The Plug’n Play: January (‘21)
January 31, 2020
You can listen to the full playlist on: Apple Music, Spotify, or Tidal
Below are some of our favorite songs from the month, and a bit about why we love them. The first 11 songs were selected by Kevin and the last 16 songs were selected by me, Stanley. We hope you find a song you like, and check out the entire album!
Stanley: Asiahn — My World
Asiahn’s newest offering, The Interlude, a song 5-song EP, features the singer-songwriter meticulously bridging time and sound, exploring both contemporary Trap aesthetics and a sonic palette reminiscent of 70s Soul music. My World, the opening track, features production from D’Mile (Lucky Daye, Victoria Monét), and builds its melodic and chord progression around Kendrick Lamar’s PRIDE. The subtle, and somewhat laid back, approach of the track allows for Asiahn’s sultry vocals and stacked harmonies to flourish; it’s a gem amongst a solid collection of songs.
Stanley: Jazmine Sullivan — Price Tags (Featuring Anderson .Paak)
It was hard trying to pick one song from Jazmine Sullivan’s latest EP, Heaux Tales — it’s that good! Heaux Tales sees the artist exploring new formats of storytelling and production styles, while also showing, once again, why she’s one of the the most gifted voices in music. Aided by production from veteran producer and guitarist, Jairus Mozee (JMO), Sullivan shows her versatility, playing the role of rapper on the verses and singer on the choruses (which is also the perfect compliment to Anderson .Paak’s approach). Sullivan’s new EP doesn’t disappoint in the slightest, and is well worth checking out if you haven’t already.
Stanley: tongue. — BONAFIDE, FORTIFIED
Last year, following the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent riots, tongue., a mutli-hyphenate artist based in Minneapolis, MN, penned a photographic essay for this site, telling the story of what it’s like to be Black in Minneapolis during such a tumultuous time, as well as the Black art(s) community. This time, tongue. is back with a new track entitled, BONAFIDE, FORTIFIED., which features production from Malcolm “Stony Wellz” Wells. tongue.’s new song is a sprawling display of storytelling mechanisms — rapping, singing, spoken word — but it never feels overwhelming. It’s a welcomed release from a talented artist.
