WARMER MIXTAPES #749 | by Ashley Charles [Amplify Dot]
1. Wale | Bad (feat. Rihanna) (Remix)
This is one of my favourite songs right now. I love tracks that celebrate bad girls, (see also ASAP Rocky - Fuckin Problems) so with Rihanna as a feature this song was always gonna tick my boxes.
2. J. Cole | Power Trip (feat. Miguel)
It's rare for a rapper to be able to completely nail a Love song (although LL Cool J came close on Love You Better), so this song is a massive triumph for J. Cole and proves why he is lyrically one of the strongest artists amongst this generation of Hip-Hop. The sentiment is beautiful without being corny. He talks about how being a success can give you the confidence to approach an old crush and that's real!
3. Lauryn Hill | Doo Wop (That Thing)
This song is without a doubt one of the greatest Solo debuts I have ever heard. No playlist of mine would be complete without some Lauryn Hill, she is one of the main reasons I fell in Love with Music and this song kicked off what is still my All Time favourite album - The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. This song defines everything that is great about Social Commentary in Music. It teaches you a lesson about Materialism while making you bop your head.
4. Jay-Z | Can I Get A... (feat. Ja Rule & Amil)
This playlist could have easily been taken over by Jay-Z songs, he IS (to me) the greatest rapper of All Time. This track featured one of my favourite 90's rappers Ja Rule and one of the most under-rated Female Lyricists Amil. The track was a war on gold-diggers, but it was written from both a Male and Female perspective, making it a very clever Club banger, which is no mean feat....
5. Eminem | My Fault
Eminem is one of the greats and The Slim Shady LP was a groundbreaking Hip-Hop Classic. My Fault was one of many controversial Rap Satire tracks from Em and he often came under fire for it, something I recently experienced with my own track Kurt Cobain. But I love Rebellious Music that sticks a middle finger up at the rules and this song did exactly that. There is no doubt that My Fault, amongst other Eminem songs (see also Stan and '97 Bonnie & Clyde) is the definition of Story Telling and it has never been done better by anyone else.
6. Beyoncé | Grown Woman
This is my jam right now. I am one of Beyoncé's many disciples (it has become a religion) and when she dropped this for her new campaign it reaffirmed everything I love about her.
7. Janet Jackson | Got 'Til It's Gone
The first album I bought for myself was Janet Jackson's Velvet Rope at the age of about 10 and Got 'Til It's Gone was, of course, one of its stand out tracks. It's such a true statement that I've often learnt the hard way.
8. Q-Tip | Breathe And Stop
I've always loved this track and used to write all my raps over the Instrumental when I first started Secondary School. Q-Tip's tone and flow was one of my favourites growing up and Breathe And Stop was one of the first Rap songs that I learnt word for word.
9. Stevie Wonder | As
I discovered this song at about 11 when I heard it in the scene of one of my favourite Rom Coms The Best Man. It is one of the most beautiful songs I know (see also Sade - By Your Side) and is a Timeless Contribution to Music from one of the greats.
10. Missy Misdemeanor Elliott | The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)
Missy is one of my biggest Musical inspirations and this song sums up why. Produced by the legend that is Timbaland and accompanied with a video by visual genius Hype Williams, this song blew my mind when it dropped it 1997.
