Kanye West With DJs Khaled and Pharris, "Theraflu;" Kendrick Lamar And Dr. Dre, "The Recipe"

At this point, it’s hard to imagine what’s making Kanye West sound so cranky. The fact that his mink coat is dragging on the floor, I guess? Or that a beautiful woman he summoned to his hotel room arrived wearing underpants? Maybe it’s just that he has a head cold. You’re all stuffed up, sore throat, sinus pressure. That’ll put anybody in a rotten mood. Whatever it is, for the music’s sake, here’s hoping he doesn’t cheer up. ’Cause this song, which debuted on Funkmaster Flex’s show on Hot97 just last night, sounds great.

With it’s emphasis on the cold, and DJ Pharris shouting out Windy City landmarks at the end, “Theraflu” stands as a Chicago anthem. (I have no idea what Miami’s DJ Khaled is doing on the song. I never do. He is an extremely exuberant presence in hip-hop, the genre’s greatest cheerleader, but I can’t think of a single instance where he’s added anything appreciable, musicwise. Everybody seems to like him as a person. He’s probably just a really nice guy, and obviously a skilled networker, good at making introductions. Maybe he introduced Kanye and Pharris and that’s why he gets a credit? I don’t know. Maybe I’m missing something.)

Earlier this week, rising L.A. rapper Kendrick Lamar recruited a very, very, very important neighbor of his to make an anthem for their own city. Dr. Dre sounds strong on what could be the cure for Kanye’s ills, as well as a highly effective promotional campaign for the municipal travel bureau.

There have been others like it, of course.

All different sorts.

Everybody who lives there, always advertising.

There are a million of them. But this might be favorite.