With the holiday season officially over, the next few weeks will bring the usual drought of major label releases as artists focus on promoting the albums they dropped in time for Christmas or plan to complete for the spring. In the meantime, the rappers at least have a mechanism to stay on your mind—official mixtapes given out free of charge to anyone who chooses to download them. As they say, you get what you pay for so those mixtapes aren't always the height of artistry, but there tend to be at least a few tracks worth seeking out for fans. in the last week or so, Fabolous, T.I. and Raekwon have uploaded new material for you to check out: read on for details and links. 

Now that 2011 has to come a close, you're likely in need of a last-minute resolution, a hangover remedy, and some new music. We've got only one of those covered. You can thank us later.

RITA ORA
When Jay-Z signed the relatively unknown, London-based, Kosovo-born singer Rita Ora to his RocNation label back in 2009, his loyal fans turned to the internet in hopes of understanding and supporting his decision 

 

Anyone who hangs out on the internet knows that lists are a thing, especially come year end. There are always the Top Albums, Top Singles, Top Artists. Those are good and all, but if you're a listmaker like I am, then your listmaking capacities go way beyond the standard ones. In 2011, there were a lot of things in music to be excited about. There were also a lot of things to hate. In the true spirit of Year End lists, I've compiled my own personal lists for you, the reader to enjoy. If you feel so inclined, make up some of your own. Why not?  

Editor's Note: As we wrap up 2011, the think tank at Groove decided we would avoid the obvious and do some year-end lists. Yeah, we're pretty ground-breaking, we know. So, enjoy and we hope to see you all reading more in 2012.

Television exposure is no longer used as a measure of an artist's popularity, but please, take that up with MTV at another time. The internet has allowed for music videos to be seen as they were intended - in their entirety, some at more than 6 minutes long, without the first and last scenes being sliced to show useless footage of cheering underage fans, and with more than enough freedom to shamelessly pimp whatever Swarovski or Beats by Dr. Dre headphones the artist agreed to. Videos are now at the mercy of the viewers, who no longer have to hope their favorite clips make it on a televised countdown and, as this list shows, are not afraid to hit the "replay" button...  

I have a love/hate relationship with holiday music. Sure, it's fun to think about, but the holidays bring together a combination that I find sonically lethal: singing children. I think of horror films when kids sing, and sadly most holiday songs involve some sort of a choir asking Santa for a miracle. It's just all around upsetting. The rest are usually from artists no longer with us, singing about some memory about a love lost, someone's sick for the holidays, a child is selling matches. Whatever. Tis the season to be sobbing? Nah, not me. Thankfully, over the years, Hip-Hop has offered us the opportunity to have something fun to listen to while hanging stockings or whatever else you're supposed to do while carols are playing. So pour a hot toddy and check these songs out. I added a few non-rap tracks for all you holiday saps. Oh yes, and Happy Holidays to you and yours!  

After leaving SRC Records in favor of Def Jam this fall, Asher Roth gives us "Pabst & Jazz," the latest in his series mixtapes that acts as an appetizer for his upcoming full album, "Is This Too Orange?" As with many artists these days, "mixtape" actually means "a real album that we're not making you pay for" (download link after the jump) so the tracklist is made up of 16 full songs instead of freestlyes and street-mixes. Produced primarily by Blended Babies, Pabst & Jazz shows some good forward momentum for Asher in 2012 but still incorporates the strengths that brought him to the scene in the first place. 

First things first, the song is called "Strip," so I knew not to expect anything more than at least one half-naked woman. Ultimately, there are about 100 but - surprisingly - no stripper pole because, you know, Chris knows how to practice restraint.