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CRT FRSH, Hip-Hop Wired’s playlist where we attempt to showcase music we believe is “Certified Fresh,” is back again! With our latest update of the year, we’ve had a lot of catching up to do so let’s get to the newness.
Disclaimer:
The CRT FRSH playlist is a labor of love. We don’t take payments nor do we do favors. We only add joints to our playlist that fit the theme and vision we’re going for and don’t seek to waste the listener’s time. Further, we don’t stick to one lane of Hip-Hop. We believe that all aspects of the music should get some light, whether it’s young lions in the trenches or those hoping for that one shot to blow up to grizzled veterans puffing out their chests with lots more to say.
I want to explain how I approach curating the CRT FRSH playlist. Most importantly, I don’t segregate my Hip-Hop. Every form of music from the main cultural tree deserves a listen and a look. When I construct the playlist, I want to include all regions across the States and, when applicable, across the globe. I also want to entertain every fan of Hip-Hop, not just those who enjoy one segment of it. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get to it. — D.L. Chandler
Welcome back to the latest update to your newest and favorite playlist, Certified Fresh (CRT FRSH)! We’ve been MIA for a while so we’ll need to dig deep into the virtual crates as we bring the listeners and ourselves up to speed.
We open the playlist with “NOKIA” from Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR’s collaborative album, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, which has been making moves on the charts since dropping earlier this year. Taking it to Montreal, Mike Shabb’s “Crews pop” is one of several standout tracks from his hazy, well-executed album, shabbvangogh. Playboi Carti’s new MUSIC album is doing its numbers and the track “GOOD CREDIT” sounds ready for a stadium performance with Kendrick Lamar appearing for a scene-stealer verse.
MARCO PLUS, one of dopest rappers out of Atlanta, has been on CRT FRSH before and the track “gmfu” is more of his usual strong, hypnotic work. Doechii re-released an extended version of her stellar Alligator Bites Never Heal project and “Anxiety” is one of the bonus tracks of note. We took it back to 2024 and Nappy Nina and Swarvy’s slept-on Nothing Is My Favorite Thing and the track “Omakase” features some extremely dope verses from maassai and Stas THEE Boss.
We want to thank the rest of our CRT FRSH included acts such as GELO, GloRilla, Big Cheeok, Dhani, J. Cole, LORD JAH-MONTE OGBON, Freddie Gibbs, Hidden Renaissance, MACADEN, King Quad, JT, Samara Cyn, Sherwyn, Jack Harlow, Doja Cat, Zelooperz, Real Bad Man, The Alchemist, Wale, IDK, Lil Durk, Jhene Aiko, Pyraminds, Planet Asia, and Guilty Simpson.
We’ll be updating this playlist in two to three weeks with some, ahem, fresh updates and new acts along with a revamped structure to the segment. Stay tuned!
To be considered for inclusion in the CRT FRSH playlist, please email playlist curator D.L. Chandler at: [email protected]
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