Now I was officially a Kali Uchis fan and was ready to listen to any song she dropped or any feature she had. That’s how I roll with artists… If you catch me at first listen and you deliver on an album I become a hypebeast for you. I start sharing songs to homies… I started putting you on playlists… I check to see when you are touring. I start researching your background to find out where you’re from and what possibly inspired you. I support you 100% because I love good music and feel others need to hear your music too. When musicians go all in on their craft they need support. If they are dope and they don’t get the support they might give up and the world will forever miss out on their potential talent.
Read moreCLASSIC R&B AND SOUL MUSIC PLAYLIST
It is now early on Sunday morning and I seriously need to mellow out and set the tone for a chill day. When I need to slow down the pace I like throwing on some old 70’s soul music while I do my chores around the apartment. My wife loves some good 70’s R&B as well so we can throw music on the Sonos speakers around the house and vibe out.
Read moreMODERN JAZZ & FUNK BEATS PLAYLIST
Yussef Kamaal
Around a year ago on a Spotify rabbit hole adventure I came across an album by a group named Yussef Kamaal. The artwork on the cover of the album didn’t tell me anything about the band but the drummer told me all that I needed to know. The first song I heard from Yussef Kamaal was called Remembrance and it’s from their brilliant album called Black Focus. I didn’t go into my usual research self that morning because I didn’t want to leave the music. This album was beautiful. I didn’t know if it was new or old and it really didn’t matter because I loved it. I do like a lot of older jazz but hadn’t listened to too many modern jazz artists outside of BADBADNOTGOOD and Kamasi Washington. After listening to the Black Focus album for a good week straight I decided I needed to find out what this group was all about.
Read moreRZA VS. DJ PREMIER PLAYLIST
RZA Vs. DJ Premier... Who takes the beat battle? I thought it was a good time to go deep into their production over the years. They are two of my favorite producers and were behind some of my favorite hip hop songs and albums of all time. Peep the Spotify playlist I made between the 2 legends. For fans of golden era hip hop, Wu Tang, and Gang Starr.
Read moreJAZZY HIP HOP BEATS FOR WORK
Shout out to Hardihood Cowork for always supporting the movement!
When I’m working thee ole 9-5 I need to have some music in my headphones that won’t distract me. If I have music with any lyrics it becomes a major distraction so I like to have beats and instrumentals in my earbuds while I grind at the office or while I work from home. I also like starting my day with some beats while I sip on my coffee and make some avocado toast as I think it’s a good way to spend my morning to ensure a great day.
Read moreTHE HOMIE TAPE
I have surrounded myself with a lot of people who are really into music. And music has been a bond with friends that even if we haven’t talked in years, we can bounce right back by sending each other a new song. Some of these friends are ones that I haven’t seen in over 15 years. But we remain connected as there’s always some good songs waiting to be heard. There is nothing that makes me happier than an out-of-nowhere text from a homie with only a Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, or YouTube link to a song.
Read moreORIGINAL RAP SAMPLES
I wanted to create a playlist that contained the original samples of all of the hip hop and rap songs that I love. This is a playlist that will always keep building because I am always digging in the digital crates for the originals. These samples turned me on to many Soul, Funk, R&B, Jazz, Soft Rock, and Classic Rock songs from the ‘60’s, 70’s, and 80’s.
Read moreJAZZ RAP AND GOLDEN ERA HIP HOP
A Tribe Called Quest
I’m always trying to catch a vibe with the playlists I make and when I’m in a chill mood I usually like listening to some mellow jazz rap or some golden era hip hop. A song like A Tribe Called Quest’s “Jazz (We’ve Got)” checks both boxes (jazz rap & golden era) and is one of my favorite songs of all time. This song is the first song where I saw a connection from my hip hop music to my dad’s jazz music and I thought that was really cool.
Read moreMAC MILLER PLAYLIST
Mac Miller had a lot of great releases over the years and this playlist is me paying homage to his back catalog. These are my personal favorites from Mac which also include some of his features on others’ albums. Mac was a special talent who was taken from us way too early. He was a great artist who I consider to be one of the best rappers to ever do it.
Read more1991 RAP MIXTAPE
I truly loved the year of 1991 in rap and hip hop. We saw debut albums from DJ Quik, 2Pac and Cypress Hill and also heard Nasty Nas for the first time on Main Source’s “Live at the BBQ”. Gangster rap was starting to build on the West Coast and jazzy experimental rap was bubbling up with artists like A Tribe Called Quest and Del the Funky Homosapien out in Cali. 1991 rap music has to go down as one of the best years in hip hop history and it shaped a big part of my childhood. Below is a playlist pulling together all of my favorite songs from the year of 1991.
Read moreYACHT ROCK
Nothing sets summer off like some smooth Soft Rock tracks from the 70’s and 80’s. Welcome to the sounds of Yacht Rock! Get that yacht filled up with fuel and lather up with sunscreen because you’re about to sail away with some cool classic tunes today. Leave those worries behind and hit shuffle on your new summer soundtrack from the likes of The Doobie Brothers, Christopher Cross, Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald, Robbie Dupree, Boz Scaggs and so many more!
Read moreTHE BEASTIE BOYS
In 1995 I went to my first concert ever at the San Diego Sports Arena. I saw the Beastie Boys that night and it set me on a live musical journey that continues today. This playlist puts together all of my favorite Beastie Boys songs covering all of their albums. If you’re a diehard fan of the Beasties this playlist is for you!
Read moreMUSIC TO WORK TO
This playlist is for people who need to focus at work and need music to help keep their mind from wandering. These are all beats and instrumentals from some of my favorite producers. Some beats you'll recognize and other you probably won't but you might find your productivity go up while listening. If you work at a desk at an open office environment or are busy grinding alone in your cubicle this is for you. Keep your eyes on the prize and never stop hustling.
Read moreCLEAN RAP MUSIC
This for all my grown up homies who have little kids but still want to bump some good ole edited rap music. No bad words on this mix. Well, maybe one or two but they’re not right smack in the middle of a chorus. So I guess this is pretty safe to listen to with your kids? Hahahahah… Enjoy. Good rap music.
Read moreEAZY E - EAZY DUZ IT
These are gangsta rap and golden era hip hop songs from '88 - '90 that helped shape my childhood. All of these songs were found through stealing my older brother's tapes without him knowing. And in my room I listened to these songs over and over again and practiced rapping them in my mirror with the door closed. These years were my real introduction to my first love.... RAP MUSIC!
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