Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

This one has been a secular prayer for me since I was about 12, when the album dropped. There's something about the melody which just lifts you up. So it's probably to Lauryn's credit that I'm still headstrong and happy.

That said, I always thought she sang "the answer, it wasn't me" - I took it to be a song about resignation and separation, rather than unbridled self-affirmation (apparently, it's "the answer, it was in me"). Either way, it did the trick. This is definitely one of the songs that changed my life.

Freddie Gibbs - The Ghetto

This is the latest evolution of gangsta: it's brash, unashamed, and touches on social injustice and the plague of poverty. Admittedly, Skinnyman did something similar (beautifully) in 2006. But I've never heard something like this out of the States... Obviously there's conscious hip-hop, but Freddie's not as righteous as that - he's an unabashed gangster, analysing the origins of his criminality.

This is good. The video's beautiful too: a love song to a suffering community.

Randy & De La Ghetto - Sensación Del Bloque

More summer music. This one's a cheesy classic: it's got a falsetto chorus and a snare that sounds like UK garage. I love that contrast you get when the instrumental is computer-perfect and the voices are totally natural.

Also, the video looks a bit like home, and a bit like the barrios where they shot Talento De Barrio (which is essential viewing for anyone who wants to understand what street kids in Central America aspire to. Ignore the critics.)

Los Rakas - Abrazame (Uproot Andy Remix)

Oh my days - this one sends shivers down my spine. I've had a soft spot for Los Rakas ever since they worked with YAK films. And what they've done on this is probably their best work: the instrumental can explain itself, but the lyrics are something else. They've taken their genres to the next level - the boys' lyrics are standard dancehall/reggaeton seduction-chat, and then they admit "no lo pienso cambiar" ("I'm not going to change"). What amps it up is the girl's lines:

"aqui me tienes, borracha y arrepentida,
es que no hay nadie como tu no se que hacer,
estoy volviendo loca, perdoname
espera un momento, no me apresures,
es que quiero sentir tu piel,
abrazame, abrazame, abrazame, abrazame
no te voy a soltar"

"here you have me, drunk and ashamed
it's that there's no one like you, I don't know what to do
I'm going crazy, forgive me
wait a moment, don't rush me,
I want to feel your skin,
hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me
I'm not going to let you go"

Ever heard something so guilty and good?

The illustrious XLR8R have already done a phenomenal job explaining the complicated parentage of this song. And if you like Uproot Andy, there's a wicked mixtape he made available for download.

Abrazame (Uproot Andy mix) by Los Rakas by PaolaCapo13

Onyenze - Onwa Nna Na Nwa (Schlachthofbronx Remix)

Sorry it's been so quiet lately: I was off pretending to be Charlie Sheen for the weekend.

So today I bring you some music that messes with your head (but in a good way). Also, it has tiger blood.

This is a light-fingered remix of some new Afrobeat from Nigeria's own Onyenze.

It's utterly bass-less, which sounds so fresh after years of dubstep. There's just a vocal and some incredible rhythms. Get into this - it's available for free download.

(Also, if you can dance to this without looking like a tit, you are a much better dancer than me.)

Onyenze - Onwa Nna Na Nwa (Schlachthofbronx Remix) by schlachthofbronx

Damian Marley & Nas - Sabali

Musical alchemy from an All-Star dream-team trio: Nas, Damian Marley, and Mariam Doumbia

The merging of three such disparate styles is incredible. I love the contrast between Mariam's utterly pure voice and Marley's hoarseness. His phrasing is absolutely perfect, he stretches and squeezes the lengths of words in the most gorgeous way.

Nas' verse is disappointing, although though that might be because I think that someone else already has a monopoly on inane questions in rap (check out these hilarious atrocities). And it's kinda reassuring to know that even legends have off days.

Salva - Issey Miyake

I have no idea why this is named after a revolutionary Japanese fashion designer. None.

The album has already been jizzed over by the entire webiverse, so I'll hold fire.

But I like this. Spacey, nervous, melody-driven electronica. It's almost devoid of emotion, but it's really well put together, a clever little piece where you can almost hear the layers of structure.

Salva - Issey Miyake by mantequilla