Skillz - Baby Phat '09

Though much has been made of America’s fixation on slimness, nine out of ten rappers will tell you that a high-quality woman looks even better with a little extra quantity—as De La Soul put it, “...there’s nothing like a little Baby Phat.”  Recently premiered on illroots.com, this cut finds underground mainstay Skillz joining forces with reader favorite Colin Munroe to bring the alt-hop icons’ ‘01 single into 2009.  Flowing over nVMe‘s reverb-drenched reinterpretation of Dave West‘s stop-start beat, the “Rap-Up” emcee lets the ladies know they can feel free to drop the dumbbells, step down from the stair-stepper, and skip the aerobics class.  Though this track doesn’t stray too far from the original’s blueprint, Munroe’s trademark, studio-tweaked hook vocals are just the quintessentially-‘09 touch needed to hook the younger set in addition to De La devotees. For more reimaginings of the trio’s classic jams, check out the Mick Boogie & Terry Urban-presented LE DA SOUL - 20 Years Of De La Soul mixtape—and if you’re a female, why not enjoy it with a pastry of your choice?