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Nas vs. Biggie, “The Battle That Never Happened” [Imaginary Scenario]
Remember a few years back, when Coca-Cola made those ads where they doctored clips to make it look like old, dead movie stars were drinking Coke? Or when Natalie Cole duetted with her Dad and won a Grammy? This is like that, only much, much cooler.

Mariah Carey feat. Gucci Mane, “Obsessed” [Remix]
We’re officially to the point where it’s almost like the remixes are out before the songs themselves. Gucci Mane runs roughshod over a more-or-less unaltered version of Mariah’s latest single, but his husky voice and sing-song delivery make it sound like a whole different animal.

Ida Maria, “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked” [Live on Jay Leno]
Heads up: it starts at 39:20, right after Maria dedicates the song to Leno’s guest, Hugh Jackman. This song, for S-M, went from low spot on a great record to guilty pleasure to genuine thrill, and this roaring live version only serves to cement our newfound affection.

Discovery, “I Want You Back” [Jackson Five Cover]
So we’re clearly going to have to come up with rules about Auto-Tune, because we were beyond over it until we heard this. So maybe Discovery get the Kanye pass for acceptable use of a generally deplorable device. This smashing-and-crashing cover of the J5 classic is the right kind of reinvention.

St. Vincent, “Actor Out of Work” [Live Acoustic]
Here is why we love Annie Clark: she can take a song as screwball as her mind-warping “Actor Out of Work” and make it sound as sedate as Joni Mitchell in the blink of an eye.