Red Bull Music 20 Before 15 Presents: iLoveMakonnen, Ezra Koenig & Despot - "Down 4 So Long" (Remix)

Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig has had a pretty buzz-worthy year; having appeared on genre-blending tracks with Major Lazer, SBTRKT, Chromeo, @Seinfeld2000, and even a duet with Karen O on the Her soundtrack. Koenig's latest outer-band activity includes a Twitter-esque "rapped-sung" verse on new-comer iLoveMakonnen's Red Bull Music-backed "Down 4 So Long" Remix, which was released over the weekend along with 1,000 free downloads as part of their 20 Before 15 singles series. "@iLoveMakonnen5D and @despotroast (Despot) could both put out greatest hits albums and neither one has ever made an album," @arzE Koenig affectionately Tweeted about his fellow collaborators and new-found buddies upon "Down 4 So Long"'s release. Koenig and Despot's appended verses add an air of fun and familiarity to Makonnen's "Down 4 So Long," which is reportedly about the accidental shooting death of his high school friend; "Summer 2014 / Shmoney dancing with some goth teens / Motherf**kers leaking nudes / Why they gotta be so rude?," Ezra Koenig awkwardly raps in his mid-song verse, all the while, effortlessly managing to reference convicted rapper Bobby Shmurda, Reggae-Pop band MAGIC!, exploits in The Hamptons, samurai swords, Mary-Kate Olsen, knock-off Ray Bans, and seasonal jacket shopping. iLoveMakonnen, who's currently signed to Drake's OVO Sound imprint, recently re-released his critically-acclaimed ILOVEMAKONNEN EP, as well as a forthcoming project with producer Mike WiLL Made-It, effectively dubbed "MikeWiLLMakonnen."