30-Day Song Challenge:Day 12

DAY TWELVE: Song from My Preteen Years

So, I couldn’t pick just one song for this one. 

Backstreet Boys - Everybody (Backstreet's Back)

I immediately thought of riding in the car with my dad and listening to the Backstreet Boys. It was a shock for me because my dad was an avid oldies guy, his ideal playlist included the Temptations and only came as recent as Arrested Development (at that time). When ‘Everybody’ came blaring through the speakers, my entire musical identity began to morph into a new phenomenon. I liked pop music and boy bands from then on.

B2K - Uh Huh

Name one black girl in their preteen years who did not have a poster ripped from a magazine of B2K or their favorite B2K member plastered to their wall. You can’t do it because we were obsessed! They took over our lives for at least a good 3 years with albums and movies (You Got Served), and it all started with this song. As embarrassing as it may be, I think this song goes HARD, not as hard as the trap music of today, but it served its own purpose during its tenure.

30-Day Song Challenge: Day 11

DAY ELEVEN: Song I’ll Never Get Tired of

Smino – Glass Flows

Introduced to me by my bestie, Rashad, Smino has an effortless flow that attracted me to his music immediately. That combined with the sweet melodic voice of Ravyn Lenae make for a song that I could listen to on repeat for hours on it. I don’t get tired of hearing it or singing along with it… other people probably get tired of hearing me sing along though.

30-Day Song Challenge: Day 9

DAY NINE: Song that Makes Me Happy

Miri Ben-Ari – Outside the Box

I was in high school when I first heard Miri Ben-Ari play the violin. Kanye West brought her on stage to perform a small set in between his songs. She had the audience enthralled from beginning to end, and I’ve been in love with her talent ever since. I have such an affinity for classical music, but when paired with hip-hop, I always need more. I also have always wanted to learn how to play an instrument, so being envious about watching a badass woman merge the genres together was inevitable. No matter how I’m feeling, anytime I hear this song, I become extremely happy; it’s my happy song.

30-Day Song Challenge: Day 8

DAY EIGHT: Song About Drugs or Alcohol

Kendrick Lamar – A.D.H.D

Kendrick rapped about so many different drugs, I had to look some of them up! The song itself always reminded me of those hazy nights at one of the many college house parties that my friends dragged me to. It’s the perfect amount of chill, due to the drugs, with a bit of anxiety due to the abundance of drugs in the vicinity. Drugs, check. Alcohol, check.

30-Day Song Challenge: Day 10

DAY TEN: Song that Makes Me Sad

Sam Cooke – A Change is Gonna Come

As uplifting as it was meant to be in the 60's during times of anguish to promote solidarity within the black race, the song Now reminds me of a traumatic past. I hate imagining my ancestors being chased by dogs and shot with high-powered water hoses in an effort to gain equality in a land where it should have been free. Cooke sings that A change is going to come and, probably to his dismay, we're still working towards that change now. Every time I hear it, I cry. I cry because of the past and because I think of all the new police brutality cases and how we're still being treated as less than.

30-Day Song Challenge: Day 7

DAY SEVEN: Song to Drive to

Jonathan Butler – Won’t Stop for Nothing

This one is a sentimental one for me, it always reminds me of my dad. He, my brother, and I would drive around the city listening to all types of music. I can actually attribute a lot of the different genres of music I listen to from those rides. From here, I began listening to Corrine Bailey Rae, Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse, and Duffy.

South African singer-songwriter and guitarist, whose music is classified as jazz fusion, has a discography with many gems, but this song was specifically about a relaxing ride with his lover at his side. This song still makes road trips easy and I’ll always feel like my dad is right by my side, no matter how far away he may be.

30-Day Song Challenge: Day 6

DAY SIX: Song that Makes Me Wanna Dance

Justin Timberlake – Don’t Hold the Wall

Don’t let this song catch me while I’m at work, driving in the car, or doing anything that would prohibit me from dancing BECAUSE NOTHING WOULD STOP ME FROM GROOVING. Justin Timberlake and Timbaland together are unstoppable, which made every song from The 20/20 Experience a masterpiece. My workout jam, my bop to play when getting ready to head out, and my song with a set dance routine; thanks to you Justin.