May 23, 2013 – Miguel's became a bona fide star in 2012, and it all started with his free Art Dealer Chic EPs (SPIN was on him early, naming those records as Essential). The first volume of the EPs birthed "Adorn," a song that shot Miguel into a stratosphere and has become one of the biggest R&B songs of all time. They also built a buzz for his sophomore album Kaleidoscope Dream, which was one of the most acclaimed, and Grammy winning, records of last year (Top 5 of 2012, if you ask us). In July, Billboard reports, he will start another round of ADC EPs, with one every month starting in July and running through August.If there's a song half as good as "Adorn" — or even "Arch & Point" or "ALL..." — it will be a good summer. And if not, well, we already have "#Beautiful."

May 23, 2013 – Rappers have a history of announcing collaborative albums that will almost certainly never happen: The-Dream and Kanye, Lil Wayne and Juelz Santana, Drake and Rick Ross. Ross and Birdman were once in that category, too, until they decided to drop an old album titled The H: The Lost Album, Vol. 1 today as a free mixtape. If rap mixtapes could be carbon-dated it sounds like this one would turn up as having been formed in 2009. Nothing here is among the best work from either rapper (or in the case of Birdman, "rapper"), but it's an interesting experiment nonetheless. Plus, DJ Khaled screams a bunch. Stream or download it below.

May 23, 2013 – "Guild" is the third leak from Earl Sweatshirt's major label debut Doris, and it features a lead-off verse from one Mac Miller, the one-time frat-rap icon who has gradually turned into a weeded-out L.A. weirdo. Over a tempo-free slow-mo beat, Earl and Miller screw their voices and spit goofy bars that resemble the fever-dream fantasies of Action Bronson and Riff Raff ("In Myrtle Beach with a purple fleece / Hotel lobby's playing 'Für Elise").The track — which was recorded at Miller's home studio in the L.A. hills — reminds of MF Doom's most supremely stoned trifles. Also, Miller asks Lil B to hear his prayers. (You and Kevin Durant, both, dude.)

May 23, 2013 – The ringing guitar chords that open Kendrick Lamar's "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" are lifted from the beginning of a song called "Tiden Flyver" by the group Boom Clap Bachelors. Robin Hannibal of Boom Clap Bachelors is in Rhye, but he's also in Quadron with singer Coco O.,  who sang alongside Erykah Badu on Tyler, the Creator's "Treehome95." Quadron has been building a murmuring buzz this year thanks to their single "Hey Love," which uses the soft strums and handclaps of the Lumineers for good instead of evil.Quadron's newest single is "Better Off," a lightly breezy song with a jazz lilt. Kendrick slides through for a verse, sounding as comfortable and perfect as he did on "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe." Quadron's debut album Avalanche is out June 4 on Epic.

May 23, 2013 – There is a Chief Keef fan out there with the back tattoo you see above — a portrait of Keef's face framed by his government name and the phrase "N' Joi" and a bunch of floating hearts. The as-yet-unidentified girl will one day come to regret getting Chief Keef's face tattooed on her back, first and foremost because the face tattooed on her back doesn't look much like Chief Keef. But even if it was a stunning rendering of his face, it's still, you know, Chief Keef's face tattooed on your back. Kids these days, right?If it's any solace, even the wildly rich and famous experience tattoo disasters — just ask Kevin Durant. And Drake. And Lil Wayne. And Chris Brown.

May 23, 2013 – The original buzz around Rocko's "U.O.E.N.O." was that it was going to be pushed to radio with new verses by Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West, a move supposed to up the song's wattage while also quietly wiping away the date rap lyric that got Rick Ross dropped from Reebok. Alas, that never came to fruition, and Rocko has instead steadily dropped a handful of remixes over the course of the last few months. The latest comes from Lamar, who is joined by his Black Hippy crew instead of Kanye West.Their version — which starts 75 seconds into the above video — kicks off with Lamar eschewing the song's signature flow, but he slips and slides over the aqueous beat so impressively that it doesn't even matter.

May 23, 2013 – Some things just make sense — like Nicki Minaj firing shots at lames on a party-starting Ciara single. "I'm Out" is the newest offering from the Atlanta singer's self-titled album — which SPIN previewed last month — and it features a thumping beat that calls back to Ciara's days as crunk's princess. On "I'm Out" she's appropriately swaggering, using a breakup as a springboard for a night at the club: "I post some pics up looking sexy / Now this nigga wanna text me." Nicki, meanwhile, spits a verse that couldn't exactly be jammed by those cute girls on Ellen: "No, I never been there, but I like to Bangkok / Big fat titties when they hanging out my tanktop."

May 22, 2013 – Paris Hilton — the hotel heiress turned reality TV star turned tabloid superstar turned pop hopeful turned club relic turned Bling Ring subject — will officially release a new album through Cash Money records, label honcho Birdman confirmed on Twitter today. According to Hilton (via MTV), it will be a house album with production from Afrojack and verses from a number of rappers including Lil Wayne, both of whom worked on her 2012 single "Last Night". Hilton last released an album in 2006, but did release an entrancing single in early 2012 called "Drunk Text" that reportedly featured her talking over a beat by Manufactured Superstars.Hilton will join a number of outcast artists on Cash Money, most notably Limp Bizkit and Bow Wow. Yes, it is still 2013. And yes, Birdman has a lot of money he doesn't know what to do with.

May 22, 2013 – J. Cole played his smash single "Power Trip" with help from Late Night With Jimmy Fallon house band the Roots Tuesday night (May 22). It was a solid rendition, as Fallon performances often go, even if Miguel's voice had to be piped in. "Power Trip" — which peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 — features a broken-down beat that collapses in on itself, but the Roots handled it gamely, ?uestlove bashing his cymbals perhaps more than he would've liked.The single is off Cole's forthcoming Born Sinner LP, which is now out on June 18. Cole reportedly said that he bumped up the release date in order to compete with Kanye West's much-hyped Yeezus. Cole will very likely "lose" that competition, but the publicity will have been well worth it.

May 22, 2013 – Yesterday, T.I. dropped the video his Lil Wayne-featuring "Wit Me," the first song off his forthcoming Trouble Man II. Unbeholden to chronological order, Tip also debuted "Hello," the third single from his 2012 album Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head. "Hello" — another of T.I.'s watery, introspective efforts that makes a good counterpoint to "Wit Me" — sports a hook from Cee Lo and production from Pharrell.Trouble Man II doesn't yet have a release date, though that certainly may change if "Wit Me" connects with listeners.