– blkcory
The last stop on the Japanese series is Tokyo. The greater Tokyo area is known as the world’s most populous metropolitan area and it’s hands down the busiest place I’ve ever travelled to. I’m talking bare* people everywhere. It’s the only place I’ve been where you can turn a corner and just flat out stumble into a sea of people. With so many people in such a massive city, it can be overwhelming and exciting all in one. You can literally take the train from one stop to the next and get an entirely different perspective of the city every single time. No two areas look identical and culturally no two areas are the exact same. In fact, each stop on the various train lines is known for something distinct. For example, Akihabara is essentially video games and anime central whereas Harajuku (yes, that is where the “Harajuku Girls” who previously performed with Gwen Stefani got their name from) is known for being a fashion district and is respected around the world for being the home of brands like Billionaire Boys Club and Bape.
This might be a hot take* here, but Tokyo almost seems like at one point it attempted to be New York (respectfully). I mean that in the sense that you can see the Western influence in various places, but it’s anything but a carbon copy of NYC. In reality, by making an effort to transfer aspects of American culture to Japan, Tokyo became something mawd* that’s tough to fully explain. The city almost takes on a life of its own and teleports you to an entirely different world that is completely unique to anything you have experienced anywhere else. I don’t even think you can even use other japanese cities as a fair comparison to what Tokyo is. It’s bizarre, daring and innovative all in one. You’ll go from seeing towers with incredible architecture to being able to sit in themed cafés with way too many racoons and owls (owls like the ones in Harry Potter but everywhere) running and flying around. You’ll go from seeing massive neon signs and lights to historic castles in the middle of beautiful parks. You’ll even go from walking amongst nightclubs and high end fashion stores to small shops with bladesmiths (nah deadass* that’s the term for dem man*) that still makes their kitchen knives from from scratch.
Even the technology they have is well beyond what we use in North America. From portable wifi and cabs with touchless entry to massive malls inside of train stations and 8-story arcades, everything is done with the intent of being more efficient and doing the most with the least amount of space.
All of those things and more inspired the creation of this playlist. The playlist is suppose to represent a full day in Tokyo in under 50 songs. The playlist starts off with “TOKYO” which is supposed to set the vibe for a late morning in the city (since most places don’t open until 10am) and then eventually goes into “IGOR’S THEME” which can be looked at as the halfway point in the playlist. From there the sun fully goes down and you get to embrace an entirely other side of Tokyo that you don’t experience during the day. A fast paced world full of neon lights and occasional over stimulation (“Kiss Land” is an example of that in the playlist). The sun eventually rises again “in the morning” and you’re back to the world you saw before the sun went down (are you starting to see why I always say these playlists are a better listening experience when you play the songs in order?). I wanted to create something that stretched your ear in the same way Tokyo stretches your imagination. I hope I delivered. Enjoy, Tokyo – Exhibit C.
*Disclaimer: If you caught my Nipsey tribute from earlier this month, then you know this playlist specifically is heavily Nipsey influenced. Also, there’s bare* songs in here that you probably wouldn’t expect to hear. *
*Disclaimer: This playlist has been posted as it was 2 years ago and I wanted to still share it in its original form. It was made prior to any inappropriate actions by some of the artists listed on the playlist. I want to be clear that the intention is not to support or encourage domestic abuse, and that the verses or songs by those artists can be skipped at your discretion. *
Liking the music? Let us know in the comments section for the playlist post on IG at: @day.four.
Tokyo – Exhibit C Tracklist (Apple Music Song Links):
TOKYO – BROCKHAMPTON
Child’s Play – A$AP Twelvy
Feel No Ways – Drake
Call from the Bank – Nipsey Hussle feat. MGMT
Slow For Me – Melii feat. Tory Lanez
Ocean Views – Nipsey Hussle
ASTROTHUNDER – Travis Scott
FOREVER ON SOME FLY SHIT – Nipsey Hussle
Love Me Not – Skepta feat. Cheb Rabi & B Live
The London – Young Thug feat. J. Cole & Travis Scott
Price On My Head – NAV feat. The Weeknd
WORKIN ME – Quavo
Baby on Baby – DaBaby
SHIBUYA (GHOST II) – Christian Rich feat. Jaden, Vic Mensa & Belly
REEL IT IN – Aminé
Zulu Screams – GoldLink feat. Maleek Berry & Bibi Bourelly
IGOR’S THEME – Tyler, The Creator
Lust – SAINt JHN feat. Janelle Kroll
Switchblade – Pilotpriest
Maratua – Fennec
Won’t Do – J Dilla
More – Goldlink feat. Lola Rae
Take Off – Fennec
All Day – Jerreau
More or Less – Nipsey Hussle
City Girls – Melii
River – The Belle Game
Everybody Wants To Love You – Japanese Breakfast
killer tune kills me – KIRINJI feat. YonYon
The Pop Life – Little Dragon
Fried Rice – Bas feat. JID
tech mac maya com – Kan Sano
Kawasaki – 88GLAM
Jet Black – Anderson Paak feat. Brandy
Slide – Ye Ali & TYuS
Kiss Land – The Weeknd
Life Round Here – James Blake
PATTERNS – NASAYA & Sara Diamond
Shinjuku 02 – Nathan Kawanishi
Sometimes – Katori Walker feat. Elijah James
Bike Lane – Kuma Overdose
Mori – Boltex & Whosmodz
CAN’T GET OVER YOU – Joji feat. Clams Casino
Empty Pools – Mura Kami
Who You Foolin – Gunna
in the morning – Christian Rich & Yoshi Flower
Victory Lap – Nipsey Hussle feat. Stacy Barthe
Designer – Bas
Glossary:
Bare – a lot, a substantial amount of something
Hot Take – a potentially unpopular opinion
Mawd – madness, crazy, wild
Deadass – In all seriousness or I’m not joking
Dem man – Those people
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