Here’s a list of 10 songs that, together and separately, represent who I am and what I am interested in –
- Hey Mama – Kanye West – We’ll start off with a song that portrays two of my favorite things: Rap, and my mom. Just like Kanye West, I recognize all that my mother has done for me. He’s just able to display it more creatively than I.
- Sixteen – Rick Ross and Andre 3000 – Another rap song, Sixteen focuses on how the average 16 bar verse of everyday rap songs is never enough to fully express how some one really feels. Just like how a 10-song playlist constricts me, trying to convey my interests to the class.
- Houdini – Foster The People – I felt it was appropriate to add this song to the playlist as it was my most played song from last year. Whenever I went snowboarding, I would shuffle through my playlists just to make sure it came on before starting a run.
- REVOFEV – Kid Cudi – Now a completely different person, the old Kid Cudi was all about the younger generation doing nothing but partying and having fun. Obviously, it would be bad to take his advice to extremely, but I can’t remember a time where a Cudi song was playing and I wasn’t having a good time. This song just captures that message. REVOFEV = Revolution of Evolution.
- Do You Feel Like I Do? – Peter Frampton – I had to add this song. It’s by Peter Frampton – the first mainstream artist to use autotune. That’s right, before T-Pain. He would begin concerts as rock and roll shows and break out the autotune half way through. His use of it was incredible and unfortunately, has almost been forgotten. This song (the oldest in my playlist) of his uses autotune in a completely bizarre yet amazing way.
- The New Workout Plan – Kanye West – A song which mocks modern culture and people’s (specifically, women) obsession with appearance. A trend that I enjoy to mock, yet be guilty of.
- Exile Vilify – The National – An incredibly somber song that was introduced in a game that I use when trying to explain my obsession with video games – Portal 2.
- It Was a Good Day – Ice Cube – This song speaks for itself. It’s the song you want to listen to on a drive home after a long, fulfilling day. I’ve done this countless times.
- Clique – Kanye West, Jay Z, and Big Sean – A song that is manly just boasting about one’s own circle of friends. It emphasizes my love of my friends and how much more they mean to me than just a “clique”.
- King Without a Crown (Live at Stubbs version) – Matisyahu – Me, being Jewish, can’t not love this song alongside Matisyahu himself. A mix of upbeat reggae and rap, it emphasizes my importance of religion yet having fun too.
Irving, I’ve known you throughr middle schook and high school and I must say this playlist really sums you up as an individual. You always like to have a good time but you put your responsibilities first. You associate strongly with your religion and community and you’ve always been a mamas boy.