I had a mix of affirmation, spiritual type music then rounded it out with boss energy of Megan Thee Stallion's most recent single. It's honestly a great balanced vibe. Everyone needs a bit of hype in their life then circling back to a more grounded kind of energy. The first three songs of this playlist mean the most to me and I hope, out of anything, you can enjoy those. Sun Comes Up remains dear to my heart. Worth It - Amber MarkThis song is the most uplifting, validating, heartfelt song I have heard. It makes me feel good when I listen. I hope it does for others too. This is the kind of song I wish would become more popular and widespread. With the rising rates of mental illness in our communities, everyone would use a little reminder that they are worth it. I know that you get so used to it Sun Comes Up - ShenseeaI completely love this song with all of my heart. It is so beautiful and again, I feel it's another one everyone should hear. It uplifts my soul, reminds me that another day is coming no matter what you are facing today. It's another day to start fresh. It's another day that I can show up for myself just a little better than the day before. It's for my people who need gentle encouragement that you will rise again, no matter how you are feeling right now in this moment. Shenseea gifted us something spiritual. One day you'll know, one day you'll know Divine Feminine Energy - HoneyxbunThis intro is everything is aim for. DIVINE FEMININE ENERGY is the confidence and self-assurance of pure radiant energy emanating from within. That is how I imagine this concept - that is something that comes from within that a person brings out of themselves. They are doing the work to center their mind, body and spirit. I am a gorgeous woman Unlawful - La HaraI get warm summer nights, waiting for the sun to go down as you're laying in the grass vibes from this. Very sunsetty. t makes me feel at ease, like I should have no stresses in the world. That's how I want to feel every day. Crazy - DoechiiIf and when I can, I love to watch live performances of artists showcasing their music. I can't imagine how many hours went into making a song, then addition hours planning this performance, and the costume design and planning on top of that was well. There is set design and for this song, everything works so wonderfully. I am so excited to see Doechii do here thing with Top Dawg Entertainment. This song makes me feel passionate, excited, and it's just an emotional release really. Love a good song like that. Stick - Dreamville, JID, J.ColeNow if you catch me in the car with this song going, you will witness me shouting the hook to this at the top of my lungs. I absolutely LOVE the intro here and the hook gets me every time. It's a banger. The collab album is very interesting but this is by far my favorite track. The energy lifts me up and motivates me to be a badass all throughout the day. Neck & Wrist - Pusha T, Jay-Z, PharrellThe flow here is insAAANNNEEE. It's the mark f Pharrell I'm telling you. That background beat just floats and the vocals catch every beat and ride that wave. As listeners, we're bopping along with the cadence of the speaker. It's amazing and so chill whilst also being sick af. We Set The Trends - Jim Jones, Lil WayneDid I expect to love this? No. But did I anyways? Yes. Lil Wayne kiillllleedddd it OF COURSE. And honestly, DJ Khaled doesn't even annoy me here or sound cheesy so I respect what's happening. It's a bop. It's rad. Frankenstein - Swedish House MafiaHELLO A$AP ROCKY LIKE ????/ He OWNED this song and put his personal touch on the entire vibe. it still feels like a Rocky song while still being Swedish House Mafia. That is just such a sick collaboration. It is pure mastery of such a delicate balance AND still sounding badass on top of it all. Can't wait to hear the remixes. Plan B - Megan Thee StallionLiterally - and I am not joking when I say this - I LOVE Megan. She represents so much to me, and I was THRILLED SCREAMING CRYING when she released this song. Her powerful words strike a cord in my little soul that shouts approval at Megan's audacity. She is a forever icon and I wish only amazing things for Meg. Have a beautiful day. Remember to get hyped and stay grounded.
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This year, I've been enjoying a cyber-hyper-pop type of dystopic sound. Something jarring, brazen, loud, crude yet delicate unnatural sound reflects a societal disconnect in my opinion. It's friction between a life lived online and the struggle with managing life in physical reality. The image we create online rarely reflects the reality of the person behind the profile. We all know this, it's not new information. However, because Covid-19 forced a lot of interactions online as mediated communication, more of our life is lived through an LED screen. I was looking to see how this would affect general music tastes and what the younger generation growing through this event would find appealing. It's clear to me that hyperpop is coming into the picture stronger than ever before. I think this is due to these past couple of years with the pandemic. The metallic, grating sounds of hyperpop are nearly cacophonous as they berate your ears. That's the point though. It's an indication of societal dissatisfaction and anxiety for the future as friction grows between online life and physical reality. It's the auditory connection between living a life through a coded reality versus the abstract one we perceive in physical space. We've been forced to move a lot of our interactions online and in many cases keeping the structure for convenience and better life balance (basically even though it's debated). There were hints of this genre growing before the pandemic. My first thought goes back to Ashnikko releasing her EP in 2019. While hyperpop was originally underground and started as anti-mainstream, like anything else interesting and underground, it has been co-opted to fit into a capitalistic marketable structure. That is what we are consuming today. I don't know a ton about undergrounddhyperpop or it's roots, but I would love to learn more. What little I have read has been keenly fascinating and informative. All I know is that it started small, in basements, as an anti-mainstream pop movement against over-produced sounds popular in the 2010's I think. It was using the exact same type of overproduction to make something sound terrible like an egregious act of music-making but still vibable to prove a point. This type of music seems to becoming more popular as well which I think reflects the general societal feelings of imbalance, slightly chaotic, and forced. I feel like this rise of cyper-hyper pop is a different side of the same coin of the self-care movement as people try to navigate an overwhelmed, booked, busy, online world. The self-care movement seeks wellness and constantly working on oneself. While that is fine, it is tiring and not really sustainable to be thinking about and doing self-care 24/7. Both movements seem to be different approaches to the same problem we are all facing. In an increasingly online world, how do we maintain our humanity and stay rooted in what it means to be a human? Seems like cyber-hyper pop and the self-care movement are onto something if you ask me. Maybe it's trying to level the scales between living life online and in person. Here are some of my favorite examples of cyber-hyper pop. Again, while I am not an expert in electronic music, it's something I think is interesting. Pony - SOPHIE Tantrum - Ashnikko SLIME - Shygirl Pink Diamond - Charli XCX Lost Woman Found- Arca I think this album cover is so beautifully and thoughtfully designed. I just like to sit and stare at it, thinking about the concept like what this was supposed to be. The piles of bodies at the base of a robotic mermaid. Interesting at least.
Have a wonderful day :) We're 3 months in to 2022 and some juicy delicious albums have come out during that time. I have some favorites I've been playing ON REPEAT since they were released, and I wanted to share them today! Here's why you should care: FKA Twigs has been an icon for so long. I feel like this mixtape has the mass appeal I can finally get behind and enjoy. Shenseea has delivered us some self-aware, self-love gems in this fun, upbeat album that really is some of her best work for all ages. Adekunle Gold put the work into making this flawless, energetic but also conveys a confidence building, heartfelt body of work. Orville Peck presented us with the richest composition of indie country gay music that have blessed my ears. Devita was raised in Korea, then Chicago and back to Seoul later. It feels like you can hear all of those influences in her R&B jams. Earthgang created something beautiful and meaningful while maintaining their down to earth vibe. The beats and messaging is one to remember.
I hope you found something new to listen to and enjoy. I love all the songs I shared here. I truly believe there is something here for everyone and hope you enjoyed something in this today. If you feel so inclined, I do have a YouTube channel as I mentioned above. It would be cool to subscribe to it for more music content and sharing with anyone you think might enjoy these songs as well (sharing is caring). Thank you!!
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A 20 something passionate about many facets of music: lyricism, melody, visual interpretations, the good stuff Categories
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