The XX have been omnipresent since the release of their debut album in 2009, topping year end lists for the haunting, unique sounds on their instant-classic, self-titled debut LP. But the profile of the U.K. indie trio has been skyrocketing, and in the most unexpected places.

First, Apolo Ohno’s recent AT&T Olympic commercial used the XX’s “Intro” as its soundtrack, which meant you heard it constantly between televised events at the 2010 winter games. Then “Intro” started popping up in some of the most bizarre, surprising and effective hip-hop mash-ups.

The first, and probably best, example is the mash-up of the a capella from DMX’s “X Gon’ Give It To Ya” with “Intro.” For one, there’s the pun of all the Xs going down; more significantly, the XX’s spooky, spaghetti western reverb ghost guitars just sound amazing and even more haunting under DMX’s unhinged rhymes. Conversely, placing intro under DMX’s syncopated flow brings out the inherent funkiness in the XX’s arrangements. Forget mash-ups—they should just make hip-hop tracks that sound like this, period.

Another notable use of “Intro” in such a manner is as the backing groove for a mashed-up version of “Runnin’,” the only recorded collaboration between rivals Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac. Again, “Intro” here fits the legendary MCs verses perfectly, emphasizing the inherent drama in the track with a freshness and tension well beyond the expected breakbeats. So Swizz Beats and Timbaland better watch out: if this phenomenon persists, the XX will be stealing production jobs from them any day now… If only.

via The Hood Internet