The Plug’n Play: March (‘25)
March 31, 2025
Illustration by Malaaya Adams
You can listen to the full playlist on Apple Music or Spotify
On the cover: Saba is a rapper and producer from the West Side of Chicago. On March 18th, Saba released From the Private Collection of Saba and No ID, a collaboration with fellow Chicagoan and veteran producer, No I.D.
If you’re looking for new music, this is the place for you! Each month, my friend, Kevin, and I select some of our favorite songs from the past month, compiling them into one playlist. While our tastes overlap in a lot of ways, they also diverge. Ultimately, these songs represent what has drawn us in, made us curious, or feel something.
Songs 1 - 15 were selected by me, Stanley. Songs 16 - 30 were selected by Kevin. We hope you find a song you like and check out the larger body of work, whether it’s an EP or an album. Below are a few words on some of my favorite songs from the month:
Stomping — Saba, No ID
Listening to From the Private Collection of Saba and No ID, I’ve been reflecting on where this album sits in Saba’s discography, particularly in relation to his debut album Bucket List Project from 2016. On Bucket List Project, the album is interspersed with audio clips of friends and family stating their respective bucket lists, creating a quilt of desire. On California — the 12th song on the album, which features Ravyn Lenae and Phoelix — Saba sings about hoping his bucket (car) could make it to California; that he’s driving in the right direction. Today, nearly a decade after the release of Bucket List Project, Saba is living in California and making a collaboration album with fellow-Chicagoan and veteran producer, surely a dream of any aspiring rapper who came of age during the early 2000s.
His 5th studio album, From the Private Collection of Saba and No ID, features a cast of figures you’ll find on his other projects: Eryn Allen Kane, Joseph Chilliams, Smino, Jean Deaux; all of whom emerged from Chicago’s music scene of the early 2010s. There’s also new collaborations, like Raphael Saadiq, Ibeyi, Oji, Madison McFerrin, and Kelly Rowland, amongst others. Saba’s sound is consistent, too. His predilection for the melodic and hard-hitting drums remains. On Crash, Saba sings in harmony with Raphael Saadiq and Kelly Rowland at different points throughout the choruses; then on Woes of the World, the next song after Crash, Saba assumes a lower register over a staccato trap beat. This is to say, From the Private Collection of Saba and No ID feels like an artist who is confident in their sound, in the choices he is making, yet still willing to explore.
Fantasy — Luna Li (Featuring Raveena)
I came to Luna Li — the Korean-Canadian, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter — and her music late last year (around September or so) while poking around on Spotify playlists, discovering her then recently released album, When a Thought Grows Wings. I was struck by her compositional style, the breadth of genres she was engaging in, the rich sonic quality of her music. Earlier this month, Luna Li re-released Fantasy, from the aforementioned album, but this time featuring Raveena. It’s the type of collaboration that, once you hear it, makes a lot of sense — their voices compliment each other’s in exciting ways as Luna Li often occupies the lower register, while Raveena occupies higher registers, making for a satisfying mix. I highly recommend checking out their live recording.
