52 Weeks of Mixtapes
Week 9
Welcome back to 52 Weeks of Mixtapes, my second music series for The Low Major.
Every Sunday - unless it’s a week where I’m getting out and enjoying the world (oops!) - I’ll publish a mixtape of music centered around something - a feeling, a time, a person, a place. We’re running on vibes here. Each playlist cover will be a photo or an edit that’s my own work. This shit’s organic.
Two (self-imposed) rules for this project:
Each mixtape will never be more than an hour - usually in that 45-60 minute space, long enough to run with it, but I’m not gonna brute-force any level of length. Quality over quantity, as they say.
I’m also going to try to avoid reusing artists within the same mixtape and tracks within the same month. Sometimes songs are good enough that it’d be silly to not touch on them again, so you might see some old friends.
I’ll link to the playlist, talk a little bit (like, one sentence) about each track, their ordering and why they were included, and that’ll be all. Pretty simple, and hopefully enjoyable for you.
the madness of it all
needing five wins in six days and starting off with a record-breaker
1 | JACKBOYS | JACKBOYS | 0:47
Slick synthetic production - it’s only a minute, but it’s a damn fine minute, good little tonesetter.
2 | GUMMY | BROCKHAMPTON | 4:21
Self-described boyband and ensemble hip-hop/rap troupe BROCKHAMPTON were an obsession around 2018/2019 for me, and something about this song’s eccentric production really just sits right with my ‘lock in’ mindset.
3 | SAMO | Vince Staples | 2:54
I could pick any of about twenty Vince songs here, but SAMO is the most consistent member of my hooping rotation.
4 | Ultimate | Denzel Curry | 3:10
Pretty much the perfect hype song.
5 | Dance Now | JID feat. Kenny Mason | 3:48
The way that JID creates and weaves his lyrics throughout his music is one of the coolest things I’ve seen in recent memory.
6 | Backseat Freestyle | Kendrick Lamar | 3:33
As good as JID is, Kendrick might be better - and though this song doesn’t really showcase that, it’s still a good time waiting to happen.
7 | waves [RAC Mix] | Miguel | 4:49
Almost just picked a list entirely composed of songs named ‘waves’, but this was my compromise.
8 | Burfict! | JPEGMAFIA feat. Danny Brown | 2:21
Ridiculously earwormy beat with that brass hook, and Peggy + Danny is such a match made in heaven that this was a no brainer.
9 | Lose Control | Glass Animals feat. Joey Bada$$ | 3:30
Glass Animals’ music is surprisingly fantastic for rap, though the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Joey runs with it here to fantastic acclaim.
10 | Fight Night | Migos | 3:36
Just a great ‘getting hype with the boys’ track.
11 | All Nites | Clams Casino feat. Vince Staples | 2:48
Vince is back! Clams Casino takes a really sparse approach to sonic production and it works so well here because Vince tends to lean that way - it’s authentic but fresh.
12 | Big Rings | Drake feat. Future | 3:38
March, baby. Everybody wants a ring.
13 | Man of the Year | ScHoolboy Q | 3:36
Q is a bit hit-or-miss for me, generally, but this one always gets the volume dial cranked way up.
14 | The Glory | Flatbush Zombies feat. Denzel Curry | 5:50
Flatbush Zombies take such a unique stab at production, and their quick-witted lyrics sit so well here. It’s just a jam in every aspect.
Enjoy the list! I’ll see y’all next week.