14 Beats: Internet Issue Edition

14 Beats is a weekly playlist and music commentary series curated by Associate Editor Aneesah Shealey

Yo! What’s good, Chicago? Welcome to 14 Beats, a weekly playlist curated by yours truly. This week, as a part of our Internet Issue, I put together a mix of standout songs from my excessive use of the app TikTok. This playlist is the perfect uptempo vibe for spending the first 100 days of Joe Biden’s presidency shaking it in the mirror at home while we wait for his COVID-19 strategy to take effect.

This week’s songs include:

The incredibly catchy club anthem “Buss It” from Texan newcomer Erica Banks to start.
Drum-heavy pretty gangsta track “DO A B—-H” by up-and-coming rapper Kali.
Megan Thee Stallion and DaBaby’s playful and D.A Got That Dope-produced “Cry Baby.”
The low-fi inspired and Pi’erre Bourne-produced “Place” from Playboi Carti’s polarizing 2020 album Whole Lotta Red drops in our numero cuatro spot this week.
Cochise’s 2019 single “Hatchback,” a song with a heavy synth with a soft vocal, glides in at the halfway spot of this week’s playlist.
Arizona Zervas’ 2019 earworm “ROXANNE,” a bop about perceived materialism of L.A women in the online age.
Newcomer Popp Hunna’s hyperpop-inspired and Lil Uzi Vert-assisted remix of his breakthrough single “Adderall (Corvette Corvette).”
Don Tolliver’s Sonny-Digital produced “After Party,” a song that’s perfect for the wind down of the function (post-pandemic, obviously).
City Girls’ playful and coquettish 2018 song ”What We Doin,” which is reminiscent of the call and response evoked by A Tribe Called Quest on “Check The Rhime.”
The JACKBOYS and Young Thug heater “OUT WEST” claims the penultimate spot.
We finish out this week’s Fourteen Beats with the posthumous Pop Smoke track “For The Night,” which glides with features from DaBaby and Lil’ Baby.

This week’s playlist was put together by spending time scrolling through my “For You” page on TikTok and trimming the fat based on two qualities: danceability and melodic elements.

As we head into a new and unprecedented arena in American politics, I want to leave y’all with some words from Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

While you’re listening to the Black artists featured in 14 Beats this week, think about what you’re doing to advocate for Black people in your life and community as we transition from overt white supremacy under Trump to a more diluted and covert form under Biden. What are you doing to confront white supremacy? Here is the link to a collection of anti-racist resources. Consider donating to Black and trans-centered mutual aid funds, and most importantly, be kind to the Black folks in your life right now! We a lil’ stressed out!

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