such a nice boy.

As Young Money and Degrassi devotees alike are no doubt aware, thespian-cum-rhymist Drake released his freshman effort Thank Me Later a week ago. Critically, it was given an almost universal “okay,” with many reviews heralding it as the first real effort in the changed world of hip-hop coming about post 808s and Heartbreaks. This is going a little overboard. Drake is not going to change your life. He’s thankfully less of a sad-sack than his contemporary (and arguably the true follower of 808s) Kid Cudi, but the album has fewer gems than the 3 smashes on Man on the Moon. It’s a lethargic slog, sort of like 808s, but without the same innovative production that is Kanye’s bag. The lone stand-out is the track Kanye produced, “Over,” which benefits from a Lupe-inspired backing track that grabs you by the throat and pounds forward with alternating Love Lockdown drumline beat and orchestral sweeps. The others need some work.

The same could be said of many of Drake’s mixtape tracks from the runup to Thank Me Later. Luckily, there are mashup producers who can do just that. And, luckily, I’m bringing them straight to your ears. The first is an older track, brought to you courtesy of longtime Animal Show favorites, The Hood Internet, who have cooked up a masterpiece with their combination of Drake and Free Energy. Then an interesting idea, combining Coldplay’s “Strawberry Swing” (my favorite off of Viva La Vida, and whose music video still rules) with last year’s megahit jam “Best I Ever Had.” The combination teeters on the edge of absurdity, but is ultimately saved based almost purely on the merits of each song individually, and makes for a fun listen. Check ‘em out as you celebrate another amazing American World Cup goal taken back by terrible officiating!

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(This Shit Was) All I Know [Drake v. Free Energy] – The Hood Internet (YSI)

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The Best Strawberry – Drake v. Coldplay (YSI)

Related posts:

1. Revenge of the Hood Internet: the First Animal Collective Mash-up I like.
2. Top 5 Mashups of 2009
3. The Phantom Hood Internet

Spring Breakin' like a champ

With spring break in the air, I needed some television that could match my enthusiasm for warm weather and poor decision-making. As my now permanently Cheetos stained fingers explored the current bill of fare, I found my way to the holy grail of spring break programming, the ‘Fist Pumpin’ Top 20 w/ Jersey Shore’. Watching the Jersey Shore to celebrate spring break is like listening to Justin Bieber to commemorate NAMBLA day. And for me, seeing tequila drenched, scantily clad women means only one thing, of course, it’s mashup time.

Let’s start with The Hood Internet, who has been terrifyingly hit or miss of late, but have returned to form and mixed some classic Big L rhymes with Bibio. Big L, in his coolest collaboration since this sweet tee, sounds at home atop Bibio’s experimental electronica. By the way, anyone feeling their fancies tickled by Bibio’s stellar synth sound should check out his 2009 release Ambivalence Avenue, a great album that did not receive its proper dues.

Next is The White Panda who threw together mashup darling “Lean Like A Cholo” with Two Door Cinema Club. The White Panda put the chic rock sound of Two Door Cinema Club behind everyone’s favorite ode to Mexican gangsters. The most common side effect of this combination is ear euphoria, and in rare cases, bowel incontinence.

Moving right along we have T.H.I.’s “How Purple Can You Go.” This mash removed the disgusting futuristic garbage from Luda’s “How Low” and instead backed it up with Joker & Ginz’s “Purple City.” This track finally does Mr. Bridges’s flow justice with a first-rate beat.

Lastly I leave you with the Show’s favorite masher, E-603. Even if Sir E can’t accept my friend request, his skillz that killz have been described by commentators (me) as “Glenn Beck crazy”. He posted this track and a subsequent message on facebook describing how he had the song stuck in his head, so he naturally made an exceptionally cool remix to blow our minds. As is par for the king of the 603, he tore this track up. That’s all I’ve got for now, so turn up all these jams and enjoy spring break Snooki style, even if you’re stuck on your couch.

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Dwrcan ‘Em Up (Big L x Bibio) – The Hood Internet (YSI)

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A Cholo You Know – The White Panda (YSI)

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How Purple Can You Go – The Hood Internet (YSI)

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Money To Blow (feat. Drake and Lil Wayne) (E-603 Remix) – Birdman (YSI)

Related posts:

1. Revenge of the Hood Internet: the First Animal Collective Mash-up I like.
2. Throw Some Mash On That Tok
3. Top 5 Mashups of 2009

These Pandas Look at Home at the Show

From what I have discerned about the Show in my brief tenure here, we collectively and not-so-secretly love a catchy pop song. Clearly we are not too ostentatious to concede the undeniable charm of modern day classics like “Party in the U.S.A.” As our estimable leader, Edward of Roma, said in the best Songs of 2009 article (I had to link it because otherwise it may have been hard to find amidst all the new material since), “Party in the U.S.A. was that… guilty pleasure you didn’t have to hide. Everyone loved this song. Everyone loves this song.”

Thankfully, the hullabaloo caused by our most recent guilty pleasure song has finally begun to subside. As it turns out, my lengthy and assuredly much-appreciated absence in mid to late January was actually due to the severe injuries I sustained when I was senselessly beaten by “Tik Tok.” I would describe Ke$ha’s first single now, but if you haven’t heard it, then you must have stumbled onto this blog by mistake. So for those of you who need to scratch at that uncontrollable “Tik Tok” itch but are too embarrassed by the actual song, you’ve lucked out. The Ke$ha bug has also bitten some of our favorite DJs and mashup gurus.

We’ll start with “Doo Tok” the Chambaland mashup of Ke$ha and demigod Lauryn Hill. While my brother referred to this mashup as “sacrilegious,” I simply cannot rebuff anything that could be mistaken for new Lauryn Hill. Chambaland removes Ke$ha’s suspect verses and chorus, leaving Ms. Hill to do her thang all over the club shattering beat of “Tik Tok.”

The White Panda, a mashup group surely deserving of an article of their own, contributed an even better mash. Like Chambaland, The White Panda realized that the major flaw of “Tik Tok” is probably Ke$ha herself. So they too remove all evidence of her voice, and instead leave us Rich Boy. “Throw Some Tik on that Tok” is everything “Tik Tok” isn’t on its own. Rich Boy adds some much needed masculinity to the Saturday night crowd pleaser. And for those of you without Versus (The inaugural White Panda release) head to http://www.thewhitepanda.com/ stat and get your hands on it for free.

Finally, I’ll finish with my least favorite of the numerous variations. The Hood Internet (the brains behind 3 of my 5 favorite mashups of last year) sadly mailed one in with “Summer of Tik Tok.” They were the only one of the three to leave Ke$ha and her bottle of Jack in tact, and remove the best part of the song. While “Summer Song” has a funky electronic beat of its own, it’s certainly no match for “Tik Tok,” and without her fantastic accompaniment, Ke$ha’s sound is even more lacking.

All in all, I apologize for the tardiness of this article, but hopefully its delay will allow you to listen to these tracks having already recovered from all injuries sustained from the original track.

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Doo Tok (Chambaland Mashup) – Lauryn Hill vs. Ke$ha (YSI)

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Throw Some Tik On That Tok – The White Panda (YSI)

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Summer of Tik Tok – The Hood Internet (YSI)

Related posts:

1. Revenge of the Hood Internet: the First Animal Collective Mash-up I like.
2. Mash Update
3. Wasn’t the Fourth of July Yesterday?

It’s alright. You can lean back from the edge of your seat. Our year-end lists are coming to their long, drawn-out conclusion in the form of our favorite mashes of 2009. It was certainly the year of the long-form mashup, with not one but two fantastically different and perfectly executed albums dropping, both of which placed in our favorite albums.

The list sort of reads like it was intended to just be our favorite Hood Internet tracks, but I’m going to go ahead and blame that on the fact that there is no one out there executing as effectively or consistently as those guys, and I really do think they’ve earned all 3 of the spots on this list (and I should probably mention that my own list had “Comfortable Up In Here” filling out the #5 spot, so I’m certainly 100% behind anything and everything Hood releases). Anyway, enjoy, and then help me in looking forward to 2010’s exciting first quarter releases.

• #5: Hathaway – “Party and Bullshit in the USA” – There are some mashups that exist only out of the hilarity of their titles — in fact, for a long time, that was what I thought the most of mashups were, due mainly to icebergxc’s constantly asking me (way back in 07) if I’d heard “Walking in Memphis Down The Boulevard of 99 Broken Problems” or “Kiss You Through the Bananaphone” or “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Panther” — and this one certainly exists out of the merits of its overlapping titles. The strange part is that it works. Really well. Maybe it’s because everyone loves the synth backing of “Party in the USA” or we all like to shout “I’m a bad boy” along with Biggie. Or both. Sometimes, though, it’s best not to question, and to instead complacently enjoy “could you be kicked, pushed, loved, and then take on me while running so far away.” – Edward

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Hathaway – Party And Bullshit in the USA (YSI)

• #4: The Hood Internet – “Cult Logic Forever” – This is a great mashup without a hint of kitsch. “Forever,” on its own, is a disappointment. It’s got the right rappers, but the beat wrecks it mercilessly with sirens and other garbage noise. Stripping the mess off and bringing it up to speed with some talented instrumental from Miike Snow was the best thing that has ever happened to it. Now it’s as smooth as it is sharp and hangs together tighter than BFFs sharing a straightjacket. – icebergxc

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The Hood Internet – Cult Logic Forever (YSI)

• #3: The Hood Internet – “Make The Loop Say Aye” — I’ll admit it: I was one of the Vampire Weekend fanboys who nearly peed his pants the first time he heard “Osaka Loop Line.” I thought Discovery’s LP was going to be my favorite album of 2009. And I swear to god, the tattoo pen was not inches from my upper thigh when I finished the cd for the first time and realized that it was definitely not ink-worthy. But, as the saying goes, those that can’t do teach. And those who don’t know that “who” is the personal pronoun probably shouldn’t be calling others inept. And those who may not have the force to sustain your interest on their own ought to be mashed up. Yes, the song ruled on its own. But this was the late-inning pep-talk it needed. In October, long after I had grown tired of Discovery (although the fantastically polyrhythmic “So Insane” even to this day continues to impress me), I heard this for the first time, and my faith was restored. The Hood Internet perfectly match breaks and builds in every song they assemble, though this may showcase it the best. Beauty, grace, Ms. Mashup #3 of 2009, ladies and gents. – Edward

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The Hood Internet – Make the Loop Say “Aye” (YSI)

• #2: The Hood Internet – “Two Weeks of Hip-Hop” — As Matthew Whipple of the 2009 breakout Cymbals Eats Guitars said, “[“Two Weeks” is] pure ear candy… what a song… I want to be Chris Taylor’s bass line.” So when the Hood Internet’s ABX threw Dead Prez over one of the best songs of the year, chaos ensued in the form of “Two Weeks of Hip Hop.” The opening features two of my favorite intros of all time, the now classic keyboard progression of “Two Weeks” and Dead Prez yelling, “it’s bigger than hip hop, hip hop, hip hop.” The track seamlessly combines genres in a strikingly natural fashion, one which I believe Ethan Ward once said was the ideal goal of mashups (clearly he’s the freaking authority on this matter). A few of my stunningly brainless friends even believed “Two Weeks of Hip Hop” to be the original (don’t fear, I no longer associate with those morons). But in their defense, this is because the two wildly disparate tracks come together like Ben & Jerry’s delicious and all-natural Half Baked to create earth-shattering awesomeness. -DFJacobs

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The Hood Internet – Two Weeks of Hip-Hop (YSI)

• #1: E-603 – “If You Wanna” — On ‘If You Wanna’, international superstar E-603 saves a potentially generic mash-up affair from mediocrity by adding the only possible ironic element to a mash-up: a narrative. Mash-ups and bootleg, by definition, are anti-narrative, deconstructing source texts and transforming them into a work that is based in pure aesthetics. Taking a vocal sample and chopping out pieces and parts, as E-603 does at the beginning of the track, leaves you with nothing but a glorified DJ set. But by adding the song long crescendo, ending with the full story of City High’s gritty ‘What Would You Do?’, the song develops a more full structure that leaves the listener in awe of E-603’s ability to create true songs, rather than mere mash-ups. Bringing the song’s two distinct parts together is a fantastic showcase of technical ability, in what one internet critic called, “some of the most fluid mixing I’ve heard.” A sublime track in itself, it is by far the most accurate representation of E-603’s mature mash-up opus.- Marquis Meowmers

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E-603 – If You Wanna (YSI)

Related posts:

1. Revenge of the Hood Internet: the First Animal Collective Mash-up I like.
2. Top 10 Songs of 2009
3. Wasn’t the Fourth of July Yesterday?

You son of a bitch.

It’s been a long, hard fight, but I’m giving up. You win this time, Owl City. Your shittastic, Postal Service-ripoff top-10 single “Fireflies” has bored a hole through my skull and penetrated the deepest recesses of my cranium. The meaningless lyrics of the song will continue to worm their way through the soft gray mass there until I’m so numb to overpopularity that I’ll round up a group of friends to record a webcam tribute video to “I’m On A Boat” and put in on youtube under the username ***<3TEAMJACOB!OREDWARD!ICAN’TMAKEUPMYMIND,YA’LL!<3***

I’ve read enough Sophocles wikiquotes to know that it’s my sad fate to kick against the pricks for the remainder of my drudge-working mortal existence. Well, this time I’ve lost. Pricks: 1; Edward: 0. But I’m not raking out my eardrums yet.

Here’s the thing: I can’t make “Fireflies” cease to be catchy. It’s like telling NBC’s hit sitcom F-R-I-E-N-D-S (now in syndication on TBSveryfunny) to stop being so HILARIOUS. “Joey ordered two pizzas?? For himself??? I can hardly eat a pizza by myself!!! Even if my cats help!!!!!! THIS IS SO FUNNY.” In a lot of ways the show and song are very similar: they’re like the Olsen twins, especially because one noticed that her career was over and died (RIP MKO). I loved the Postal Service and Friends with equal passion in 2003, but then 2004 rolled around we were all like “Go Sox!” or whatever. But here’s the harsh light of day: we can’t all watch Joey for the rest of our prick-kicking lives. The seasons go round and round, and we wonder why that’s the only Joni Mitchell song our friends know.

So, this is what is: we’ll indulge for a little. Then we’ll pretend like this song never happened. I’ve provided a few transition songs, including my favorite mashup of fall 2009, “Cult Logic Forever,” and my favorite remix of the final days of August from this past summer. Enjoy. But consider yourselves warned. You’re entering into highly contagious musical territory.

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Fireflies – Owl City (YSI)

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Cult Logic Forever (Drake feat. Kanye West & Lil Wayne vs. Miike Snow) – The Hood Internet (YSI)

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Waking Up In Vegas (Calvin Harris Extended Remix) – Katy Perry (YSI)

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DC Chillin'

As I was surfing the blogosphere (as I am apt to do Friday nights. What? I do it for you!) I found that Attention: Deficit, the new Wale album I have been eagerly awaiting was “leaked onto the streets of binary code”(see: firstup.se). Just eleven days before its official release, Attention: Deficit fell victim to music’s H1N1 virus. After taking Blueprint 3 officially on August 31st, MH1N1 has been attacking artists of all genres, but rap in particular has taken a huge hit. Jockin’ Jay-Z, the aforementioned self-proclaimed “greatest rapper alive” took a lighthearted approach to the leak saying, “it’s a preview. I’m excited for people to hear the album. I’m very proud of the work I’ve done, so enjoy it.” However, not all artists can afford to give their listeners this free preview. But, seeing as Edward has recently explored the music industry’s trying times, I’ll move on to Attention: Deficit.

What separates Wale’s leak from Hova’s is that the Blueprint 3 was by and large a disappointment. “Empire State of Mind” may be the hottest Jigga track I have heard since “The Black Album,” (with the exception of “Brooklyn We Go Hard”) but other than that and possibly “Young Forever” the album was highly anticlimactic. Attention: Deficit, however, is a revelation. After the Back to the Feature bust, Wale brings us his first commercial record. And in the interest of full disclosure I have not listened to the whole thing (I’m waiting till the official release on November 10th), but “90210″ is the most promising hip-hop song I’ve heard since Cudi’s “Make Her Say” hit us this spring. The Mark Ronson-produced track features Wale’s classic one-liners, “word spread fast that your knees spread quick,” to accompany the Barney-sounding beat (definitely a compliment, impressive at least). Promise me you’ll support Wale; he’s great, and any guy that makes a whole mixtape about Seinfeld is my hero (sorry JFK, you shoulda made a Seinfeld mixtape). I’ll give you “90210,” which I have perpetually put on repeat, anotha hot track off of “Attention: Deficit,” the Neptunes’ produced “Inhibitions (Let It Loose) (feat. Pharrell),” and also an awesome “Chillin’” remix by Top Billin.

Editor’s Note: In the time between DFJ’s Friday night composition of this piece and my publishing it on Tuesday, the Hood Internet dropped a sick Black Moth Super Rainbow/Wale mash, which I’m appending to this. DFJacobs has not preapproved this track, but we all know how much he loves his Hood Internet.

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90210 – Wale (YSI)

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Inhibitions (Let It Loose) (featuring Pharrell) – Wale (YSI)

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Chillin’ (Top Billin UK Mix) – Wale (YSI)

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Sticky World Tour (Black Moth Super Rainbow vs. Wale) – The Hood Internet (YSI)

Related posts:

1. Revenge of the Hood Internet: the First Animal Collective Mash-up I like.
2. Don’t Call It a Comeback
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Best. Days. Ever.

As all you avid readers remember, I promised a more thorough summer mashup article a few days weeks blogyears ago. And although we met pretty recently, I’m reliable. And I want you to know that. I’m here for you, and more specifically, I’m here to hopefully make you outrageously, Edward-esque cool*. So without further ado, I bestow upon you some summer sensations (and alliteration).
First on my summer hit list is “If I Were a Free Fallin’ Boy” by DJ Earworm. This one is for your Beyoncé mashup playlist, to go right behind “Single Foxes (Put A Wood On It).” Two gems put together in a solid fashion, good enough for me. It runs little bit slower than most mashups, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless.

The other thing I seemed to have skipped in my rapid launch into the blogosphere was my Michael Jackson tribute. Sadly, this too seems to have been done ad nauseum, but hopefully one more MJ mashup will not make me sink to “Entertainment Tonight” status. The Animal Show was extremely comforting to me during the first few hours, giving me “Thriller” and “Billie Jean” mashups to blast loud enough to impel my dad to moonwalk on his way to yell at me. My favorite part of this particular MJ tribute is the song choice. Not MJs, but rather his company, Steve Miller Band. “Keep On Till You Get Enough” by DJ Gizmo (remember him from icebergxc’s sacrosanct MJ Mashup article), integrates the SMB classic “Rock’n Me” into MJ’s immortal “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough”. And while I can’t decide if finding a MJ mashup that my dad enjoys is good or bad, it seems that it’s just so impressive that it crosses generational gaps.

Last but not least in this mashup bonanza is a mix of Beastie Boys and Matt & Kim. Matt & Kim, the chic Brooklyn duo, released Grand at the beginning of this year. While Beastie Boys have been dropping hits since Saddam came to power (1979, a pretty interesting year that I sadly missed). The mashup combines “Good Ol’ Fashion Nightmare,” which was very good on its own, with the Paul’s Boutique classic “Shake Your Rump.” Matt & Kim create beats galore while Beastie brings “more rhymes than Jamaica’s got mangoes.” The Hood Internet, known for their Chicago love, create a nice Brooklyn tribute.

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If I Were A Free Fallin’ Boy (Tom Petty vs. Beyonce) – DJ Earworm (YSI)

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Keep On Till You Get Enough (Steve Miller Band vs. Michael Jackson) – DJ Gizmo (YSI)

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Good Ol’ Fashion Rump Shaker (Beastie Boys vs. Matt & Kim) – The Hood Internet (YSI)

*”Ready your dress suspenders, you guys!” – Edward

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3. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

This will make more sense in a minute

I have no air conditioning. This is kind of a drag, because the best I can do is move outside-temperature air around me with fans and drink cold adult beverages all day. Not so bad, right?

I live in Houston. The Houston that’s in TEXAS.

So it’s kind of hot here, but I’ve been cooling off with this tight mashup of Royksopp and everyone’s favorite Lil’ guy (Wayne). Everyone please thank The Hood Internet for another sweet, sweet track. This one’s like riding in a pink Cadillac convertible through a 75˚ land of rainbow waterfalls and dry ice. Seriously, this bleepy beat underscores Wayne with seamless aptitude and should be awarded a permanent spot on that CD you burn at the beginning of summer and forget to take out until September.

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Comfortable Up Here (Lil’ Wayne vs. Royksopp) — The Hood Internet (mediafire)

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There's something bizarre and awesome about animals dressed up as Muppets.

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When the Last Time I Left You (Clipse vs. The Avalanches) – The Hood Internet (mediafire) [Buy Hell Hath No Fury] [Buy Since I Left You, which comes with a glowing recommendation from yours truly.]

Februaremedy Count: 23/28

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Show 'em your grill face, Panda Bear.

This isn’t the first time I’ve written about those mashup mashters, Hood Internet, and it certainly won’t be the last, but I’ll be damned if they haven’t amazed me with another set of fantastic A+Bs. When the first leaks of Merriweather Post Pavilion started to speed through internet tubes and into ears of bearded Pitchfork disciples, I turned to fellow Animal Show staffer Marquis Meowmers the IV and said, “dawg, do you hear the ‘lectro-ness of this stuff? It’s going to make some nasty mashes.” He got mad at me for calling him “dawg.” Stupidest sobriquet ever, loser.

Anyway, the Hood Internet tickled my cochlear with this delectable jam. (Perhaps even a Strawberry Jam, anyone? Bahahah, music jokes!) Well done, mash-up awkward white nerd dudes. I commend you, on behalf of the Writers Guild of the Internets! I will cast my unlimited votes your way when some worthless internet poll comes around about who we interweb-casters would most like to have dinner with, or something. Until I find such a poll, play this on repeat.

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Animals Collecting Money – The Hood Internet (Animal Collective vs. Paper Route Gangstaz) (MP3)

If you’re a complete moron and haven’t bought MPP yet, do yourself a favor.

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