We obviously dig playlists, and I’m sure y’all do too. While we’ve featured indie labels’ curated playlists with the artists they host, special holiday mixes, or any random excuse for a playlist, but what about artist-curated playlists? (Read our last one here) What are your favorite bands and artists listening to nowadays, who do they rank as their favorites, and what do they have on their iPods? In this new feature, we’ll give you a new playlist every now and then, curated by some bands and artist faves. This time, our guest playlist curator is: Ana Tijoux.
You can’t expect any less from this Chilean-French poetess. She put together a hip hop/reggae-concentrated, 11-track playlist of the good stuff taking over Ana’s eardrums. Among these, find some dancehall, French hip hop, lover’s rock, Brazilian Afro beat, and underground Cuban rap. This’ll probably clarify a bit more of where she gets her dope lyrical rhymes. I ain’t gonna blab too much about how good these tracks are. But as you know, people judge you by the music you listen to. So all we’ll do is tip our hat to this homegirl, and let you do the listening. Respect.
1) Nas & Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley
“Nah Mean”
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One of the best collabos out there, Nas and Damian Marley! Come on!
2) Fat Freddy’s Drop
“This Room”
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New Zealand’s dub/reggae septet. Gotta love that sweet mellow, skanky sound!
3) Baloji
“Entre les lignes”
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Baloji (aka MC Balo) is a Belgium-based hip hop soul artist descendant from Congo. Really get into this artists, a lot of great stuff.
4) SubVerso
“Terroristas”
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Hip hop Chileno. Edúcate.
5) Criolo
“Bogotá”
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No list cannot be complete without Brazilian Afro beat.
6) Joe Arroyo y la verdad
“La Rebelión”
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Colombian salsa, tropical singer.
7) Flying Lotus
“Fall In Love”
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California-based Flying Lotus (née Steven Ellison), experimental multi-genre music producer, responsible for his killer remixes from Erykah Badu’s to the currently rumored Radiohead.
8) U-Roy
“Runaway Girl”
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U-Roy (aka The Originator) is Jamaica’s dancehall and roots reggae master. Also pioneering Jamaican toasting.
9) DJ Dacel with Camileazy and Solo Di Medina
“Viviendo de recreo”
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Santiago de Chile’s hip hop producer, DJ Dacel, who also guest turntabled in Ana’s debut album 1977.
10) Ana Tijoux
“Shock”
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Ana’s single which also made it in our Best of 2011. Highlights the student movement in Chile.
11) El B (Los Aldeanos)
“La naranja se picó”
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These MC’s are very “underground.” And yes, in Cuba that word still exists. Also check out “Libertad de expresión.”