playlist

21 Jul 2023

Lucy Dacus Calls Barack Obama a ‘War Criminal’ After Boygenius Made His Playlist

Barack Obama unveiled his annual summer playlist on Thursday afternoon (July 20), sharing his eclectic mix of music recommendations.

Upon seeing that Boygenius’ “Not Strong Enough” made the list, the group’s guitarist Lucy Dacus was not thrilled. She took to Twitter to retweet the playlist, writing, “war criminal :(.”

While its not entirely clear what incident Dacus is referring to in her response, the former POTUS came under fire during his presidency for his approval of drone warfare and authorizing the use of strikes in Pakistan and Yemen, which ended up killing hundreds of civilians.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The 44th commander-in-chief has been known over the past few years to treat followers with at least two playlists — one in the summer and one at the end of each year — every year.

Among the other songs featured on Obama’s 2023 summer playlist included SZA’s “Snooze,” J Hus and Drake’s “Who Told You,” Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro’s “Vampiros,” Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj’s “Princess Diana” and Janelle Monáe’s “Only Have Eyes 42.” Classics from Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding and Ella Fitzgerald also made the cut.

 “Like I do every year, here are some songs I’ve been listening to this summer — a mix of old and new,” Obama tweeted. “Look forward to hearing what I’ve missed.”

07 May 2023

Hip-Hop Wired Presents: CRT FRSH [Certified Fresh] Playlist 5.5.23

HipHopWired Featured Video

Young man with red headphones and a notebook leaning against the wall, near the entrance door of the university.

What up, Hip-Hop Wired Nation? We’re back with CRT FRSH AKA Certified Fresh! Part of our duty as a publication and crew is to school the masses on who is doing what musically and there’s no better way to do that beyond our CRT FRSH (Certified Fresh) bi-weekly playlist.

Disclaimer:

The CRT FRSH playlist is a labor of love. We don’t take payments nor do we do favors. We only add joints to our playlist that fit the theme and vision we’re going for and don’t seek to waste the time of the listener. Further, we don’t stick to one lane of Hip-Hop. We believe that all aspects of the music should get some light, whether it’s young lions in the trenches or those hoping for that one shot to blow up to grizzled veterans puffing out their chests with lots more to say.

Yes, we know CRT FRSH is supposed to be a bi-weekly endeavor but sometimes, life gets in the way. That said, we have 50 new, sort of new, and new to you joints for you to enjoy. Check it out.

We open the playlist with Scar Lip’s “This is New York,” one of the hardest songs to emerge in years in any region. We follow that up with “Mr. Gaulden” from YoungBoy Never Broke Again from his latest full-length, Don’t Try This At Home. Teen titan Luh Tyler checks in with his track, “First Show.”

Rising Philly rapper Armani White dropped his new album Road to CASABLANCO., and the remix to his hit song “Billie Eilish” features the talents of Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, and N.O.R.E.

Conway The Machine returns with another stellar full-length in WON’T HE DO IT and among the excellent selection of tracks, we went with “Stab Out” featuring the sharp stylings of Ransom on the helpout. Los Angeles-based rapper YUNGMORPHEUS has dropped some consistently great projects over the past four years and his latest set, From Whence It Came, is possibly his strongest work to date. We feature “Where It Goes” featuring the angelic vocals of Jimetta Rose.

Salute to iann dior, Moneybagg Yo, Sideshow (salute to DC), Kay Anthony, Stik Figa, Planet Asia, billy woods, Kenny Segal, Coi Leray, NLE Choppa, Jae Skeese, Skip The Kid (look out for this producer!), Lupe Fiasco, klwn cat, Backwood Sweetie, and more.

Check out the CRT FRSH playlist below.

—

Photo: iantfoto / Getty

02 May 2023

23 Top Graduation Songs for the Class of 2023

Your final year of school is nothing if not an emotional rollercoaster. Excitement, nervousness and at least a hint of sadness are just a few of many emotions that senior students feel as they prepare for the next chapter of their lives.

Even those who are not part of the class of 2023 can remember all the “lasts”: your last first day, last homecoming game, last spring break, last exam, and finally, the highly-anticipated last day of school. It’s a lot to take in — on top of prom and college decisions for high schoolers and job-hunting for higher ed students. And before even getting a chance to catch your breath, it’s time to bust out the caps and gowns for pomp and circumstance, snatch that diploma you’ve worked so hard to get, say your farewells and, of course, celebrate.

To get the party started, Billboard has rounded up 22 tracks that make great additions to any graduation playlist. From songs written for the purpose of this very moment like Vitamin C’s 2000s era earworm “Graduation (Friends Forever),” to classics like Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration,” to melancholy yet optimistic numbers like Billie Eilish’s quarantine-era “my future,” to rocking tunes written for those who are wholeheartedly anti-school like Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out,” there’s something on this list that everyone is sure to enjoy. If you don’t have a graduate to celebrate but you wanna take a musical trip down memory lane, these tracks are sure to have you all up in your nostalgic feelings.

Check out these odes to growing up and making new memories below.

16 Apr 2023

Hip-Hop Wired Presents: CRT FRSH [Certified Fresh] Playlist 4.14.23

HipHopWired Featured Video

Black woman, DJ and music for party, club or event in celebration, sound or energy with technology. African American female musician with turntable for disco, concert or audio track at nightclub

What up, Hip-Hop Wired Nation? We’re back with another edition of CRT FRSH AKA Certified Fresh! Part of our duty as a publication and crew is to school the masses on who is doing what musically and there’s no better way to do that beyond our CRT FRSH (Certified Fresh) bi-weekly playlist.

Disclaimer:

The CRT FRSH playlist is a labor of love. We don’t take payments nor do we do favors. We only add joints to our playlist that fit the theme and vision we’re going for and don’t seek to waste the time of the listener. Further, we don’t stick to one lane of Hip-Hop. We believe that all aspects of the music should get some light, whether it’s young lions in the trenches or those hoping for that one shot to blow up to grizzled veterans puffing out their chests with lots more to say.

Related Stories

This week’s update is broken up into two halves, much like we did last time. The first 25 songs are folks that should already be on most folks’ radars or very close to it. In the second half, we dug deep into the virtual crates to shine a light on the future big names of tomorrow. As always, we didn’t list everything we liked and we’ll add the joints we missed in some following updates.

We open up this week’s update with SZA’s remix of “Kill Bill” from her 2022 album SOS which features Doja Cat displaying her formidable rapping ability. We follow that up with another remix, this time Ice Spice’s “Princess Diana” featuring Nicki Minaj in a scene-stealing turn.

The Alchemist has been on quite a run in the last few years and his collaborative album with Larry June, The Great Escape, is packed with strong joints, most notably “Palisades, CA” featuring Big Sean for the first time over an Alchemist beat. Other tracks in the playlist’s first half include “Search and Rescue” from Drake, “DOGTOOTH” from Tyler, The Creator, and “Fallin’” from Joey BadA$$.

On the playlist’s second half, we include “Half Steppin’” from Grafh and one of our favorite rappers in Smoke DZA. Patty Honcho, a name you all should look out for, torches his track “Clocking In” with BlaQ Chidori on the help out. In that same crew, producer klwn cat and his collaborative album Don’t Go Outside with unruly has a number of joints we looked over and went with “Tell Me How You Feel” featuring Mourning Run and the talented Matt Draugos.

We also have joints on the CRT FRSH list from Hus Kingpin, IDK, BIA, Curren$y, Nappy Nina, B. Cool-Aid, Chris Crack, YUNGMORPHEUS, defprez, Black Thought, and more. Enjoy the playlist and we’ll be updating it in a couple of weeks with 50 brand-new joints.

—

Photo: PeopleImages / Getty

26 Mar 2023

Hip-Hop Wired Presents: CRT FRSH [Certified Fresh] Playlist 3.24.23

HipHopWired Featured Video

After Work Chill

What up, Hip-Hop Wired Nation? We’re back with CRT FRSH AKA Certified Fresh! Part of our duty as a publication and crew is to school the masses on who is doing what musically and there’s no better way to do that beyond our CRT FRSH (Certified Fresh) bi-weekly playlist.

Disclaimer:

The CRT FRSH playlist is a labor of love. We don’t take payments nor do we do favors. We only add joints to our playlist that fit the theme and vision we’re going for and don’t seek to waste the time of the listener. Further, we don’t stick to one lane of Hip-Hop. We believe that all aspects of the music should get some light, whether it’s young lions in the trenches or those hoping for that one shot to blow up to grizzled veterans puffing out their chests with lots more to say.

Related Stories

This week’s update is long overdue but will highlight some of the joints over the past couple of months that we’ve been rocking via our respective audio devices. Hopefully, you find a new fave in the CRT FRSH mix!

Since we’re heading to the Dreamville Festival this weekend, we open up with “Ma Boy” featuring JID and Lute, continuing the magic that the label seems to have on deck at all times. That track is followed with NLE Choppa’s “CHAMPIONS,” which will most likely make it to a lot of workout or walkout playlists. Memphis star GloRilla links with HittKidd once more for the entertaining “Internet Trolls” and it should be clear what her focus is here.

Young Nudy’s latest set Gumbo features several ear-pleasing tracks but the 21 Savage-assisted “Peaches & Egglants” is a standout. Lola Brooke is a rapper with a ton of momentum and her “So DISRESPECTFUL” joint definitely adds to the growth. Wiz Khalifa, one of the many stars of the so-called “Blog Era” re-released his 2008 Star Power mixtape and we include the track “Like A Star.”

One of the surprises of 2023 is Def Jam putting a deep focus on Hip-Hop’s underground with acts like Maxo and Navy Blue. We include the tracks “Both Hands” featuring the talented Liv.E, and “Windows to the Soul” featuring Kelly Moonstone respectively. Washington D.C. rapper Sideshow dropped his excellent 2MM JUST DON’T STAND THERE! album and we include “2MM” on this CRT FRSH drop.

We also have new joints from Privaledge, Spectacular Diagnostics, Ja’King The Divine, Midaz the Beast, Gold Chain Music, Skillibeng, Oddisee, Nito, Rueben Vincent, Flo Milli, IDK, Statik Selektah, and more.

Check out the joints below.

—

Photo: Getty

03 Mar 2023

Hip-Hop Wired Presents: CRT FRSH [Certified Fresh] Playlist 3.3.23 #DeLaSoul

HipHopWired Featured Video

2006 Southern Comfort Music Experience with Flaming Lips and Big Star

In this very special update of the CRT FRSH playlist, we’re turning our focus on the legendary trio, De La Soul. To honor the Plugs getting their music back onto streaming services, we’re featuring 33 (see what we did there?) tracks from the Long Island legends.

As every other Hip-Hop publication has artfully noted, the release of De La Soul’s in digital and downloadable form comes as fans of the group are still mourning the passing of David Jolicoeur, largely known as Dave and formerly known as Trugoy The Dove. Plug Two, as he was affectionately known, passed on Feb. 12 of this year at the age of 54.

Breaking the wall here a bit, I can tell you as a young man growing up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., having music created by a group that represented all sides of my personality and embodied some of my hopes and dreams was so instrumental in my development as a person. De La Soul made it cool to be a little left of center, and also be prepared to handle one’s self if needed as the crew told us on the track “Area” from Buhloone Mindstate.

While some might consider Posdonous the best rapper in the group, Plug Two was always my favorite within the rapping portion of De La Soul for reasons far too music nerdy to share here. All I’ll add to this is that a random encounter with Dave some years ago inside Reagan National Airport was a beautiful moment I’ll never forget. Truly a humble giant. May he rest in powerful peace. 

CRT FRSH is largely about celebrating the up-and-coming acts in the wide world of Hip-Hop but we thought it best to shift gears and turn our collective attention on the magnificent discography of De La Soul and how much they’ve impacted the culture of Hip-Hop over the past three decades.

The De La Soul edition of the CRT FRSH playlist can be found below.

—

Photo: Getty

31 Jan 2023

Hip-Hop Wired Presents: CRT FRSH [Certified Fresh] Playlist 1.27.23

HipHopWired Featured Video
Young man listening music with headphones

Source: Nando Vidal / Getty

What up, Hip-Hop Wired Nation? We’re back on our biweekly schedule with CRT FRSH AKA Certified Fresh! Part of our duty as a publication and crew is to school the masses on who is doing what musically and there’s no better way to do that beyond our CRT FRSH (Certified Fresh) bi-weekly playlist.

Disclaimer:

The CRT FRSH playlist is a labor of love. We don’t take payments nor do we do favors. We only add joints to our playlist that fit the theme and vision we’re going for and don’t seek to waste the time of the listener. Further, we don’t stick to one lane of Hip-Hop. We believe that all aspects of the music should get some light, whether it’s young lions in the trenches or those hoping for that one shot to blow up to grizzled veterans puffing out their chests with lots more to say.

One thing about doing a playlist is that it’s really tough to keep up with the glut of new music that comes out weekly and it doesn’t help that a lot of artists exist in their own ecosystems and social spaces online that discovering all the gold out there is difficult. That said, we believe in the art of (digital) crate digging because there is so much good music out there that we want to make sure we’re always highlighting.

We updated the playlist last Friday (Jan. 27) and tried our best to include other joints we missed in the last part of 2022 and early 2023. We’re pretty sure there are joints that should be here and we hope that someone reading this takes notice and puts us on to the new. Now, on with the show.

We open up this week’s playlist by honoring the life of Lola “Gangsta Boo” Mitchell, who passed away at the top of the year. The path Gangsta Boo laid for other women rappers from the south cannot be denied and her time in Three 6 Mafia solidified her place in the annals of Hip-Hop. We added GloRilla’s “FTCU” to round out the brief tribute, which features Gangsta Boo and further proves how vital Memphis is to the culture.

Keeping it in Memphis, Finesse2Tymes joins forces with Tay Keith for the track “Still With It” and Metro Boomin’s solid compilation HEROES & VILLIANS is packed with several songs we could’ve chosen for the list but we went with “Feel The Fiyaaaah” featuring A$AP Rocky and the late Takeoff.

DJ Drama is back on his Gangsta Grillz grizzly, and his tape with Icewear Vezzo, Paint The City, is another strong entry in the catalog. Joining Vezzo on “Trippin” is 2 Chainz in a scene-stealing turn. Again, we head back down to Memphis with the late Young Dolph and Key Glock joint “Thats How” from the rapper’s posthumous album, Paper Route Frank.

Back to Gangsta Grillz, French Montana’s Coke Boys 6 gets the mixtape treatment, and the track “RZA” features Black Soprano Family honcho Benny The Butcher in top form per usual.

It’s always dope to hear DJ Premier’s production and the legend lends his talents to the vocals of Seattle’s Macklemore on his track HEROES from his forthcoming album, Ben. And for those listeners of a certain age, the news that De La Soul’s catalog is coming to streaming services was huge. The veteran trio’s “The Magic Number” is the first of many tracks to come and we can’t wait.

Salute to the likes of Privaledge, Armani White, Denzel Curry, Cordae, Anderson .Paak, Russ, Styles P, Rasheed Chappell, 38 Spesh, Ty Farris, Mickey Diamond, YUDU featuring Godsilla, Eto, Oddisee, Poe Mack, Van Gunz, Mourning Run, Radio B, Ray Vaughn and more.

Check out the playlist below.

—

Photo: Getty