively straightforward concept and injects it with some deft observations—"Cause girls only say 'I hate you' to the guys that they love" and "Kept my phone on silent ever since you got a ring"—and the result is more coherent than anything he's done since "Clique." Wayne comes in with some clever Wayne-esque witticisms—"You already know you're too fly/But baby don't get your hair caught in the propellers"—before Jhené Aiko sends it away with a wistful goodbye. With "Beware," it's clear that Sean shines when he doesn't take himself too seriously.—Dan Rys, Online Features Editor

Future - "Chosen One"
Future's the chosen one and all his friends are millionaires, according to this F.B.G.: The Movie mixtape gem. Sure it dropped back in January but now that Rocko is taken out of the equation (swapped for a new verse from Sir Future Hendrix), the brooding banger gets taken up another notch as well as a couple more decibels—courtesy of Mike WiLL Made It. Future Hendrix landing real soon.—Ralph Bristout, Lifestyle Editor

Daft Punk Feat. Pharrell Williams - "Get Lucky (Daft Punk Remix)"
With the remix of the already-great "Get Lucky," Daft Punk flips this year's "We're young, let's get weird" anthem and makes it 20 times better. This 10-minute odyssey of musical brilliance puts three genius artists together to create a divine gift for the world that even the unhappiest of people will dance to. Daft's most recent project Random Access Memories is in stores now; do yourself a favor and buy that.—Emmanuel C.M., Assistant Editor

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