Chicago juke had a real shot at becoming a household American fixture two years ago. Dude 'n Nem's "Watch My Feet" (which I still not-so-secretly bump regularly) had everything it needed to jumpstart the whole movement. But a disintegrating TVT Records management couldn't quite provide a solid marketing strategy. After a few weeks of legitimate buzz and a brief stint on BET, "Watch My Feet" was a mere hazy memory.

With the exception of Twista's '07 song "Pimp Like Me," Chicagoan mainstays like Kanye, Kells, Common, Lupe, Berg and Shawnna seem somewhat distant from and oblivious to juke, so it's not likely that any of them will be putting it on their backs any time soon. Even The Cool Kids keep the genre at an arm's length. So it's looking like the recently Fool's Gold-signed Gant-Man is the new potential savior of juke, and I'm sure he's fine with that because his pseudonyms include General Juke and Baby House. He clearly eats and breathes this stuff.

His new single "Juke Dat Girl" is a bare-bones-but-essential tribute to Blackman's cult 12-inch "Beat That Bitch With a Bat" from '93. UK producer Greenmoney strips most of the juke traces away from the track and fashions it into grimey bloghouse:

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♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! / SAVE IT ON DELICIOUS!

Buy the Juke Dat Girl EP from Amazon ($3.56), eMusic (subscription required), iTunes ($3.96).

Related:
• Cat Power - "Free (DJ Gant-Man A+B by Luminfire)"