Eighteen Songs for Summer 2018 Vol. 2 of 2
A month later and 'Eighteen Songs For Summer 2018 Volume 2' is here. If you have not listened to the songs from Volume 1, you can listen here. I wanted to close out this curation of songs in a cultural way, choosing my favorite songs from the genres of Jamaican Dancehall, Soca, Dominican Republic Dembow, Brazilian Baile Funk and even Hip-Hop. Take a swim in this pool of cultural goodness.
1. Freezy "Split In Di Middle"
Well, here goes another song that I am late to the party for. Although "Split In Di Middle" was released last year I only just heard this last month in July. I had to find the song right away. This heavy bass drives me wild.
2. Popcaan "Body So Good"
Just about everything Popcaan releases I end up liking. "Body So Good" is one of these songs. This song bleeds rhythm but then again that's most songs on this list.
3. Dovey Magnum "Bawl Out (Rum & Boom Riddim)"
Lyrically, this song is about the pleasures of unprotected sex. The way Dovey Magnum sings over the Run and Boom makes the song much more digestible. There is no denying how sexy of a song this is.
4. Lil Rick "Sugar Lump"
"Sugar, sugar, sugar..." is repeated over and over on this high energy, body "jookin'" song performed by Lil Rick. Any song with a rambunctious bassline is a winner in my book.
5. Hardware & Hard Ears “No Glass Back (Just Bend)”
Do you like to let loose and throwback back all your stress into the world? Then "No Glass Back (Just Bend)" on the Glass Back Riddim is the song for you. This tempo is oh so nice.
6. “Bashment Time Riddim”
I could not post just one song but an entire riddim. Very quickly for those who do not know, in Jamaican dancehall and Soca music a riddim is an instrumental that many artists take and lay their vocals over to create their unique song. This popular riddim has twelve individual songs and I love eight of them. From Charly Black to Shenseea to Tarrus Riley, I cannot stop moving my body everytime I listen to one of these songs.
7. Hypasounds “Brace”
“Brace” is the definition of a soca song. The melody is beyond rhythmic and it has “pretty” instrumentation as I like to call it. This is definitely a song to grab a partner and dance on them.
8. Swaggy “Squirm (Bareback Riddim)”
“Squirm” is one funky ass song and I love it. I first heard it via a meme of an alien dancing. I feel like I need to take a drop everytime this song comes on.
9. Santigold - “I Don’t Want”
I was very surprised when I saw this album pop up a few New Music Fridays ago. When I saw ‘I Don’t Want: The Goldfire Sessions’ I thought it was a mixtape but this was a brand new studio release. The album is Reggae-influenced through and through. I absolutely love “I Don’t Want.” The tempo is slow but the melody and rhythm puts me in a state of euphoria.
10. Rhea Layne - “Speakah” feat. Anna Mariah
Rhea Layne’s cadence on “Speakah” is so complementary to the bass-heavy and bounvy production. I feel like finding a giant speaker to jump on top of and just start dancing.
11. Janet Jackson - "Made For Now” feat. Daddy Yankee
“Made For Now” is a fresh new delivery, just arriving yesterday. The global Pop icon is back in prime form with Daddy Yankee. The song itself is not iconic itself but it surely is a feel good song with a positive message that is perfect for the Summer. This song was also well played as it combines the aesthetics and sounds of Latin and Afrobeat which is all the rage right now.
12. Stefflon Don “Favourite Girl”
I still am not completely sold on Stefflon Don. I went back and listened to her early songs and it’s clear they are try to put emphasis on her Caribbean roots to make her have a wider appeal. With that being said, I am loving “Favourite Girl” from her recently released ‘SECURE’ mixtape. This is a slow wine song.
13. HardWare “Mind Ya Business” feat. Sheriann Norris
The thing about Caribbean culture that I love is humor. Island people are some comical people and “Mind Ya Business” is a perfect example of this. I find myself laughing and dancing at the same time to this song.
14. El Mayor Clásico - “Ven Meneate”
I cannot forget about my Dembow music. This cultural music from Dominican Republic makes me move on any occasion. Especially “Ven Meneate” which opens up with some instrumental that sounds fitting for any superhero movie and then the bass kicks in and I lose all sense.
15. Davido “Like That”
Allow me to introduce you to sensual and sexy wrapped into one song. “Like That” is a prime example of such a song. I only picture someone dancing to this song in slow motion.
16. Mole & Brucelee Almightee “Aye” (Glue Trap Riddim)
“Aye” is another one of those funky ass songs that I just cannot get enough of. I am capable of becoming really hyperactive in my behavior and the only thing I want to do when I hear this song is slam my body on a hard surface.
17. MC Leléto e MC Maromba “Automaticamente”
I am a longtime fan of Brazilian Baile Funk music, for more than a decade. Like these other cultural genres, the music is bass heavy and oh so rhythmic. “Automaticamente” is very much in line with the name of its genre: pure funk.
18. Nicki Minaj “Coco Chanel” feat. Foxy Brown/ Inspirations Outro”
The wait was long but Nicki Minaj finally delivered her fourth studio album titled ‘Queen.’ It is such a good album, too bad her personality gets in the way of people appreciating her craft for what it is. My favorite songs on the album are “Coco Chanel” and “Inspirations Outro” which is actually one song split into two. This is her paying homage to her island and/or Trinidadian heritage with the steel drums instrumental. The “Inspirations Outro” is magic. To hear her name drop all of these influential artists is Caribbean music is incredible.