Jack Splash is the new hip-hop hype du jour: Missy Elliot calls him “the next Prince,” Mos Def hailed him as “the new generation of funk,” and Rolling Stone slated Splash as “the next Outkast.” Either way, he seems, to quote the D.O.C.’s hip-hop classic, funky enough. Whether he’s the next Lil’ Wayne is debatable, but he’s definitely taken a page from Weezy’s promotional play book, dropping mixtape after mixtape to get attention for his upcoming “real” major-label album due in May.

From this track, “38 Special,” off his new “King of the Beats” mixtape, he ups the ante quite a bit. Splash’s rap is pretty good, a creative if violent battle rap (hey, the track is called “38 Special,” after all…); he has a raspy voice that imbues his rhymes with an edge of mischief, and he definitely has a unique flow. But Splash has been best known previously as a producer, and this is where he shines. Cee-Lo’s contribution on the hook is spine-tingling magical: his howl on the chorus evokes classic Southern soul of another era, which Cee-Lo often does, but his passion here is beguiling. Cee-Lo’s part is a perfect complement to Splash’s music, a driving, guitar-driven gutbucket funk journey that never lets up. If getting back to this kind of groove is what we have to expect, then the splash shall be very big, indeed…