Songs You Should Be Listening To Vol. 2 - SOUNDCLOUD EDITION

This is quickly becoming my favorite thing on this blog. Being that music is both a very broad subject but also very oversaturated form of journalism, I asked myself a serious question: "How can I continue to make this fun and engaging without becoming watered down or dare I say 'boring' ?" By going to the one place I KNOW you guys haven't looked: the underground.

I've had a very healthy mix of both mainstream and fairly smaller streaming platforms while sprinkling a few songs in there from my Soundcloud, but not yet have I curated an entire list of songs from ONLY Soundcloud. So, this week, I challenged myself to do that. I'm going to try and give you some songs by some artists I love that I think you have yet to hear, but if you have, I hope that you feel seen knowing that there's someone out there who listens to as much music as you and has no problem looking for it.

Before its all said and done this blog will be about nothing but music, but for now, let's continue to build our catalog. If you didn't get a chance to read the previous entry, take a moment to get familiar with this series. If you're returning though, hold my hand and try and keep up. Let's take another tour.

Kaicrewsade - Lulwodie!!!! feat. Pink Siifu

Cheating a bit here because I DID listen to this one on Spotify, but its also available on Soundcloud and it only dropped 8 days ago as of this posting so I doubt you beat me to it either. Like I figured and pointed out in the last entry, the singles released by Kaicrewsade were indeed for a new project, the project being "Joint4u!", his second mixtape.

Following up on 2024's "Yvette", this project follows the previous formula of heavy jazz undertones with rap lyrics thrown on top of them. Although not as lauded as "Yvette" (not by me at least), he still finds a way to keep me drawn in without veering too much off course. "Lulwodie!!!!" was easily my favorite track on this project and the one I found myself coming back to the most.

Both Kaicrewsade and Pink Siifu find a way to flow off one another without overshadowing the other. Kai's verse is his usual laidback, calm style that flows almost like one big chorus. By the time we get to Siifu's verse, he hops on the song so smoothly, you almost don't notice it. It's almost like he's passing a baton or in typical Kaicrewsade fashion, a blunt in a rotation. I really enjoyed this one.

Late to the Party (Original Version)- Wolfacejoeyy

"CUPID", January 2025

And no, not the version on Spotify, the original one that you can ONLY find on YouTube and Soundcloud anyway. The one that was I was ROBBED of. If I could describe this song in one word, it would be “fun”. It makes me want to get in my car and speed on the highway at night after leaving the city (true story by the way). Its everything that encapsulates Wolfacejoeyy, an artist who is frequently seen having fun.

Whether it be on stage or on stream, he always seems to be enjoying himself and it makes the music that much enjoyable because you can tell the same carefree attitude went into it. Being that I got to watch him live (when he opened up for DC the Don in Atlanta), I've tried to follow his career since that moment and there's not much he's made that I haven't added to a playlist or thrown on loop.

This album in particular has a ton of gems but this is my favorite one. I only hate they took down THIS version but I like to imagine it was just TOO damn good for everyone to get a hold of without putting in some sort of effort. Sounds crazy, I know, but if you heard this when it first dropped, you know what I mean.

Wulf Morpheus - sosa.wav

This one, I actually go to see LIVE (and if you think I'm lying, please check the home page of this website [yes THIS ONE that you're reading this on RIGHT NOW] to see the photo).

WULF x R.A.D.I.C. Live @ the UPSIDEDOWN Plaza, c. 2024

It blew my mind then and it still blows my mind now. From time to time, I like to go back and listen to it again because its one of the first concerts I photographed (my second actually). I went to buy a drink and heard Chief Keef's voice and my head tilted because I didn't think it was THAT kinda show. But as soon as I heard that snare and rimshot, I was IMMEDIATELY hooked.

I don't think I actually got a single photo of this song performed because I was so into the song. In that moment, I was a fan. Its only one other version of this song I like as much and that's Reon Vanger's, but this one? This one has definitely earned the "wav" in the title because its "wav-y" as hell (I apologize. Let's keep moving.

You just had to be there, bro.

SSS freestyle 2 (till now remix) - BliSoFly

Now, THIS one is ANOTHER fun one. Everything from the beat to the flow throughout. It's upbeat, it's fast paced, it's energized, and everything else I need to get me from point A to point B. For the better part of a month, this was my soundtrack to and from work and I literally mean I listened to it at least once on the way there, the way home, and occasionally, the whole way there AND the whole way back from work.

The opening verse starts with "hop up on this beat and feel invincible" which is exactly how I feel while doing 70 in a 50 on a backroad with this playing full blast, so if you ever heard me coming back from the city and I woke you, don't blame me, blame Blisofly.

The previous "SSS freestyle" features a sample from another producer and artist I highly favor, Mndsgn. The song, Homewards (at least that's what it sounds like), is already flawless as is but to add an 808 pattern and rap over it is something I NEVER would've thought to do. I say that to say this: the production doesn't miss on this track either, but it does feature a CoryxKenshin sound bite like the latter and is just as hype as well. The formula is almost identical and yet I STILL haven't found the sample of the second song even after hearing it well over a thousand times. I guess I will need to listen closely for a thousand more, but that feels more like a reward than a punishment. Give it a listen.

Sooner or Later - See Dee, Styles Davis, & WLLFLXX

Per usual with these lists, we gotta switch it up and offer something different for those who are "different". To my neo-soul, RnB fans, and lovers of all things "Soulquarian", this one's for you.

Being that my parents were 80s babies and had me before the age of 21 (mother 18, father 20), I grew up on a lot of the same things as them. 50 Cent, Destiny's Child, nothing that no other 20-something millennial wouldn't have burned on a CD or downloaded onto an MP3 player. Of all the music I was shown though, I always found myself leaning more towards the "slower" parts of the mix: D'Angelo, SWV, Avant, the usual for what felt like a long car ride for my kid mind. That's why when I stumbled upon this mix of Musiq Soulchild, it almost felt like it woke something up inside of me. Something that had long been dormant.

I felt like a kid in my car seat on my way to the mall to get pushed around all day. As soon as I heard the opening key, I was immediately transported to a different place. Everything felt simpler. Carefree. And then I found myself tapping my foot and bobbing my head. The longer it played, the more into it I got. Its the type of song you just hit play and get lost in. I can't tell you how to process music or how to feel, but I know this one made me wanna lay on my bed and reminisce.

I have to give credit to all involved for being able to take a song and not only make something new, but I'd go so far as to say BETTER than the original. Of course, opinions are like assh*les, everyone has one. This one just so happens to be mine and in MY honest opinion, if you like The Internet, Matt Martians, Erykah Badu, or anything the like, give this one a listen. Another note: See Dee and WLLFLXX also remade one of favorite Dilla Beats, "Track 12", and its INSANE. Highly recommend.

UWM - Deadstock Dev

The closest thing I will ever get to Drake's old sh*t is other people's new sh*t. Deadstock Dev has managed to produce better Drake music than Drake himself. How Aubrey manages to continuously flop so hard, I don't know, but I'm glad that from his shortcomings, I was able to come across this song in particular.

The vocals are almost overshadowed by the beat if not ENTIRELY overshadowed by it. What I mean by that is, you could take this beat, you could take the Lucky Daye sample and not have any lyrics or put anyone else on it and it would still be a hit, but that he was able to make all of these elements: the sample, the beat pattern, and Drake's vocals sound as if they were an actual song produced by 40 and written by some starving artist out of Canada is nothing short of impressive.

This sounds like the music you'd hear playing in a club before a fight and subsequent chase. I can see it as I'm typing this. Me on the run and this playing in my head. Of course, I would never find myself in a situation where this would happen, but wishful thinking and what not.

Nervous - Gwen Bunn

Your quick, weekly dose of nostalgia, I came across this song of hers my 9th grade year and have been a fan of hers ever since. I've tried to follow her career as much as possible since then, her "Safe Travels" being one of my all time favorites and featuring my favorite song of hers, but this one is still special given its the first of hers that I ever heard. That and it's just THAT good. Gwen has a way of making you feel relaxed without having to try at all. It plays like a lullaby and grips you like a trance. When put on repeat and given the spacy, echoing ending of it, its easy to feel like you're in a loop (because you technically are) but even after realizing this, you can't help but want to hear it again and again and again.

This song is here for comfort as much as replay value, but both are pretty good reason to be here. I can only recommend it, I can't guarantee it'll give you the high it gave me or put you to sleep. All I can tell you is to "give it a try and see for yourself". This is the only time you'll hear that phrase and it not possibly ruin your life after the fact. Bear this blog entry in mind the next time you hear it.

And that wraps up this weeks entry of "Songs You Should Be Listening To". As always, this has been fun, but this entry more than others, I enjoyed for the sole challenge of having to FIND songs even if they are curated. The sheer task of having to go thru almost 2,000 songs compiled over 10 years vs. just listening and sharing what was in my Airbuds rotation for the week made this so, so, so, so, SO much more fun and that alone I think has earned your attention. Whether I retained it for this long or not, I’ll hope and assume that you're still with me. If you are, per the usual, thank you for the engagement and I hope that you'll stick around to see what's next. Till then, continue to dig in the crates. I'll see you in the next entry.