WILT | SPRING 2020

For the past few years I've been curating collaborations and calling it the WILT (or What I'm Listening To Series). Starting at the top of the year I group 2 months together (with the exception of Summer) and spend the next 60 days filling the playlist with everything from newly discovered tracks to old gems and earworms.

I originally started this playlist optimistic that I would find some tracks as fresh as the budding flowers to lead into Spring and possibly spill into Summer (as they typically do) but then Rona happened. In March, the playlist suffered as I found myself in a shallow pool surrounded by familiar songs as opposed to the seemingly endless depths of Spotify's suggestions. I waded in the shallows until something pulled me under. That something was April. I quickly fell back into my old ways - navigating, listening, and liking, song after song; rabbit hole after rabbit hole of YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify suggestions until I came out on the other side, SPRING2020 playlist in tow.

I made it easy for you by adding Apple Music & Spotify embeds (#yourewelcome).

I spend hours making sure each playlist is contoured with the correct ebb & flow and this one is no different. I tried to stay away from melancholy and drab songs since 1. it's been soooo grey in Ohio during this quarantine and 2. this quarantine period is already enough to make you sad .

With that in mind, we start out with some upbeat, sunny tunes from Leven Kali, Kyle Dion, Lucky Daye and Jarreau Vandal. I was re-listening to the Jonas Brothers' album and discovered some new faves from it so I dropped those into this as well.

I always try to keep a pulse on local artists and Columbus, Ohio actually has a dopeeeeee music scene. Tobilla, B.JAXX and P-Holla are Columbus natives who dropped projects right before quarantine. Doja Cat has been ruling the airways with Say So and for goood reason. I'm not sick of it yet (probably because I don't have Tik Tok) so it gets to stay on the playlist.

As the playlist naturally flows it evolves into a more upbeat, hip-hop-esque feel for what we might call the tempo climax of the playlist. Pretty Ricky came back strong with a track that sounds exactly like Pretty Ricky should in 2020. Jack Harlow, Da Baby and some throwback Young Thug make an appearance. Just as it was starting to feel like I was getting ready to hit the bars on a Friday night, Turbo, Gunna, and Young Thug remind me that I'm still on quarantine lockdown. But I'm #QuarantineClean so I can relax.

Masego dropped the audio and visual for Veg Out last week and I lowkey (maybe highkey) feel like that's what I've been doing this entire lockdown period (ungodly amounts of Netflix and pizza rolls have been consumed). I have been learning French via Duolingo for 49 days though! I still can't understand French rapper Krisy but he sounds nice. I've also got my skin care routine on lock so shoutout to Tobi Lou.

An unlikely bop from YouTuber Tana Mongeau pops up on this playlist. I've spent a lot of quarantine catching up on her videos and following her journey and I'm proud of where she is/ where she's going. It makes me optimistic and reminds me that if she can make it through TanaCon and being married to Jake Paul (gross), we can all make it through anything, even quarantine.