De La Soul is one of the most influential hip hop groups of all time. Their full music catalog is finally available on all of the streaming platforms so I wanted to put a Spotify playlist together with all of my favorite songs of theirs. While I first fell in love with rap with NWA, it was De La Soul who made me fall in love with hip hop through their track “Me Myself and I”. I was in the 2nd grade and my life would never be the same after I saw their music video on Yo! MTV Raps in 1989.
Read moreRAINY DAYS - A PLAYLIST ABOUT THE RAIN
These are the songs I like to listen to while it rains outside. This covers a wide range of genres but let me just go ahead and get it out of the way that it doesn’t include “Purple Rain” by Prince. Never been a fan of the song although Prince is a genius. This covers old school bands and groups like The Dramatics, Led Zeppelin, and The Cascades as well as great singers like Bob Dylan, Gene Kelly, Buddy Holly, and more. Give it a spin while you watch it rain outside. Hope you find some joy in the music like I do.
Read moreTHE LITTLE BROTHER PLAYLIST
20 or so years ago, Little Brother dropped their classic album, The Listening. Little Brother hailed from North Carolina and at that time, nobody was coming out from the NC. Now if you look at who’s hot in rap you’ll see North Carolina rappers like J. Cole, Cordae, DaBaby, Rapsody, Lute, $tunna 4 Vegas, and many more I know I’m forgetting. But 20 years ago it was the rappers Phonte and Big Pooh who stepped in over soulful boom bap beats by then unknown beatmaker named 9th Wonder to make up the group, Little Brother.
Read more90s CALI GANGSTA RAP PLAYLIST TO RIDE TO
Just some cool Cali rap tunes to ride around town to. Mostly a nod to the 90’s with the whole movement out of LA and the Bay but I also got some other newer (and older) tracks that I felt carried the vibe here. Check out the songs I’ve plugged in for you to peep and the Spotify Playlist that’s live for your eardrums now.
Read moreEXPERIMENTAL BEATS AND INSTRUMENTALS
Shout out to @DrewsThatDude
It’s Wednesday and we’re almost on the homestretch towards the weekend. The work days get longer on Wednesday and Thursday so I wanted to lace you with some beats for your headphones. These are all instrumentals with minimal lyrics (if at all) for y’all to vibe to. Included some videos for some audio visuals I wanted to share along with a Spotify playlist to keep your head noddin. Give the music a peep and let me know if you want to hear and see more beats like this!
Read moreRAP SH*T I'M ON.
These are the rap and hip hop tracks I find myself going back to in 2023. A mix of underground and mainstream artists but the theme remains the same… These are tracks I’m feeling. This is the Rap Sh*t I’m On.
Read moreAB-SOUL - HERBERT
Set to arrive on December 16, Ab-Soul’s fifth studio LP will feature Big Sean, Russ, Joey Bada$$, Jhené Aiko, SiR Punch, Zacari, Fre$h, Ambré, ALEMEDA and Lance Skiiiwalker. On the production side of things, he joins forces with Sounwave, DJ Premier, James Blake, Hit-Boy, Boi-1da, DJ Dahi, among others. Feel like he have rap album of the year potential here so excited to see what Soulo drops on us here.
Read moreWAKEN BACON - MORNING MELODIES PLAYLIST
good morning y’all
This playlist began this past Sunday morning when I woke up at 4:30am at my buddy’s farm in Escondido, CA. Something about this morning inspired me to take a hike and be present in the moment waiting for the sun to rise. All of my friends were asleep and it was just me in the dark out in the wilderness enjoying life and the calmness it can bring when you just let things come to you. These are the songs that I will forever tie to this morning sunrise and the weekend with friends out at the farm.
Read moreBEACH VIBES PLAYLIST
When I hit the beach I like to have everything in order. Got the beach towels laid out, the cooler full of snacks on point, the sunscreen on lock, the beach games in the backpack ready to go, and a chair or two to take it all in. But once all of this is in order, you definitely gotta have the music ready to go.
Read moreTHE MF DOOM PLAYLIST
I woke up this morning and saw an IG post from Quasimoto saying that today would have been MF DOOM’s 50th birthday. While DOOM is unfortunately no longer with us, his music will live forever.
Read moreJULY 4TH SPOTIFY SUMMER PLAYLIST
Alright…. pandemic hopefully behind us… it’s time to call up the homies, fire up the BBQ, spark up a j, crack a brew and cannonball into the pool. I know y’all need a soundtrack for the day but don’t trip… I got you. Before we get to the July 4th playlist, I wanted to share some good ole red, white, and blue pics.
Read moreFATHER’S DAY RAP PLAYLIST
Sup y’all! Short and sweet on this one. This is my first year celebrating Father’s Day so you know I had to build the rap playlist to support.
Read moreSLACKER ROCK
I never knew Slacker Rock was an actual music genre until I googled, “What genre is Mac DeMarco?” Then I saw the name Slacker Rock and it just fit his style perfectly. It also had my mind running of what else could be considered Slacker Rock and what other genres could mesh well with it. This blog will walk you through my thought process and then get you to my playlist at the very end. Down for the journey?
Read moreSUMMERTIME RAP PLAYLIST
We’ve all been holed up in our homes over the past year and change and now we’re all ready to let loose. Nah… Let loose sounds corny…. I think I can collectively say that we’re all down to rage. And living out here on the west coast, we need that laid back, tank top wearing, bucket hat rockin, type of vibe to get us where we need to go.
Read moreSMOOTH TUNES FOR A FINE AFTERNOON
I’m going to try to limit this to as few words as possible. I caught a vibe on this Spotify playlist. It started with Benny Sings and then I went down a rabbit hole from there. To sum this Spotify playlist up, I guess I’ll say it’s a blend of songs that you can play on a lazy afternoon while you’re made in the shade with a glass of lemonade. Genres include Neosoul, Electropop, Pop, Beach, Alternative, Indi, Psychedelic, Soul, Dance, and Electronic. I probably missed 2 or 12 genres but you get it. Enjoy!
Read moreTHE LITTLE BROTHER PLAYLIST
For those unaware, Little Brother began with 9th Wonder on the beats with Big Pooh and Phonte on the rhymes. Little Brother is a part of a bigger collective called the Justus League which includes 8 emcees, 5 producers, 1 DJ, and 1 consultant. They’re based in North Carolina and have been putting out dope music since the early 2000’s. To get you started on this playlist, we have to start with Little Brother’s album, The Listening which dropped in 2003. 9th was making his beats on a computer program called Fruity Loops and the hip hop purists back then shunned him for not using the normal equipment that producers use.
Read moreTHE STATIK SELEKTAH PLAYLIST
Statik Selektah is one of the best producers in the game and his beats have been playing in my headphones for the last 10 years. Statik signed a management deal with Roc Nation a few years ago so I’m happy getting what he deserves in the music industry. Statik just dropped an album with indie rap star KOTA the Friend called To Kill a Sunrise and the album is dope.
Read moreLIL WAYNE - I MISS MY DAWGS
Through this year of lockdown I’ve learned to better appreciate my family and friends because they are with me through the thick and the thin. I’ve seen family and friendship bonds grow stronger during this quarantine and I’m confident we’re going to come out of this as better people. During the past year, I’ve been putting together a playlist that pulls together all of my favorite rap songs that have a family and/or friendship theme.
Read moreEARLY MORNING COFFEE BEATS AND INSTRUMENTALS
Recently I’ve been waking up between 3am and 4am every morning while the rest of my family is asleep. This gives me time to catch up on my 9-5 when my coworkers are sleeping as well. I find that I’m most productive during these hours while the world isn’t awake yet. Because once the daily grind starts with that 9-5 it’s straight to Zoom calls back-to-back-to-back. It can suck the energy out of you. That’s why when I do have time to actually get work done, I need some beats to help me focus and be productive. This playlist is for others like me who need some background music while making your way through the day. Before I get to the playlist, I’d like to give a few producers some shine.
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