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There’s a ton of music released every week. If you’re not getting paid to listen to music full time then you could easily go broke spending all of your time trying to sort through it all, instead of actually working, and getting paid. No worries, though. This is our job and we’re actually pretty good at it. This week we dove deep into the vast pool of releases to narrow down the best releases this week to three very cool and very worthy songs to add to your playlist this week. They are:

1. “Joy” by Knowledge Of Thyself ft. Gift of Gab

Genre: Conscious Hip-Hop

We’ll begin this recommendation with one word: Blackalicious. Gift of Gab, being a member of Blackalicious- the pioneering hip-hop group that helped to initiate the conscious hip-hop genre-brings his signature Blackalicious sound with him on this one, but with new energy from Knowledge of ThySelf, who raps his words around phrases so effortlessly you’re left floating in suspension, waiting for the rhythm of his speech to drop. Joy is a steady-booming celebration of awareness and mental freedom with a 70’s vibe and raspy chorus so anthemic and soulful that your body can’t help to respond with head-nodding affirmations in unison to the beat. Gift of Gab and Knowledge of Self deliver with Joy.

2. “Callin’ Out” by Lyrics Born

Genre: Alternative Hip-Hop

Lyrics Born is a good time. He’s one half of the rap duo Latyrx with Lateef the Truthspeaker and has numerous production credits and collaborations with cultural heroes like Blackalicious and DJ Z-Trip. Callin Out is a call for all of us to make shit happen- especially if it involves throwing summer block parties where everyone drinks and has fun and no one gets arrested because this is how this song will make you feel: like it’s summer and you’re ready for a good time.  For all of these reasons, Calling Out is a call to be added to your playlist.

3. “Life To Fix” by The Record Company

Genre: Alternative Blues Rock

Life to Fix will give you life. You actually don’t need to fix anything. You just need to press play. The Record Company is on the come-up. We first heard of them a couple of years ago when Spotify recommended them after playing a Black Keys song. The Record Company has a very similar bluesy, alternative roots rock vibe, so if you’re into that like we are, you’re going to love these guys. Plus this song has a huge sing-along-chorus that will legit get you so pumped that you’ll feel like marching to your next destination or at least taking your personal inventory.