Recommended songs, artists, and albums to help enhance your playlist & music taste.
There is no doubt that your music taste and selection are as important as whether you brush your teeth or not. The music you listen to can in many ways be a direct reflection of who you are, your idols, your core beliefs, or just what you enjoy. Now with the year coming to end and everyone in anticipation of what their Apple and Spotify wrapped will look like, here are some suggestions you can add to your playlist now to get a more sophisticated and curated wrap.
First, let’s talk about albums. Before we go any further I am a huge fan of all genres but this year I focused mainly on listening back to classic Hip Hop and R&B albums like “The Score” by The Fugees, “Kollage” by our Philadelphia native, Bahamadia and more like “Madvillainy” by MF DOOM. If you are an OG Tyler The Creator fan and you’ve not personally dived into MF DOOM, you’re missing out. Tyler’s early sound is influenced by many people like DOOM, Madlib, and lots more who he has publicly recognized as his influencers. For example, if you listen to songs like “She” featuring Frank Ocean, and “Goblin,” it gives the satirical and humorous feel that highlight this nonchalant and careless nature that legends as DOOM embodied. So, MF DOOM is someone that should hit that playlist before the year is over.
Now when we talk about artists on the rise, there are 3 people you do not want to miss out on before they get huge. We have 070 Shake, who got a lot of her recognition from being the vocal voice in Ghost Town & Violent Crimes by Ye. We have Wesley Joesph, who is a British music artist, filmmaker, and producer. Lastly we have Lil Silva, who is also a British musician best known for his funky and groovy house music that he makes. These artists provide fresh and new sounds with amazing visuals that go with the songs they have out. I would say they are the pioneers of their time and are paving the way for other upcoming artists when it comes to authenticity and effort. For example in the visual for “Ultramarine” by Wesley Joesph, he doesn’t just give us a video for the song, but a story. He gives us an entry into the world he imagined when this exact song was created. These artists are bringing back the importance of presentation.
I would also like to recommend you always listen to new artists with an open mind;, try judging the song or the musician for that specific work you’re listening to without comparing it to other artists or previous work that they’ve done. Doing this has allowed me to open my ears to many diverse sounds and makes the art of listening and analyzing music a fun process. Try listening to one new song a day from different genres and see your music taste expands within the common years.
Links to songs & playlists:
Goblin (album)- Tyler The Creator
Ultramarine (Visual)- Wesley Joesph