Peter Bjorn and John's <i>Re-Living Thing</i>
Photo: EMI

It's an unlikely love affair, but quite a few hip-hop heads have really been feeling Swedish indie-rock trio Peter, Bjorn and John lately. From Kanye West, who sampled the group's breakthrough hit "Young Folks" for his Can't Tell Me Nothing mixtape, to Drake, who worked with them on So Far Gone's "Let's Call It Off."

That sonic bromance is going major August 27, thanks to producer Mick Boogie, the man behind last year's lauded Jay-Z/Coldplay mash-up mixtape, Viva la Hova. Boogie was recently handed the master to PB&J's most recent album, Living Thing, and he's done it again, overseeing a full-album remix dubbed Re-Living Thing that the acclaimed mixtape kid said is one of his finest efforts to date. The best part? It's all legit.

The results feature an impressive roster of guest spots from the likes of Wu-Tang Clan's GZA, Kardinal Offishall, Wale, Young Chris & Rhymefest, Bun B, Talib Kweli, Three 6 Mafia with Trouble Andrew, Amanda Blank, 88-Keys and Big Sean with Black Milk. Boogie said he spent time with PB&J and was blown away by what hip-hop heads the soft-spoken Swedes are.

"Because of the success of that Jay-Z thing, great things have been happening," said Boogie, who warmed up for the PB&J gig by reworking Adele's Grammy-winning debut, 19, on the mashup album 1988. "This time the idea was not just remixing, but adding some vocals and getting two to three incredible, known blog-worthy MCs and putting them on every song." As usual, Boogie's job was more like a museum curator, gathering the MCs and a handful of up-and-coming producers and parceling out the songs after sitting down with the band and talking about what they had in mind.

"We talked music and production and artists and it showed me what a global phenomenon hip-hop is, because these guys who grew up in Sweden were quoting Wu-Tang lyrics — and they knew all the underground stuff, too, like Amanda Blank and Kidz in the Hall," he said. Boogie gave the group — Peter Moren, Björn Yttling and John Eriksson — a list of rappers and producers he thought would work, they gave him their list and, in the end, Boogie said they got about three-quarters of the names they were looking for.

"I listened to the album over and over again and I learned it and loved it, and I thought about all the people I wanted to work with and who fit what and then ... I would pick a producer for each song," Boogie said. "After we got the beats back, I would listen to them again and see if the vibe changed and then figure out which artist was good for which track."

 The results will be unveiled as a free online mixtape next week, available, according to Boogie, "on all your favorite blogs." Though there are still some guest spots that are in process and could be added up until the full tape drops, Boogie said he's very happy with the results, which he said might prove to be a template for his future work. Along with legends such as Jazzy Jeff, Boogie tapped such newer producers as nVMe, a Brooklyn crew he said did an amazing job on "Just the Past" with Kanye West protégé Big Sean and Slum Village associate Black Milk.

With two songs on the album, Boogie's former Ohio homeboys in the Kickdrums bring an aggressive sound to "Nothing to Worry About" with Wale, Young Chris & Rhymefest; and "Lay It Down," which mixes the Three 6 Mafia's thugged out Southern sound with Trouble Andrew's more punk-rock-skater-MC vibe.

"I think this is a great model of how to do out-of-the-box stuff," Boogie said.

The tentative track listing for the album, with more to be added later:

» J. Cole & GZA - "The Feeling" (remixed by Marco Polo)
» Kardinal Offishall, Donnis & Heno - "It Just Don't Move Me" (remixed by Jet Audio)
» Big Sean & Black Milk - "Just The Past" (remixed by nVMe)
» Wale, Young Chris & Rhymefest - "Nothing To Worry About" (remixed by The Kickdrums)
» Bun B - "Losing My Mind" (remixed by 6th Sense)
» Freebass 808 & Amanda Blank - "Living Thing" (remixed by Apple Juice Kid)
» Talib Kweli - "I Want You" (remixed by William Russell / Good Life Mike)
» Three Six Mafia and Trouble Andrew - "Lay It Down" (remixed by The Kickdrums)
» Big Pooh, Chaundon and Phil Nash - "Stay This Way" (remixed by Jazzy Jeff)
» Naledge & Mickey Factz - "Blue Period Picasso" (remixed by nVMe)
» 88 Keys, Outasight & 6th Sense - "4 Out Of 5" (remixed by 6th Sense)
» U-N-I - "Last Night" (remixed by Remot)

• Peter Bjorn and John
• Bun B
• GZA
• Three 6 Mafia
• Talib Kweli

Dr. Dre
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.com

For someone who has teased a new album for more than seven years, Dr. Dre sure hasn't released many verses to tide his fans over. The Doc's bars have been sparse, popping up on Timbaland's on "Bounce" for 2007's Shock Value and on Snoop's "Imagine" for The Blue Carpet Treatment in 2006.

A couple of weeks ago, DJs Big Mike and Neptune leaked an unfinished track called "Crack a Bottle," on which we heard Eminem referring to rhymes by Dr. Dre. But on Monday night, somebody got their paws on more new Doc music, and on this one, the hip-hop icon actually raps.

Dre appears on the remix of Kardinal Offishall's "Set It Off," featuring the Clipse, which premiered on DJ Skee's syndicated radio show on Monday. Skee said Dre recorded his rhymes for the song several months ago. After Interscope head Jimmy Iovine sent B-roll from the song's video, Dre couldn't contain his excitement, according to Skee, and he decided to lay down his own bars on the song. The new version of "Set It Off" was all set to be released, but the plans were derailed when Dre's Detox LP got pushed back to 2009. According to another source, Monday's leak was not supposed to happen.

On the song, Dre boasts that getting the short end of the stick, in any circumstance, is not an option for him. "I'm about to set it off," the legendary music man warns. "Think I'mma lose? Then bet it all."

Later, he speaks of his comeback and shoots down rumors that he was retiring. "I heard a lot of ni--as quittin', but I ain't done," Dre insists. "Ring the alarm/ I make it hotter than hell (hell, yeah!) ... / You clowns know who the crown belong to/ And I can set it off, if you want me to."

"Set It Off" is a single off of Offishall's latest LP, Not 4 Sale, which came out on September 9 via Akon's Konvict Music imprint. Offishall declined to comment for this story. According to Eminem and Interscope records, Dre's Detox is slated to be released sometime next year, after the release of 50 Cent's Before I Self Destruct and Slim Shady's Relapse.

• Dr. Dre
• Kardinal Offishall

MTV.com Exclusive: Kardinal Offishall

• Kardinal Offishall