Really Quick Hits: Black Eyed Peas and Beck

I've obviously been neglecting the other new releases that have come out in the past two months or so, as I have waded my way through the ACL line-up.  But there are two new singles out that I just had to note before I go back to listen to the new music released by the ACL folks since I started (full Leon Bridges, Brandon Flowers, etc.).

First, check this video and song from the crate-digging Black Eyed Peas.  I can't say that I've ever been a huge fan of their music, but this nostalgia trip into the great rap of yesterday is so sweet.

Black Sheep!  Das EFX!  Tribe Called Quest!  Digible freaking Planets!  And, of course, bigger names like Public Enemy, Wu Tang, and NWA.  Awesome stuff.

Second, Beck's "Dreams."  No real video here, but Beck continues to amaze me.  He can do an acoustic-driven album that snags the Grammy for album of the year, and then he can go all Adam Levine and fire up a pop nugget summer jam like this.

I swear, the guy must have made a bet with someone that he could turn his ship 180 degrees and still sell records.  The breakdown in the middle sounds like an old Chemical Brothers drum bit, but the rest of the song sounds like a fresh Foster the People song.  If I could be any musical artist, I think it would be Beck.