What I'm Listening To

The albums, artist, and playlist who dominated my summer and drove my writing.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/retro-radio-tape-recorder-in-workshop-3822728/

If you have been reading this newsletter long enough, you may notice that almost every essay published comes with a corresponding song to go with it. I like to think of this as the trademark of my writing. If there’s a song lyric, or track at the start of the essay, you know Stanley wrote it.

Music and writing have always been my escape, and now that I have the opportunity to write for myself, I want to do it in a way that combines the two things I love the most. So, as I prepare to expand the level of content, I thought it might be cool to share some of the albums, artists, and playlists I have been listening to non-stop. 

Kendrick Lamar. Mr. Morale and the Big Stepper: 

I feel like I have spent the better part of two years living in my head, and then occasionally sharing those ruminations with the world. This Kendrick album feels like he did the same thing, but with therapy. Mr. Morale came out at the end of May, there is no other album I have listened to more. Kendrick is raw and vulnerable in ways that will make some people uncomfortable, but it is possibly the best album to come out this year.

Beyoncé. Renaissance: 

There has never been a Beyonce project I didn’t enjoy, but Renaissance is easily the best music album of the year. The time and attention to detail that Beyonce put into this project is deeply appreciated. She blends multiple genres of music together to make a sound that feels like a modern ballroom. Everything from the sequencing to the flawless transitions makes this entire project a blast to listen to.

K.O. Kenny- 

Although playlists have become everyone’s preferred choice, I’m one of the few people who looks for and listens to entire albums. Albums give you an opportunity to get a full experience from an artist in a way that a song or two won’t. My flaw is that I’m a creature of habit, so I end up listening to the same projects over again. In an effort to break that, I started listening to the recommendations Spotify gave me. That’s how I discovered KO Kenny. He’s a NY artist who I assumed was another drill rapper and then was pleasantly surprised. Listen, I love to drill, but it gets a little repetitive. The great thing about KO Kenny is that he can do drill, and pretty well actually. But, he’s not a drill rapper. Just a New York dude with bars and something to say.

Callie- 

When I’m exhausted from all of the therapy and gun rap, I like to break my pallet with music that makes my heart feel good. That usually consists of good instruments, raw vocals, and songs full of joy. Callie Mackenzie gives you acoustic guitar and all of the vibes above. They haven’t put a full album out, so I’m stuck jamming to the few songs on their page, but Inside a Dream is a stand-out.

Pour Some Sugar on Me Playlist: 

I love 80’s rock. Like really really love 80’s rock. One day I was in the mood to listen to one of my favorite songs of all time, “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and decided to see what would happen if I let Spotify do their algorithm magic. If they’re going to make billions off of my personal data, I might as well make them work for it, and you know what? This playlist s fire. I love listening to it on bike rides because trust me, there are few things more exciting than speeding down the Hudson River Greenway while "Paradise City” is playing in your headphones.