Almighty (Mixtape)

In this season of tax returns and new taxation, one thing has risen to the forefront of a lot of minds, the almighty dollar. It's a common trope among musicians to include the dollar sign in their stage names in place of an 'S' or wherever they see fit. For some, it's a motivator, a reminder to keep their eyes on the prize and always strive for what they want most. As that sentiment has become more cliche, others will include the symbol ironically or just as an added piece of flair for their public persona. Regardless of how seriously they take themselves, the idea of "money in my name" can end up being a self-fulfilling prophecy if the artist continues to draw enough attention and acclaim.

From newcomers like OG Che$$ to OG superstars like Curren$y, an innumerable amount of music makers have included '$' in their name as a nod to their personal paper chase. I've collected a cache of cash seekers into one playlist for you to enjoy, and it's all for free since this isn't pu$hupyalighter. Each track features a dollar driven singer, rapper, or producer. You'll also see that some of them like to extend the stylization beyond the name and into the song titles as well.

I've gathered almost all of the songs into a Soundcloud playlist for streaming purposes and download links are available below. The complete tracklist appears after the jump. 25 tracks. 28 arti$t$. 

Enjoy!

Download (Alt. 1) (Alt. 2)

Sango x GoldLink - Wassup

In advance of this weekend's D.C. stop of the Broccoli City Festival, performers Sango and GoldLink linked up for a track just to say "Wassup". It's an interesting pairing since each artist seems to be carving a unique lane in the music game, but they cross paths nicely. Sango tends to remix contemporary R&B heaters as well as hits from the early 2000's. This tune samples Timbaland's Indian Flute which works well because the beefed up percussion of the era lays a solid foundation for GoldLink to do his thing on. The young DMV rapper seems to always come out swinging, immediately making his presence known. His recent release, The God Complex, is a showcase of frenetic braggadocio. That swagger serves him well, though, as he spits over this Sango beat.

Listen:

Download
 

Drops From The Cloud: March 2014

April 1st. What are you fools up to? I'm excited to introduce a new segment here at Push Up Ya Lighter. Feed your ears with this two hour playlist of various Soundcloud gems that I discovered during March.

Every month, I listen to hours upon hours of music. It's absurd. It's my addiction and my therapy. It feels like work, but there's nothing else I'd rather do. Last year, I tried to abide by the policy of only listening to tracks that had a free download available. Unless a song was really hyped, or I knew we had a hit on our hands, I would pass as soon as I didn't see the download option. I'm also highly skilled at recognizing when the download will cost me a "like" and I didn't play that game (Hint: "FREE DOWNLOAD" is gonna cost you something).

The dawn of 2014 brought a few revelations for me, though. I looked at the past year and learned that I had grabbed over 7,000 songs from the Internet. That's in the neighborhood of 20 straight days of music. That doesn't seem unmanageable over the span of a year, but when you consider time spent replaying good songs, playing songs that weren't from 2013, and sleeping, it becomes obvious that I wasn't hearing every mp3. I therefore resolved to listen to everything I download this year which has caused me to be more selective. That's a good thing because I think more critically about music instead of passively hoarding it.

My other realization was that the ubiquity of Soundcloud has provided a perfect platform for exploring most everything I'd want to hear. Most every up-and-comer will have a Soundcloud account if they're trying to get noticed and adding songs to a playlist couldn't be easier. It made sense, then, that I could use monthly playlists as a way of collecting great tracks and sharing them with you.

PUYL March 2014:


I simply added the songs as I heard them, so there is no specific order. Also, a few tracks may be from earlier than March, but I found them just recently.

A few highlights:

• Mykki Blanco and Princess Nokia kick things off in raucous style
• Chromeo express their distress (this song will be massive this year, even if it is essentially a rehash of a lament that Cee Lo Green put more pointedly)
• Kygo's remix of Seinabo Sey may be a few months old, but I just found out about it and it's fantastic and really serves as a centerpiece to this mix
• New tracks from Frank Ocean, Little Dragon, and James Fauntleroy
• That OLD Danny Brown
• Remixes of Sky Ferreira, Daughter, and London Grammar
• Covers of Aaliyah, Christina Aguilera, and The XX
• JERSEY CLUB

Enjoy!