The lyrics are Christmas themed. The beat and the video, more appropriate for Halloween. But Gucci Mane is Gucci Mane, so he'll put it out late January. Sort of in time for Valentine's Day.

"Gucci Mane, recently released from prison for the umpteenth time, sounds no worse for wear here, managing impressive nimbleness with his mealy mouth. He has more gears than most rappers do, a versatile stylist with nothing so old-fashioned as a commitment to structure and the integrity of words. He prefers sounds." READ MORE

This is the song that just got 21-year-old Oakland rapper Kreayshawn a million-dollar deal with Sony Records? (ALLEGEDLY. I mean, the deal is real; the million dollars is maybe a rumor.) Do you like it? I really do. It reminds me of Too $hort and Gucci Mane. Is that last part just because of its title? (No, I think it's also the wobbly weirdness.)

Bay Area rapper Lil B's "cooking" dance seems to be reaching full-fledged ubiquity. We've seen Justin Beiber make reference to it, P. Diddy did it when he introduced Lil B's performance at South by Southwest last week, and lots of other rappers are doing it in their videos. (Above, Atlanta's OJ Da Juiceman gives it a go.) The basics of the dance are mostly hand-and-wrist motion, like you're holding a pot and stirring its contents. It's meant to mimic the actions of cooking crack. READ MORE

Proclamations that a certain era is "good" or "bad" for music are always specious. There's both good and bad music being made all the time, of course, in all different genres, and that's been true even during eras accepted as either "golden" or "dead" for whatever style you might be talking about. What's easier to talk about, what I think people are actually assessing when they talk in this way, is what's popular at a certain time in history—stylistic characteristics of the music that happens to be selling the most, or being played on popular radio stations. Of course, people often disagree about stylistic characteristics, too, whether they make for good or bad music. Different ears hear differently. Even among people as susceptible to group-think as music critics—who all proclaimed, every single last one of them, that Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was a straight-A, five-star, 10.0 masterpiece and the undisputed, inarguable, scientifically proven 100 percent guaranteed best album of 2010, objectively speaking. READ MORE

Gucci Mane got a great set of synth horns from producer Drummer Boy for his new single, and a guest spot from Cash Money Records owner Bryan "Birdman" (a.k.a. "Baby") Williams. And considering all the CGI explosions and fire and bullets and doves in the video Dallas-based director Mr. Boomtown made for it, the only thing missing is Nicolas Cage.

Don't be distracted by the famous (and recently further embellished?) ice-cream cone tattoo. Or the ridiculous jiggling of strippers' behinds—which are, in case your boss might not like to watching them at work, very close to being naked. ("Brrr" is right!) Focus instead on the way Gucci Mane rides this slinky synth beat, and the lilt of his voice when he pronounces "Captain Crunch." This is what makes him great.

Gucci Mane picks his nose with inimitable style, and T.I. delivers another "melodious, swinging" verse to add to the list of strong performances that are not on his new album No Mercy. But this track—produced by Beat Billionaire and anchored by that great old-cop-show bassoon blast—belongs to Dro. Best known for his preppy wardrobe and the words he chooses to describe its many colors, he gets a nice snarl in his voice here, and holds his own with the kings of his city, Atlanta.