When you’re down and troubled, and you need a helping hand, and nothing, whoa nothing, is going right, close your eyes and think of Rappin Ass Thursdays.

Cassidy “Drumma Bass” [mp3]
This beat is stupid dumb good. Unfortunately Cassidy is saying words on top of it.

Bun B “Untitled Flow” [mp3]
Now Bernard on the other hand… the man might have a future with this whole rapping thing. And he even says “fool” accapella at the end for good measure, y’all know that’s got to become a drop! Production credit por favor? Sounds like one of those Pepsi can sunglasses robots trying to burp out J5’s “Dancing Machine” aka Things I Fucks With.

Game “You Are The Blood” [mp3]
I wonder if Cool and Dre were searching “blood” on iTunes for songs to sample, or if they really bump Sufjan in South Beach. Gotta give it up to the Black Chuck Taylor for being open to relatively left-field beats (I still think “Shake” never got a fair one) as opposed to just throwing together a bunch of faux Dr Drestrumentals and trendy “B.M.F” bites. (“Cold Blood” ft. Busta is also good on Game’s new Brake Lights tape, here’s a mercifully DJ Skee-less version of the whole thing.)

Ca$his “Here We Go” [mp3]
PRGz “Stop N Go” [mp3]
Gangrene (OhNo & Alchemist) “Chain Swinging” [mp3]
Eine kleine nachtmusik.

Mysonne “Tape Rock” [mp3]
Crooked I “Everythang” [mp3]
It’d be easy to call out all the post-Cool Kids usages of Rick Rubin production tropes, but hey, folks can rhyme n steal over 808s all they want if it sounds good, and these do. Not mad at either of em. (Bonus beat rap name alert: the Mysonne was produced by RALPH RANDOM.)

Tity Boi f. Yo Gotti “Boo” [mp3]
Speaking of rap names… Tity Boi! Playaz Circle have been fairly quiet since “Duffle Bag Boy” but they have been dropping joints on the low (just ask Kid Sis and Floss about “hold up… po’ up….”) and this one is no different.

Pharoahe Monch f. Mela Machinko “Shine” [mp3]
Grown man raps done right, with just enough flair and playfulness (rhyming Steve Rifkind with Snake Pilsken, for instance) to balance the “conscious” Whole Foods disses. And the beat is tough! Gotta give Diamond D props like a cop. I never understood that line. Who gives cops props? It’s a mystery. A best kept secret, if you will. I’ll stop now.