Listen: Eminem, Dre, Jay-Z, 50 Cent diss hip-pop on 'Syllables'

Jay-Z and Eminem

Quite a crew: Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Ca$his and Stat Quo all collaborated on a track "Syllables," which leaked online this week, and they're taking down dumbed-down hip-hop with it. The crew tackles raps on "20 is the new 30" (and 40 being the new 30) to the sentiment "It is not about lyrics anymore: it's about a hot beat and a catchy hook," tearing at what they see as a plague pulling apart what real rhymes are.

"And the DJs playing them hits / 'Aww this my jam, this my sh*t / We don't know a word to the song all we know is the chorus / Because the chorus repeats the same four words for us,'" rhymes Eminem, who lets Slim Shady mock the A&R guys at the beginning and end, and lets his own words lope around Dre's classic piano hook.

What's fascinating is how each rapper approaches their own hip-pop sins, like integrating 50's "In Da Club" catchphrase "Go shorty / It's your birthday" before the rapper concludes "just give me my check and I’ll be on my way / sunny bunny money and funny / you aint even listening and I just took your money." And Em mockingly introduces the limp chorus (about loving one's shorty), bringing home the fact that the "kids" don't listen to anything but the chorus anymore.

"I repeat every evil deed done of mine / no rest contest, contract to sign / by blood I’m in this squad for life / hear out my wind pipes and I just chime / I’m the reason you guys won’t say that line," Ca$his says of his own Aftermath/Shady association.

[More after the jump...]

"Now get out there and sell some godd*mn records," says Shady, signing off on repeat.

A few elements date this leak, including references to Em and Hov's retirement, to "Detox" never dropping (OK, well that one's still true) and Ashlee Simpson's "Saturday Night Live" lip-syncing debacle. Oh, and, hey, Jay-Z and 50 Cent are apparently getting along well enough to be on the same track together.

That's because it was recorded three years ago. No word yet if this will end up on "Detox" (considering it's Dre's beat), but it certainly seems a propos for 2010/2011, with Eminem having dropped "Recovery" with crazy hooks of its own, battling softer hip-hop released like those from B.o.B. and rappers like Snoop and Ludacris collaborating with pop stars like Katy Perry and Justin Bieber. Just give them their check, they'll be on their way.

OH! Speaking of which, another Eminem track (perhaps intended for "Relapse"?) leaked... this one features a catchy chorus from Jazmine Sullivan. Heh.

What do you think of the tracks?

Eminem - Cocaine (ft Jazmine Sullivan) by Jinder GstaR

Everything: Eminem

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