“Pushin Pillows” was one of my favorite last-minute year-end-list additions; the production’s pillow-y textures and dreamy guitar lines have an unforgettable insouciance. Plus, the entire concept of the song is an especially evocative one. That said, as a somewhat-former-Catholic who happens to find a particular potency in the morally conflicted rapper role, I think that whatever the eventual lineup, The Jacka should be tapped for the remix. Not only does his “Aspen” fit in similar conceptual territory, but his lyrical approach parallels the track’s inherent contradictions. Witness his opening lines on the recent “I’m Gucci (Bay Mix)”: “Fuckin’ with my n**** Mess, Neiman Marcus, Saks 5th / Gucci store, Louis store, Ferragamo to get dressed / all because of funerals, n**** that’s doin’ bids stretched.” Very few rappers can successfully juxtapose the recognition of consequences of criminality with the desire to enjoy the rewards; sure, some artists bring it out in vocal performance, but rarely in the lyrics themselves. He sets you off in one direction, as if his verse is going to be one-dimensional bragging; then he undercuts it immediately by pointing to the real cost in theatrical fashion.