Song of the Week delves into the fresh songs we just can’t get out of our heads. Find these tracks and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist, and for our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Danger Mouse and Jemini unleash the long-shelved “Brooklyn Basquiat.”
Two decades ago, “super producer” Danger Mouse and Jemini the Gifted One joined forces for the left-field hip-hop gem Ghetto Pop Life. A year later, in 2004, the duo produced a follow-up full-length — and subsequently shelved it. Luckily, in just a few weeks, the fruits of that recording session will finally see the light of day, as the long-unheard Born Again is set to drop on August 25th. “Brooklyn Basquiat,” a fittingly bombastic and nostalgic tune, comes as our first taste of the project.
According to a press release’s framing, Born Again serves as a more contemplative, introspective counterpart to Ghetto Pop Life. As a lead single, though, “Brooklyn Basquiat” shows no such restraint. The song is as party-ready and in-your-face as “Ghetto Pop Life” or “That Brooklyn Shit.”
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Built around an energetic flute sample and an interpolation of The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize,” the track is scrappy, braggadocios, and a hell of a lot of fun. With a beat full of bells and whistles and Jemini’s unflinching, swagger-heavy flow, lovers of 2000s underground hip-hop might experience something akin to what Anton Ego went through when taking a bite of Remy’s ratatouille.
What the rest of Born Again holds, only time will tell (finally!). But for now, dust off your boombox, dig up your CD binders, and blast “Brooklyn Basquiat” as loud as your speakers (or neighbors) will let you.
— Jonah Krueger
Editorial Coordinator
