[PLAYLIST] Songs For People Who Smoke in the Shower 7
BY GREGORY HEDGEPETH
Songs For People Who Smoke in the Shower 7 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.
Soul For Real — “Every Little Thing I Do”
“Everybody knows “Candy Rain.” It’s a certified classic. And because of that, a lot of people try to claim Soul For Real as a one-hit wonder... but I say fuck that noise. This was their second single and it just never got enough play as far as I’m concerned. Even all these years later, I don’t understand how Soul For Real wasn’t a bigger act. RIP Heavy D.”
J. Cole — “False Prophets”
“If there’s one beef I wish would finally come to fruition, it would be a full-blown battle between Kanye and Cole. Musically, I think it would be one of the best rivalries we’ve seen in a long time—but alas, it’s probably not happening anytime soon since I’m sure they both have better things to do. That being said, Cole did his thing on this joint and even though it didn’t fit the album release at the time, I’m glad he still put this out because it’s one of his best songs. The beat seems so minimal, and as always, Cole raps over it effortlessly with lines like “So he grows out of control/Into the person that he truly was all along, it’s startin’ to show/Damn, wonder what happened/Maybe it’s my fault for idolizing niggas, based off the words that he rappin’.” Cole’s introspection is always one of my favorite things about his style of music—asking us to question rappers that we idolize is one of those lessons that should always stick with us.”
Total — “Can’t You See” (feat. The Notorious B.I.G.)
“This song just never gets old. I feel like you can throw this on at any time and folks will still dance and sing it word for word. When I was younger, I was definitely drawn to Biggie’s verse more, but as I’ve gotten older, the ones from Total have had way more impact. Man, Bad Boy has so many hits like this that are still super hard 20-30 years later.”
Monie Love — “It’s a Shame (My Sister)”
“One random night a few months back, I watched Class Act (a classic film from the 90s featuring Kid & Play) for the first time in a while. And while I watching, I started to realize that I’d completely forgotten about all the great music featured in the movie and on the soundtrack. This joint by Monie Love is the best of the bunch (although “Housecall” by Shabba Ranks and “I Wanna Love You” by Jade slap hard too).”
Dark Lo — “Ripped Apart” (feat. Benny The Butcher)
“Benny has my favorite lines on this one with “Nah, I ain’t jumping on no bandwagons/In the yard doing pull-ups ‘til my hands calloused/Fendi belt, but my pants sagging/All my lil’ mans flagging/Look like my watch took dance classes.” Dark Lo’s adlibs at the end are wild hilarious to me though. ”
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.