Thus far, it’s been a pretty consistent fourth quarter. We’ve had the big releases from Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, Fergie and Iggy Azalea, and there have been some left-field surprises from artists like I Love Makonnen, Dej Loaf and even Tove Lo. But all in all, it doesn’t feel like we’re out of surprises yet. I still believe we’ll see a few superstars and other relevant artists drop new music before the end of this year. I also feel like the traditional school of thought on not releasing new or upcoming artists because they’ll get lost in the fourth quarter doesn’t apply like it used to. With the internet, iTunes, etc. now providing such powerful marketing tools, these artists have the ability to build a buzz and real data to bring to radio. Last year at this time, we started working Childish Gambino’s “3005.” It became a Top 10 record seven months later. So who will be this year’s Childish?... Over at RCA, Chris Brown f/Usher & Rick Ross’ “New Flame” held down the #1 position again this week. At both Pop and Rhythm, John Strazza, Inca and Lori G have a huge buzz record on their hands with the Mark Ronson f/Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk.” After just one week, it should debut around #25 at Pop, and is on pace to get 10-12 commitments at Rhythm. They also have Kid Ink f/Usher & Tinashe’s “Body Language” at #14, gaining 335 spins, Tinashe f/A$AP Rocky’s “Pretend” at #27, and Mr.Probz’s “Waves” up triple-digits, jumping #34-31. One record to pay close attention to is G Eazy f/Remo’s “I Mean It,” which was a great Mix Show record for a number of stations, but didn’t make it to a full-time or legit night slot. However, at the stations where the record did make it, it’s really working; KSFM Sacramento has it in a power rotation at 120x a week, and KQKS Denver just put it in, as did KOPW Omaha. The record’s up 100 spins for the week and gaining traction. Finally, check out Chris Brown f/Akon’s “Came to Do.” There’s a West Coast buzz on it, and it could be the next single… Gary Spangler and Davey Dee at Republic continue to reload the promotion gun with hits and fire away. Rich Gang f/Young Thug & Rich Homie Quan’s “Lifestyle” (YMCMB/Republic) moves to #8 this week, up nearly 300 spins, and Ariana Grande & The Weeknd’s “Love Me Harder” is at #12, up 470 spins. DJ Khaled f/Chris Brown, August Alsina, Future & Jeremih’s “Hold You Down” (YMCMB/Republic) is inside the Top 15, up 300 spins, Tove Lo’s “Habits (Stay High)” (Island/Republic) moves #18-16 this week, gaining another 300 spins, and The Weeknd’s “Often” moves to #34. Next week, look for Nick Jonas’ “Jealous” (Island/Republic) and Nicki Minaj f/Drake, Lil Wayne & Chris Brown’s “Only” (YMCMB/Republic) to both debut. They’re impacting DJ Mustard’s “4 Digits” this coming week; it’s already getting some attention on the West Coast… Once again, Def Jam’s Rick Sackhiem, Noah Sheer and Scott Maness have the two Most Increased records at the format with Iggy Azalea f/M