Songs You Should Be Listening To Vol. 3

The rent is due, everything's high, and camaraderie is low, but I hope I can gain just a bit of your good faith back with this week's list of music. It goes without saying but you know the deal, this is my opinion and your opinion sucks, etc. etc. etc. I won't waste your time with the theatrics. Let's get into it.

U SPITTIN' - Your Stepdad

The stepdad glaze continues (pause). I try not to show personal bias on these lists or list the same artists repeatedly to keep these lists from all looking the same, but when you have an artist as consistent as this one, its hard not to take notice. A music video and new track in a week? I gotta respect the hustle.

Bro continues to deliver in all aspects. Production? Fire. Lyrics? Fire, though quite goofy at times. My only critique is the use of AI for the cover, though maybe it's not. I don't know what's real and what's not anymore. IF it is though, consult me for the cover next time. Let me contribute, but that's a whoooole nother seperate converation (my portfolio is listed on this site for reference).

Stepdad has been on a streak as of late. Just about everything he's dropped in the last month has been dope, but this one in particular is the one. THE one. The beat reminds me of old Brasileiro songs, "Retrato de Saudade" specifically. I'm going to stop myself here before I proceed any longer. Just give it a listen.

J. Robb - Free Mind

J. Robb deserves so much more credit than he gets. Between him and Kaytranada, these two have transcended EDM and Dance as a whole and pretty much created they're own subgenre in the form of electric coded neo-soul and RnB.

If you took Kerri Chandler and sprinkled in a little Matt Martians, he is essentially what you'd get, but he still keeps enough of his own individuality to stand on his own two feet. Throw in the Tems sample and you've pretty much "flipped" it on its head and made a club anthem as good as the original.

His ability to create new songs from already well established songs is an art in and of itself, one that has over time grown into an addiction for me. This is my favorite choice of poison brewed by him though. If you like this song of his, give "That's Not Us", "2AM in Belgium", and "sofire", a listen.

mywordkblurri - Knxwledge

Knxwledge as apart of NxWorries with Anderson .Paak is sick, but his solo work will always be my personal favorite.

Crazy battle rap bars over Video Game OSTs is one of my favorite genres. Please see Exhibit A: this.

Knx strikes me as someone who's constantly looking for loops and samples. I imagine a literal animated lightbulb going off and popping up above his head when he heard the sample for this. No matter the creative process, he was in his BAG that day. Only a lunatic would put SMACK DVD over piano keys and I'm absolutely here for it. Check it out. Also, check out "MEH_BOP" as well because it is DEFINITELY my most played song of his to this day. TO THIS DAY.

Massage - RRoxket

One of the many tracks released by him over the last few weeks (I smell an album coming soon). Of the tracks, this one is the best, bar none. "Rowdy" was great as well, but this one has that little extra "kick" I felt the others were missing, one I haven't heard by him since I heard "Brandon Ingram" for the first time.

RRoxket, much like Lazer Dim 700, makes what I consider to be gospel for YNs. Hard 808s and very incriminating lyrics that 16 year olds in suburbia will have a blast reciting. I'm just glad I found this one before TikTok could because I get the feeling its going to do numbers once it gets it's hands on it. Needless to say, I'm no gatekeeper, not THIS time at least (don't say I never did anything for you) so please get your fix and listen to this while you're on the run from the law. It might just be the kick in the ass you need to get away scot-free. Enjoy.

*this entry gets a bonus for the Tiffany Valentine cover as well. Still a fire song nonetheless.

Start Over - chromonicci

Baby making music is making a comeback. Chromeo is back with another banger, this one aimed at Juliet. Say what you will, act like you don't care or don't miss him or her, there's a 90% chance you will after listening to this one.

It's a tried a true formula. Whether due to neglect or simply time, eventually, all good things come to an end. And ultimately, when that day does come, you'll find yourself asking: "where did I go wrong? What could I have done differently?" The harder you try and make sense of everything, the less sense that everything makes and thus is our dilemma.

"Can we just start over?" I don't know. Don't ask me. Ask the person you started crying about while reading that. Just don't tell them I sent you. And while you're on your way to that sneaky link, the one you ruined that 6 year relationship over playing in them streets you SWORE you weren't in? Listen to this on your way there. I hope you're proud of yourself. Shame. Stream chromonicci though, he's dope and this song is mesmerizing. I forgot where I was for a moment. Onto the next song.

BRAVE AND THE BOLD - Q THA HERO

Given the current state of rap and music as a whole, it feels more spectacle than anything. What was once considered an art has become a sad reminder of what used to be. Ironically, the one thing that rap prided itself on was variety and anti-establishment, but not only do most of the artist you hear sound the same, they are using the very system they vowed never to aid to stay afloat.

I know I sound like a disgruntled old man when I say all this, but when Young Thug has more jail recordings and interviews than halfway decent music, then that's a problem (I'm still reeling from that intro track on that new album. Don't even get me started on that). And it's not just him, but dammit, HE HELPED. For every shortcoming though, there's a major contribution. And I can honestly say, if this guy is anything to go off of, rap will be fine and continue to thrive with or without the participation of those who helped influence it.

I only recently came across Q THA HERO, but I don't know how given his similarities to MIKE and Mavi in both sound and production. There's not a lot going on and honestly, I'm cool with that. Every track doesn't need to be a barn burner. Sometimes, all you need is a hook, a nice beat, and some decent rapping to stake your claim.

This track got my attention and quickly made me a fan and the scariest part is I don't even think we've begun to scratch the surface of what he can do, but I'm definitely excited to see what's next from him. Tap in.

The Fool on the Hill - The Singers Unlimited

This album blew my mind the first time I stumbled upon it and made me listen to music in a whole new way. In addition to that, it showed me the power that the human voice has and the way we can manipulate it to mimic the sound of instruments. Hell, the human voice is the instrument in this case.

So many of my favorite artists have used this group and this album in particular as motivation and it doesn't surprise me in the slightest given how great it is. Whether it be J. Dilla, Birocratic, or Take 6, all of them at some point have credited or quote/unquote, "borrowed" from them.

In many ways, this album was and still is ahead of its time but I also just don't believe this kind of music could or would thrive in this new world and that's ok. I'm fine with just having the Singers Unlimited for my acapella listening experience for the rest of my life and none of you ever knowing about them. Unfortunately for me, the entire point of this list is to make sure you know about what it is I'm sharing so you're welcome.

On an album that features "Claire" (if you're a Slum Village fan like me, odds are you know this song very well), it's easy to miss this track but it's nothing short of beautiful. It's almost angelic and yet, there's something so unsettling about the last minute of this song. It reminds me of "The Shining" or the soundtrack for a horror trailer. It's eerie, it's triumphant, it's orchestral, it's art. I love this song in more ways than I can name and I hope that you will appreciate it the same way I do. If not, you're just not listening to it hard enough. Listen again. Then listen some more.

And with that, we conclude this edition of "Songs You Should Be Listening To". To the 10-15 people who'll see this, I thank you for taking the time to hear my thoughts and I welcome you to share yours. Music, like beauty, is subjective. What I like and what you like aren't the same, but feel free to tell me why I'm wrong and you're right. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it and till next time, continue to create and thrive because you never know, you might just be in the next entry. Keep digging in the crates. I'll be seeing you soon.