The Silver Tongue Devil.

My Zen playlist? Whew, don't get me started.

This playlist I typically listen to while I clean up or when I'm doing a bit of writing, but my favorite is when I'm driving places late in the day. I don't know what it is about night drives, but it's when I'm at my calmest. I guess it's because no one is on the road, no traffic, the stars, that sort of thing. I was going to put all the various soothing songs that I listen to, but I wanted to do something different.

I wanted to promote the artist I listen to the most on the playlist, Masego.

One day, I was cleaning the house with my mother and we decided to play Pandora on the large speaker. We went to the R&B section of the playlist and got right to work. While cleaning the kitchen and the living room, we heard a row of songs from the same artist that we've never heard of. The songs were nice! We were jammin', then we heard this same argument sang, "I need me a sugar mama, ole' lady, foxy mama, sophisticated!" We both stopped cleaning for a second and said, "Okay, who is this artist? This guy is nice!" We look at the name and see 'Old Age -Masego ft. SiR!'

This song is a mix of jazz, hip hop and soul all while having a humorous concept. The artist and his duet is sings over the smooth melody about how they're tired of dating women their age due to their lack of maturity and how they desire an older women, preferably one with a "fat ole' ass" as Masego states in the beginning skit. The older woman is appalled by the man's approach to her, but he sings throughout the song how age means nothing to him, he just wants his women to be one thing. Older!

Best Time/Place To Play This Track - This track is universal, but this tracks upbeat and Hip-Hop sounding theme fits more a party scene the best.

#2 - Lady, Lady.

This is the soundtrack that sounds like this man is older than what he is. Only 27, this one sounds as if it was a Jazz song created in the late 80's. Masego sings about spoiling his woman with a catchy hook out the gate. "If you want to be my lady, i'm gone call ya', c-c-call ya' lady, lady. Lady, laaaady." You ever hear a song that just starts off good right away? Every time it comes across my playlist and that base drops, it puts me in the zone in the shower. Luckily no one can see me dancing horribly in there!

Best Time/Place To Play This Track - Aimed towards a male audience trying to romance a "lady" friend you may like, but not gender specific. As a woman, I love to hear Masego sing about romanticizing another woman! I listen to this during my late night drives back from hanging out.

#3 - Queen Tings (Feat. Santi.)

Masego sings about something simple, how much he loves his queen, particularly, his black queen. "Oh, Sharon Leal. She stay down the Hall, or I call Regina." My mother loves that line because her name is also Regina, the name, stands for the word Queen. As soon as this track begins, you immediately get beach and warm weather vibes. I kid you not, 10 seconds in, the song makes you feel as if you're tanning in a beach chair with a nice drink beside you. This track puts you miles away, no matter what weather you live in. Unfortunately, I live in a place with freezing and unpredictable conditions, so though this song makes me feel happy, I think "Ugh, why am I not on a beach?"

Best Time/Place To Play This Track - ON THE BEACH!! (Or if not by a beach, by a pool, in some warm weather, or basically when you're on vacation.)

#4 - Just a Little. (Feat. De'Wayne Jackson.)

Now I know this is supposed to be about a meditation playlist, but is it possible for a song to be smooth but also still make you want to dance? It's not a house party song that makes you want to shake your butt on the dance floor, but it's a song that'll at least make you wiggling your shoulders in the car. In this song, Masego sings about how he and a girl are messing around, but though they haven't made anything official, he doesn't want her with anyone else. "You don't need another, we ain't even datin'! We're just dealing with each other..." he sings in the catchy chorus.

Best Time/Place To Play This Track - Need a jumpstart in your day or some early morning tunes that's not too overbearing? This is the perfect track. It's one of my favorites to listen to when I wake early to drive to work every Friday morning!

#5 - Black Love.

One of my favorites from Masego! Lovely song. Like in many of his songs, his instrumental is him playing an instrumental of his own. Many songs he plays the trumpet or the flute. In this one, there's little lyrics, but he plays a beautiful Piano melody throughout the entire song. You ever walk into a really fancy restaurant and hear music that let's you know the cheapest item on the menu is no less than $30? This song fits that "Mobster restaurant dinner meeting before the thrilling crime" to a tee.

Best Time/Place To Play This Track - During a late night drive or while in the shower. I personally love playing this one when I'm showering and preparing for bed. It's like the Nyquil of songs. It soothes you right before it's time to lay down.

#6 - Mystery Lady.

"We got it together, we vibin', you need to go, you not even there, I wanna die, baby..." is what Masego sings in the beginning of this, in case you're wondering what he says this catchy intro. I literally would not understand what he was saying if not for me Googling the lyrics, but it works. It just does. This is one of Masego's more catchy songs. Smooth but he dares himself a bit on this one compared to his other tracks. This one, he sings about having a lot of "hoes" with him during tours and how easy it is for him to turn a woman on. "In this life I come across fans and hoes, I saw her silhouette, I know I can make her wet..." Most of Masego's music is G-rated, so I loved to hear him step out of his comfort zone with this one. It's not raunchy, though. It's like most of his other songs. Smooth. I personally listen to this as my cooking music when my mother and I are in the kitchen scrambling around for ingredients!

Best Time/Place To Play This Track - Also a late night drive sort of song, but the song fits well with a party if you're having a drink with the girls, or if you're a gathered with the boys. It's not gender based, I promise. It's just a song you play as background music during game night.

#7 - Veg Out. (Wasting Thyme.)

Last but certainly not least, Veg Out! Now this song is another one that jumpstarts my day. Masego does it again with that piano, creating what seems like an upbeat piano melody that belongs in a Sesame Street musical in the beginning but it mellows into a smooth hip hop like melody! He sings about how he wants to get down to business with this woman, (Veg out) and doesn't want to (Waste no Thyme.), a clever food metaphor as to why he wants to stop playing around and act on his brewing feelings towards her. "I wanna veg out, I don't really care what you talm' bout.." This is a track I often find myself playing before I start my school work, especially since I don't feel like doing it half the time. It helps jump start me in that area.

Best Time/Place To Play This Track - Also a party song! Any party is fitting. A game night, backyard barbecue, pool party, whatever. Just make sure that it's a party!

Who is Masego?

This man is a lot younger than he sounds in his songs. His music and voice mimics a man twice his age in a 90's R&B era, but he's only 27 years old! Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Masego loved music since he was a child. He moved to Virginia with his family at a young age and taught himself how to play a variety of instruments. (From the Saxophone, Piano, Flute, Cello, Trumpet, Drums, and the Guitar.) He released his first project, The Pink Polo EP, and has continued to release music since, with his second project being Lady Lady.

Masego is not an A-Lister. I often find it appalling that good artists like these aren't big celebrities but there's so much repetitive music that's out. In all honesty, the current music industry lacks creativity and talent as it seems as if it takes little to no effort to make it. Yes that is harsh, but I've gotten to the point where I rarely recognize artists out today, and though I'm 25-years-old, I've become the old crab who refuses to accept that the old music that I grew up on has changed. With that being said, I wanted to take the time to introduce anyone who's reading to a new and refreshing artist, especially another talented black artist.

Masego deserves his flowers beyond my Zen playlist.