This week’s mix includes throwback tracks from J. Cole, Erykah Badu and Ta-Ku – there is no way you won’t be giving this list another spin.
By Tira Lee
Shortly after the release of her “Hotline Bling” remix, Erykah Badu went on to create a phone-themed mixtape. “Phone Down” is one of our favorite tracks off the mixtape; 20 seconds in and we knew we were hooked.
Will we ever get tired of listening to reworks of this hit by Musiq Soulchild? Probably not. Hailing from the Netherlands, Wantigga has been experimenting with different forms of music since childhood. Brought up in a church, Wantigga was largely exposed to soul and jazz music. He picked up several instruments before settling on electronic hip-hop. Listening to the songs in his discography, we’re able to hear all these different elements come together to create a unique sound that Wantigga can truly call his own.
Beatmaking legend Mr. Carmack has blessed us with a flip of the equally legendary “Love Somebody” by Ta-Ku and Wafia (the songbird has given the track her nod of approval). With his signature style, Mr. Carmack has made the track perfect for dancing and crying to, so play this if you’re game for an emotional roller coaster ride.
Beat poetry and hip-hop sounds like a pretty strange mix, but boy does it work on this song, one of the tracks from Milo’s 2015 album, so the flies don’t come. Unforgiving and racially-charged, Milo doesn’t hold back on listing down his thoughts on racism and black culture. Here’s a good example of an artist who wants to be heard for all the right reasons.
Positive rap is so rare to find these days, and who can do it better than arguably one of the best rappers in this day and age, J. Cole. The line “there’s beauty in the struggle” sticks long after the song ends, and seems timely, in light of the divide in the world.