God knows I've sat here before like I sit here now, trying to come up with something, anything, positive to say about some local rap mishap of a song. It just makes me feel old and cold to be thinking that about "Kush," the new Dr. Dre single—I mean, the for-real lead single from the beyond-long-awaited Detox. Dude! Everything about it is outdated, from the Akon feature to the errr-robot voice; if it were actual marijuana, it would not be any strain of kush, not OG, Purple, Afghan, or Pineapple. No, my friends, it would be some straight beaster. Please, good Doctor, hit up the dispensary (shouts to the 4Evergreen Group) and come correct. Don't gimme no bammer weed rap.

I'm somehow more excited about "Shiny Suit Theory," the song commemorating Jay Electronica's recent, surprising signing to Roc Nation—and I don't even rock with dude like that. (My condolences to everybody who hoped to get their minds blown by him at Bumbershoot.) The song—sporting some actual dope shit from Jay-Z and a nice smoky hook from, uh, Charlotte Gainsbourg—rocks the same loop as the Pete Rock & CL Smooth classic "I Got a Love," just sans drums, which I admit is kind of classy.

Is there, like, a real movement for quieter/chiller/nonexistent drums these days—and is it a response to the piercing hi-hat trap rap from the South? (I think of Jake One's excellent production on Freeway's recent "Escalators," a real sonic throwback to the old days of Tribal and DJ Topspin production, by Jake's own admission. Another fire Free/Jake team-up, "Snappa Pow" featuring Peedi Crakk [yes!], also just hit the internets for your slapping needs.) Anyway, Jay E's Roc Nation labelmate J. Cole (no, the "Jay-Z only signs people named 'J-something'" jokes aren't old yet, not at all) also just dropped Friday Night Lights, a pretty dope fuckin' mixtape, demonstrating for the millionth time that dude can rap. Now, if he can get an actual album out before his other labelmate, the genetically engineered Scientologist cyborg Willow Smith, I'll be truly thankful.

Oh yeah, 'cause it's Thanksgiving and all: You don't have to be a fan of gluttony, meat, or the horrific ethnic cleansing of our land's native peoples by those wily Europeans to give thanks for all of your many blessings. Not the least among those: Some of Seattle's most soulful, I mean really just some of the best makers of hiphop music in the town period, the Physics, are headlining a benefit at Nectar on Friday, November 26, for the nonprofit All As One, which, through its children's center in Sierra Leone, cares for and provides schooling to kids orphaned by war or other circumstances. Along with the Physics family will be the aforementioned sardonic master of slap Jake One, plus the stylings of big bad Yirim Seck and Mr. Determination himself, Sol. Look out for number one and check his new single "Feed My Ego" at www .solsays.com, because it's dope, and timely. It's always the right time to remind rappers, and people in general, to get the fuck over themselves.