Video: Drake - 'Take Care' & 'HYFR'

It seems like a lifetime ago that we first heard Drake's take on the Gil Scott-Heron/Jamie xx anthem 'I'll Take Care Of U'. Yet Aubrey finally dropped the video to the eponymous track from his second album, which was released in November of last year. Also, as a bonus he went and gifted us with a video to another Take Care track, 'HYFR'. Don't say Drizzy doesn't treat his fans well.

Song of the Day: #35

You know when you listen to a song expecting it to be completely average, but then it totally blows your mind. Well, that's what happened to me when I first heard Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros' track 'Home'. Since then they have had, and will always have, a place in my heart.

MP3: Kanye West - 'Theraflu' & 'Touch The Sky' (Remix)

I've not posted for a while, so it had to be something big to kick it off again. New Kanye tracks? Yeah, I think that's big enough.

Song of the Day: #34

I've had a complete Eminem obsession the last couple of days, where I've been listening to all of his albums on repeat. Even Eminem's biggest stan (see what I did there?) will have to admit that Em's career has taken a steady downward curve since he returned from a four year break to release Encore. So it's no surprise that I keep finding myself coming back to classics like The Eminem Show.

Video: Odd Future - Oldie

The Odd Future Tape Vol. 2 is finally here! The album features all of the talent that the hip-hop collective contains within it. To mark this occasion, the group dropped the video for album closer 'Oldie'.

Song of the Day: #33

Tyga has been grafting hard over the last few years, remember 'Coconut Juice'? Well, now he's blowing up in a big way.

Video: Diplo - Express Yourself (Feat. Nicky Da B)

Fresh off the back of his outstanding collaboration with R&B legend Usher, Diplo is preparing to drop his Express Yourself EP. If you're a fan of booty shaking, soul-claps and music itself, then you are definitely in the right place.

Willis Earl Beal - Evening's Kiss (Live at Now Wave Manchester)

If you follow me on twitter (@benjamintowersx) you may have noticed my love for Willis Earl Beal (see: here and here). This guy is blowing my mind every time I listen to his musical gifts to us mere mortals.

Song of the Day: #32

Yo, Estelle, Where have you been for the last three years? You went and dropped the brilliant 'American Boy' and 'Pretty Please (Love Me)', and then left us high and dry. Not cool, Estelle. Not cool.

Labrinth - Earthquake (All Star RMX) (Feat. Tinie Tempah, Kano, Wretch 32 & Busta Rhymes)

Labrinth is seizing 2012 by the scruff of it's neck and making it bow down to his genius. When 'Earthquake' dropped in late 2011 (Labrinth's first solo single since 2010's 'Let The Sun Shine') he demonstrated his ability to craft an infectious hook and pounding beat, and because of this, 'Earthquake' has become a club-anthem. Well, Labrinth has taken it to the next level.

Song of the Day: #31

You didn't think Odd Future had given up on trying to shock people, had you?

Song of the Day: #30

Tanlines are an indie-rock/pop duo hailing from Brooklyn, New York and they are prepping for the release of their debut album Mixed Emotions on March 20th. I think the guy on the left is my favourite because he's wearing a Mariah Carey t-shirt. Yeah, definitely the guy on the left.

Song of the Day: #29

There must be something in the water in Sweden because the amount of amazing pop music to come from the Scandinavian country in the last couple of years cannot be a coincidence. Amazing pop acts such as; Lykke Li, Robyn, Icona Pop and Rebecca & Fiona, to name a few, have shown the talent that is brewing in the country, and now Amanda Mair steps forward to continue the countries strike rate.

Song of the Day: #28

If you haven't heard of Mz. Bratt, then you need to get familiar because she's about to take over the UK music scene.

Video: Gotye - Easy Way Out

If a video takes nine months to make, then it needs to be pretty special. Special is certainly what this new Gotye video is.

Rita Ora - R.I.P. (Feat. Tinie Tempah)

Following on from the success of her DJ Fresh collaboration, 'Hot Right Now', Rita Ora is preparing for the release of her debut solo-single in the UK. (She has already released 'Party & Bullshit' as her debut US single). Of course, Tinie Tempah does what he does best and latches himself onto an American-affiliated artist in his continued quest to break America, therefore he provides a few bars that add nothing to the song whatsoever. Well done Tinie. Listen to the otherwise enjoyable song, 'R.I.P.', below. Oh, and it was written by Drake and produced by Chase & Status. No Biggie.

A*M*E - Ride Or Die

A few weeks ago I featured A*M*E's brilliant single, 'City Lights', as my SOTD. Well now she's back with the even more impressive, 'Ride Or Die'. Like 'City Lights', this track is produced by MNEK and showcases A*M*E's ability to switch between rapping and singing with ease, never sounding out of her depth. This girl is in it for the long-haul for sure. Listen to 'Ride Or Die' below.

Song of the Day: #27

Isn't Marina all beautiful and lovely with her blonde hair. I feel she made a fantastic decision in deciding her alter-ego, Electra Heart, would be a blonde. Very good Marina.

Song of the Day: #26

It was just a matter of time until this happened.

Nicki Minaj - Roman Reloaded (Feat. Lil Wayne)

Another day, another Nicki Minaj track from upcoming album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. The (sort of) title track, 'Roman Reloaded', shows us a different Nicki than we saw on 'Stupid Hoe' and 'Starships'. 'Roman Reloaded' is the closest we've got to mixtape-Nicki for a long time. Plus, we get a feature from YMCMB boss, Weezy. This is some Sucka Free shit right here.

Song of the Day: #25

Gorillaz, Andre 3000 and James Murphy on one track?! That shit cray! The genius' at Converse have struck gold again.

Song of the Day: #25

It is a travesty that J. Cole isn't featured on the MTV Hottest MCs list this year. Cole World: The Sideline Story was one of the best rap debuts in 2011, so for someone of J. Cole's calibre and talent to get ignored is quite simply not acceptable. Must try better MTV.

Song of the Day: #24

For real, I don't think it's possible for G-Eazy to make a bad song. The latest song from the rapper, sees him in a rather reflective mood and it's brilliant. The song also features a fantastic chorus from Dominique LeJeune.

Rihanna & Chris Brown. Round 2.

CAKE CAKE CAKE CAKE CAKE CAKE CAKE CAKE CAKE CAKE CAKE CAKE

Video: Odd Future - Rella

Whenever I watch an Odd Future video I have to watch it twice through in succession. The first time for the visuals, the second time for the actual song, such is the OFWGKTA fashion to have visuals that require all of your attention.

Jessie J in the BBC Live Lounge

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Miss Jessica Cornish. At times she can genuinely phenomenal, and at other times cringingly vapid. When she stopped by the BBC Live Lounge last week she displayed both of these sides to us.

Song of the Day: #23

Saint Etienne? Good. Summer Camp? Good. Saint Etienne remixing Summer Camp? Flippin' brilliant! Seriously, this song is amazing.

Mixtape: The Weeknd x Chi Duly - Balloons of Haus

The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) was a very busy boy in 2011, releasing three full-length mixtapes; House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence (all of which you can download for free at his official website). All three mixtapes were received with much acclaim and have set The Weeknd up nicely to enjoy a very successful 2012, where we will hopefully be graced with a debut album.

Sleigh Bells Perform On SNL

Sleigh Bells made their Saturday Night Live debut this past weekend, performing 'Comeback Kid', the first single from their sophomore album, Reign of Terror, which is released this week. I posted the official video for 'Comeback Kid' previously, but it's always nice to see how well a band can carry off their songs live on stage, and I feel Sleigh Bells did a pretty decent job. I think this song is fantastic and I will definitely be purchasing the album. If you haven't already, you can stream Reign of Terror here. Peep the performance below.

Video: Michael Kiwanuka - I'm Getting Ready

BBC's 'Sound of 2012' winner, Michael Kiwanuka dropped the visuals to his latest single 'I'm Getting Ready', last night. 'I'm Getting Ready' was the first song I ever heard from the British singer, and it is a genuinely beautiful song, filled with emotion and soul. At the age of 24, he has still got a long way to go in the music industry, but I feel his talent will enable him to cross over into the American market, allowing him to sustain a long and successful career. I've got a good feeling about this guy and he could definitely end up being heralded as one of the greats, up there with Bill Withers and Otis Redding.

Video: Childish Gambino - Heartbeat

For me, Childish Gambino was one of the best things to come out of 2011. His debut album, CAMP, is phenomenal, from start to finish, and was the best album to be released on 15th November (sorry Drake). Childish Gambino (the rap alias of Community actor Donald Glover) has defied nearly all of the critics and shown that it is possible for an actor to become a credible musical act, without their musical career becoming a novelty.

Song of the Day: #22

The best thing about the BBC Live Lounge always has been, and always will be, the cover songs that the artists perform. It allows us to see an artist push the boundaries of their music capabilities. While the results aren't always excellent, most of the time we get a brilliant piece of work.

Video: The Drums - Days

The Drums don't really do cheery. 'Let's Go Surfing' is probably as cheery as they'll ever get. So, 'Days', the third single from their second album, Portamento, with lyrics like "And I worked so hard / And I killed myself" fits right into the usual aesthetic that The Drums have created for themselves. However, despite the morbidity, 'Days' is a decent song and the video, while being pretty creepy, keeps you captivated and manages to work well with the song. Check it out below.

Video/MP3: Mikey J & The UK Female Allstars - Rock The Mic

Jeeeeeez, this track goes hard. The females in the UK rap scene are killing it right now, with 'Rock The Mic' confirming that they're going in just as hard as their male counterparts. The video for 'Rock The Mic' comes nearly three months after the UK Female Allstars debuted the song at the BBC 1Xtra Live Tour in December of last year, and it was definitely worth the wait.

Song of the Day: #21

I'm going all the way back to 1965 for today's song of the day. Bettye Swann is an American soul-singer, who is probably best know for her 1967 single, 'Make Me Yours', which topped the Billboard R&B chart at it's time of release. However, despite the talent that Bettye clearly has, the success she deserved never really came her way, which is a shame because tracks like 'Make Me Yours' and, today's song of the day, 'The Heartache Is Gone' are absolutely brilliant songs that really deserve to be regarded as classics of the soul/Motown era. Have a listen to 'The Heartache Is Gone' below. You won't regret it.

Video: Tennis - Origins

Tennis have released a video for the first single, 'Origins', from their second album, Young & Old. 'Origins' is a brilliant song to launch Tennis' album campaign, because it encapsulates everything that is good about the group. Check out the Richard Law-directed video below, and if you like what you hear, Young & Old is now available to buy.

Video: The Kills - The Last Goodbye

Last summer, I went to Leeds Festival. It was Sunday afternoon and I was killing time, waiting for Cults to play on the Festival Republic stage. I flicked through my programme and noticed The Kills were just about to come onto the NME stage. I wouldn't say I was a massive fan of The Kills. Sure, 'Cheap & Cheerful' is an amazing song, and I'd recently purchased their latest album, Blood Pressures, but I had yet to give it a proper listen. However, throughout their set, Alison Mosshart stalked the stage, looking like a Tim Burton creation, and Jamie Hince basked in his ever-present aura of coolness. I couldn't help but fall in love with the duo. The part of that performance that will always stay in my mind, is when they played set-closer, 'The Last Goodbye'. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed, everyone in the tent was silent, focusing all their attention on this woman who seemed like she was bearing her soul live on stage. It is a rare occurrence to find a song by the The Kills that will move you emotionally, but 'The Last Goodbye' does just that. It was magical.

FACEOFF: Lil Wayne vs. Demi Lovato vs. Justin Bieber

Following on from the previous 'Rihanna vs. Nicki Minaj' faceoff, I have decided to continue this feature. This faceoff will be between 'Best Rapper Alive' Lil Wayne, 'Previously Troubled, But Now Recovered' actress-come-singer Demi Lovato, and 'Little-Known Singer Of Songs' Justin Bieber (trust me, this kid is going to be huge).

Song of the Day: #20

As a Valentine's Day present to the world, DJ/producer-extraordinaire, Diplo, released a track he's been working on with Usher. 'Cimax' cements Usher's brilliant return to form, following the insanely brilliant 'Without You', from the David Guetta album, Nothing But The Beat (do you think David Guetta realises the irony in that album title?).

Mixtape: War of Words - Free Your Minds

OK, everyone makes mixtapes nowadays, but this mixtape from War of Words is simply brilliant. Featuring classic tracks from SNAP!, Black Box, TLC and Rosario Ralphi, as well as three tracks from the duo themselves, pop perfection is the only thing on the agenda. War of Words are set for a magnificent 2012 ("isn't everybody?" you say), but tracks like 'Panic', 'Battleground' and 'Sympathy' speak volumes for the girls' potential to be the next big thing in pop music.

MP3: Bashy - Heart of Stone (Feat. Dot Rotton, Lady Leshurr & Black The Ripper)

A track from Bashy's The Crunchie Mixtape was my Song of the Day the other week, and now I'm bringing you another track from the brilliant London rapper, and this tune is straight fire. Bashy has teamed up with Dot Rotton, Lady Leshurr and Black The Ripper, to create 'Heart of Stone', an impressive track, where everyone goes hard. The track comes from the upcoming The Great Escape EP, a collaborations project that Bashy has been recording in-between filming the movie The Man Inside, in which he has secured the lead role.

Free EP: Ed Sheeran & Yelawolf - The Slumdon Bridge EP

There must be something about Valentine's Day that makes musicians feel very generous. Following Charli XCX's freebie giveaway earlier, Ed Sheeran let this collaborative EP, with Eminem affiliate Yelawolf, go on twitter. The Slumdon Bridge EP see Ed and Yelawolf trading verses over an acoustic guitar backing. While not really being a fan of either artists' solo work, Sheeran's + and Yelawolf's Radioactive, I found myself thoroughly enjoying all four tracks on this EP. You can download the EP below, and the tracklisting is as follows:

Free EP: James Blake - Live Album

One of my friends saw James Blake live at Benicassim, last year, and I said to her, "I like his music, but I'm not sure how good he'd be live." She assured me that, in fact, he is brilliant live. Finally, I have been given solid proof. The James Blake fan tumblr, has put together an entire EP of live performances, and it features songs from all of his releases. Blake's voice is completely hypnotic and you can't help but be mesmerised by it. Even if you're not a massive fan of James Blake, you have to appreciate the talent that this young man has. You can download the entire live album below. The tracklisting is as follows:

Song of the Day: #19

Nicki Minaj's performance at the Grammys was ... theatrical. The reintroduction of Nicki's male alter-ego, Roman Zolanski, left many people scratching their heads as to what to actually expect from the delayed Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, Nicki's second album, which was originally slated to be released today. However, to appease her fans for the time being, Nicki has released 'Starships' on iTunes, which I assume will join 'Stupid Hoe' and 'Roman Holiday' on her much anticipated sophomore album.

'Starships' is everything 'Stupid Hoe' and 'Roman Holiday' aren't. It is a radio-friendly, certified club banger, and will no doubt follow in the steps of her most successful single to date, the irresistible 'Super Bass'. The single is produced by Lady GaGa's go-to-guy, RedOne, and gives off a very euro-dance vibe. Dropping a new single will no doubt keep her 'barbz' at bay for a little while, but it will take more than that to keep her fans happy until the new album release date, 3rd April. Listen to 'Starships' below.

Charli XCX - Valentine

I wrote a little bit about Charli XCX previously, and I have been waiting for something new from the young singer since. Today was my lucky day. Charli released a new song this morning entitled, 'Valentine' ... because it's Valentine's Day, obviously. For a free download (this was a 'Valentine's Day Only' offer), 'Valentine' is surprisingly brilliant and makes me very excited to hear her debut album, set to be released later this year. If you, like myself, don't have an other-half to enjoy Valentine's Day with, then we can enjoy some free music instead. It's better than having a boy/girlfriend anyway. (It is not). Have a listen to 'Valentine' below.

Song of the Day: #18

There was only really one choice for SOTD, today. It was revealed last night that the most awarded female artist of all time, Whitney Houston, sadly passed away. Collecting 415 awards throughout her career, it is impossible to deny that Houston is one of the best singers of all time. I do not hesitate for one moment to call this woman a legend. Unfortunately, just like when Amy Winehouse passed away last year, people will bring up her substance abuse, and use that as an excuse to tarnish her reputation. These people should have more respect. It is always sad when a life is lost, regardless of the life they lived. If people want to celebrate the life of Whitney Houston they should be able to do so without hassle.

My favourite Whitney song is, without doubt 'How Will I Know', therefore it shall be my SOTD. RIP Whitney Houston, 9th August, 1963 - 11th February, 2012.

Song of the Day: #17

It was just a matter of time until I made a Lil Wayne track my song of the day. Since I first heard 'Fireman', off of Tha Carter II, I've never been able to get enough of Wayne. Everything about him fascinates me. From the copious amounts of tattoos and the syrup addiction, to the fact he's never written down a lyric. The man is a one of a kind, and a one of a kind that just kind of happens to be the best rapper alive. Hell, even when he wants to reinvent himself as a rockstar he completely owns that shit. Weezy can do no wrong in my eyes.

I took the inspiration for today's SOTD from an Azealia Banks tweet, that alerted me to a track I'd been sleeping on. 'Something You Forgot' is from the Tha Carter III Mixtape that accompanied the classic album of the same name. The song demonstrates Wanye at his very best, when he's rapping from the heart about real issues. You can listen to 'Something You Forgot' below.

Song of the Day: #16

Willis Earl Beal, recently signed to XL, is blowing my mind. He dropped a new track, 'Take Me Away', off of his upcoming second album, Acousmatic Sorcery. This song is ridiculously good and has really opened my eyes to this guys ability. Beal has been tipped to make a big mark in 2012, and this song really makes me believe it will happen. Listen to the track below and let me know what you think.

Video: The Throne - 'Ni**as In Paris'

Yesterday, Jay and Kanye dropped the visuals for their much-loved track 'Ni**as in Paris', from the duo's album, Watch The Throne, which made a big splash world-wide last year. The track became a fan favourite after the live shows on the Watch The Throne Tour, where Jay and Kanye would perform the track back-to-back, up to ten times. Fans were "going gorillas" EVERY time. Check out the video, in all its kaleidoscope glory, below.

Video: Cults - 'You Know What I Mean'

'You Know What I Mean' has been my favourite song on Cults' self-titled debut album since the first time I played it. Its simplicity just makes it so emotional and extremely powerful. The duo dropped the video for the track yesterday and it follows Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin in a carnival/circus-themed storyline. It's a touching video that resonates well with the song. Check out the video below.