Lately, I’ve been on a quest to find up-and-coming artists that’ll be dropping dope shit soon. People like Daniel Caesar, Kali Uchis, Kaytranada, and a few other artists featured in this month’s selections for Smoke This, Play That. Check out their latest drops, and be sure to pair their tunes with the strains recommended below.
Tyler the Creator – Flower Boy
Flower Boy is so damn good, I can feel it in my bones when I push play. “Garden Shed”? “November”? Every single song on it goes so hard, and they all flow into each other so well that you might shed a tear.
It’s the type of music you throw on and then stare off into the distance for a while as you think “Jesus Christ, Tyler just made one of the most beautiful albums I’ve ever heard.” Flower Boy made me completely forget about 4:44, which I was stuck on for weeks.
Strain:Sunset Sherbert
Tyler tweeted that Flower Boy is best when listened to as the sun sets. I couldn’t agree more. And for sunset music, you obviously need a sunset strain. Sunset Sherbert has you covered there, my pals. It’s a feel-good strain that’ll consume your entire body and let stress fall from your shoulders like rain flow down a gutter. Drop that stress and get personal with Tyler the Creator. You will not be disappointed.
Alina Baraz & Galimatias – Urban Flora
I. LOVE. THIS. ALBUM. SO. MUCH. But I can’t take credit for finding it. I asked Leafly writer Bailey Rahn what she’d been listening to, and she led me to Alina Baraz because Bailey’s a young warrior goddess with excellent taste in music. Urban Flora has such a unique sound that you can’t even compare it to anyone or anything. There’s no “It sounds like___” to apply here.
Urban Flora feels like being transported to another galaxy where everyone’s arms are made out of a clear jelly-like substance instead of skin and bones. It really is some spacey-ass music. The best way to describe it is that it sounds like the type of music Kaba Modern would’ve danced to on the original season of America’s Best Dance Crew.
Strain:Grape Ape
Spacey music needs a purply strain with spacey effects. You need something that makes you feel like kicking back and staring at a large body of water for a while. Grape Ape does just that. How do I know? It’s been field tested. My last night in Seattle was spent on a bench right next to the ocean. I had 2 pre-rolls of Grape Ape (one for the chill, one for the walk home) and this album flowing through my Beats at maximum volume. I sat there, got stupid high, and let “Fantasy” play about 77 times in a row.
Kali Uchis – Por Vida
Kali Uchis reminds me of Amy Winehouse, and I can’t exactly explain why. Maybe it’s her physical appearance/stature, or maybe it’s her overall presence as an artist; I don’t know. What I do know is that she’s special.
Por Vida is the last project she dropped, and while it’s from 2015, it’s an album that everyone should experience at least once so you aren’t surprised when Kali Uchis sweeps the music industry with undeniable force. It’s a very bouncy album that’s very suitable for the daytime when you’re just chillin’; the perfect soundtrack for kicking it on the patio on a Sunday Funday.
Strain:Cotton Candy
Cotton Candy’s a strain that makes me feel bouncy and upbeat, just like this album, making it a perfect pairing. To quote Leafly staffer Marika, Cotton Candy will “put us right where we need to be.”
BADBADNOTGOOD – IV
Listed under the Jazz genre, BADBADNOTGOOD’s IV is an instrumental-type album (like Sango’s De Mim Pra Você) with features from some of the aforementioned artists I’ve been enjoying lately. It’s the type of album that you press play on, sit back, and let it become part of the background of whatever activity you may be doing. Sit back, close your eyes, and zone out for a while while listening to it.
Strain:Key Lime Pie
Honestly, I don’t have much explanation except that Key Lime Pie made me feel really good when I smoked it. And this album made me feel really good when I heard it. So here we are.
Lana Del Rey – Lust For Life
I’d never listened to Lana Del Rey until this album, and Lust For Life had me sitting in a puddle of emotion as “In My Feelings” blessed my speakers. Think about crying in the rain. Lana’s album is the audio version of that feeling. Or better yet, it feels like your body is made of fog while it’s raining. Lana Del Rey makes you feel like human precipitation.
I describe Lust For Life as a Not Right Now album. It’s one of those albums that you listen to, and then don’t want to talk to anyone for awhile because you’re deep in thought and self-reflection. Anyone who may approach you with conversation or distractions gets a Not Right Now—when you look one way, put your hand in the air, and give the Leave Me Be hand wave.
Strain: Chaos Kush
Chaos Kush is a heavy indica that’ll ruin any plans you made that night, making it the perfect strain for any album that’ll ruin your life in one night. A few hits of this and you’ll definitely see that the high is not a game. It’s sedating, puts a buzz in your entire body that you can feel very strongly in the facial area, and will have you on stuck mode for quite some time.
Lastly, enjoy Smoke This, Play That’s Vol. 3 playlist, featuring some tunes that are perfect for a Walk ‘n Toke: https://itunes.apple.com/us/playlist/smoke-this-play-that-vol-3/idpl.u-xlyNqWksXGb0yV
