If you’re an ‘80s baby like me I guarantee you had the same reaction when you first saw that Monica’s new single also featured Brandy: “oh sh*t!!!” Allow me to explain to those under 20. Monica and Brandy’s previous effort, 1998’s The Boy Is Mine, was without exaggeration one of the biggest collabo R&B tracks of all-time. So yeah, It All Belongs to Me is kinda like a big deal. While Boy Is Mine found the superstars fighting over the attention of one very lucky guy, the years have brought the two singers together over a common bond; the vagaries of no good men. Written and produced by Rico Love, Belongs to Me is a deeply layered affair that gets the heart of its momentum from a sharp percussion line over a strong piano melody. It’s more than enough fuel for the dynamic duo to show that their vocal skills haven’t dimmed in the slightest as they deliver performances that are simultaneously forceful, intimidating and beautiful. In addition to some serious heartbreak, Brandy and Monica will also be sharing Belongs to Me. The single will be featured on both Monica’s New Life album, due out April 10, and Brandy’s yet-to-be-titled RCA/Chameleon debut, due out this spring.

With January’s We the Ones, single numero uno off his junior set, Mike Dreams returned to the Booth after more than a year’s absence from our front page—and earned a hero’s welcome for his trouble. If you thought the erstwhile site regular (and freestyle alum) sounded driven to succeed on that cut, well, you ain’t heard nothing yet. On follow-up In the Sky (another world premiere!), my Minneapolis neighbor makes clear that he’s not going to quit climbing till he’s reached his rightful place among the stars. Over Any Day Now  Over the anthemic synth-string boardwork of Jimmy Easy (producer of previously-featured cuts Any Day Now and So Long), Dreams brushes aside those who would call his ambitions unfeasible, spitting, “They tell me ‘Think logically, think inside reality.’ / But what’s more realistic than getting’ where I gotta be?” Mike’s MUSIC2DREAM2 colleague, Tameya Clark, lends a hand on the guest tip, matching the record’s lofty themes with some soaring chorus vocals. With this kind of momentum, it’s only a matter of time before Mike Dreams busts through the Earth’s atmosphere. Keep it locked to The DJBooth for updates on his ascent, including all the latest on his as yet unscheduled Millennial LP.

Another day, Another Classic joint from M-Phazes. Last heard contributing his hard-edged production stylings to a reader-acclaimed remix of The Raw, the Australian beatsmith switches it up to deliver something a little lighter—but equally timeless—on the latest release off his forthcoming full-length. Making its world premiere right here in The DJBooth, this cut finds Phazes layering bombastic brass over a head-noddable break as a couple of his most talented colleagues remind us what “…the opposite of wack sh*t” sounds like. After Booth newcomer Burke‘s two-fisted opener, BK stalwart Torae brings the cut home with 16 bars’ worth of intricately-rhymed, allusive trash talk (“Let me break it down for you, case you don’t know my style / Bring the beef to your table like Fogo De Chao.”). Last but most definitely not least, Side Effect and DJ Waxwork double up behind the wheels of steel, contributing authentic cuts to the record’s hook. Digging it? More future classics await on the producer’s Phazed Out LP, coming Feb. 14. Additionally, fans will be able to catch Torae at The DJBooth’s 3/17 SXSW showcase – keep it locked for further details!

On his last feature, the tremendously-acclaimed This Land, Will Brennan put Western society’s historical assumptions into global perspective, schooling us on how Western society has whitewashed the historic cultural and scientific achievements of African antiquity. By contrast, the latest world premiere off the Palm Beach phenom’s forthcoming, Booth-hosted LP finds him zooming in—way in—to describe the effects of a certain woman on his mindstate. With The Report beat crew SMKA‘s chopped soul samples as his canvas, Brennan describes his vision of feminine perfection. Realizing he can’t summarize her allure in words, he fleshes his portrait out with a few musical allusions: “Addicted to her, but it’s not the caffeine / It’s what had the Jamaican n*ggas singin’ ‘bout Maxine / Or Lauryn Hill’s ‘That thing, that thing.’ / Got me feelin’ like a crack fiend, crack fiend…” Does this understated meditation on love and the hustle leave you craving more? Then be sure to check out Rite of Passage Feb. 16, when it arrives on our mixtape page for free streaming and download.

The last we heard from Spree Wilson he was proclaiming himself to be King Sh*t (not to be confused with the King of Sh*t.) Fans of the ATL singer/songwriter/professional boundary breaker shouldn’t be surprised then that Spree’s taking a decidedly different tact on the second release from his upcoming The Spark album, this time comparing a lovely lady’s ability to strike him down with the merest of glances to a Sharpshooter. Or as Wilson more bluntly puts it, “It’s my version of audio sex.” Spree splits production duties with frequent collaborator Shoden!1 with the pair this time ditching the darker sound of their previous beat in favor of a synth soaked and lightly guitar touched beat aimed at inspiring some shots from Cupid. Vocally Wilson is at his funkiest, offering up a light hook that floats perfectly over the instrumental’s crisply dancing base. Can I offer some advice to those inexplicably hesitating to press play? Stop thinking and just “bang and get it over with.”  While Wilson’s long-awaited album The Spark is still awaiting a solid release date, with releases like this it’s only a matter of time before that spark becomes a fire.

If there were any doubt as to why West Coast fast-riser and freestyle alum Fashawn chose to work with Exile exclusively on both his first and (forthcoming) second studio albums, the latter’s latest promo single should clear things up once and for all. Not only do the Cali neighbors have undeniable artistic chemistry but, judging by the newly-released Oh Word (Keep on Rising), they also have one hell of a time when they get together. Continuing in the off-the-wall vein of Blu-assisted single When Nothing’s Left, this joint finds Exile setting a light-hearted mood behind the boards, looping a bouncy guitar/percussion sample as he and his professional colleague/smoking buddy showcase their knack for blunted badinage. While their vocal interplay gives rise to too many quotable lines to, well, quote, the highlight for yours truly was hearing the headliner coin the portmanteau, “Kool Quiche.” (To be fair, I’m a fan of just about anything that combines food and rap). Though Oh Word doesn’t appear on the set, those digging it are sure to find more to their liking on Exile’s solo debut, 4TRK Mind, out now in stores and online. Fans can look forward to a new video off the project, Klepto, in the near future.

Portland emcee Luck-One is back after receiving acclaim for his last DJBooth featured single, Can’t Get Over You. On the emcee’s latest single, Black Seed, he brings along producer Dekk and guest artist Dizz to assist him with the first cut off of his forthcoming project, Beautiful Music Part 2. Dekk provides some stellar boardwork, cooking up a synth and piano laced beat to go along with a catchy hook from Dizz. On the mic Luck-One does the production justice, putting up solid 16’s that show off his outstanding lyrical ability. If you’ve been out of luck lately, I recommend you check out Luck-One’s upcoming project, Beautiful Music Part 2, slated to drop on February 21.