Theophilus London‘s debut album, Timez Are Weird These Days, is one of my favorite releases of 2011, right alongside the dapper rapper’s Lovers Holiday EP that preceded it.

With that heft of musical evidence, let there be no doubt that London’s got the goods. His genre-blending hip-hop style may be proving a tough sell to the stubborn mainstream, but new single “I Stand Alone” is a solid pick as any to secure an open slot.

One of the more straightforward tracks on Timez Are Weird These Days, “I Stand Alone” has a great hip-shaking rhythm, one that helped another critically lauded hip-hop act, OutKast, finally have their moment when “Hey Ya” took off in 2003. The music video for “I Stand Alone” arrived earlier this month, inspired by David Byrne’s 1986 film, True Stories.

In “I Stand Alone,” London sings, “The clothes don’t make the man / It’s the man that makes the clothes,” and in his case, it’s never been truer. He’s teamed up with Cole Haan to design some pretty snazzy blue suede bucks. Sold exclusively at the label’s store in New York City’s SoHo, if you do snag a pair, you’ll be standing somewhat alone as the shoes are a limited edition.

Purchase Theophilus London – “I Stand Alone” via iTunes. Download two free remixes by Ocelot and Gigamesh via London’s SoundCloud, plus retakes of “Why Even Try” from RAC and Diamond Rings.