When Nas said hip-hop was dead, he obviously hadn’t heard the mind-blowing collaboration between two of the genre’s most decorated entities, UGK and Outkast.

“Int’l Players’ Anthem (I Choose You)” is a well-polished and unique, a breath of fresh air for a drastically declining shift in commercial hip-hop.

While it seems like music today is all about selling cocaine and buying designer shades, this remarkable track tackles an issue that is seldom associated with hip-hop anymore: Love.

The four verses by Andre 3000, Pimp C, Bun B and Big Boi are some of the most innovative and original flows in years. Every bar hits the listener with its melodic delivery over a flawless sample of Willie Hutch’s song “I Choose You.”

The song dealswith issues of love, commitment and children in the trademark form of Outkast’s and UGK’s original swagger.

Even by incorporating a chopped and screwed verse, these two groups, who have been in this business for more than a decade, prove that they are still at the top of their collective games.

The song, along with a potentially classic music video, is relevant to music today because it offers a new perspective on the current state of hip-hop music. The tiresome and self-absorbed rhymes of Jeezy and Weezy will only elevate rap and hip-hop so far.

If we sift through the path of “white girls,” “brown-paper bags” and “D’s” that hip-hop is currently going down, we are rewarded with “Int’l Players’ Anthem,” the best hip-hop song to come along in years.

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