Every designer has a go-to set of songs when designing. Since design and music can go hand-in-hand I decided to compile a list of artists + albums I frequently designed to in 2015. The majority of the albums and songs chosen were based on the play count feature in iTunes. When I switched from Spotify to Apple Music some of the numbers were altered, but I was still able to choose which songs I frequently designed to in 2015. It'd be impossible to list my favorite artist or album from 2015, so I decide to list each album in alphabetical order! Let me know what you think about my list below in the comment section.
Alina Baraz & Galimatias | Urban Flora EP
Favorite Songs: Fantasy, Maybe, Make You Feel
A friend recommended Urban Flora EP to me. The first track I was instructed to listen to was "Make You Feel". This track was enough to pull me into the rest of the EP. Alina's distinct, soothing vocals mixed with Galimatias' electronic production creates my ideal environment for designing.
Bryson Tiller | T R A P S O U L
Favorite Songs: The Sequence, Sorry Not Sorry, Exchange
Everyone has been talking about Bryson Tiller, also known as Pen Griffey, lately. I first heard his single, Don't, in March 2015. My friend posted an Instagram video dancing to the song and I heard the line "Lately you say he been killin' the vibe. Something something sick of this guy". And I was like "Yup let me find out the name of this song and Rap Genius the lyrics".
“Lately you say he been killin’ the vibe
Gotta be sick of this guy
Pull up, skrr, get in the ride
Left hand is steerin’ the other is grippin’ your thigh”
Chaka Khan | I Feel For You
Favorite Songs: Eye to Eye, I Feel For You, My Love is Alive
I remember hearing Chaka Khan when I was younger, but what led me to her in 2015 was Kanye West's Through the Wire. The track sampled Chaka Khan's Through the Fire. I admired Chaka Khan's voice and futuristic style of music, so I decided to give her album, I Feel For You, a try. Her style to me is the perfect blend of R&B, Pop, and Funk. The song I Feel for You was written by Prince, featured Stevie Wonder and Grandmaster Melle Mel. What more could you need?
“Chaka, Chaka, Chaka, Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan?!?!”
Erykah Badu | Baduizm
Favorite Songs: No Love, Next Lifetime, Certainly
The atmosphere of Erykah Badu's music creates a soothing, stimulated design mindset. The active and continuous bass in Certainly serves as a metaphor that encourages me to continue working hard and never stop. Badu has voice unlike anyone else, listening to her pushes me to find my own voice in design, so I can stand out in the crowd.
Future | Dirty Sprite 2 + Monster + Beast Mode + 56 Nights
Favorite Songs: Where Ya At (DS2), Stick Talk (DS2), Codeine Crazy (M), Throw Away (M), Lay Up (BM), Peacoat (BM), 56 Nights (56N), March Madness (56N)
#FutureHive stand up! Wow it's been a crazy year for Future. During the summer I decided to invest some time into his music after a few recommendations received via Twitter. I can honestly say listening to Future was a good decision in 2015. Some of his content does focus primarily on drug abuse. But looking deeper into his lyrics you can see that he is being very honest about his addiction and the pain that he faces because of it. After all, music is about soul and expressing your feelings. I view music as Future's coping method to his addictions. Future's loyalty and honesty to his craft inspires me to remain that loyal and honest to my craft in design.
The Internet | Ego Death
Favorite Songs: Girl, Special Affair, Curse
I was introduced to the Internet by one of my design friends. The vibes you hear on their grammy nominated album, Ego Death, are perfect for designing. It's reminiscent of jazz, hip-hop, and maybe even a little funk. What is really dope about The Internet is that they are all young like myself. Seeing people my age acquire success makes me realize that it's possible for anyone. The Internet can be listened to by teens, young adults, and even grandparents. The Internet is versatile and that inspires me to be versatile in design.
J Dilla | Donuts
Favorite Songs: Time: The Donut of the Heart, Mash, U-Love
J Dilla's Donuts was a new album added to my design playlist. The story behind Donuts is amazing to me. Most of this album was created while J Dilla was in his hospital bed. He died in 2006 shortly after finishing Donuts, at the age of 32. J Dilla's legacy lives on because he is still sampled and referenced today in Hip-Hop. The Memphis producer molded his legacy with effort, dedication, and hard work. These are the characteristics I hope to mold my legacy with.
J. Cole | 2014 Forrest Hills Drive
Favorite Songs: St. Tropez, A Tale of 2 Citiez, Note to Self
J. Cole is one of the most inspirational artists I have listened to. I'm saying this because his music relates to me on a personal level. He is a representation of breaking free from a "small city mentality". Often times people from small cities, like myself or J. Cole, have dreams of visiting big cities and accomplishing their wildest dreams. But due to fear of the unknown people would rather stay comfortable and choose the familiar lifestyle. J. Cole surrounded himself with the unknown by moving to NYC at 18 and never gave up no matter how many doors were shut in his face. This is the mentality that I've have been building, and that's why J. Cole is an artist I frequently designed to in 2015.
Kanye West | The College Dropout
Favorite Songs: Spaceship, Through the Wire, Last Call
I'm a college student, so of course this album relates to me. This year I spent SEVERAL nights staying up till 4AM finishing school and freelance projects. Giving up was never an option so I would throw on a soulful classic from Kanye such as Spaceship, and get back to work. Everyone knows how great Kanye is, so I don't think I need to explain it. But the line from Spaceship, "Lock yourself in a room doing 5 beats a day for three summers", is very real for me. All you have to do is replace beats with designs and it describes my work ethic.
“You can’t fathom my love dude
Lock yourself in a room doing 5 beats a day for 3 summers
That’s a Different World like Cree Summer’s
I deserve to do these numbers”
Kendrick Lamar | To Pimp A Butterfly
Favorite Songs: These Walls, Wesley's Theory, For Free (Interlude), Institutionalized How Much A Dollar Cost
To Pimp A Butterfly released earlier this year and as soon as it was available on Spotify, I played it non-stop. I was working on a project the night it released on Spotify. Then the next day of classes I found myself designing to it again. This album is uniquely crafted with sounds of funk, hip-hop, and R&B. Honestly it was very hard to pick a favorite song because I love each track. The wordplay and meaning of lyrics in These Walls is incredible. Visit Genius to fully understand what each line means.
Logic | The Incredible True Story
Favorite Songs: City of Stars, Fade Away, Upgrade
My good friend Mike put me on to Logic. Logic's first album, Under Pressure, was always one of my go-to albums when designing. Therefore I knew his sophomore album, The Incredible True Story, would not disappoint. One of the reasons why I listen to Logic is because of the production. Logic produced some of his own tracks from The Incredible True Story. There's a new generation of artists coming out who can produce, write, and sing their own music. I respect these artists because of their DIY work ethic. This is a similar approach I use for design.
Nas | Illmatic
Favorite Songs: Life's a Bitch, Memory Lane (Sittin' in Da Park), It Ain't Hard to Tell
Two of my friends constantly tried to talk me into listening to Illmatic. For some reason I just never did. They claimed it would change my life, and that it was kind of like a blueprint to modern day Hip-Hop. Illmatic did change my life. I found myself designing to the album constantly – not just in 2015 either. This album sparked a curiosity in returning to music from the 90s. Nas keeps it real in this album and tells about his life experiences. This is similar to what I want to use design for. A visual method to showcase my life experiences.
PARTYNEXTDOOR | PARTYNEXTDOOR 1, 2, and PNDCOLOURS
Favorite Songs: Right Now (PND1), Ballin' (PND1), SLS (PND2), Bout It (PND2), Options (PND2), Juss Know (PNDCOLOURS)
Honestly, it's hard to choose three favorite tracks from any of PND's work. Each track has it's own setting and emotion. PND is another artist who can produce, write, and sing most of his own work. I throw any of the works mentioned above and get to designing for hours. I had the chance to meet Party in the spring. Him and his team are a bunch of young, humble people. They relate to me because we are all young people who work our asses off to chase our dreams. In 2016, Party will be making an impact in more fields then music.
Travis Scott | Rodeo
Favorite Songs: Oh My Dis Side, Apple Pie, Nightcrawler
Travis Scott has been on the come up for a while now. I started listening to him this year. Apple Pie is one of my favorite tracks from the anticipated album, Rodeo. Travis Scott has a distinct sound and brings a ton energy to every performance. Seriously, youtube a performance and you will see him and the audience bouncing around the whole time. Not only does Travis produce some of his music, he is making his way into the fashion world as well. One of my favorite quotes is listed below. The line expresses Travis' need to stay surrounded only by people want to succeed just as bad as him.
“I ain’t tryna dap up n*ggas blockin’ me”
Ty Dolla $ign | Free TC
Favorite Songs: Straight Up, Horses in the Stable, Blasé
Ty Dolla $ign is going to make major waves in the upcoming years. His music is well crafted and he pays attention to detail for every song. I was reading an interview about him and he discusses the inspiration behind his latest album, Free TC. The album is inspired by his brother, TC, who is in Jail for a crime he says he did not commit. The album contains several skits of conversations with his brother during jail visits. The song Miracle features his brother singing from jail and it meshes quite well with the rest of the song. Ty Dolla $ign has found a way to use his personal life as inspiration to drive his success. He took a tragic situation and used music as a vehicle to cope. Just like Ty Dolla $ign, my personal life heavily influences my work ethic and artwork. Mass Incarceration is a topic I plan to investigate further in 2016 for my art work.
Vince Guaraldi Trio | A Charlie Brown Christmas
Favorite Songs: Christmas is Coming, Christmas Time is Here, My Little Drum
Wow. What can I say. This album is a nice change up from what you normally hear. Vince Guaraldi Trio created a masterpiece here. The jazz album creates several moods ranging from excitement to tranquility. The song Christmas is Coming instantly boosts my mood and inspires me to keep working because everything will alright in the end. I plan on listening to this album throughout 2016. The Peanut Gang is one of my favorite animated series. One of my design goals is to create a clothing collection in collaboration with the Peanut Gang.
Images via Apple Music