momentsinsong

[momentsinsong]

Moments In Song No. 027 - Hunter Hooligan

Music speaks to all of us, regardless of where we come from or what we’ve been through. Whether it be from 50 years ago, or today, music has the ability to liberate us from the mundanity of the world. Hunter has spent half their life learning about the special role music plays in our lives and used that understanding to propel their artistry forward. We talk to them about their deep dive into the history of music, the unconditional support of their Grandmother, and the importance of Pop.

Listen to Hunter’s playlist on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Words and photos by Julian.

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Julian: When I was listening to your playlist, I noticed that there were two very distinct halves to it. That first half is much more upbeat, dancy, techno almost, there’s some disco in there. Very much a four on the floor type of feel. And then that second half is very much more slowed down, and has that singer-songwriter/acoustic type of feel to it. Is that what you were going for when making your playlist?

Hunter: I love making playlists. I am that person who would make friends mix CDs and stuff like that. Every one would be so carefully curated. That’s why I was having such a hard time [Laughs]. Thinking about narrowing down my music taste into 10 songs, I was like, “Wow! This is big.” You know what I mean? I think there was a conscious effort to order songs a certain way. Even when I’m making my projects I am very conscious about the song placement, the tracklisting, I’m very very thoughtful and purposefully about it. I sent you one version of the playlist but I made like six versions that were totally different. It’s just because music is my life. I was trying to think of songs that were really important to me, songs that I loved my whole life, songs that are pretty new to me. I was just trying to find a balance of the songs that I like and also trying to make it make some semblance of sense. 

When you were making the different versions of your playlist, how do you know once you’ve made the final one? What was the deciding factor?

Even up until the night I sent it to you, there were like 15 songs on the playlist. I was like, “I can not believe I have to cut 5 of these songs!” I think every one of those songs is a doorway into my taste. Every single one of those songs is a good signifier of so many other songs that are similar to it that I like. 

So you’re saying like, this one acoustic Amy Whinehouse song is the entryway to a bunch of other singer-songwriter stuff you like. Or this Charli XCX is an entry way to more feel good poppy stuff you like. 

Yes, exactly. And so I think I kind of looked at it like a hallway with 10 doors and each door was to a room of infinite other amounts of music I love. I wanted to pick songs that were important to me, and songs that were special to me. Even the Charli XCX song which isn’t that old, and the FKA twigs song which also came out last year, they’re representative of so much more music I like, and what I like about music right now. 

Which is what?

What I really like about “Gone” is that it is so carefully crafted as a Pop song, as far as the production goes. And lyrically it has the structure of a Pop song, there’s verses, there’s a chorus. I love that it is a collaboration. I think collaboration is everything. What I love about that song in particular is that it’s so expected, production wise, as a Pop song but the lyrics are so bizarre. The chorus-- there’s something very impenetrable about the lyrics of the chorus. There’s something really so dissociative about the lyrics, but it’s still so catchy and so emotional. You feel it. Even though I have no idea what the song is talking about. I think there’s clues as to what they’re singing about, but I think it’s something you feel more. They almost sound to me like an A.I. wrote them. Like if you fed an A.I. a bunch of Pop songs and then it spit out a chorus to its own Pop song, that’s what it would sound like.

I always feel like Charli XCX has always straddled the line between, “I can sing the catchiest, poppiest hook you’ve ever heard” but on the flipside “I can take you down to some artsy, weirdo, off the wall type stuff.

And that’s what I love. I really love artists that straddle that line, for today. I love people who are versatile, who are brave, who are shapeshifters. People who are not afraid to be incredibly straight-forward and simple, but also thoughtful and crafted. I think it’s really cool.

I definitely agree with you on that. We’re definitely seeing a resurgence of female pop artists who fall into that lane. If you think about Lorde, or Billie Ellish, or Tinashe, they straddle that line. That’s what you like about the new songs, what about the old songs on your playlist? What are some of the songs on there that you’ve loved forever?

“I Feel Love” by Donna Summer, to me, is one of the best songs ever written. It’s one of the best dance records ever made. It’s brilliant. The production is incredible. The vocal is incredible. It all just hits you so right. To think that this song was produced in the 70’s is mind blowing. I listened to that song and I’m like, “This sounds futuristic now.” 

For me that song is a doorway into the music that surrounded me as a child. My parents had a really versatile taste in music and played a lot of stuff. My mom and I would do weekend Spring cleanings and she would load up the 6 CD stereo system and we would crank everything from Aretha Franklin, to Elton John, Aerosmith, Tupac, she loved everything. I think I inherited this excitement for music from her. 

She also loved 90’s dance music that was on the radio when I was little. She would go to club nights at The Depot and get mixes from DJs and play them in the car. Also when I was really young, my family is all in N.A., and at the time they would put on these dances as a way for people in recovery to go to a safe space that wasn’t a bar or rave where they might find alcohol or drugs and relapse, and enjoy the music. My family would take me, and I was like 7 or 8, and the music there was just… that the first time I heard “I Feel Love.” So much 90’s dance music that I love now was played at those dances.

How does you starting out at 7 and 8 going to these dance parties evolve into the taste of music you have now?

I started working in studios when I was 13, and that’s when I really decided that I was going to make music. 

When you say working, you mean in the actual studio?

Yeah early on I would bring in my songs, you know little things I would record. I would write with other people, I would ask to come and sit in on a session.

So this was a job you got or did you know someone in the studio?  

So I started taking voice lessons and through my voice teacher got connected to different producers and engineers. And in my mom’s previous life, she was married to the original owner of Hammerjacks, which is a legendary Baltimore nightclub, so she knew people from then who were musicians and who had their own studios and spaces like that. I kind of just really made it a point to be in those places. Around that time I also felt like I wanted to have an education in what American music had always been, and so I started really early on listening to the first records ever made, which were anthropological in nature. From there I became really in love with Blues. 

I wasn’t able to fit her on the playlist but she was there up until the very end, Bessie Smith. I mean this is someone who we’re talking about who was making music almost 100 years ago. I listened to her records and would sing them all the time. I feel like I learned so much about singing from her. She was so ahead of her time. From her ideas about her stage shows, to being a black queer woman, singing Blues in the segregated south, she was brilliant. She’s a forever artist to me. 

I had this idea of giving myself an education of what Pop music in America had been over time. Because Pop music is just whatever is popular. Through that I listened to Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, and then from there Eartha Kitt and Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, and I just kept following the times. Through that I heard so much music I had never heard before. I felt like music had this endless possibility of being anything.  

And this was all on your own? You just decided to do this one day?

[Laughs] Yeah this is just what I did. I didn’t have a lot of friends. You know it’s the whole “queer youth” storyline. Outcast, freak, bullied, blah blah blah. I would spend a lot of time by myself and music was my friend. I wanted to know everything about it.

So you’re building your background knowledge with this research, gaining access to this studio, then decide to make your own music. What was that process like?

When I was really little, I would take songs off the radio and write new lyrics to them. So it would be the same melodies and all of that, but I would just write my own song. When my parents divorced, there was a lot of change and chaos in my family and just in my life, and that’s when I started writing my own original songs. That was when I was 13. Then I would take the original songs that I wrote to my voice teacher and she would help me put chords to them and create these songs. A lot of times it would be me singing this melody to her, and she would fiddle around with the piano a little bit and then we would come up with a chord progression we liked and record them on a cassette tape. Once I had a couple of songs there that I really, really liked, she suggested that I record them in a studio. She worked things out with my family and for my birthday they bought me studio time.

That’s like the best gift ever!

I know! It was this amazing, brilliant thing. It was my grandmother. My grandmother always supported my music and me singing. I had a job really young, around 13, working at a snack bar. But it wasn’t enough for studio time. And honestly she paid for most of the studio time when I was young. She was a domestic worker. She would scrub people’s toilets and then turn around and give me $150 for a day in the studio. And that was never a question. 

What do you mean it was never a question?

She was never, ever like, “I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know if this is worth it.” Never. The sacrifice she made for that was never lost on me. I knew, even then, what that meant. To have someone who is working so hard, literally barely making enough to survive, support you. I don’t think I realized, that young, how poor my family was. I did know we weren’t wealthy by any means, so the fact that she would do that is amazing. I’m never not going to make this worth it, for her. If I were doing it for me, I would’ve walked away a long time ago. This industry is terrible. It’s full of people who will steal, people who will cut you out and leave you in the dust.  I’ve lost a lot of skin in this game. The reason I do this is for my grandmother, my family, my ancestors. 

My family is Native and has really been through it, for a long time. We have nothing to show for it. Every person in my family has experienced intense trauma, and I have as well. If this was all about “Look at me! I’m so talented,” if this is what it was about for me-- hell no. I would be a happy real estate agent at this point. It’s about making all of this sacrifice and trauma my family has been through mean something, and putting it into art. Maybe one day I’ll be on a Grammy stage, and maybe one day I’ll be dead in a ditch. I don’t know. But I do know that my life is for my community. People like me. People who can relate. At the end of the day that’s what’s important to me. 

Do you take the history of your family and the sacrifices they’ve made, the vulnerabilities and emotions shared from the music you enjoy, and good old fashioned pop sensibility and incorporate all of those into the music you’re making now?

Definitely. For me, Pop music is about a feeling. There’s no pretext. You don’t have to know the story, you don’t have to know the language, you don’t have to know anything about it before you hear it. But when you hear that Pop song, you feel it. And that is universal. That’s why we see this huge rise in K-Pop. There’s not a parallel rise in people being able to speak Korean. People don’t always know what K-Pop stars are singing about but they feel it. Pop music is a feeling, a communication that transcends language barriers, time barriers, space barriers. That’s why Pop is what I’m aiming for. I want to connect. I want people to feel like there’s space for them in the music. 

The music that I’m making now is coming from a place that is newer for me to create from. It’s authentic to what I’m feeling now and where I feel like so many people are at in the world. There’s a lot of pain. There’s a lot of exhaustion, anxiety, depression. I want to make music that makes people feel like they’re powerful. Like my new song “Metal Me.”  To me that song is about personal power. Those sounds, that production, it feels powerful. I want people to feel like they can conquer their demons and fight everything against them. If I can make somebody feel powerful with a song, that’s it. 

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[momentsinsong]

Moments In Song No. 026 - Baatchoy

There’s always a story behind the sounds in a song. From the melodies of the instrumentation, to the tone of someone’s voice, these sounds can help convey emotions in a way that lyrics can’t. Baatchoy chooses to focus on the relationship between these sounds how they create a world for the listener to live in. We talk to the engineer and producer about his beginnings in a band, the role Eddie Murphy played in his discovery of music, and his collaboration process with other creatives.  

Listen to Baatchoy’s playlist on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Words and photos by Julian.

Julian: Listening to your playlist I feel like there was a big focus on instrumentation and how different sounds come together on a track. I feel like previous playlists were much more centered around lyrics and sentimental value, and this is the first time someone had made a playlist so focused on sounds and melodies.

Baatchoy: I’ve always had a deep love for harmonic structure in music. I like the way notes are related to each other in a song. The relationship between notes, chords, and songs, and the color palette that brings is why I love music so much. Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of music in languages I don’t understand, like Brazilian Portuguese music. Removing the language from it, their voice becomes another instrument to me. That helps me figure out the color and the deeper meaning of the relationship between the cords and what the musician is trying to convey.

What are some of the specific palettes and melodies from the songs on your playlist?

The second to last song on the playlist, “Sleep” by Godspeed You! Black Emperor, I remember when I was in high school and got hip to that band and post Rock music, and the heavy emphasis that’s put on how a melody is carried and built upon. One of the things that stuck out to me about that song is the part where it sounds like a synth, but it’s actually a guitar with a screwdriver. They’re taking a screwdriver and playing the guitar neck like a violin bow and that’s how they’re producing this really high pitched melodic sound. To this day I still get goosebumps when I hear it.  

You said earlier that “My Cherie Amour” was your introduction to music. Do you remember where you were and what the situation was when you first heard it?

Oh yes [Laughs]. I was a kid and my mom was watching the “Best of Eddie Murphy” from Saturday Night live, and I was there watching with her. There was a skit where Eddie Murphy is wearing sunglasses, the camera is focused on him, and he’s trying to teach someone how to sing “My Cherie Amour” in his best Stevie Wonder impression. So they’re singing the song and I’m thinking, “Oh this is a cool song,” and then it pans out and you find out that he’s trying to teach Stevie Wonder how to be Stevie Wonder, and then Stevie Wonder ends up singing the song, of course beautifully. And then at the end of it all Eddie Murphy is like, “Yeah that’s ok” [Laughs]. Afterwards I asked my mom “What song was that?” and she was like, “We’ll listen to it right now.” We listened to it and I was like, “Yeah, this is it.”

So from there what were the next steps to different music you found? Did you do a big Stevie Wonder dive after that?

Yeah growing up I listened to Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Earth, Wind, and Fire, the Bee Gees. Just a bunch of soul, disco, funk music that my mom grew up listening to. But Stevie was definitely the top one for me. 

How’s that connect to the other stuff on your playlist like Bjork and Brazilian music? 

I feel like my playlist is so weird [Laughs]. With Bjork I feel like it was one of those things where I was in high school and I came across her on YouTube. A lot of the music I find is one YouTube. I would be doing a deep dive on YouTube and it would suggest music to me. So one day it suggested “Vespertine” by Bjork and that shit was so hard. That album in particular, coming from the music I grew up listening to like Stevie Wonder, it truly tested my taste. It was very different but I was still drawn to it. I love how futuristic it sounds. The relationship between Stevie Wonder and the rest of the songs are unrelated, but I think that’s cool. I feel like my taste stems from different moments in my life. From being in a rock band, to getting into really experimental music, to becoming a producer and getting into Hip-Hop. I’m at a point now where I look back at all the different phases I had, and just accumulating it all.

Would you say that love for how instruments, melodies, and harmonies come together has influenced you as a producer. 

Creating melodies in a beat or song is the most important thing to me. I put a lot of intention in what I do musically, whether it be producing or engineering. I always try to find a full purpose in it. I ask myself, “Why is this melody here? Besides it sounding good, why is it here? What are you trying to say? What are you trying to convey?” That’s come up a lot lately when working on this album with D.Y.Y.O. for our “Gold” project. He and I worked really hard to make sure we know what we’re trying to convey through words, rhythms, and melodies to a T. We know what we’re trying to convey. That’s my mission as an engineer and producer. 

When you’re working on music yourself do you have a set creative process or does it differ each time? 

I have a bunch of different exercises. Sometimes the melody comes first. Sometimes I’ll watch a video or look at a picture and will try to convey that same emotion through music. And that’s all in the harmony. That’s all in the melody. That’s all in the rhythm. There’s a lot of variables in the relationship between all those things that can affect that. I find a lot of similarities between writing literature and music. The way someone conveys emotion through a sentence or a poem, is the same way I would try to write a beat or melody. A bad melody is like a bad broken sentence. There’s no structure. There’s no flow. There’s no meaning. You can say, “How now brown cow,” but that’s not really a sentence. 

How did the whole producing thing start?

I’m in DKTM, and when I first joined after playing in a band for a while a lot of those guys started to get into producing. I found my way into producing through those guys and decided to try. Now I’m here and it’s super cool and I really do enjoy it. When producing you have full control over what you’re trying to convey. To this day I miss being in a band, but being in a band there’s more communication between all the people in the band. When you’re producing it’s all on you.

Tell me more about your time in a band. How did you get into it? What kind of music did you play?

So me and an old friend met in guitar class. It’s crazy, I only signed up for that class because I was already teaching myself how to play guitar at the time and I thought I would learn something new. Come to find out I already knew everything they were teaching, so that was kind of lame, but I met him and found out we liked a bunch of the same music, grungy blues stuff. But then we grew into making really weird music and post Rock music. The two bands on my playlist that sound like the music we would write are Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Piglet. That’s why I included those songs. Being in that band was a very important time in my life. 

How long were you in the band?

I want to say it was 5 years. I do miss those years. We went on tour, that’s where I got my touring experience. I remember back then we would meet up and just listen to albums together. Just sit there and not talk. I miss those days. I’ve been so busy I haven’t been able to do that anymore. 

Was engineering something that came along with the producing, or something you picked up along the way?

I feel like I started engineering because I had a slight interest in it and it was my way of helping out a lot of the people in the collective record their music. Engineering for people allowed me to get better at mixing and eventually start to engineer my own music. I like how detail oriented mixing is. 

When you look at that aspect of music it’s the nitty gritty part, it’s looking a the fine details, it’s really a labor of love.

Yeah! You’ll be working on a mix for like 3 hours and then you’re like, “Damn this sounds like shit I’m just going to delete everything and start over.” There’s been so many times like that but now I’m feeling very comfortable and confident in what I’ve been doing lately. Especially working with other artists, I love being able to meet so many people, and getting to know them and their art. I’ve been getting into astrology lately, so I’ll figure out people’s signs and it’s crazy how they’re really making music that matches it. It’s like “Oh you’re Virgo?” and then we start working on music and I’m like, “You’re definitely a Virgo.” I’m a cancer and I made cancer ass music [Laughs].

If you’re engineering or producing for someone how do you get in their mind, figure out what they want, and then translate that in the music?

Whenever I’m working with someone I always take the time to talk with them. At least the first 30 minutes I’m asking them, “How was your day? What have you been up to?” You know actually talking to people and not just being like, “Get in there! Sit down! Send me the beats! Let’s get started!” That shit’s mad lame to me. Besides the music it’s the relationships for me. I always want to get to know people. Getting to know people through talking the first 30 minutes to an hour of meeting them let’s me know how the rest of the session will go. 

If we go back to the beginnings of your music it sounds like you were raised in a very musical family?

Yeah it was actually my grandma. I would say my grandma is the most musical one in my family. I remember waking up everyday, I used to live in the same house as my grandma, my mom, my sister, my grandpa, and she would be playing piano every morning and I would kind of live in that. My mom and grandma for whatever reason tell me, whether this is true or not, that I even as I kid I was also kind of old too. And so they put me in piano lessons, vocal lessons, all this stuff. I did it for years and honesty when I first started doing it I hated it. I feel like I hated it because I was being forced to do it in a way that wasn't holistic or natural. It was too boring and too straight, and I didn’t like that. It wasn’t until a couple years later until my cousin from the Philippines came over, he was maybe 9 or 11 I can’t remember, but he came over and he was killing it on guitar! I was looking at him like, “Bro you’re so good, and you're 9 years old! If you can do that shit, I can do that shit to!” [Laughs]. After that I told my mom I wanted to start playing guitar, and because of my previous history of quitting music she didn’t think I was serious. But I begged her for a week straight everyday and she finally agreed. Her and my grandma split the cost and bought me a guitar. Ever since then I’ve taught myself to play and now I’m here. I love them for that. 

Do you ever go back now and say mom, “I can play guitar now!”

Aww man honestly, if you meet me mom that’s probably the story she tells almost everybody. She’s like, “I remember when Mark begged me to buy him a guitar for a week straight, and now look at him. He went to school, he went and had a band, he went on tour!” My mom’s a character [Laughs]. I love her. 

Wrapping things up, I feel like the main thing I took away from this playlist is that Mark likes sounds. There’s a lot of different sounds on this playlist, and they’re all put together so finely. 

Yeah I do like sounds [Laughs].

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[momentsinsong]

Moments In Song No. 025 - Lindsay Stewart Davis

Lindsay’s always looking for something a little extra. Something that’ll stand out from the pack. Whether it be the music she listens to, or the art she creates, normal just won’t cut it. Her playlist is filled with songs that bring out the extra bit of happiness that motivates us to do something great. We talk to the Neon and Interdisciplinary Artist about almost dying at a Tyler, the Creator concert, her bagpipe playing Dad, and finding inspiration during quarantine.  

Listen to Lindsay’s playlist on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Words and photos by Julian.

Julian: After my first couple of listens, the general theme I got from your playlist was that it seemed very happy. Like you were in a good space. Even if all of the songs didn’t have an uptempo feel to them, they still sounded happy, whether it be through the lyrics or the feel of the track.  

Lindsay: I feel like a lot of the songs are older songs that I can’t shake. They’ve always been in my rotation. They’re songs that I’ll put on when I’m in my studio or creating, and they make me feel really happy. When I was making the playlist, I was going through a lot of songs and I wasn’t sure about a few of them, but I played them in the car yesterday and I could see myself dancing and smiling and I was like, “Ok these are the ones.” 

That’s how I felt. As soon as that first one, the Solange song kicked in I was like, “Oh this feels good.”

That’s my favorite Solange song! I feel like that’s the first time I really got into Solange and I was just so enamored by her voice. I feel like a lot of newer Solange loses touch with that one song [Losing You]. It’s pretty old, it’s from a few albums ago, but it also shows her evolution. 

Was that intentional? Putting that as the first song? Or did it just happen?

I just love that song. It’s one of my favorites. I think so yeah. 

I ask because I know some people are very intentional about the order of the songs on their playlist. 

“Desirée” by Blood Orange and “Losing You” by Solange were songs I played together a lot. It was around the same time period that I started listening to both songs, and so that’s kind of why I paired them together as the first two songs. I really love Blood Orange and “Desirée” really reminds me of going out and dancing with my friends in Chicago and having a really good time with them. There’s a moment in the song where it cuts away from the music and talks about how women are treated in a way and I just remember me and my friends getting really serious and looking at each other and voicing that over [Laughs]. I just love both of those songs and they remind me of really happy memories in my life.

You mentioned how these are songs you would play in the studio. Would you say you use music as a means of inspiration, motivation, and influence?

I think I use music as a form of distraction. It lets me release everything that’s going on in my life and focus in on the moment. That gets my head thinking of things I’m enjoying at the time and so that way I can let go of what's going on in the world and then use that in my creative practice. It kind of like pushes that happiness that you mentioned earlier to come out through my work. I can forget about what’s going on in the world and bring my focus back into my work. 

What other songs on your playlist would you say bring out that feeling of happiness in you?

I definitely think the Tyler, the Creator song. “Cherry Bomb” is like my favorite album by him. A lot of people don’t think that but that’s also when I saw him play live. That whole album brings me back into a creative space because I can really tell he’s being so experimental, and it’s so different from any of his other stuff. I also think it’s his last ode to him being in this angry, dark place, and moving to a new happier moment, which is really inspirational to me. I like the dark metalish sound of “Cherry Bomb,” but this song [“Find Your Wings”] brings the first glimpse of the sounds on his future albums. I just think it’s such a beautiful song. 

Was the first time you saw him live? Was that here?

Yeah I saw him at Ram’s Head.

I went to that same show!

I almost died at that concert. I almost got trampled. 

Yeah, I’ve seen him like 5 times now and I remember the first time I was legit scared. I had never been to a concert like that before.

[Laughs] People were MOSHING. I was kind of scared too I’m not even going to lie, but I was so excited to be scared.

Same! The first time I saw him was 2011 or 2012. It was an Odd Future show, not just Tyler. And it was at this one spot that’s closed down now, but it was a really small space and we were all packed in there. Syd came out and did a DJ set and as soon as that first song started playing people went crazy. I was scared. I was like, “I’m about to die tonight. This is really it.”

I was on the verge of being trampled and I remember thinking in that moment that nobody gave a shit about me, and then somebody reached down and grabbed me. 

Oh you actually fell?

Yeah a few of us fell and people were still going not realizing what had happened. But then there were people there who were actually trying to help us. 

Wow that’s wild. 

Yeah...memories [Laughs].

So back to the playlist…

I put that Steve Lacy song in too because it reminds me of my time in Chicago, which was a really creative moment in my life. I was going to put in a few other songs like that on the playlist but I stopped because I didn���t want to get too deep in the Chicago bag. I had to put songs by Xavier Gibson and Cadeem Lamarr in there because both of them bring a lot of happiness into my life right now. “Drive Me Crazy” by Xavier is one of the only songs I feel like is really about letting go. It’s vulnerable and happy at the same time. 

Yeah that kind of goes back to what I was saying earlier about these songs being “happy songs,” even if they don’t traditionally sound like it. “Losing You” has a happy beat but she’s saying some sad stuff.

I feel like a lot of it is vulnerability, which is also something I’m working on in my life, but I think it really comes out in my music. 

Yeah and the same thing with “Drive Me Crazy,” it’s uptempo and makes you feel good, and has lines that make you laugh but then there’s also lines like, “If you want to cry in the club this your theme song.” But you also have genuinely feel good songs like “Find Your Wings,” and the Homeshake song. What kind of stuff were you into when you first really started listening to music?

I actually grew up playing the saxophone so I grew up listening to a lot of Jazz. It was a lot of Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, and that kind of brought warm happy fuzzy feelings. I didn’t know their “rough around the edges story” until I was older, but as a kid listening to Jazz I loved the saxophone and the level of improv involved with it. I think that has transitioned into me collecting records, and has kind of inspired my music taste today. Jazz and Classical music has taught me a lot of history and what has gone into music, and I think that paves the way for what I listen to now. 

Did you come from a very musical family?

My dad plays the bagpipes, which is so weird. In middle school I was known as the girl whose dad played the bagpipes which was so embarrassing. Now I think it’s cool though, but it was really embarrassing back then. He was part of a band and I would go see them on the weekends, it was a weird time. But that got me into wanting to learn an instrument, so that’s when I started learning saxophone. I haven’t played in a really long time but I think that has influenced a lot of who I am today. My dad also played a lot of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and a lot of other 80’s and 90’s music. That kind of transitioned into Alternative Rock which we would listen to together. We would listen to stuff like Passion Pit, he was actually the one who introduced me to them. Then that led to us sharing a bunch of music back and forth which was really cool. And Dr. Dog! We had a big Dr. Dog phase. We would go see concerts together, it was fun.  

So from there how did your taste in music branch out to other genres?

After getting into Alt and Indie music for a while, that then transferred into things getting a little more edgy and I started to listen to more and more Rap. My brother listened to Rap when I was a kid so he would start pushing Rap onto me but I was a little too young to get it, but as I got older I could grasp it a little more. 

Who are some artists from that Alt/Indie phase that stand out to you and really love? What about that era stood out to you?

I don’t know if I have a favorite, but I really love the band Dirty Projectors. They’ve had projects with Bjork, who is super weird too, but it’s super experimental. Another one is Foster the People’s album “Torches,” which is also really experimental. It was cliche but I really liked The xx because I really liked the heavy beats and experimentation in their music. I think that is continuous in what I look for in music. I want it to be pushing some sort of boundary of what’s new. I haven’t really come across anything new that’s made me feel the same way as some of those albums that I listened to as a kid just discovering music, so I feel like I’m always looking for that new best thing.

It’s funny that you were able to get that Indie/Alternative/Rock side from your dad, but at the same time your brother is playing Hip-Hop around you. When you made the move to Chicago did you take that taste in music and make it your own?

I took those tastes to Chicago and then a lot my art school friends laid down the foundation for me to find new artists as well. A lot of my friends turned into DJs or were practicing to become DJs and I feel like that continued to introduce me to new music. 

When you went to Chicago for school, was it for Art?

Yeah I went for Fine Arts. I went for painting because my grandma is a painter, and my entire dad’s side of the family is made up of either painters, woodworkers, or something else creative, so I thought that I wanted to be a painter. But when I got there it felt like painting wasn’t really pushing boundaries. I feel like painting is such an old school media, and it hasn't been until recently that I’ve felt like I’ve found ways to push it further. So I then started to get into more woodworking, and looking at Art as a way to present social justice issues, and eventually I started learning how to use and make neon. That’s really been my main focus for the past 3 or 4 years, and now I feel like I’ve been able to tie in painting and neon, so it’s kind of come full circle.     

So has using neon allowed you to push your own artistic boundaries forward?

It’s pushed the boundaries for me, but it’s also brought forward a really historical and antique way of Art that’s been forgotten. I feel like LED and the futuristic stuff that’s being created now is kind of taking over, so I’ve kind of looked at it as a way to bring an old school medium back to the present and give it some weight. 

You mentioned earlier that you took a break from all your work with neon, but you’ve recently started back up again. What motivated you?

COVID honestly made me feel like I needed to take a break to get back in touch with myself. For a while I kind of just lost my inspiration. The world was kind of…..I don’t want to say “going to shit,” but it was losing it’s magic. But I feel like now I’m able to use creative mediums to get that out so I don’t have to feel so upset and sad. That’s kind of another reason why I chose happy songs for my playlist. When I play that music in the studio it helps me bring that happy feeling into the space and not let the outside world affect me. 

I felt the same way. When this whole thing first started I thought I was going to be able to practice DJing a lot more and make a whole bunch of stuff….

And were you?

No [Laughs].

I wasn’t either. 

I don’t know what it was. It didn’t feel the same. That fire that used to be there wasn’t there. 

Right before COVID happened I had so many pieces in the studio that were for upcoming shows. I was supposed to have a show at Ottobar, so many people were supposed to be coming together, I was really excited but then COVID happened and it got shut down. So those pieces have just been sitting in New York. It wasn’t until recently that I was able to grab them so I can now get back to where I was before COVID. 

What are your intentions going into a new piece of art? Do you have any or do you just kind of see what happens.

I always start out every art piece I do with a drawing. It helps me visualize what I want to make and work out all of the bugs and kinks before I start. I’ll also have some notes and writings down too that help me push all the boundaries I can. So once I start making the piece I’ll have all the ideas thought up. Some things might change and be different by the end, but since I’m working with neon and wiring everything has to be well thought out. That way I’m not struggling and can go into it knowing this is how it’s going to be done. I’m trying to move away from conceptual pieces and more towards three dimensional projects instead. I don’t want it to be just a painting on the wall, I want it to be interactive. 

That sounds dope. I’m excited for what you come up with. 

I’m excited too. I’ve really been in a rut of not knowing what to create for like two years, but I feel good now.

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[momentsinsong]

Moments In Song No. 024 - José Vigo

The songs and artists that get you through periods of transition end up staying with you for a lifetime. From navigating American culture as the child of immigrants, to developing his style as an artist, José has used music to help make sense of the transitions in his life. With a playlist featuring songs from different corners of the world, the Venezuelan born visual artist tells us about his favorite TV soundtracks, his admiration for Mac Miller, and more. 

Listen to Jose’s playlist on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Words and photos by Julian.

Julian: What was the thought process behind making your playlist. I see you have two little sheets of paper with a list of songs on them. 

José: As soon as you asked me to be a part of this, I knew exactly who I wanted to be on the playlist and what songs of theirs I wanted to pick. I picked the songs that have been holding me down the past fews months during this chaotic ass summer and spring. So I had like 20 people and I narrowed it down by picking the songs that I listen to on the way to work. I just bought a new bike so I’ve been cruising on the bike and listening to the songs. I made sure to put shit from when I want to listen to rap, when I want to listen to some other shit, when I want to listen to Latino music,

What songs from the jump did you know have to be on there. 

Definitely Anderson .Paak “Room in Here.” I couldn't make a playlist and justify it without putting Hov in it, so I picked my favorite Hov song “Feelin’ It.” Definitely needed to put Mac in here. That was hard because I fuck with so many Mac songs, but “Hurt Feelings” was my favorite one from “Swimming’ and it kind of fit perfectly with “Feelin’ It” and Frank Ocean. 

I don’t know if you did this intentionally but your playlist transitioned really well from song to song. 

For sure. It was definitely intentional.

I listened to it all the through and was like, “Man this is really flowing. It sounds like he took his time with this.”

At first I was like, “He doesn’t want me to pick my 10 favorite songs, he wants me to pick a playlist of 10 songs that I really fuck with. Let me make sure it has a structure and flows well.”

How’d you get into a lot of the foreign songs on your playlist?

My cousin Diego put me on to Flavien Berger, and then with the Japanese joint, my roommate is a tattoo artist and one of his coworkers was like, “You need to listen to this band.” So the second my roommate heard it he was like, “Yo I got to tell Jose.” As soon as I heard it I thought it was crazy. I grew up listening to cumbia music my whole life, my family is Colombian. Hearing Japanese vocals to it was so fucking cool and refreshing. It doesn’t sound like these guys are biting it and making it terrible. It all just sounds so good together. 

Is that their only song that sounds like that?

Their first album is called “Echos from Japan” and it’s got cumbia samples, reggae samples. The reggae song samples Sister Nancy. You should listen to that one, it’s so cool. And of course I had to get Bad Bunny in there.

What’s crazy about that one is I saw the name Bad Bunny and I had one expectation of what to hear…

That boricua shit, but it’s so Mexican!

Yeah because I didn’t know the other artist, but saw Bad Bunny and thought it would be some turn up party stuff, or even just something with the Reggaeton beat to it. So I was listening to it and thought, “Oh this is cool,” and waiting for the drums to hit and they never came in.

They never came in! [Laughs]. It’s straight Mexican shit. Natanael Cano is Mexican. But also Bad Bunny’s verse is so hard. I can show the song to my American friends and they can say, “Oh that sounds cool,” but you understand Spanish and can understand his verse and realize those were bars.

Have you always had such a wide taste in music?

For sure. You know growing up Latino, in your house you have your parents playing music from where they originate from, so I’m listening to Cumbia, Salsa, Merengue. But as soon as I left my house I’m listening to Hov, Hip-Hop, you know Black American music. 

So you start with the Latino music at home, and then move on to more Hip-Hop once you’re outside the house. How did you end up listening to music outside of those genres?

Definitely art. Art opened my mind, and as soon as I got a little older I discovered that everyone makes good music you just gotta find it. Watching shows and movies with really great playlists introduced me to a whole bunch of new music. “High Fidelity” has a great soundtrack. “Insecure” has a bomb ass soundtrack. “I May Destroy You” has a sick soundtrack. You hear a bunch of great British artists on there, it’s tight. Even video games have really good playlists. 2K, Tony Hawk. 

How’d you begin making art?

I began as a kid. I’ve been making art as long as I can remember. My mom would just buy me art supplies. She would buy me some toys that I asked for but mostly she bought me art stuff. I remember in elementary school, we would have competitions on who could draw the best car, plane, truck or whatever and I would win all the time. It gave me confidence growing up. I knew I had something that I was good at.

How would you describe your style of art? Are there certain themes or topics you try to cover in your work?

I never really know how to describe my art, it’s very influenced by Baltimore, skateboarding, music, & graffiti. I spent a lot of time painting letters so nowadays I try to draw other things. I like to draw the people I see on my commute to work, on my bike rides. Faces are so interesting. I really like the pattern work I’ve been doing where I’m filling space with objects, landscapes, things I reminisce about.

What’s the relationship between your art and music? Do you get influenced by music when making art? Are there specific songs or artists you listen to help get you in the mindset of making art?

Anderson .Paak is a big one. His music is really influential. It puts me in the vibe of wanting to paint and draw. It’s also inspiring and makes me want to finish something by the end of the day. Mac is definitely another one. I can listen to “Watching Movies with the Sound Off,” “GOOD A.M.,” “Swimming,” I can listen to all of those albums all the way through while I’m sitting there painting, drawing, making a collage. 

What specifically about those albums and Mac Miller as an artist inspires you?

I guess because we’re around the same age. When he started making music, I started painting graffiti. He was dropping albums, and my graffiti got better. He changed his style of music, and around the same time I stopped painting graffiti and became a visual artist through “fine art.” Also his drug use equates to mine, not saying I was ever an addict, but I definitely experimented with drugs I maybe wouldn't want my kids experiencing. I feel like his development as an artist was similar to mine, even though I’m not as talented. I don’t think I can paint as well as Mac Miller makes music [Laughs]. Same thing with Anderson .Paak. He was just working, working, working, hard as shit and then finally “Venice” went crazy, “Malibu” catapulted him, and now people know who he is. 

Was there a specific moment or artist that pushed you to start developing your own taste in music?

Definitely me being a little kid and listening to all of this Latino music, and knowing that I liked it but also knowing that this is what my parents are listen to. You know when you’re 11 or 12 you don't want to be listening to what your parents are listening to. Even though Héctor Lavoe bangs, let me listen to something else. So growing up in America, as soon as I could understand English and rappers well enough to comprehend what they’re saying, that’s what I would be listening to. Rappers like Nas, Hov, Kanye’s “College Dropout,” “Late Registration.” “College Dropout” came out when I was in 7th grade and was one of the first albums I bought. As I kid I was like, “I got this, I bought this.” 

Where were you born?

I was born in Venezuela. I was born in Caracas and came to the United States when I was 10 in 2001. Which was an awkward time to be a new brown person.

Yeah very awkward. Would you say music, specifically Rap music, helped you with that transition into America? Like with the American culture and the English language? 

Yeah for sure, because I was trying to fit in and there was a bunch of shit I didn’t like, but as soon as I heard Rap I was like, “Oh this is it! I fucking love this. This needs to be slowed down so I can understand their words better.” You know when you’re a kid you absorb information quickly. I got here when I was 10, by the time I was 11 I was already speaking English, and by the time I was 12/13 I could comprehend English well enough where I could understand what these rappers were saying. So Hip-Hop definitely helped me mingle and become part of America. Skateboarding too. Skateboarding gave me a lot of confidence. Art too.

When you were listening to that stuff were your parents ever like, “What is this?”

No actually I was never really censored. I had immigrant parents, so my mom was working 15 hours, my pops was working 18 hours. As soon as I started having all this music available to me, my parents were always working, I had no parental supervision. I got out of school at 2:00, and my parents didn’t get home until like 9:30,10:00 so they didn’t know what I was listening to. I was watching whatever I wanted, I was listening to whatever I wanted, so my parents weren’t aware of what I was listening to. Even if they were involved, they couldn’t understand what these rappers were saying. My parents don’t speak English. 

I’ve heard from other people’s stories that when they play certain stuff around their parents they’re like, “What is this? What are you listening to?” But I know with my mom when she came to America she was very much into American music and would listen to those Top 40 radio stations in the car. So when me and my brother started listening to that stuff she was never really against it. It was really cool but I know that’s not the same experience for all children of immigrants. 

Especially Latinos who have a Catholic background, our parents are somewhat conservative. My mom listened to Salsa, Cumbia, Merengue, Folk, Campesino Venezuelan/Colombian music. She actually really fucked with Michael Jackson. Kenny G, she likes Kenny G for some fucking reason. And them my pops, R.I.P., he listened to Tongo, spoken word with the saxophone, stuff like that. 

Yeah I feel like that's a big way for them to remember where they came from and to keep that connection when they arrive to a new place. Did your perception of that music change over time? Because when you’re younger that’s just what you listen to because it’s there, but then you get to a certain age and you don’t want to listen to what you’re parents are listening to, and then I think there’s a stage after that where you just appreciate it a little more.

For sure. You go back and and want to take a break from what you’re listening to all the time, and like, “Damn bro, Héctor Lavoe really bangs.” Héctor Lavoe is one of my favorite singers of all time. If you listen to his lyrics, he’s amazing. 

I’m not super familiar with him…

Héctor Lavoe is a Puerto Rican Salsa singer. He had a very shitty life, but he was an amazing singer. Definitely one of the most successful, well-known Latino Salsa singers. 

Is that appreciation for him something that came later in life?

I knew he was really good as a kid, but at the same time I was like, “This is what you listen to mom. I didn’t grow up like you. I’m an immigrant in America, I want to listen to American music.” At the time when I was 13 I didn't want to resonate with it because I wanted to be here (in America) and not looked at as different. But as I got older I realized that I have to appreciate that I’m different, because this is important. My words and my experiences are important, and the music that I listen to, and that my parents listen to is important. It’s not weird, it's important.

Yeah as a kid, I didn’t really like that stuff, but now that I’m older it’s come full circle and I appreciate it more. 

You know what’s one artist for sure? Oscar D'León. He’s a Venezuelan artist that a lot of Venezuelans and Colombians love. That’s music that I didn’t want to listen to as a kid. I thought it was my parents' generation of what to listen to in Venezuela and Colombia, and not something I really wanted to listen to. But now I’m like, “Man this is beautiful! These drums, this trumpet kills it. Oscar D'León’s lyrics are amazing. I really appreciate it now, and am glad that I have memories of getting woken up to it at 7:00 in the morning with my mom and her vacuum. 

As you grow older, you kind of learn to have that balance between recognizing where you come from and celebrating that, but also having your own thing.

Yeah I think as you get older you realize that your parents weren’t so old. Like when you’re 13 and you hear someone say they’re 30 you think, “Damn you’re old.” But 30’s not old. I’m 29 about to be 30 in February, and I’m super looking forward to being 30. Like my 30’s are gonna rock. I remember being a little kid and my mom was in her early 40’s and thinking that this is music that old people listen to, and it wasn’t. It was just music she listened to when she was young and it aged very well. I was just 13 and didn’t understand it. 

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#music #playlist #baltimore #apple music #Spotify #Anderson .Paak #mac miller #westside gunn #bad bunny #flavien berger #silk rhodes #jay z #manu chao #minyo crusaders #natanael cano

[momentsinsong]

Moments In Song No. 023 - Kotic Couture

Authentic. That’s one word that can be used to describe Kotic Couture’s current mindset. From their music, to their marketing, Kotic is making sure to put their genuine self in everything that they do, regardless of who cares. We talk to the artist about intersectionality in Hip-Hop, their love for relatable lyrics, and the never-ending journey towards authenticity.

Listen to Kotic Couture’s playlist on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Words and photos by Julian.

_______________________________________________________________________

Julian: The first thing I noticed about your playlist is that a lot of the songs are introspective and thought provoking. There’s maybe only one or two celebratory party songs on there. Was that a conscious choice you made or just something that ended up happening? 

Kotic: It’s funny because I didn’t realize how introspective I was until the beginning of the year when I put a song and my friends were like, “You’re very conscious of yourself when you  write.” Looking at the songs on the playlist, it does include songs that I casually listen to, so it wasn’t really a conscious decision, but it was interesting to see the artists that I like and how they reflect on things and how that comes into my everyday life. I feel like I’m always thinking about shit or being conscious of how I move. I didn’t realize how much that was reflected in the music I listened to until I started looking at my playlist. 

Are those reflective songs new songs you’ve been listening? Or are some of them songs you’ve always loved?

I’ve always always always always listened to “Save Me” by Nicki Minaj. Since “Pink Friday” came out it’s been one of my favorite songs. I’ve literally been listening to “Ctrl” for the last 2 months. That’s why “Drew Berrymore” is my go to song right now. It’s just such a great song. Even “Family Business” by Kanye and “Daddy Lessons” are songs I’ve always cycled through. But as of recent “Drew Berrymore” has been on repeat everyday. 

You mentioned earlier the reason why that song sticks out so much is because it puts into words what you may not always be able to? 

Music is such a beautiful thing. A lot of times you think you’re the only person who’s experiencing something and I just think that SZA....SZA and I are very close in age and so I think that album and the way that she wrote it is for people of our generation. It’s very relatable. So as I’m growing and experiencing more things, and experiencing relationships, or different career goals, that was one of those songs that makes sense. It puts my emotions into words. I didn’t know how to say it but this song says it. 

When working on your own music, is expressing those not-so-easy-to express emotions through writing a skill you’ve developed over time or is it something you’re still developing? I also know that you are really into the club music scene, so is that more introspective side something that was always present at the beginning of your career?

I’ve always loved singer-songwriters, but it always felt like I had to make party music or club music because I was always in clubs. But as of late, and especially since we’ve all been quarantined, I feel a little bit more adventurous with expressing myself and wanting to challenge my writing. When I look onto the internet, or look on Twitter, or talk to people, a lot of people feel underrepresented and they want those songs to make them feel how “Drew Berrymore” makes me feel. They want something real, they want something relatable. This is what’s going on in my life. Just recently I came to terms with the fact that I’m not on the radio right now. I really don’t have a desire to be on the radio right now. I want to make music that feeds people’s souls and means something. That’s been a recent shift that’s starting to be reflected in my writing a lot more.

I honestly think that’s where you find longevity. Searching for just that radio play….

It’s going to fizzle out. 

Yeah, and like you said earlier when you’re really making that impact on people’s lives  and speaking to what they want to hear, that’s how you reach longevity and stay on people’s ears and minds.

People just want to be understood. And they want to express things to others, and sometimes that’s through music. It can be a conversation starter as well. 

Are some of the artists on this playlist big musical influences when you were growing up? Or are there some not on this playlist that you could tell us about?

Definitely coming up as a rapper Nicki, Missy Elliott, Left Eye. Missy and Left Eye are the reasons I started rapping. Even M.I.A. I always knew club music, but even outside of that I didn’t have a lot of exposure to different types of music. So my friends would hear Electronic music and say, “Oh that’s white people music.” So when I heard “Galang” for the first time and saw the visual I was like, “Oh shit!” And then I found out about Santigold and all these other artists, and it kind of opened up another world for me. It let me know I can make these different types of music, and pull from these different influences.

As of right now I’ve been experiencing a lot of influence from R&B music. Along with “Ctrl” I’ve been listening to “Shea Butter Baby” by Ari Lennox non-stop, literally. Tidal does a “most listened to” playlist for the month and my July playlist was one song and then the whole “Shea Butter Baby” album and “Ctrl.”

What about Missy Elliott and Left Eye specifically inspired you to make music?

I never connected with male figures growing up. Male rappers never talked about anything that I thought was relatable, or anything that I really liked, until Kanye came out. So hearing Missy, and hearing Left Eye, these artists are talking about things that I was relating to. They’re both super creative. I feel like they’re opposite ends of the spectrum where Missy is so out there and iconic visually and is dangerous as a songwriter, Left Eye was very upfront and vocal about her beliefs and the way she felt about things. I feel like it was the marriage of the two of them that built me as a person, even to the point of me standing up for what I believe in. I remember listening to a TLC interview and they said in the “Creep” video Left Eye didn’t agree with the message so she wore tape over her mouth and didn’t want to put a verse on the song. So it’s things like that that remind me to say what I feel and to always be ahead.  

I feel like you can also see that with some of the newer artists you have on your playlist. I feel like CHIKA falls into that category you just described as far as doing her and saying what’s on her mind regardless of what other people are saying. 

If you haven’t listened to anything else, you should definitely listen to her Tiny Desk. I love listening to EP’s, but my favorite thing is performing. So watching people perform something in a more acoustic way is always interesting to me. And the way the production was done, with the background singers being brought out for the Tiny Desk is really dope. So CHIKA is someone I really love. I love her, I love Tank and the Bangas, that's just what I enjoy. I enjoy poetry, I enjoy art. I’m very receptive to people who make art with their words. 

Do you have any other artists that you admire as far as their live performances go?

I saw NAO at Afropunk, she is amazing live. Jill Scott, she is amazing live. And very captivating. I did theater in high school, so performance is a very important thing to me. Watching how people put things together, I love instrumentation, I love bands. Someone who I think is very slept on is Azealia Banks. When she performs live it’s crazy. 

You brought up Azealia and it’s really crazy what happened to her. She’s an incredible artist but I feel like all that extra stuff overshadowed her talent and music. You could honestly make the argument that she laid the groundwork for a lot of the female, and male artists even out today. 

I think Azealia is a great example of how the industry, and more specifically the Black community, responds to mental illness. How they respond to mental illness coming from Black women versus Black men. Because you can make the comparison of Kanye and Azealia and it's going to be two different things. I think that when you hear Azealia and some of the things she went through, and then look at some of her actions, she’s someone that’s been hurt. You can tell she’s someone who has issues with mental illness. But I think that the way the world attacks women, and demonizes women, especially darker skinned Black women, it says a lot about the way the industry carried her out. 

“Broke with Expensive Taste” was an amazing album. I don’t think the label pushed her the way they should have. There’s a lane of people who craft the way artists move, especially underground artists, and I feel like Azealia opened the doors for Black people to come back to Electronic music, to come back to House music, to rap and to sing. And then visually and aesthetically, I feel like Azealia laid down that groundwork which made people more receptive, and opened up the doors for someone like Rico Nasty to take it to the next level. 

I feel like Rico doesn’t get the recognition she deserves. For alternative girls in Hip-Hop Rico changed the aesthetic and the sound. And I think it just says a lot about how this industry handles and disrespects Black women. People are just so used to that being the way, they don’t think about it or question it. But yeah Azealia is just super talented, and she’s opened up a lot of doors and pushed a lot of envelopes, and I don’t think she gets the respect she deserves for that. 

She definitely helped pave the way for like a Rico Nasty, and even then you were saying Rico doesn’t get the recognition she deserves. She’s very in your face, with that almost angsty punk rock, emo rock type of energy, and not to pit them against each other, but that doesn’t get the same type of love and recognition as a Cardi B or Megan the Stallion. So that goes back to your point of making sure the playing field is level and everyone gets the shine and attention they deserve. And like you said it’s a societal issue, not a Cardi or Meg issue. They’re not trying to be the one and only voice for female rappers out here. 

Even Cardi just recently said, when they were talking about “WAP” and someone made a comment about conscious female rappers and Cardi was like, “Y’all don’t listen to them!” There’s a lane for everybody because there’s something everybody wants to listen to, but I think that if you are a femme-identifying person and youre not selling sex then people don’t want to hear you. Or you have to play the game a certain way. Even if you think about Nicki she was like I’m going to put these blonde wigs on and give you this bubblegum pop shit but I’m also going to put rap songs on my albums because I recognize where I come from. So I guess it’s about learning to play the game, or wanting to play the game because some people don’t want to. 

At the end of the day some people are like, look I just want to make what I want to make, create what I want to create, and if they like it they like it, if they don’t they don’t. And I feel like now it’s hard to have these conversations because some people in our generation and younger are conditioned to think that their opinion is the only thing that’s correct. So when people are trying to have a conversation or debate it’s automatic, I don’t agree with you let’s shut it off. And there’s a lot of tension and things that get involved. Like Rico and Meg can exist within the same world but the world tells us that they can’t. And I think people hear what they want to hear, and see what they want to see out of that and just cut it. It definitely says a lot about society, but things are changing. 

Women are running the rap game right now. Between City Girls, Meg, Cardi, even artists like Mulatto coming up. I don’t care what anyone says CHIKA is the best rapper in the freshmen class. Women are really starting to be like, look I’m running this shit, I’m making the content, I’m bringing everything to the game that other people aren’t. A lot of the other younger rappers that are coming up are lazy. Because for 5 minutes when Black Lives Matter happened everyone wanted to be an activist, but now everybody is like let’s go back to playing party music. And it’s fine you don’t have to, everybody don’t want to express it in their art. So I just think it goes to show the wave, and who’s real. And people are leaning towards authenticity now. 

I would make the argument that this decade of rap, the 2020’s, is going to be leaning towards women taking over, and them taking the spotlight, and their voice taking priority. I feel like the 2010’s was when it just started being ok for you to not be rapping about trapping or gangbanging. You saw the Drakes and the Tylers and all of those guys come up this decade, so I feel like the 2020’s now will have women come in and take that role. Plus some of the male rappers are getting lazy. The last three albums you put out sound the same. Nothing is new, nothing is different. You’re still talking about the same stuff.

And I always question artists who put, not to question their creative process, but if you’re putting out two or three albums in a year or year and a half did you really take the time to craft that? There’s certain people now who I’m really starting to listen to more. Amine I’m starting to listen to more, and his visuals are really dope. I really like Saba, I like Smino, I like Noname. I think we’re breaking out of that time of there can only be one. It took almost 10 years of Nicki being out before someone was like, oh we can have multiple women. She was like, Ok I’ve been telling y'all there doesn't have to be only one. Or you have like J. Cole who was the only “conscious” rapper that people were paying attention to but now people are realizing you can like more than one person and it’s ok to diversify what you take in. 

It’s making room for people to create. And I think people have always been afraid because I think back to watching Jay Z “Fade to Black'' and there was a point where they were in the studio and the guy was like, “I don’t want to talk about the shit that I’m talking about but that's the only thing labels want to push and hear,” and Jay Z was like “Y’all hear that? Y’all got people afraid to be themselves because y’all won’t listen to it.” And I think we’re out of that time because the internet has grown, the internet is more accessible so people can go find exactly what they want to listen to. 

I feel like that goes back to the piece you were saying earlier, like when you’re making music to impact people’s lives. There’s an audience for everyone, there’s a space for everyone. If you’re making music to get on the radio your audience is only gonna be so big, but when you’re making music to impact people’s lives, that’s going to increase the size of your audience tenfold. 

I like to think of my music as a book, and each song being a chapter. Like overall, what do I want this book to be about, and who do I want this chapter to relate to? But away from everything else, how do I want to express what I’m feeling and how do I want to be vulnerable to help someone else is my biggest thing. I just recently realized I’m not going to be Beyonce. That’s not my role, I love Beyonce, but that’s not my role. I can still love somebody’s work and their art and respect it, and want to go in another direction. So I think the realization of like, “I’m cool being like the Saba, the Smino, the Mac Miller that does the festival stage, that sells out shows, but I might not be on the radio,” that’s fine. It’s more important for me to create something that I can perform for 5 to 10 years and still be happy with it. And I’ve just come to that realization, and I think that’s changed a lot of the music I’m creating.  

Would you say your latest release, “Pink Durag” embodies that new message you're trying to get across?

Yeah I feel like that was kind of a spiritual graduation for me. I think the reason why that song was different was because I produced it. So even making the beat, I’m making this knowing what I want to say, knowing what I want to do. I just think it was a different connection with the music. I think more now I’m in the realm of, “If you don’t like it, it’s not for you but I love this.” I’m making music for me, that I hope touches other people. But if it doesn’t, I want to make sure the stuff that I release, I can look at it and be like you know what people weren’t receptive to it but I’m 1000% proud of what I put out. And that’s just the mind-frame that I’ve been in. I’m not trying to sell myself to anybody else anymore. Labels don’t know how to sell me. Marketing teams don’t know how to sell me. So I’m just going to do it myself, and in order for me to do it myself it has to be authentic. It has to be something I believe in. 

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[momentsinsong]

Moments In Song No. 022 - Ola

“Moments In Song” asks people one simple question, “What are you listening to?” For every installment we ask someone to make a playlist of 10 songs they’re listening to, whether it be something new they stumbled upon, or a song they’ve always loved, and explain the story behind their choices. We aim to show that no matter where we come from, what we do, or what we look like, music has the ability to bring us together.

With a playlist full of emotions, Ola talks to us about favorite hard hitting songs, how his father and brother introduced him to new music, and gives us a crash course on African Music.

Listen to Ola’s playlist on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Words and photos by Julian.

__________________________________________________________

Can you tell me about the thought process behind picking these 10 songs?

So like, just things I listen to everyday on my ride to work. I throw on my long playlist, and these are the songs that always hit extra hard. Like “Runaway” is my favorite song ever. “They Don’t Really Care About Us” is like the first song I memorized as a kid so it’s a hard hitting song. And “Tricky Bailey,” I remember when we crafted that in the Denny’s the day after a party (laughs). It things like that that inspired this playlist.

How difficult was it to pick 10 songs? Did they come easy to you, or did you have to take some time to think and pick the 10 you wanted?

I started with like fifty (laughs).

Fifty?!

And then I had to narrow it down. Because there’s a lot of songs that I listen to daily that I like that should’ve hit this list, but you have to take out the stuff that people may not understand, or won’t make sense. You have to take out the stuff that’s not on Apple Music (laughs). And then you have to find a good set that really speaks of who you are. You should be able to know that is the shit that Ola listens to when you pull this up.

What would you say this playlist explains about you?

It shows a bit of my style and what I like. It shows my mood and the different facets of myself. It’s not just always super rap, it’s not always super trap either. You can be lyrical, but you can be experimental, you can have fun and you can be sad. And it’s all cool.

What songs on your playlist would you say fit that experimental lane?

I mean for it’s time “Runaway” was considered experimental because Kanye was crying on autotune and nobody had really done that before. The joint with SAINt JHN is experimental because you can’t really put it in a lane. It’s not a rap song, it’s not R&B, it’s one of those little pop techno type because of how the beat goes. “Xanax Damage” is Future playing with the trap banger and being more emotional, which I don’t think a lot of people are big fans of but I love that shit. Emotional Future is the best.  

I know from just knowing you as a person, Kanye and Future are two of your favorites. What about them make them your favorites?

Because the make music that makes you feel. It’s all their rawest emotions, for better or for worse. Even when Future says things that are considered disrespectful, it’s how he feels raw and he doesn’t apologize for that. I appreciate that in artists. Same thing with Kanye, storming the stage to take that mic from Taylor Swift, it’s unapologetic, it’s raw. It’s ok to feel feelings. Everybody only talks about feelings when you’re winning. It’s ok when it sucks. If you’re not happy with yourself it’s ok to talk about how you’re not happy with yourself. It’s an emotion. That’s what I like about them, they’re very raw about their feelings. 

Also just be knowing you, I’m surprised I didn’t see any Fela Kuti on the playlist. I know he’s one of your favorites. Did you have any songs from him that didn’t make it on here?

I did but the problem is, how am I gonna fit a 32 minute song…(laughs) because I don’t like the way they do his singles. Some of the songs progress very interestingly, like from the way the bass comes in, some songs have 2 basses in them, one will abruptly come in when he calls for it, so it’s hard to fit those 20 minute, 14 minute, 35 minute long songs. 

Are they really that long?

Yeah. One of my favorites is like 36 minutes long.

What’s is called?

O.D.O.O. (Overtake Don Overtake Overtake). He used to call it African Classical Music. 

I don’t know much about him and his music, but are most of his songs live performance recordings? Is that why they’re so long?

Yeah a good amount of them. There’s “Just Like That” which I think was done in Detroit. The Berlin show was live and that was recorded into an album. There’s one he played Glastonbury in the UK too that became an album as well. A lot if it is live instruments, a live band. If any song would have made it, probably “Zombie” would’ve been the easiest to fit in because it’s very common so people would catch it faster. And it’s not too long, it’s about 12, 14 minutes.

I feel like with Future and Kanye, those are artists you listened to because of the time period you grew up. How’d you pick up on Fela, who’s an older act before your time?

My dad is an older guy, so he listens to older music. So I would listen to his music when he would drop me off to school, my older too he’s a music head and listens to a lot of older acts. When you start getting older, you start to look for things you like, so I started searching on YouTube and found one of his songs. That lead to clips of his concerts where he would say things that would resonate with me outside of the music. From his view on Africa, Black nationalism, how you should love your blackness, all of that. It was from there that he became my guy. I even wrote my college applications on him. He’s the man. Rest in peace to a real one. 

Building off of that, when did you start finding the music and artists you wanted to listen to, and developing your taste. 

When my brother first visited after we moved here, When I was a kid he would always play music and I would always remember songs and have it stuck in my head. There’s this one Micheal Jackson song actually, and not a lot of people know this but Michael Jackson is one of my favorites. He has this one song “Whatever Happens” and the only reason I remember it to this day is because I used to steal that CD out of his room and play it every night before I went to sleep. It’s little things like that that helped me pick what I like. And then from there you get YouTube, Limewire, all that good stuff, word of mouth with your friends too. Shout out to my boys who got me hip to Gucci when I was younger in High School. That’s how you start developing what you like. And then the sound evolves. I like Gucci, that’s why I like Future, because Gucci was the first trap god. And it goes from there, from Future you have a little bit of Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, you have different sounds. You branch off from one mumble to multiple mumbles. 

Would you say your brother and dad are two big influences as far as where you get your music from?

Hell yeah. I still remember I stole a CD from my dad in 2011 when I went back home for the summer. I still have it to this day even though I don’t have anything to play it on. 

What CD?

It’s Fuji Music in Nigeria. It’s this old CD from like 1987. It’s almost religious music but not really, in the sense that it started from religion. He’s talking about some foul shit because he can talk about foul shit, but another musician died so he’s talking about how we was a great guy and how everyone should remember him. He also talked about the politics at the time, and how the military was in charge of everything. And it’s all in Yoruba, so it’s how I remember my language as well.

Who’s the artist?

Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister.

Wow that’s a mouthful. Is Fuji Music a genre of music?

Correct. That’s why what they call “Afrobeats” today I personally don’t like calling it Afrobeats, because it’s not pure Afrobeats. The original Afrobeats is Fela’s music, and from Fela’s music there’s Juju music, there’s Fuji music, there’s music from the North, and also Highlife music, which are all subgenres of everything. So this new Afrobeats they’re playing is like taking bits and pieces for everything from above. When you call it Afrobeats it takes away from the original Afrobeats which is Fela’s lane, and it also kills everybody else’s music because when you Google Afrobeats once you get past the new guys, the first thing that comes up is Fela. You never really hear about the other ones.

So you’re saying Fuji Music is a branch of the original Afrobeat stuff? A subgenre?

It’s not even a subgenre. It developed around the same time almost. It just never blew up.

Oh so it ran parallel to Afrobeat?

Correct. It just never blew like it should.

Are you saying what people call Afrobeats now is more similar to Fuji Music?

It’s like a combination of all three. I don’t necessarily want to say it’s closer because it’s the same effect. The call, the rhythm. Sometimes there’s a lot of instruments in the background. Fuji has a certain style. You’re just talking shit sometimes. They all have it in them too. It’s not necessarily devoted to one lane like they call it. Afrobeat was the one to blow up first, so that’s why the name was sticking and that’s why it’s easier to call everything that’s come after Afrobeat. Fuji never really escaped the borders, because it’s also tied to the language. If you don’t understand the language you’ll never be able to understand the songs. 

Are there any current Afrobeats artists that match the original sound of Afrobeat?

Yeah Fela’s sons still play. Like 2 of his sons play. Even his grandons play.There’s also a few bands that sound like his stuff. There’s a band in America, Antibalas, that sounds like the original Afrobeat with the big band feel. You have different horns, the basses, everything coming into it. There’s a few of them out there. But everything’s gone pop. Everything that they call Afrobeats I’d rather call it Afro-pop music. Because it’s popular music. It’s taking from everybody. Not just even Nigrean Afrobeats, but they’re taking things from other countries in West Africa. The French speakers for example, Southern African music is coming into it now. It’s only a matter of time till we take from East Africa. 

Yeah I feel that. I feel like the same thing could be said for some Reggaeton now. A lot of it is heavily pop influenced, and has some electronic sounds in it. You got like DJ Snake making songs with J. Balvin and calling it Reggaeton now. 

And that doesn’t make it bad because some of the music is fire. 

Yeah definitely.

Let’s just not kid ourselves on what we’re calling it. There’s nothing wrong with Pop music, Pop music is fine. It’s not a derogatory term.   

What would you want people to take away from this playlist?

Future is the best rapper of all time. 

Ok (Laughs).

But nah seriously, music is cool. Music has different feels to it. There’s happy songs here that have you going. There’s sad songs. That song “Descent” at the end, when I get married I’m gonna play that joint when my wife is walking up to me and I will cry real tears. That is one of the most beautiful songs of my life. Music is feels and it's cool.

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[momentsinsong]

Moments In Song No. 021 - Tromac Pineapple

“Moments In Song” asks people one simple question, “What are you listening to?” For every installment we ask someone to make a playlist of 10 songs they’re listening to, whether it be something new they stumbled upon, or a song they’ve always loved, and explain the story behind their choices. We aim to show that no matter where we come from, what we do, or what we look like, music has the ability to bring us together.

DMV producer/rapper/DJ Tromac Pineapple reaches every corner of Hip-Hop and brings it together in his playlist. We talk to him about digging through Bandcamp for music, what makes a good DJ, and his new project the Velour Vandal EP.

Listen to Tromac’s playlist on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Words and photos by Julian.

_________________________________________________________

Julian: First thing I wanted to ask you is what the thought process was behind making your playlist? People always say it’s hard picking 10 songs to squeeze into it. 

Tromac: Well I wanted to spread across my taste as wide as possible. I actually had a hard time once I got to like 7 songs because I was like, “Damn, I can only put in three more of those joints, but I know 5 that I could pick.” I pretty much just wanted to touch on the different types of music I like. I still didn’t even get across all of it.

I noticed that a majority of the playlist was Hip-Hop, but different types of Hip-Hop. You have some boom bap stuff with “Free (Type Shit),” Dilla, and Anderson. Then you have more turn up stuff like WiFIGawd and Ghostie. That Ghostie song caught me off guard. It has a little house feel to it that I wasn’t expecting.

Yeah see I had to add that, because Ghostie is one of the most versatile artists I know. As versatile as this playlist is, he’s six times as versatile as that. As a fellow producer in this area, I have a whole lot of respect for him. And that’s my mans, so I’ll be listening to it anyway. Shit be cranking, no matter what genre he tackles. And then I also have the “Free (Type Shit)” joint because it’s just so smooth and it hits. The beats, the boom bap. That’s one of my favorite things in Hip-Hop. It’s just so powerful. That’s also why I got the J Dilla joint on there. That’s like my favorite Dilla beat of all time. Straight slap, the drums, the snares. The whole thing. It's just hard. Classic. Undeniable.

When did you first really start listening to music and developing your own taste, instead of just listening to what was on the radio?

Pretty much when I was in 9th or 10th grade. Back then my main taste was just mixtapes and shit. The first favorite rapper I ever had was Lil Wayne, and he’s still like top 5 to me to this day. I would just listen to endless mixtapes, because before I graduated High School I just loved to listen to underground shit. I literally didn’t listen to albums and would only listen to mixtapes. I would listen to the first three Droughts, Sorry 4 the Wait. That was my favorite mixtape of all times for like 18 years (laughs).

Were you on DatPiff and all those sites?

Oh bruh, I had a DatPiff account, LiveMixtapes, Sprinrilla, all of that. 

So how did listening to mostly mixtapes branch off into listening to other types of artists and other types of music?

Well basically every now and then I would look into what was new that week…

Still on the mixtape websites, or is this on something else?

Yeah still the mixtape sites but at this point I also got into Bandcamp, and that was some real underground type shit. When I got into Bandcamp I was also making my own music at this point and was posting it on there. I would hashtag that shit and then click on them to see who else was posting music from Laurel, MD, or PG County, or just Maryland in general. That’s how I found a bunch of other local artists, like my homies Fonlon and Kente from NASA8, Tek.Lun and other guys. They had the same hashtags because we were all from Laurel. And then from there I would look at other hashtags like #HipHopBeats, and I would discover artists like Madbliss. Searching through hashtags led to me finding a bunch of random bands on Bandcamp, and I feel like that really opened the door for me to be on the lookout for other genres of music.

You said earlier this is when you started making music?

Yeah I started making music in 10th grade. 

So is that writing rhymes? Making beats? Both?

Making beats. I mean I was freestyling with my friends all the time, and writing rhymes down in my notebook, but I wasn’t rapping on beats until 11th grade, which was around 2013. I didn’t rap on my own beats until 2014 because I knew my shit wasn’t good (laughs). But it eventually got to a point where I could hit my own stuff instead of YouTube “type beats.” I knew early on “type beats” wasn’t the wave. It is the wave for some people, but it wasn’t the wave for me. And I knew that early on because you can’t really build a solid body of work just taking random beats. Even if you get a bunch of random beats from different producers, it’s more that needs to go into a project than that.

When you first started making music, who were some of your influences when it came to producing? I would assume Dilla is one, or did that not come until later?

I knew about J Dilla because I would hear my parents listen to Erykah Badu and Common, so when my Dad found out that I was making beats he would be like, “Oh so you wanna be like Dougie Fresh and J Dilla?” and I was like, “Who the hell are these people?” All I knew was like Mike WiLL Made-It because that was what I was hearing. I wasn’t too keen on producers at that level. The producers I did know were like Flying Lotus, Tek.Lun, Kaytranada, Sam Gellaitry and that was all through Soundcloud. Some of my favorite producers would be the ones I randomly found on Soundcloud.

Can you talk more about how discovering these local artists’ music on the internet led to you linking up with them, and not just working with them but them becoming your homies.

Literally just through showing love and support through the music. I started coming out here to Baltimore for events and chilling with the homies as a way to immerse myself in the scene. Of course, you met people, you tell people you do music, and eventually the link forms itself. And if you’re good the link grows with a lot of people. When you’re genuine, genuine things happen for you. I’ve never been a “clout chaser” or anything like that. It’s always been, “This dude is really dope. He’s the homie of my homie.” 

I agree with that 100%. I feel like every connection or relationship I’ve made with someone in the arts scene has been on some person to person type stuff. Not even like artist to artist, or creative to creative type stuff, but just like as a person. And I feel like you were saying it just grows from there. 

Definitely. People who are just creative in general. Photographers, painters, dancers, even like fucking bartenders. Athletes, anyone who’s mind moves faster than the normal individual. I remember when I was learning how to drive my driving instructor told me that people who are athletes and artists tend to get adapted to driving easier, because their brains work more than the average individual because they have a craft they need to constantly focus on. Whatever activity you’re involved in, your brain works harder to adapt to that.

So beats came first, and then the raps. Where does the DJing come into that?

So the DJing came in because I had probably performed 3 or 4 times rapping, but then I was really confident in my beats and I wanted to start performing my beats. By this time, 2015/2016, I would be seeing videos of dudes like eu-IV, j.robb, other producers I looked up to, random Boiler Room videos, and was thinking, “Why can’t I perform my shit?” So I started creating mixes in FL Studio, and learned to DJ through that. It was tedious as fuck, but I had time because I was kid and didn’t have shit to do (laughs). 

I feel like that shows in your sets now. The last one I saw from you, you had a transition from some house song to a Gucci Mane song that was crazy. Never would I have thought to put those two tracks together.

Literally when I DJ, I just play the music that I like. That Gucci Mane song just came back into my rotation like a week ago and I was just like, “Damn I don’t remember this shit being so hard. I gotta play this at a show!” A lot of it is on the fly. I don’t really plan too much outside of downloading the music. I always go off of the crowd and how I feel. Sometimes I’ll download 30 songs for a set and only end up playing like 13, and the rest of the set would’ve been made up of songs I’ve played at other shows.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a show, and have been practicing the week before, and had a playlist ready, and you go in and the crowd is totally different, the energy changes, so you have to play off the cuff. I feel like as much emphasis you put on practicing and preparing, you also need to have the skill of being able to be on your toes and change on the drop of a dime.

I feel like if you’re a good DJ, that should already be a thing. You should know. You pick up on things like that automatically. The shows are practice. You’re not gonna get the same experience at a show, practicing at home. That’s why I feel like if you’re just starting out you should take as many opportunities as you can, and get a feel of what your lane is. I used to take any show I could. I would DJ baby showers, college pools parties, everything. You gotta find your lane, figure out what type of crowds your best in, and switch it up every now and then.

What can you tell me about the new project you got coming up? What kind of sound and themes can people expect from it? 

So the new project is called the Velour Vandal EP, and it’s basically establishing myself as a rapper in the game. I’ve had rap projects before, I’ve had beat tapes, but this is my first official EP. I want people to hear this and think, “Ok, Tromac is actually trying to make it type shit.” It’s really just a lot of crank on this joint, but it’s not like I was in this joint like, “Fuck your bitch…”

You put some thought into it.

Yeah! There’s some lyrics that you gotta ask about. I’m trying to make something that’ll hit, stick, and has good content. All the people I’m working with on it are people I know care and are passionate about music. The intro is produced by me and Koleco, I’m recording all of the songs with Martin J. Ballou, I got Vlad on a song, I got Ghostie. Pretty much have all people I know are serious about music. I want this project to be something. 

Yeah it’s like your introduction as a whole artist.

Yeah. And the whole thing behind the title is for like the last year or so, I’ve become really fond of velvet and have been buying a lot of it. People would always tell me I’m a bear, because I’m big and shit, soft and cuddly, just a cozy ass nigga. I have a thing where I give myself a bunch of alisas, and Velour Vandal just happen to be one of them, and I was like, “Hmm. I can do something with that.”

Any last words about your playlist and what you want the people to get from it?

I want people to go into it with a blank slate. Almost pretend like you’ve never heard music before, be reintroduced to all the different genres and aspects of these songs, and cultivate a new taste from that. 

Connect with Tromac Pineapple:

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[momentsinsong]

Moments In Song No. 020 - Frankliin

“Moments In Song” asks people one simple question, “What are you listening to?” We believe that you can learn a lot about an individual and their experiences based off of the music they love. For every installment we ask someone to make a playlist of 10 songs they’re listening to, whether it be something new they stumbled upon, or a song they’ve always loved, and explain the story behind their choices. We aim to show that no matter where we come from, what we do, or what we look like, music has the ability to bring us together.

Fresh off of the release of his first EP REFLECT, Frankliin shares a playlist full of songs that invoke old emotions and remind him of why he started making music. We talk to the DMV Producer/DJ about his Metal beginnings, what makes a genius, and the balance between being creative and working a 9 to 5.

Listen to Frankliin’s playlist on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Words and photos by Julian.

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Julian: What was the thought process behind making your playlist? I know you said earlier it really hard to fit 10 songs on there.

Frankliin: Dude! Picking 10 songs is hard. I even struggle with my DJ sets trying to get like a 45 minute set together. That’s already hard enough, so just 10 songs was like “Fuck.” So my main thing is I wanted all songs that I have some sort of emotional attachment to. So like even some of those songs I’ve fallen in love to. Each one is something that is routinely in my head. Also I just wanted to exhibit some of my talented friends. I’m like, “Y’all are really out here making stuff like this and still homies.” That’s crazy to me.

I noticed that really only the last two songs are more upbeat, while everything else seemed more chill and introspective. Would you say that you did that on purpose, or did it just kind of end of like that? Like that’s just where you are in life right now?

Oh 100%. Even in my live sets I always want an upward progression. So that’s why I kind of wanted to start off kind of calm, because that’s more of the stuff I listen to on a day to day basis. I feel like anyone who knows me would describe me as high energy, but when I’m by myself I’m usually chilling out. I kind of wanted this playlist to reflect that. And then towards the end I wanted to give people something to bop their head to. I don’t know, I just like ramps. Shout out ramps.

Earlier you said the Baby song on your playlist was shown to you by your brother because at that time your parents were not fucking with Hip-Hop. Was it all Hip-Hop/Rap , or was it just new music in general?

I mean my parents liked Hip-Hop, but they were trying to shelter me. I was definitely sheltered a lot growing up, and my brother was not. So he would always show me shit and be like, “Don’t tell mom and dad I showed you this,” which made it even better because you’re doing shit you shouldn’t be. I have this profound memory that will not leave, and it’s fine that it won’t. My brother was driving after taking me to go see a movie, and where I live it’s near a swamp, and so we were driving through it and it’s pitch black, and then that song came on. As soon as I heard it, I was like, “What the hell is this?” It just matched the mood, the pockets they were choosing, the percussion. Everything the Clipse, Pharrell, The Neptunes made always just blows my mind. Even now that music is still ahead of its time. That’s definitely been something that was an initial influence, that’s resurged now with time.

With your parents having that view on music, how’d they feel once you started making music? And has that view changed since then?

So if it were up to my parents, I’d continue being an engineer working a 9 to 5, with a health care plan, a steady girlfriend, thinking about marrying and having kids, just simple shit. They’re baby boomers, and that's what they wanted, and that’s what they expect I wanted. There’s nothing wrong with parents that want you to be happy, but I’ve had a taste of those things and I don’t want it. That’s been a point of conflict with that. Long story short they were not happy with it. Even though I’m not anywhere close to where I want to be, I feel like now with me traveling and making money from it, they’re starting to warm up to it. Every time I do a show my dad is like, “Are you getting paid?” It’s never, “Oh was it fun? Did you have a good time?” it’s just “Are you getting paid?” But now my dad is 100% for it, he’s come to shows and stuff. My mom is still warming up to it. She’s even freaked out about me leaving the county, so me going overseas for shows, she lost it.

But I feel like you doing shows overseas, and releasing full projects that are being well-received, will eventually get things to click with them.

Yeah. And also I just had to learn to be like, “Fuck what everyone else thinks. Do what you want.” Like literally last night I had a conversation with Juice the bouncer at Velvet Lounge, shout out Juice, and we were talking about geniuses and stuff like that and he was just like, “I really don’t think there’s such a thing as a genius. It’s just people doing what they wanted and not giving a fuck about the status quo.” Which is why people think they’re so revolutionary and ask why they didn’t think of that, and it because you’re following the status quo.

When did you start making music, and then at what point did you realize you could actually do something with it?

I started making music when I was like 16, I’m 24 now. Time fucking flies. I never really did it seriously, my main thing was always school. I have a degree in engineering and that’s all I was focused on. I literally didn’t have summer vacations except for like 2 weeks, and those were a dope two weeks.

Really? What’d you do the rest of summer? 

I literally went to space camp dude.

I mean that’s kind of cool.

I mean it was cool until I asked some dude how much do you make working on spaceships and he was like, “We don’t make enough, stop asking me questions!” and that just killed my dream as a little kid.

How do you not make enough building spaceships?

He probably did, he was just being a jerk. And at that age you’re super impressionable, and experiences like that can fuck you up. That dream kind of died with that moment. So the music thing basically started with my friends and I listening to Metal, and then wanting to start a Metal band, and so I started playing bass. That was in middle school, and we were listening to bands like Asking Alexandria, Suicide Silence, I Set My Friends On Fire, and that’s how I got really into music. And then with time and with skateboarding, I got into electronic music. Me and friends would be messing around on FL Studios and this NuMark Mixtrack Pro he got from a thrift store for like $100. We’d be passing it around between the 5 of us and that’s how I learned to DJ. We would be producing together, trying to impress each other, and everyone was lowkey pushing me the hardest. It wasn’t like I was trying to be the best, it was just that I was having so much fun.

Was this still in Middle School, or was this High School now?

This is High School. It was all just fun in the beginning, and then I kind of gave it up when I went to my first year of college. I was just so focused on school and everything, and I was trying so hard and I just sucked so bad at college. I was a 4.0 and up student, and I went from that to losing my scholarship. In high school I was good with girls and then when I went to college I couldn’t get a girl to save my life. It was like everything that defined me just didn’t happen anymore. The only thing I really still had was music. It was either after my Freshman/Sophmore Year, I was just like I can’t fucking do this anymore. I had never had a summer off since I was in 6th grade. I told my mom I wasn’t taking summer classes and that I needed some time, and that was met with a lot of resistance. After that is when I did my first show as Frankliin, and that was at the Creative Block with Kleonaptra, it was her first show too. Afterwards I was like, “Damn, I’m trying to do this more.” I still wanted to do school, but then with time I wanted to do music more. I still planned to finish school, for myself and for my parents, and now that I’ve finished school I’m at a point where I’m doing the rat race of the 9 to 5 life. Whenever I’m doing this music stuff, or these tours, I never feel anywhere near as alive or satisfied doing anything else. I’d take the pay cut any day it if means I could do that. Without hesitation.

You said earlier that your playlist is made up of songs that invoke some sort of emotion in you. What would you say is the emotion you're trying to invoke with the music from your latest project, REFLECT?

I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone and put out something that felt like a piece of me, a fragmented story I always wanted to tell. REFLECT is a pretty on the nose name for it in all honesty. Each song is like a window into a relationship, whether it be my own, or spoken by the featured vocalists (LIA, xxpetejames and Martin. J. Ballou). Although it may seem kind of bleak, I feel like it’s conveyed that you can come out from tough times as a better more seasoned person.

Connect with Frankliin:

https://twitter.com/iamfrankliin

https://www.instagram.com/iamfrankliin/

https://soundcloud.com/iamfrankliin

Connect with Moments In Song:

https://www.instagram.com/momentsinsong/

https://twitter.com/moments_in_song

https://tinyurl.com/MISAppleMusic

https://tinyurl.com/MISSpotify

#Moments in Song #what are you listening to #music #apple music #Spotify #hip-hop #electronic #r&b #Tyler The Creator #Clipse #birdman #tera kora #frankliin #soundcloud #last niight #reflect #martin j ballou #alicia drayton #synkro #mfundishi

[momentsinsong]

Moments In Song No. 019 - Victor

“Moments In Song” asks people one simple question, “What are you listening to?” We believe that you can learn a lot about an individual and their experiences based off of the music they love. For every installment we ask someone to make a playlist of 10 songs they’re listening to, whether it be something new they stumbled upon, or a song they’ve always loved, and explain the story behind their choices. The person’s playlist is then uploaded, giving them the chance to share it with others. Each post aims to profile someone from a different walk of life, whether they be an artist, a student, the mailman, a school teacher, an athlete, a nurse, your next-door neighbor, anyone with a love for music; showing that no matter where we come from, what we do, or what we look like, music has the ability to bring us together.

With an ethereal set of songs that accompany his pensive thoughts, pharmacy student and rapper Victor gives us a track by track breakdown of his playlist. We talk his musical influences, Clams Casino productions, and what he thinks is the greatest song of all time.

Listen to Victor’s playlist on Apple Music and Spotify.

Words by Julian | Photos by Tayo

What was thought process behind putting your playlist together?

I just made a playlist of almost all the songs I listen to when I’m in pensive thought or songs that have a cool ethereal mood to them. I’ve always been in tune to that kind of music. That’s why I have two songs from Clams Casino on there. For me, Clams Casino is probably one of the best producers of the past decade. Very influential. His influence spans what most people can even fathom. If I look at his work with Lil B in 2009, 2010, and then look at the type of beats all these rappers are rapping on now, or their style, and how they rap, Clams Casino and Lil B were very influential.

Without Lil B and Clams Casino partnering, Clams Casino doesn’t have the platform that he has today. Then someone like A$AP Rocky probably doesn’t hear him, and so his first two projects don’t have that Clams Casino sound. You look at so many artists that started to blow up in 2010, 2011, A$AP Rocky, Mac Miller, Lil B, they were really coming out with that “drop your top, relax and cruise to music,” and I think Clams Casino is a big part of all of that.

Other songs that I put on my playlist from underground artists like Reva Devito, Thatshymn, Abhi//Dijon, these are artist I listen to when I chill, or when I study. That’s what I’m trying to go for with the playlist. Just a type of sound that you don’t have to necessarily have move to it, you can just sit back, relax, and get into your own zone.

I put my song on there at the end because I thought it helped tie everything on the playlist together.

I was listening to your playlist earlier and I noticed there weren’t any real dance or turn up kind of songs on there.  I felt like they all fell into either a boom-bap category, with like eu-IV and Reva Devito, produced by Tek.Lun, the old school Kendrick, and on the other half, that Clams Casino, Abhi//Dijon, Sango, kind of relaxed and melodic category. Did you know from the start that this is the kind of theme you wanted your playlist to encompass?

Yeah absolutely. Even though some of these songs are kind of old, like “Ignorance Is Bliss,” “Realest Alive,” and “Moments In Love,” which is from the 80’s, I listen to them either every day or at least once a week. Especially times when I’m in school, studying, or in the mood to delve into my thoughts.

“Ignorance Is Bliss” is one of Kendrick’s best songs to me. Overly Dedicated does not get the recognition it deserves as a cumulative work. I personally do believe that Overly Dedicated is on the same tier as Section.80 in terms of Kendrick’s bravado and lyricism, because he’s really rapping something serious on that song. I still go back to those to projects a lot. I feel like a lot of the themes on there are universal. There’s no filler on them. You know exactly what you’re getting.

“Moments In Love” is a long song, it’s like 10 minutes long, and that version has always been my favorite. People don’t know how influential The Art Of Noise are, just to music in general. When people listen to Yeezus or My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, or some of the stuff from Michael Jackson’s HIStory album, The Art Of Noise did that stuff back in the 80’s.

I’m not super familiar with them, are they a pop group? Electronic?

They were an experimental band in the 80’s from the U.K. So many things that people are doing today, they did 30 years ago, which is mind blowing. The way “Moments In Love” is structured, you have a lot of different part, a lot of ups and downs, a lot of different breaks. And all of these breaks evoke a different emotion, and plays into the emotions that someone might feel in a relationship. When I was making this playlist, I knew it had to be number one. In my opinion it’s the best song of all time.

Wow, that’s quite the claim.

Honestly. Out of everything that I’ve ever listened to I can’t find anything, at least in my personal opinion, that really…

Evokes that same kind of emotion,

Yeah emotion, the techniques they use for the time era they were in. If you listen to other stuff from the 80’s compared to this, this is just crazy.  It’s still even really different compared to music out today. Along with that, its influence that people may or may not know about is amazing.

And then after that I went to “Realest Alive.” Lil B’s version isn’t on any streaming sites, but it’s a great song.

What era of Lil B is that?

That’s 2010 Lil B. So that’s when Lil B was just really starting to get out there. This was back when Lil B would release 5 songs a day. Literally he would release 5 different songs a day, and he would have 4 troll songs, and one song that was great. And he would do that on purpose because when he tries he’s an extremely good rapper. The thing is that he’s a deconstructionist. If you listen to Lil B from 2008/2009 he’s rapping on perfectly on the beat, but towards the end of 2009 he released “Like a Martian” and started doing all his based freestyle, stream of consciousness stuff. So during that time, this would be the 1 out of the 5 songs he’d be serious on. By 2011 he was legitimately a well known phenomenon.

Yeah I feel like around that time he was doing a lot of work with Soulja Boy, and influenced that way he made music after that. And even guys now like Lil Yachty and Lil Uzi, there’s definitely some Lil B DNA in them.

For sure. So from “Realest Alive” it goes to “Ignorance is Bliss,” which has Kendrick rapping about a whole range of different topics.  I feel like that streamlines very well into “Numb” by Clams Casino. Now from “Numb” I wanted to lighten up the mood a little bit so I went into songs that are love related. Once you get to “IVyou Pt. 2,” “Rose Gold,” “Therapy” those songs show more of a positive side of what one can feel in a relationship.

You go to “How Do You Love Me” by Xavier Omar and Sango. That song is actually about Xavier Omar asking God, “How could you even love me, even though I am the way I am, even though I am this imperfect being?” I think it segways nicely from “Therapy” because Thatshymn talks about how weed, drinking, and sex can be a form of therapy, but for Xavier Omar he’s talking about how God can be a therapy. For me. I feel like that’s a great contrast, and shows two different forms of love.

And I just finished things with “Stu Pickles.” It’s a good mellow track, talking about relaxing with friends and everyone working together to achieve their goals. For the lyrics I say, “I’m way to blessed to not stress right now,” it’s just me talking about God blessing me to be in the situation I’m in.

I think in our society we take a lot of things for granted. I saw a crazy statistic one time when I was younger. It said if you have a house with electricity, a roof over your head, a bed, and all these other commodities, you’re already richer than 75% of the people in the world.  If you think about that it’s crazy. Everyday really is a blessing, and you try your best to fill it out, and find your way to where you need to go.

What songs and artists made you want to start rapping and making your own music?

If I’m thinking about my favorite rappers growing up, Tupac is number one by a mile. Tupac was extremely influential to me. All Eyez On Me, I know that entire double album back and forth because my dad had the OG double CD that was released in 1996. So after Tupac, it’s Nas, all of his stuff. The first album I ever bought with my own money was his Untitled album. That and the Wu-Tang Clan’s 8 Diagrams. Wu-Tang Clan was also very influential to me. Enter the 36 Chambers  I know that album so well. ODB was so ahead of his time. You listen to “Brooklyn Zoo” and the way he’s rapping is so crazy, but somehow he’s perfectly in pocket, he’s perfectly on the beat. In order to rap like that is extremely hard. ODB to me is just an extraordinary rapper.

Any final thoughts on your playlist?

It’s a microcosm of me throughout the years. It represents the type of music I listen to when I’m in a pensive mood. It’s “sit down and think” music.

Connect with Victor:

https://twitter.com/viceroy_o

https://www.instagram.com/victorolalekan_/

https://soundcloud.com/victorolalekan

Connect with Moments In Song:

https://www.instagram.com/momentsinsong/

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https://tinyurl.com/MISAppleMusic

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#Moments in Song #what are you listening to #music #hip hop #electronic #alternative #instrumental #pop #art of noise #clams casino #Kendrick Lamar #eu-iv #reva devito #tek.lun #abhi//dijon #thatshymn #sango #xavier omar #vic flair

[momentsinsong]

Moments In Song No. 018 - Todd

“Moments In Song” asks people one simple question, “What are you listening to?” We believe that you can learn a lot about an individual and their experiences based off of the music they love. For every installment we ask someone to make a playlist of 10 songs they’re listening to, whether it be something new they stumbled upon, or a song they’ve always loved, and explain the story behind their choices. The person’s playlist is then uploaded, giving them the chance to share it with others. Each post aims to profile someone from a different walk of life, whether they be an artist, a student, the mailman, a school teacher, an athlete, a nurse, your next-door neighbor, anyone with a love for music; showing that no matter where we come from, what we do, or what we look like, music has the ability to bring us together.

Todd shares a Hip-Hop heavy playlist featuring soulful productions that help shape his mood and day. He talks to us about the first album he ever owned, how College Dropout changed the way he listened to music, and the song that soundtracked his first big time job interview.

Listen to Todd’s playlist on Apple Music and Spotify.

Words by Julian

Photos by Tayo

Everyone tells me they have such a hard time picking 10 songs for their playlist. Was that the case when making yours?

Yeah that was a struggle, because I have so much music and there were so many songs that I wanted to put on there. I had to cut things off. Originally I started with like 20, and cut them down from there.

What was the criteria a song needed to meet in order to make that 10?

I wanted to have a few songs that I’m listening to now, so I chose “Boredom,” “Waterfalls,” and “Sunroof.” Those three songs I’m listening to pretty much everyday, just because they flow so nicely. Especially in the car. The other songs are songs that mean something to me personally, they’re tied to something, or they’re just classics, like Kanye.

What song did you instantly know had to be on your playlist?

Either “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” or “Everything I Am.”

Yeah I noticed you had two songs from Kanye, specifically from Graduation. Is that your favorite album from him?

It’s my favorite Kanye album. It’s the first album I owned myself. I didn’t buy it with my own money, but I specifically asked my mom to get it for me. That was the first album I listened to whole for myself, and I’ve loved it ever since. I don’t think it’s his best album, but it’s definitely my favorite.

I remember, because that was the time when he and 50 Cent were coming out on the same day.

That was the first time it registered to me that people did rollouts for their albums, because the was him and 50’s joint rollout. It was weird to me.

When you first start listening to music you listen to what’s on the radio, and what kids in school are listening to, but then as you grow older you start to develop your own preferences and taste. Was there one particular song, artist, or album that started that for you? I know you just mentioned Graduation. Is that album, or another one?

If I had to pick one album that defined my taste in music, it would have to be College Dropout. My cousin bought it, and at first I was just listening to songs on the radio, I guess that was around 2004 so I was around 10, and in my head I was like, “Why would you ever listen to any songs that weren’t on the radio?” That didn’t make sense to me. So I knew “Gold Digger” and “Jesus Walks” already, but my cousin went ahead and played the whole album, and I was like, “Oh, so this is how you are supposed to listen to music.” And that was around the time I figured out what I like.

What about the album stuck with you?

Because of that album I’m a big samples guy. I love anything that has samples in it or live instrumentation.

I listened to your playlist and noticed that most of it was Hip-Hop. Would you say that’s your go to genre when you listen to music?

Definitely. Actually right now I am big on some R&B. I didn’t put any of those songs on there, they didn’t make the cut. There was some Daniel Ceaser in the original 20, but it just didn’t make the cut.

How would you describe your taste in music?

I would say the type of Hip-Hop I listen to is generally described as “backpacker” Hip-Hop, like Lupe, Kanye, Chance, Childish, those kind of rappers.

Yeah I noticed there were no artists like Migos, or Travis $cott on your playlist.

I listen to them, but I have to be in the mood for it. Either going out, or sleepy [Laughs.] I usually listen to them in the morning to wake up.

Why do you think that “backpacker” type of Hip-Hop connects with you more than others?

I would say because it’s more lyrical, and has a lot more of the soulful beats I like. I guess I can relate more to “backpacker” rap. I didn’t grow up in a bad area or anything. It’s not like drill music where I want to listen to people talking about shooting, not to say the music’s bad, because I do listen to it, but I mostly deal with the more lyrical subjects.

When you first listen to new music, do you listen to lyrics first, or the beat?

The beat sticks out to me first. If I don’t like the production, I probably won’t listen to it immediately, but eventually I’ll come around to it and if the lyrics are good, then I’ll get hooked. But yeah production does come first.

What songs on your playlist have production that draws you in?

“Dancing in the Rain” by Taylor Bennet. That song is just great. I think it was produced by Ludlow, he’s really dope. I just like that sound. I think it was all original sounds. I don’t think they sampled anything on there. And then Donnie Trumpet is playing on there. I like that whole Chicago collective, SaveMoney.

What’s the process you go through to find new music.

Generally, when I’m listening to someone’s album, and there’s a feature I don’t know, I’ll go and download a bunch of that person’s music. I have a bad habit of downloading music and never listening to it, unless it randomly comes on shuffle, which is how I listened to the D.R.A.M. song I have on there. It randomly came on shuffle and I was like, “Oh wait, this song is awesome.” And I was struggling at that time, and I needed some motivation [Laughs].

What role would you say music plays in your life?

I would say music shapes the way I go about my day. Depending on what I listen to in the morning, will vary based on my mood that day, and shapes my overall view of things in the moment. I listen to music, from the beginning of the day, to the end of the day. It’s part of my overall being.

Can you pick one song on your playlist and tell us the story behind it?

So I was going to an interview one morning, didn’t have a car or anything, was taking the foot train, walking to the bus, and I had my phone on shuffle, and “$” came on. When D.R.A.M. said, “This be that shit that make a nigga get off his ass and get money,” I was like, “Yes! That is exactly what it’ll do” [Laughs].

Wow that’s fate.

Exactly. And I listened to that song like 10 times straight on the ride to my interview, and it was for the job I have now, so it all worked out in the end.

Anything else you want to tell people about your playlist?

Listen to Luke Christopher. He’s dope. “Waterfalls” is a great song. I found out about him in college. A friend showed him to me. He’s really dope, I just saw him in concert.

What’s his whole spiel?

He sings, his latest project was mostly singing, but he started off rapping and producing. He sounds like Kanye’s style of producing, where he takes samples and slows them down, or pitches them, and add drums to it. He’s a triple threat. He hasn’t gotten big, which kind of upsets me a little bit. He’s way too good to have not popped yet.

Connect with Todd:

https://twitter.com/ThnkYaBasedTodd

https://www.instagram.com/thnkyabasedtodd/

Connect with Moments In Song:

https://www.instagram.com/momentsinsong/

https://twitter.com/moments_in_song

https://tinyurl.com/MISAppleMusic

https://tinyurl.com/MISSpotify

#Moments in Song #what are you listening to #music #hip-hop #chance the rapper #boogie #kanye west #d.r.a.m. #Tyler The Creator #super duper kyle #rex county orange #anna of the north #luke christopher #taylor bennett #innanet james #apple music #Spotify

[momentsinsong]

Moments In Song No. 017 - Bria

“Moments In Song” asks people one simple question, “What are you listening to?” We believe that you can learn a lot about an individual and their experiences based off of the music they love. For every installment we ask someone to make a playlist of 10 songs they’re listening to, whether it be something new they stumbled upon, or a song they’ve always loved, and explain the story behind their choices. The person’s playlist is then uploaded, giving them the chance to share it with others. Each post aims to profile someone from a different walk of life, whether they be an artist, a student, the mailman, a school teacher, an athlete, a nurse, your next-door neighbor, anyone with a love for music; showing that no matter where we come from, what we do, or what we look like, music has the ability to bring us together.

Half turn up. Half mellow. Bria’s playlist is a collection of songs that document her day to day emotions and influence her style. We talk to the make-up artist and fashion entrepreneur about how N.E.R.D introduced her to new genres of music, her online clothing store, and the struggles of finding that perfect song for your MySpace page.

Listen to Bria’s playlist on Apple Music and Spotify.

Words by Julian.

Photos by Tayo.

What was the thought process that went behind making your playlist?

I think for my playlist I was figuring out what artists I really love at this point in time, and finding the best song from them. I really like a mellow hype turn up. I picked songs that made me feel chill, but also get me a little turnt up. Songs to get you a little cute, you know [Laughs.]

When you were making your playlist what song did you know instantly had to be on there?

Doja Cat, “No Police.” I just love that song. If I could put my style of music into one song, that would probably be it. It’s that mellow turn up I was talking about. It’s real chill, but it’s also a little psychedelic at the same time.

I basically made my playlist based off of how my day goes. It starts off mellow, and then I feel a little cocky in the middle of the day. Then sometimes I’ll be feeling like shit, but then motivated afterwards. I based it around those feelings for sure.

Can you pick what songs fit the moods you just listed? You know starting out mellow, and so on after then?

I actually like to play all of my playlists on shuffle, because I feel like that matches my mood. It always bounces around. I feel like that’s an emo thing for me [Laughs.]  I would definitely say “Drowsy” by Banes World is the most emotional song on there. It sounds sad, but I love it. It’s super moody. And then that made me go into “Biscuit Town” by King Krule. I love “Biscuit Town,” because I feel like it was the most upbeat song for him, in his own way. He make’s a lot of mellow stuff. And from there it went into Tame Impala, “New Person, Same Old Mistakes.” Then Doja Cat, that’s kind of my get up in the morning, get out of my grogginess and start my day song. Then that goes into “Better” by Kelela and “Ride” by Steve Lacy. Then I start feeling a little G [Laughs], and that’s where the Tyler, Clipse, and Kendrick come into play.

How would you describe your taste in music?

I think I said it earlier, I love a mellow turn up. That’s why I always put my playlist on shuffle, because it can go from rap, to Banes World, and then to Kendrick the next second, to Kodak, and then back to Pink Floyd. That’s just what I really like, a mellow turn up. I think that’s the best way to describe it.

When you listen to music is it more lyric based or instrumental based? Or does it vary?

It varies. I think it depends on what kind of artist I’m listening to. But I would definitely say I go off of beats first. If it sounds good to my ear, I’ll probably end up liking the song, and I’ll probably end up hating the lyrics. But I’ll just block it out [Laughs.]

When you first start listening to music you listen to what’s on the radio, and what kids in school are listening to, but then as you grow older you start to develop your own preferences and taste. How would you say those have evolved over time, and if there was one particular song, artist, or album that started that for you?

For me, I would definitely have to say it was N.E.R.D. in high school. That started my “music journey.” I used to love this other group called The Bird and The Bee. That got my ear open to more psychedelic, eerie type of music. That got me listening to more rock, like Gun N Roses, and I’ve always listened to Hip-Hop, but I would definitely say N.E.R.D. jumped it off. I don’t think my taste in music changed over time, but now I know what I like, and what type of sound I like.    

What N.E.R.D. album was that?

What’s the album with, [sings] “All the girls standing in the line for the bathroom?”

Seeing Sounds

That’s the one. That’s the song that really started it for me.  I was like, “Oh this is tough.” They got Hip-Hop, they got drums, they got Rock. It was a clash and I thought it was so dope. And I knew that if people like him are doing it, there are definitely others making music like this.

Does music play a role in your creativity fashion wise?

For sure. I’m actually starting a brand called 7th  and I use music to give me inspiration and motivation, because living in Baltimore people aren’t as open minded to people who don’t dress like them and music inspires me to continue to dress like me regardless of my location.

Could you tell people what your business is?

Well it’s called 7th and doesn’t launch until 7-7-2018, but it’s a brand for the laid back woman who dresses for comfort but is very stylish doing so. I’ll be selling 7th clothing as well as clothing from indie designers and wholesale clothing. But back to the music, it influences my style daily, I could play a song and get inspired to style a piece of clothing a certain way. One of my favorite things to do is play music and figure out an outfit to wear somewhere. It’s very euphoric for me and that’s why I chose to add a playlist to the site. I want women to feel the same way while shopping on the site. Bring back that MySpace feel [Laughs.]

I took that MySpace song seriously.

For real!

I would be searching all over to find the song I wanted.

Yeah and then you’d be mad when someone got your song. You’d be like, “I don’t even want this shit anymore” [Laughs.]

Can you pick one song on your playlist and give us the story behind why it’s on there?

I’m gonna go with Tyler, the Creator, “Smuckers.” I feel like that song should have got more publicity than it did. That song was kind of legendary. I mean he had Kanye West and Lil’ Wayne on a song with him. He had Lil’ Wayne rapping how he used to. He was so witty. He said, “I'm starin' at a tramp-on-lean, make my eye jump.” That was so sick! He was so smooth with it. And then you had goofy Tyler coming in, so that helped keep it light. You even had Kanye really rapping on there. It was just cool seeing these two different rap worlds coming together. You had your artsy side of rap and then your hood rap, come together on a cool beat. It all worked out really well and they all had their own different look.

Connect with Bria:

https://www.instagram.com/robin.bri/

https://www.instagram.com/7.seventh/

Connect with Moments In Song:

https://www.instagram.com/momentsinsong/

https://twitter.com/moments_in_song

https://tinyurl.com/MISAppleMusic 

https://tinyurl.com/MISSpotify

#Moments in Song #what are you listening to #music #hip-hop #alternative #r&b #indie #banes world #tame impala #king krule #doja cat #kelela #steve lacy #tyler the creator #clipse #ghostface killah #Kendrick Lamar

[momentsinsong]

Moments In Song No. 016 - Christen

“Moments In Song” asks people one simple question, “What are you listening to?” We believe that you can learn a lot about an individual and their experiences based off of the music they love. For every installment we ask someone to make a playlist of 10 songs they’re listening to, whether it be something new they stumbled upon, or a song they’ve always loved, and explain the story behind their choices. The person’s playlist is then uploaded, giving them the chance to share it with others. Each post aims to profile someone from a different walk of life, whether they be an artist, a student, the mailman, a school teacher, an athlete, a nurse, your next-door neighbor, anyone with a love for music; showing that no matter where we come from, what we do, or what we look like, music has the ability to bring us together.

With a playlist centered on relaxed beats and soothing vocals, Christen tells us the stories behind some of her favorite songs. Keep reading below to see our interview with the personal stylist and fashion blogger as she tells us about the first thing she listens to when playing music, 106 & Park, and how her taste in music has matured over the years.

Listen to Christen’s playlist on Apple Music and Spotify.

Words by Julian. 

Photos by Tayo.

What was the thought process that went behind making your playlist?

I was thinking about all the songs I’m currently listening to at the moment. I literally download new music everyday, and these are some of the newest songs I’ve downloaded, along with ones I already had. I love music so it was hard for me to fit all of my favorite songs into my playlist. I really like songs with smooth vocals, so a lot of these songs are very relaxing and put me in a mood where I want to feel stress free and care free.  

What song did you instantly know had to be on your playlist?

It’s between “Cranes in the Sky” or “Blessed.” It’s funny because I never listen to the lyrics of a song. I always listen to the beat first.  Those are the only songs that I really listen to the lyrics and am like, “Ok, let me figure out what they’re talking about.” “Blessed” is definitely one of my favorites because it talks about my life a little bit, and how I’m a crazy person sometimes but still blessed to have the people in my life who know how to deal with me and my craziness. And with “Cranes in the Sky,” I didn’t really know what it meant at first, and I guess it mean’s different things to different people, but to me, it makes me feel safe. Even with everything going on in the world, it lets me know everything is going to be ok.

How would you describe your taste in music?

It’s a mix of everything. Like I said earlier I like really mellow music, but I also really like house music, techno. Hip-Hop is cool. I like it but only certain songs and artists. But I’ll listen to certain music when I’m feeling relaxed, happy. I’m a weirdo, because when I’m sad I like to listen to sad music, to make me even sadder. [Laughs.]

I think everyone does that.

I don’t know why, but I really have to be in a specific mood to listen to certain songs. Like depending on how I’m feeling in the morning, I’ll listen to some turn up songs to get me hype, or days when I’m feeling tired I’ll listen to some more mellow stuff. But I feel like music in general sounds better when it’s loud, so I like to blast my music too when I’m in the car. The only type of music I don’t like though is country.

You mentioned earlier that when you first listen to songs the thing that sticks out to you the most is the beat. Is that the case 99% of the time?

Yeah definitely. Because if a song doesn’t catch my attention within like the first ten seconds, I’m turning it off. I know sometimes when I’m in the car I don’t have time to change the song, I’ll let the song play and I’m like, “Oh ok. This isn’t really that bad. Maybe I should’ve listened to the whole thing.” But for the most part the beat is what draws me in and keeps me wanting to listen more.

You said earlier “Cranes in the Sky” and “Blessed” were songs that had you focusing in on the lyrics. What songs on your playlist were the opposite and had a beat that really drew you in?

“Middle of Things, Beautiful Wife” by Sango featuring Xavier Omar and “Harem” by Miguel. I have no idea what the hell Miguel is talking about, but the beat along with his voice makes me like the song a lot. There are a lot of songs where I don’t know what they’re talking about, and sometimes I do want to research what they’re saying, but then I’ll think, “Hmmm, I just like the song.” Vocals also stick out a lot to me too. Some artists when they sing, it gives me chills. Like certain Daniel Caeser songs, and Beyoncé sometimes. Some of the notes she hits, I’m just like, “How can she do that?”

Most of your playlist is slow, mellow music but one song that stuck out to me was the Gucci Mane song. Is there a reason you threw that on there?

I just really like what he was talking about. First of all, his last album was good as hell.

Mr. Davis?

Yeah I’m surprised they don’t play a lot more of his music on the radio. That’s a really good album, and I liked what he was talking about on the song as afar as being black owned, which is funny because I want to come out with t-shirts that say that, because I’ve never seen that. That really stuck out to me, and him rapping about how he got out of jail, came back on, and was popping again.

When you first start listening to music you listen to what’s on the radio, and what kids in school are listening to, but then as you grow older you start to develop your own preferences and taste. How would you say those have evolved over time, and if there was one particular song, artist, or album that started that for you?

I’ve always loved music. I remember when my mom bought me my first CD, it was either Lil Bow Wow or Lil Romeo. And I listened to that CD every single day!

Which one?

The first one. With him on the front with the army bandana

Bow Wow?

No this was Lil Romeo. Bow Wow was the one where he had the dog on the front.

Which I found out was photoshopped later. He’s not really holding a dog on.

For real? Wow. But yeah I was always watching 106 & Park when I wasn’t supposed to be. Watching all the videos. Downloading music off of mp3 Rocket. I was getting really into music.

When was that? 106 & Park and mp3 Rocket?

106 & Park started that off. That was elementary school into middle school, and mp3 Rocket was around high school. Like all through high school, Limewire, all that stuff. That’s when I started downloading songs that I’d never really heard of. I really got into Drake towards that moment. That was like 2010. What grade was I in?

I think that was 10th?

I think it was junior year. Yeah I really got into Drake. I was a fan and listened to all of his songs. Its funny because I really used to hate slow songs, I really only liked fast songs as a child. But then when I got older, I started to like slower songs, and then from there it went crazy. I was downloading N.E.R.D., all different types of artists I was interested in. And when I stared listening to Soundcloud I started getting into different types and feels of music. Iman Omari was the first person I ever listened to that wasn’t really Hip-Hop or R&B, but somewhere in the middle. He really introduced me to different types of artist like Kelela and others. It was crazy. It just happened so fast. Music, I guess I just matured with it. What I was attracted to started to mature with my age.

What role would you say music plays in your creativity fashion wise?

It definitely inspires me. I know sometimes when I listen to songs I create a music video for them in my head, and I’ll use that as inspiration for a photoshoot, or what I want to write a blog post about, small things like that. Music is definitely a big inspiration in my life because it keeps me going. It sets the mood for everything that I do.

Can you pick one song on your playlist and give us the story behind why it’s on there?

“Blind Man” by Xavier Omar. I heard that song forever ago on Soundcloud, and you know Soundcloud doesn’t credit people all the time, so I had no idea who this man was. And after then I think I was on Pandora, you know Pandora will play random ass songs sometimes, I’ll be real shocked. I was listening and all of a sudden the song [“Blind Man”] came on. I’m like, “Oh my God, I haven’t heard this song in forever,” and I looked and saw that it was Xavier Omar. I had never heard of him so I downloaded his album and came to found out that he was on a lot of other songs that I actually liked and never knew who he was. So from there I grew to really really like that song. I like his vocals, and the way he sings. There’s a lot of artists out here that people sleep on, and they’re talented artists who people just don’t listen to, and it’s crazy because that’s a beautiful song.

Connect with Christen:

https://www.instagram.com/sochicchris/

https://twitter.com/sochicchris

https://www.sophisticatedchicblog.com/

Connect with Moments In Song.

#Moments in Song #what are you listening to #music #hip hop #r&b #frank ocean #daniel caeser #xavier omar #sango #miguel #GoldLink #gucci mane #solange #ty dolla $ign

[momentsinsong]

For The World

There's a lot going on right now. From natural disasters ravaging homes across the globe, to violent attacks threatening our safety and well-being. Add an incompetent government, hate groups appearing left and right, and racial tensions the thickest they've been in the past few decades, and it's easy to feel discouraged about the future. In an effort to bring some light into each other's lives, we asked our friends from previous “Moments In Song” posts to share songs that help them work through the emotions they’re feeling in today's tumultuous climate. Whether that be questioning humankind's ethics, being frustrated with the powers that be, or seeking the strength to move forward, this playlist aims to help us go through the cycle of emotions that come with trying to make sense of the world today. Keep reading to see what songs they picked and the explanations behind them.

Listen to the playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.

1. “A.D. 2000” - Erykah Badu 

Myles: This song is dedicated to Amadou Diallo, an unarmed Guinean immigrant shot by police, and what I think is really beautiful about it is the line, “No they won’t be naming no buildings after me, to go down dilapidated.” It’s a reminder that institutions rarely remember those marginalized victims of violence, but can also be seen as the fact that these memorials are perishable unlike this song, which can carry the memory of these people forever when it’s played. I think that’s a comforting thought that their memory is cherished and lives on, and that we should keep these people in mind as we work towards what we want in the world. 

2. “Summer Madness (Live)” - Kool & the Gang 

Danny (KidGhost): Gotta be the live version. First of all, greatest intro of all time, bar none. But the song itself is really sparse lyrically, which kinda requires you to interpret the meaning yourself. It’s easy to think it’s a feel good song because the song just sounds so good, but it’s called Summer Madness for a reason – there’s a lot of tension in the arrangement that gives the feeling of something darker bubbling under the surface. Which isn’t a bad metaphor for the world we live in today.

3. “Savages” – Marina and the Diamonds 

Alejandro: Times like these remind me of this song. I feel like we’ve become so desensitized to tragedies, that death isn’t what scares people, but rather how much hurt we put each other through before getting there. This is by far not a make you feel better song, but I can relate to her reflection of what’s going on in the world.

4. “Breakdown” - J. Cole

Jordan: This song just invokes motivation when I hear it. The premise essentially is about all the things going wrong with your life, and I take it as motivation to push through it and conquer the downfalls.

 5. “Lean On Me” - Bill Withers

Ria: I picked this song because it’s an overall feel good song. With all that’s going on in the world, this makes me feel like I have a little corner of happiness. Hopefully, this will bring someone some sunshine.

6. “Indecision” – Sampha 

Julian aka Justjuwit: As soon as I press play and hear those keys, a wave of comfort comes over me. From the emotional lyrics, to Sampha’s souful breathy voice, this song serves as a moment of reassurance that things will work themselves out in due time. The chorus, “Let it all work out,” has been sort of a mantra of mine for the past few years. While there’s nothing in the song that makes a giant proclamation to things getting better, it helps me get in the mindset of believing that they eventually will. While that’s something small, it can ultimately make a world of difference.

7. “Heard Em Say” - Kanye West

Zack: Kanye talks about how doing the right thing isn’t always easy, but it’s necessary. The chorus hits home. Nothing’s ever promised tomorrow today, but we’ll find a way. The world is a crazy place but we have to keep pushing and striving for better. One day it’ll pay off.

8. “Oh My God” - Jay-Z

Dezmond: The song itself screams with frustration that can personify how people must be feeling with the current status of America and all it’s recent events. It reaches down into the soul and evokes a kind of raw emotion.

9. “Alright” - Kendrick Lamar

Gabrielle: This song helps me realize that it’s ok to be angry and upset at the things that are out of my control. But I just have to keep hoping and praying that things will get better.

10. “Anna Sun” - Walk the Moon

Kristen: This song instantly lifts my spirits and has done so since the first time I listened to it. The meaning, I’ve learned is different for everyone, but for me it’s a reminder that even when everything is falling apart, I can still push through with grace, heart and maybe even a smile.

11.  “Where is the Love?” - Black Eyed Peas

Rya: We often times forget that LOVE TRUMPS HATE. It’s so much in the world pulling us apart that these same exact things should be bringing us all together. To love one other’s differences is what the world needs. MORE LOVE. This song speaks on that very subject. Where is the Love? 

12. “Put Your Records On” - Corrine Bailey Rae

Tayo: This song never fails to get me in a great mood. It’s really fun and I love the “no matter what you’re going through you can get through it” message.

13. “Touch the Sky” - Kanye West Feat. Lupe Fiasco

Bitsiti: This song embodies resilience. Ye talks about all the moments and qualities of his life that stalled his career. However, he prevailed through them with sheer determination. He shares his testimony for everyone else to keep pushing forward. 

#music #hip-hop #r&b #alternative #pop #Moments in Song #Spotify #applemusic

[momentsinsong]

Moments In Song No. 015 - Bitsiti

“Moments In Song” asks people one simple question, “What are you listening to?” We believe that you can learn a lot about an individual and their experiences based off of the music they love. For every installment we ask someone to make a playlist of 10 songs they’re listening to, whether it be something new they stumbled upon, or a song they’ve always loved, and explain the story behind their choices. The person’s playlist is then uploaded, giving them the chance to share it with others. Each post aims to profile someone from a different walk of life, whether they be an artist, a student, the mailman, a school teacher, an athlete, a nurse, your next-door neighbor, anyone with a love for music; showing that no matter where we come from, what we do, or what we look like, music has the ability to bring us together.

Mix southern flows with emotional lyrics and a dash of bravado and you get Bitsiti’s playlist. We talk with her about how her siblings influenced her taste in music, Pandora radio, and the way music helps her sort through her emotions. 

Words by Julian.

Photos by Tayo.

What was the thought process behind making your playlist?

I was just picking a bunch of songs that when I listen to, they give me a particular feeling.  So I have some twerk songs on there, because I like to dance [Laughs]. I really like southern sounding music too, so a lot of the artists on the playlist are from the south.

Like Three 6?

Yeah them, and like Missy Elliott is from Virginia, Megan thee Stallion is from Houston, Ludacris is from Georgia, Yo Gotti is from Memphis, and I know I have to clear up putting XXX* whatever on here [Laughs].

Yeah I saw that and was confused, because I feel like you’re always ragging on him on twitter. I always see you going off on him, and then I see his song on her, and I’m like, “I thought you hated him?” When I first heard this song, I was kind of scared.

That’s what I like about it though! I like that scary sound, crazy instrumental stuff. Even Frank’s song, “Pretty Sweet” has that in the beginning.  I don’t like him persay, so I hope somebody swagger jacks him, and comes out with his sound so I don’t have to listen to X. But that’s what I wanted, a screamo rap mix.

You probably had way more than 10 songs to choose from. Were these just songs already in your library or in a playlist, and then had to narrow down to 10?

Yeah I chose from songs I constantly listen to over and over again, and at first I was picking from my all time favorites, but then I realized I was had too many songs from back back in the day. After a while I decided to add some more recent songs. I think most of the songs are older, but there are 2 or 3 that are more recent.

What song did you know instantly had to go on your playlist?

“Poppin My Collar” Three 6 Mafia [Laughs].

Why? That is a classic though.

It is a classic. It was one of those songs that you rediscover. You knew you listened to it when you were younger, but then you come back to it and you’re like, “Oh I really like this song.” It’s terrible, the content is horrible. It’s about pimping women, but it goes so well.

How would you describe your overall taste in music?

I think I’m attracted to songs with lyrics that are weird, controversial, and emotional. For example, emotional picks would be The Roots’ song and the Soundgarden song. I put “Rake It Up” on there because of the China China China lines [Laughs]. I thought that was funny. We’ve let her say a lot of stupid lines before, why are we so mad about this one? I also like lyrics that sound cocky, which is why I like Rap so much. A lot of it is that bravado, cockiness, I love it. That’s why Megan thee Stallion is on there.

Who’s that? I don’t think I’ve heard of her.

I found her on Twitter, she was super pretty, and rapping in front of all these guys and she was really good. At the time I couldn’t find her name, but then 6 months later she popped up again and I was able to look more into her. Her music is like a mix of Trina and Ludacris.

One song I want to focus on is “Scar Tissue” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It’s different, genre-wise, compared to the other songs on your playlist. What made you put that song on there?

It’s a sad and introspective song, which is what I like about it so much. I like the way the lead singer sounds on it, and how he’s singing about, “No one sees what I’m going through.” It’s very emotional. I always listen to it when I’m in a pissed off mood, or being melodramatic.

When you first listen to music, you listen to what’s on the radio, what’s on TV, what other people are listening to. But as you grow older, you start to develop your own taste in music, and figure out what you like. Was there a moment when a specific artist or song really got you into music and helped develop your own taste in music?

I’m the youngest of four siblings, so my taste is music came from them. They’re considerably older than me, so I would always be listening to music I shouldn’t have been listening to as a kid. My oldest brother really loved Ludacris, so we would always listen to his music in the car, while my sister liked more melodic artists, like J.Lo and Aaliyah.  My other brother really liked listening to rock and rap, so I got that from him. But once they went to college and moved out, I had to find a different way to get new music. So I think it was maybe senior year, or junior year of high school, that I discovered Pandora. It’s trash now…

Yeah compared to Spotify and other streaming sites.

Yeah but I think Pandora is good for finding new music. I found Jhene Aiko through Pandora, because I was listening to a J.Lo or Aaliyah station and she popped up. There was one song, “Luchini” by Camp Lo, that my brother put me on that I really love, and I made a station from that, and that’s how I was introduced to The Roots’ song on my playlist. So I credit Pandora to the initial discovery of a lot of new music.

What role would you say music plays in your life?

What I like the most about music is the fact that you get the extreme of your emotions. So like, if I’m in a pissed off mood, I’ll listen to X, or Rage Against the Machine, or “Hit Em Up” by 2Pac. I used to work at Chipotle, which is literally the worst place to work. I hated it, but I learned to roll a burrito, so there’s are some positives there. But music takes you to the extreme, so once you get all your feelings out, you can get over it. I use music to go through the cycle of emotions. Whether it’s being really happy and wanting to dance, or being really annoyed and wanting to listen to angry music.

Can you pick one song on your playlist and give us the story behind why it’s on there?

I’m gonna pick “Sock It 2 Me’ by Missy Elliott and Da Brat, because it reminds me of my sister, and us driving around and listening to Missy Elliott, Lil Kim, and Eve. You remember that movie Vivica A. Fox did? “Two Can Play At That Game?”

No I haven’t seen it.

It’s funny! But Vivica’s character plays the song in the movie, and she reminds me of a lot of the people I went to school with. So that song just brings back both memories of being school and memories of being with my sister.

Why does the character play the song?

She has a ten day plan to fix a messed up relationship, so she’s trying to ignore her boyfriend and goes through steps of pretending like they’re gonna get back together. So she has a very ordered lifestyle, she’s the VP of advertising, and a whole bunch of other things. So she thinks as long as she has a plan, that’s exactly how things are gonna go, which reminds me of myself in college. You can have a plan, but things can still get messed up.  Also the song is just really sexy and cool, and that’s what I remember the late 90’s and early 2000’s being like.

*After the interview Bitsiti made the decision to replace XXXtentacion with "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" by Eve and Gwen Stefani.

Listen to Bisiti’s playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.

Connect with Bitsiti:

https://twitter.com/cakepoppa

https://www.instagram.com/anastasianeverlydill/

Connect with Moments In Song.

#gatherround #Moments in Song #roundaboutvids #music #hip-hop #r&b #rock #red hot chili peppers #Frank Ocean #soundgarden #the roots #three 6 mafia #megan thee stallion #ludacris #missy elliott #yo gotti #eve

[momentsinsong]

Moments In Song No. 014 - Gabrielle

“Moments In Song” asks people one simple question, “What are you listening to?” We believe that you can learn a lot about an individual and their experiences based off of the music they love. For every installment we ask someone to make a playlist of 10 songs they’re listening to, whether it be something new they stumbled upon, or a song they’ve always loved, and explain the story behind their choices. The person’s playlist is then uploaded, giving them the chance to share it with others. Each post aims to profile someone from a different walk of life, whether they be an artist, a student, the mailman, a school teacher, an athlete, a nurse, your next-door neighbor, anyone with a love for music; showing that no matter where we come from, what we do, or what we look like, music has the ability to bring us together.

Our latest Moments In Song playlist comes from Gabrielle, as she shares a collection of songs from her recent discoveries in music.

Words by Julian.

Photos by Tayo.

What was the thought process that went into making your playlist?

I went through other playlists I already downloaded and had, and I would just pick songs off of there. Most of the playlists I was choosing from had cool chill vibes.

Theses are playlists you already had in your library?

Yeah.

I’m sure you had way more than 10 songs to choose from.

Yeah it was hard to narrow it down, because I kept switching songs in and out, but after a while I had to cut myself off and stick with the 10.

What was the criteria a song had to meet in order to make it on your playlist?

When I find a song that I like, I listen to it over and over again, and from there it gets added to the rotation and put in a playlist.  So I would pick the songs I remember liking a lot and playing over and over again as a result.

It looks like most of these songs are new…

Yeah I tried to include newer songs, because I have a tendency to listen to mainstream radio, so I was trying to actively include newer music.

What song was the easiest to add on your playlist?

Probably “Let It Burn.” I feel like I slept on Jazmine Sullivan, and then I heard the song after an episode of “Insecure,” and I was like, “Oh yeahhhhh! This song is alright” [Laughs]. I have another song from “Insecure” on there too. The music on there is great.

How would you describe your overall taste in music? Or what attracts you to a song?

I feel like I’m most attracted to the vibe. I’ll listen to the beat, and then what the artist is trying to say. I’m really attracted to a chill, laid-back vibe.

I know most of the songs on your playlist, and I would say most of them fit that description. I don’t see any that you would really play at a party, or dance to.

Yeah it’s more like in the car, driving at night music. That’s mostly where I’m at right now.

When you first listen to music, you listen to what’s on the radio, what’s on TV, what other people are listening to. But as you grow older, you start to develop your own taste in music, and figure out what you like. Was there a moment when a specific artist or song really got you into music and helped develop your own taste in music?

I don’t know if there was anything specific, but like I mentioned earlier I have a tendency to listen to whatever is on the radio, Top 40 kind of stuff. But with me spending so much time in the car, that gets kind of annoying so you have to create something else to listen to.  Also, when your riding with someone else and you get handed the aux cord, it's a great opportunity to exchange new findings. That's how it is with my brother. He uses car rides to introduce me to songs he's currently listening to and he hates whenever I play something that’s always on the radio. So I had to branch out from there and my taste in music has kind of developed by just keeping my ears open and keeping an open mind. If that makes sense.

How do you find these new songs so you’re not listening to the same stuff that’s on the radio?

It kind of goes back to college when you’re always walking around campus and need something to listen to. That’s when I got my first Spotify account, and I realized there’s a whole different way to listen to music. You don’t have to do anymore sketchy downloads. With that, it had the radio option, and the pre-made playlists that you could pull songs from and build your own library. Even now I still stumble around and see what I can find.

Is there an artist or song, either on this playlist or in general, that you were introduced to in that way?

Yeah “Tropicana” by Topaz Jones came on Apple Radio, and I was like, “Oh, I have no idea who this is,” but I liked it.

Can you pick one song on your playlist and give us the story behind it?

I’m gonna pick “Blessings” with Ty Dolla $ign. I really like Ty Dolla $ign, ever since his song “Paranoid,” and got my brother into him too. We would listen to him a lot in the car, because I actually found something he hadn’t heard before. Most of his lyrics are funny, so his songs remind me of getting in the car with my brother, and just driving and forgetting stuff and being carefree.

Listen to Gabrielle’s playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.

Connect with Gabrielle:

https://twitter.com/geminigabby

https://www.instagram.com/gemini_gabby/

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[momentsinsong]

Moments In Song No. 013 - Dezmond

“Moments In Song” asks people one simple question, “What are you listening to?” We believe that you can learn a lot about an individual and their experiences based off of the music they love. For every installment we ask someone to make a playlist of 10 songs they’re listening to, whether it be something new they stumbled upon, or a song they’ve always loved, and explain the story behind their choices. The person’s playlist is then uploaded, giving them the chance to share it with others. Each post aims to profile someone from a different walk of life, whether they be an artist, a student, the mailman, a school teacher, an athlete, a nurse, your next-door neighbor, anyone with a love for music; showing that no matter where we come from, what we do, or what we look like, music has the ability to bring us together.

Dezmond shares a playlist made up of songs that have played a role in shaping his mentality and how he presents himself. Through the Baltimore based artist's playlist, we learn more about how his perception of music has changed over the years, his appreciation for Syd and The Internet, and what musical artists have inspired his artwork.

Words by Julian.

Photos by Tayo.

What was the thought process you put into making your playlist?

Bruh let me tell you. It was frustrating, interesting and none-the-less entertaining. Each moment that passed I couldn't help but think, “How am I gonna put this playlist together?” What I ended up doing was picking songs that went well together, and flowed well from the ending of the one song to the start of another.

What was the criteria a song needed to meet in order to make it on your playlist, and were there any songs that you knew just had to make it on your playlist?

The criteria for this playlist satisfied a vibe that was consistent with a late night conversation. Whether hanging with friends, or a special somebody, this playlist offers something calm, cool, and collective. One song that just had to be on there? I would say Kanye West, “Devil In A New Dress.” Man, that beat. Growing up, I was a bit of a movie guy- so when ever I hear the build up of “Devil in A New Dress”, theatrics comes to mind. Sort of like the feeling you get right before the beginning credits start to play during a movie. It’s exciting.  The tempo and orchestrated symphonies portray a sort of vibe that resembles an urbanized opera house compiled with endorphin fulfilling sounds and acoustics. As you listen, a story is told. And with it a beginning, a climax and ending.

How would you describe your taste in music?

I would describe my taste in music to be a bit transparent. My preference in music as of lately has been based around Indie and soulful artists with great producers. I can fully listen to Gotye's "Like Drawing Blood" album and then switch to Bas' "Too High to Riot" album shortly after. I'm a great fan of music, but like I mentioned earlier, the beat determines it all.

When you first start listening to music, you kind of just listen to what is on the radio, or what other people are playing, or what you see on TV. But after a while, there’s a point when you start actively looking for music, or you start to keep up with a certain artist. Is there an artist, album, or song that helped you get to the point of developing your own taste in music?

There hasn’t been an exact moment when I first started looking into music on my own. It was still pretty new to me and all I had access to at the time were the radio and what my older brother was playing from his room. There’s some music that I really didn’t get into until the whole “baggy clothes” movement was over. When Kanye West made the bet with 50 Cent talking about who could sell more. At that point I was like, “Hey, you don’t really have to be that type of person. You can have your own original style and still be great.”   One artist/group that I really enjoy listening to is The Internet, dating all the way back to their first album, “Purple Naked Ladies." It was certainly worth staying up all those late nights.  After that, I really got into Kendrick’s album, “Section.80.” It was after that point that I realized, I didn’t have to listen to all that other stuff concerning selling drugs and participating in the senseless violence around me. It can be about something totally different. Music provided me with that option.

What would you say about the music you heard from The Internet and “Section.80” stuck with you?

The music was talking about a lot of issues that are going on today, like abuse, and women wearing a lot of make up to stand out. And with The Internet since she [Syd] is who she is, she’s open to sing about love and romance with other people, and have it serve as a contribution to the culture.  

What role, if any, would you say music plays in your life? I know with you being a creative person, music might inspire you creatively.

Music to me, it’s kind of like a conversation. The way I listen to it, and what it means to me. There’s a song for every emotion. Especially in your mentality and how you present yourself. For example, “In The Morning” by J. Cole, represented class, and something respectable and lavish.

I’ve also seen you with pieces of art inspired by different musicians. You have ones about Kanye, Erykah Badu, and Janelle Monae. What about those artists made you pick them as subjects for you work?

With the women, Erykah Badu is kind of like the present. You have girls with the natural hair, out there doing their thing. And then Janelle Monae, she does everything you wouldn’t traditionally see a woman do. She wears a suit on stage, she owns and takes charge, she speaks for her own and doesn’t need anyone to represent for her. For that, I can see what the future woman could possibly be like. As for Kanye, he's always been a favorite. I love his albums, his vibes and especially his wordplay. He’s just a really dope artist. One thing they all have in common is their influence on our culture today. Each one plays an important role.  

Can you pick one song on your playlist and give us the story behind it?

I’m gonna talk about “Analog 2” by Odd Future. That track is something you probably wouldn’t think Odd Future would come out with. It’s a collaboration with Frank Ocean, Syd the Kid, and Tyler, the Creator, and it has this real angelic feel. At the time it came out, I just got my whip. It probably wasn’t the best thing, but it was something. It was a big moment, and it was kind of like, “Oh I’m kind of independent now.” There a line in there that’s like, “Meet me by the lake at ten, if I'm not there just call, And if you're on your way there, I'll ride you on my handle bars.” To me, my car was my handle bars, steering me down a road of maturity. It all represented a period and state of like, “Ok cool, I can kind of do my own 'thang' now.”

Anything else you want to say about your playlist?

My playlist is a reintroduction to live instruments. All of them have some type of instrument that’s being played. Now, on the radio I hear club bangers, so I tried to dial it down a bit, and tried to show that instrumentation is still the foundation of music.  

Listen to Dezmond’s playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.

Connect with Dezmond:

https://twitter.com/Designs_by_Dez

https://www.instagram.com/dez.by.design/

https://www.designsbydez.shop/

Connect with Moments In Song.

#roundaboutvids #gatherround #Moments in Song #music #hip hop #R&b #the internet #smino #ari lennox #odd future #kanye west #jcole #common #masego #frank ocean #drake

[momentsinsong]

Moments In Song No. 012 - Rya

“Moments In Song” asks people one simple question, “What are you listening to?” We believe that you can learn a lot about an individual and their experiences based off of the music they love. For every installment we ask someone to make a playlist of 10 songs they’re listening to, whether it be something new they stumbled upon, or a song they’ve always loved, and explain the story behind their choices. The person’s playlist is then uploaded, giving them the chance to share it with others. Each post aims to profile someone from a different walk of life, whether they be an artist, a student, the mailman, a school teacher, an athlete, a nurse, your next-door neighbor, anyone with a love for music; showing that no matter where we come from, what we do, or what we look like, music has the ability to bring us together.

Rya shares a playlist with a little bit of everything, and talks to us about her emotional connection with music, her love for Kid Cudi, and what song pushes her to be great.

Words by Julian.

Photos by Tayo.

What was the thought process behind making your playlist? 

I was kind of conflicted, and didn’t really know what songs to pick. I didn’t want to be judged by the songs I did or did not pick. Most of the time, I don’t have a set playlist. I just hit shuffle and listen to whatever comes on. That’s kind of why my list is so random and has a little bit of everything.

You mentioned earlier, that it was really difficult for you to pick 10 songs. Can you tell me what was the criteria a song needed to meet to make that 10?

I didn’t really have a set criteria for what songs would make the list. I just picked random songs off the top of my head.  Honestly, I started with a list of 20 and had to cut it down to my favorite 10. Picking just 10 songs was a lot harder than it sounds.

 There are songs on there, both old and new. What’s a song on your playlist that you’ve always loved, and knew just had to be on there?

I L-O-V-E Kanye. Kanye is a pure genius. I think he’s this crazy, witty, and insanely wonderful human being. “Through the Wire,” was his first song and ever since then I’ve been a huge fan. He was this cool kid from the Chi who released a song with his mouth wired shut. That right there is pure ambition. That is why I had to have Kanye on my list.

How would you describe your taste in music?

I don’t really have a favorite type of music. I listen to a little bit of everything. As long as it’s not death heavy metal, I can pretty much vibe to anything. My go to is that 90s, 2000's R&B. Can't go wrong. 

When you first start listening to music, you kind of just listen to what is on the radio, or what other people are playing, or what you see on TV. But after a while, there’s a point when you start actively looking for music, or you start to keep up with a certain artist. Is there an artist, album, or song that helped you get to the point of developing your own taste in music?

I don’t think I have a moment, where I was like, “Ok, I only want to listen to this type of music.” But I will say when I got older, I noticed that there are a lot of artists our here that aren’t about anything. They lack content. They rap about superficial things instead of the things that really matter. Me and Zack’s favorite artist in high school was Kid Cudi. Back in ‘09, we’d blast the “Man On The Moon” album like everyday. At that time I felt that Kid Cudi was one of the best conscious rappers. For me the music had to have content. Anything lacking a message was just junk. 

What about his music really stuck with you?

Cudi just always talked about some of his darkest moments. It fueled a lot of his songs. He just got deep with his personal life and poured that passion and pain into his music. He was always really personal and I think that is to be appreciated.

What role, if any, would you say music plays in your life?

Music plays a big role in my life. Any emotion that you feel, there is always a song for that. When I was going through my break up, it was a lot of Keisha Cole, Mya, K. Michelle, and a lot of music that was like “F him.” For any emotion you feel, there’s a song for it. Whenever I’m in a mood, whether it be good, bad, or indifferent, I can turn on some music and it will instantly mellow me out. Music definitely is a savior for some people. I wouldn’t go as far and say is the case for me, but music has the power to move.

Can you pick one song on your playlist and give us the story behind it?

So the song that I want to elaborate on, is definitely Beyonce’s “I Was Here.” The song talks about how much she wants to be this great influence on the world. Not even in a materialistic way, but just through her contributions to the world. Whether it be on a humanitarian level, or just giving a girl a role model to look up to. So the song resonates with me so much because I want to pursue a career in community service. My degree is in psychology and my goal in life is to do work for those who aren't afforded some of life's luxuries. I want to give back to the community, especially the kids here in Baltimore. I want to do something that’s bigger than me. It doesn’t have to be giving money, but more so giving my time and sowing myself back into the community that exists only 25 minutes away from me. I was born and grew up in Baltimore County, but I have family who grew up in the city, and were a part of the system who still live within that mentality. That’s why I love this song. Every time I listen to it I get emotional, because it’s like, “ I have to be great, I'm hungry to be great.” Even if it’s not for me, it’s for the little kid on the corner so he knows he doesn’t just have to squeegee car windows or sell water. He can go to college and aspire to be so much more.

Listen to Rya’s playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.

Connect with Rya:

https://www.instagram.com/rya.lynnn/

https://twitter.com/iamryalynn

Connect with Moments In Song.

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