Alicia Keys - "If I Ain't Got You" (Kanye West remix)

The original version had way more replay value than I expected it to, one of the rare R&B hits that I like even more after the billionth time I hear it on the radio. This version's not as good but it's nice, Kanye chops the "some people want it all" part into one of his pitched up chipmunk samples over a slightly faster beat and Alicia does some new lyrics.

Juvenile and Soulja Slim - "Slow Motion"

I feel pretty out of the loop because I hadn't even heard of this song until I was looking at the rap charts on Billboard and this was in the top 10, and then saw the video on MTV the next day, so I guess it's been big in the south for a while already. But didn't the "Bounce Back" video just come out? I guess they decided to rush this one out, and it's much better than that anyway, or "In My Life", which I kinda hated. It seems like for all the slick rap songs on the radio, there aren't any that are this pleasantly laid back. The video is also kind of mellow, lots of slow shots of everyone in NOLA paying their respects to Slim. I hope it's huge all summer.

Sheek Louch, Jae Hood and Styles P. - "Respect" freestyle

D-Block paying homage to Poppa over my favorite beat from Ready To Die. Sheek once again manages to do nothing with his cool Ghostface-type quivering voice, and clumsily shoehorns a stupid "I'm Rick James, bitch" reference in there, Jae Hood does the most lifeless, monotone faux-ragamuffin "lord have mercy, follow me follow me follow meeee" bullshit, and Paniro delivers the best verse pretty much by default.