Free MP3: New Mayday! Single -- "On 2 Somth'n"

When New Times last checked in with Miami's premier live hip-hop party, Mayday!, we were happy to see they had survived the wave of almost-hype in '06/'07 and were back to the grind. (Nutshell refresher: The group recorded a track with Cee-Lo and DJ Craze called "Groundhog Day," played a bunch of impressive shows, and got some blog love before label hang-ups caused things to sputter to a pause).

In 2008, the band seriously retooled. Of course founders Bernbiz and Plex Luthor remained, but the two dropped their previous machine-heavy sound in favor of an organic groove featuring bass, drums, even extra congas. They also, to Internet hip-hop nerds' delight, added battle king Wrekonize on the mike. With this new Voltron formation, they've been bringing the roof down at their biweekly Friday night party at Jazid, and gradually rebuilding the momentum of a couple years back.
So here comes, finally, a brand-new single, "On 2 Somth'n," which displays both Wrekonize's and the band's skills to fine effect. But rather than focus on super-complicated wordplay, the song's a slow, dirty workout that goes straight to the hips, propelled by a catchy, repeated hook and slowly building Latin drums. The congas here, rather than getting cheesy, add a subtle dancefloor grind to the whole vibe.

And because Mayday! loves the kids or something, they've released both a clean and dirty version of the song (there isn't a huge difference, however), so pick your flavor.

*Mayday! -- "On 2 Somth'n" (clean)

*(Not-so) dirty version

-- Arielle Castillo