[PLAYLIST] Songs For People Who Smoke in the Shower 11
BY GREGORY HEDGEPETH
Songs For People Who Smoke in the Shower 11 is a playlist I created because I like to play music when I smoke in the shower. I cut the lights low, turn the music up and let all the stress of the day melt away. Most of these songs have been played ad nauseam over the past year or so, and although theres no single cohesive theme among them, once you spark your lighter and let the music take you away, I think you’ll immediately get the vibe.
Luniz — “I Got 5 On It”
“Like most folks my age, I loved this song when I was a kid without even realizing what it was even about. I just knew it was funky as hell and I always yelled the hook at the top of my lungs. The instrumental is straight-up iconic and when I heard how Jordan Peele remixed it for the ‘Us’ trailer, I immediately fell in love with the haunted version as well. It’s simply an exemplary smoke song.”
F.L.Y. (Fast Life Yungstaz) — “Swag Surfin’”
“What can be said about this song that hasn’t already been said across every HBCU over the past decade? When I first heard this jawn, I loved it—but I never imagined it would have the longevity it’s had. Who could have predicted that it would go on to become a quintessential theme song for Black colleges? If anything, I thought it would be one of those joints we would hear years later and kick ourselves for forgetting about it. I seriously hope those dudes eat off this junt forever because it’s become a true classic.”
K-OS — “Sunday Morning”
“If you ever worked in retail where they played the same songs over and over inside your store then you can probably relate to how I came across this jawn. Back when I worked at Foot Locker, they would play this joint like every 90 minutes and it quickly became one of my favorites. It’s a chaotic song that still comes off smooth somehow. Once the new CD came in for us to play inside the store, I almost didn’t want to switch it out because I still hadn’t gotten tired of it yet.”
Frank Ocean — “Pyramids”
“Back in my Tumblr days (if you know, you know), I don’t think there was an album I listened to more than ‘channel ORANGE.’ And of all the songs off that record, there was nothing that got more plays that “Pyramids.” I’m sure it wasn’t even close. It was like nothing I’d ever heard before and it inspired a lot of my writing at the time and sometimes even now (just about all the details surrounding the strip club from my New Lorraine series is based on it). It just doesn’t make any sense how dope Frank was on this jawn.”
Wale — “The Need To Know” (feat. SZA)
“I always thought Wale was a genius for using Seinfeld on ‘The Mixtape About Nothing’ and ‘The Album About Nothing,’ especially on this particular song. Jerry and Elaine discussing a friends-with-benefits situationship is one of my favorite episodes and Wale incorporated this clip perfectly. Plus, I dig SZA on the hook. She really complements this song well.”
The Foreign Exchange — “I Wanna Know (Live)”
“I love the OG version of this song, but the live version is just SOOOOOOO much better. Everything abort the instrumentation to the actual singing to Phonte’s banter at the end with the audience just makes you feel like you were actually there. The original is one of my favorite FE joints, but I prefer this version so much more (which is saying a lot because the original is spectacular). What’s crazy is I almost left it off the tape, because I got the name confused somehow.”
Listen to the playlist below or simply click the link.
Gregory Hedgepeth is the editor-in-chief of Vital Narrative Press. You can follow him on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Feel free to follow on all three. Or maybe just two. Yeah, two’s probably good — he’s not that interesting. Gregory Hedgepeth is also the author of MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT SUNRISES, THE YEAR THAT ANSWERED and A COLLECTION OF ECHOES. BUY THAT SHIT.