When you think of hip-hop music, alternative rock band Cobra Starship may be the last people that come to mind, but the chart-topping foursome is very much influenced by the culture. The group linked with indie rapper Mac Miller for the promotional track 'Middle Finger,' which hit the 'net last summer and will be released as an official single next week though it can be bought on iTunes today (Jan. 3).

"It's just like a fun song," Cobra Starship lead singer Gabe Saporta tells The BoomBox. "We shot a video for it. It kind of reminds us of the videos we used to make before we had video budgets. It's a really fun video for us."

Miller had an impressive 2011, shocking the industry with the No. 1 debut of his 'Blue Side Park' album, which sold 145,000 copies in its first week. A strong online presence and the popularity of his 'Donald Trump' record, which has since gone gold, propelled the once unknown Pittsburgh MC into a whole new lane.

"I saw it coming," Saporta says of Miller's success.

Despite having the opportunity to add a more popular rapper to the track, produced by Norwegian production duo Stargate, Saporta chose to go with Miller because he was lesser known.

"We worked on the track with Stargate and they're totally hooked up," he reveals. "They had a big name rapper that they wanted to get on the track. My vibe was like, 'I feel like everyone has used the same big name rappers all the time,' and I just wanted to get someone who was fresh. I was already a Mac Miller fan. I heard 'Let 'Em In,' 'Knock, Knock.' I love [those] song[s], so thats why I wanted him on the record."

'Middle Finger' is currently available for download via iTunes here.


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