In The Cut: Travi$ Scott And Rick Ross Made XXL’s Top Songs Of The Week

It's been a busy week at the XXL offices. As we close out our upcoming issue and continue to gear up for more dates of the XXL Freshmen Live Tour—which recently stopped in New York City and saw performances from the entire Freshmen class alongside special guests like Fat Trel, Troy Ave and Riff Raff—we've also been working hard to stay up on all the new music and news that dropped this week.

On the music front, the Black Hippy machine united for a remix of Rocko's "U.O.E.N.O." and it might be the track's best version yet. Also, Travi$ Scott finally released Owl Pharaoh, a stellar mixtape/album that he'd reportedly been working on since 2011; New York heroes Action Bronson and Joey Bada$$ announced release dates of their upcoming projects; and Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire released the incredible cover art for his forthcoming Kismet mixtape. And on the news side, Katy Perry and Chief Keef got in an unlikely Twitter beef, Trinidad Jame$ admitted that "Taking drugs is not right" and Paris Hilton reportedly signed with Cash Money Records.

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.

Pharrell Williams - "Happy"
First and foremost, I'm crazy excited for Despicable Me 2. The original movie was delightfully entertaining and surprisingly very funny. It was a great surprise to learn that the super-producer himself, Pharrell Williams, produced the soundtrack to the animated film with composer Heitor Pereira. For the sequel, we have the N.E.R.D. member once again producing the soundtrack and contributing three original songs, and here we have "Happy" which is a song that takes over every cell in your body, making your body want to get up and dance. With the church-like singing, high-energy beat, and drums playing in the background, this song can make any sad day instantly better.—Emmanuel C.M., Assistant Editor 

Problem Ft. Riff Raff & Lucc - "Like Whaaaaat"
Jody’s been bodying these DJ Skee remixes of late, and his latest installment on Problem’s “Like Whaaat” is no exception. With some out-of-nowhere references to Mary Poppins and Bernard Hopkins, Riff’s ability to enthrall listeners—even when he’s talking about molly and your run-of-the-mill ballin’—is as sharp as it’s ever been.—Neil Martinez-Belkin, Music Editor

Travi$ Scott Ft. A$AP Ferg - "Uptown"
Travi$ Scott finally unleashed Owl Pharaoh this week to wide praise, effectively proving that with his wide range of talent, he's got what it takes to rumble with the big dogs. But despite the many gems tucked inside this project, one song that we at the office couldn't get enough of is "Uptown," featuring A$AP Ferg. I can't really explain exactly why this record bangs so much without giving you an over-the-top description on the record's sound, so to me, "Uptown" sounds like what would happen if you took all the noise from a busy day on 125th in Harlem and translated it into some rim-cracking bass lines. Wooo!—Ralph Bristout, Lifestyle Editor

Birdman & Rick Ross Ft. Mack Maine - "Money To Make"
Birdman and Rick Ross dropped their boss-of-all-bosses collaboration album, The H, earlier this week. Originally recorded in 2008, the raps on here sound a bit dated but still possess plenty of gangster-isms from these two. "Money To Make" features Mack Maine and is a through-and-through drug-dealing record that's narrated from a don’s perspective. Rozay handles the hook, rapping: "My niggas 100, My corner 100/The car cost 100, the truckload 100/Just smoking my ganja, this joint cost 100/The Niks cost 100, the ice in abundance."—Eric Diep, Assistant News Editor

Travi$ Scott Ft. Theophilus London & Paul Wall - "Dance On The Moon"
There are so many incredible songs to pick from on T. Scott's Owl Pharaoh—the type of debut project that makes a career—it's legitimately hard to name a favorite. I'll go with "Dance On The Moon" because it's the project's most accessible and fun track, and its features are so awesomely weird (Theophilus London and Paul Wall) that you just have to celebrate La Flame for pulling this off. This song would fit perfectly in a life-is-great montage in any summer blockbuster.—Dan Buyanovsky, Associate Editor 

Gangsta Boo Ft. Big K.R.I.T. & K-So - "Bad Times"
It's been a minute since we've heard anything substantial from rapping belle Gangsta Boo, but after her appearance on Yelawolf's debut Radioactive she reminded us that she'll still tear it down on the mic. The Tennessee emcee has a new mixtape out in It's Game Involved, and while the project largely adopts SpaceGhostPurrp's dark sounds—a sound befitting the former Three 6 Mafia rapper—it's her collaboration with Big K.R.I.T. that stands out. The duo trade honest rhymes about the blue collar life over a smooth, classically Southern beat.—Sean Ryon, News Editor