Victoria Monét Gives 'All You Need,' Dai Burger's Runway Romp, And More Songs We Love

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  Serpentwithfeet: “A Comma”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=oPYRyyR4Z1g
  
  
  
  A haunting mantra that although looks to self-improvement amid utter chaos, “A Comma” manifests its anxiety in spooky piano, incessant ticking, and minor-key melodies. Nevertheless what makes the moment ultimately shine with hope is the radiant, acrobatic voice of Josiah Educated, a.K.A. Serpentwithfeet. While you hear Educated deliver a line like “life's gotta get easier” in that magnetic tone, you have no choice nevertheless to believe it. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Jaewynn: “Nutz”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=fdIRFH672HI
  
  
  
  Vibe check: The world is nuts now. Queer hip-hop artist Jaewynn leans into that zeitgeist-y buzz in her aptly titled new single, flexing her rapping chops over a more and more frenetic beat. Jaewynn says she struggled with the idea of releasing “Nutz” while in Pride and the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, as soon as everything — police brutality, systemic racism, anti-LGBTQ discrimination — still feels “so insufferable and terrible.” Although, I think the confidence and ambition in her rhymes (“To be or to be / ‘Cause not to be isn’t even a relevant question”) are exactly what the LGBTQ+ community needs. —Sam Manzella
  
  
  
  
  



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  Dai Burger ft. Kidd Kenn: “Naomi Walk”
  
  
  https://soundcloud.Com/daiburger/naomi-walk-ft-kidd-kenn/s-Yan3hZLCu3d
  
  
  
  Queens rapper Dai Burger just gave us a Pride anthem fit for a queen — supermodel queen Naomi Campbell, to be exact. The title serves a homage to the style icon’s catwalk strut, inspiring the same sort of unapologetic confidence its namesake evokes. “We’ve got the moves / They just all talk,” Dai boasts over a pop-trap beat that can’t quit. Fellow rapper Kidd Kenn joins in with some speedy bars about knowing your worth and taking nothing far less. With each other, the two show us that the world is truly our runway, and Naomi could be delighted. —Carson Mlnarik
  
  
  
  
  



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  MNEK: "Tongue"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=QTxga6nwUTg
  
  
  
  

  https://open.Spotify.Com/track/6TYyyYYfOYGAvCJQQVrY8y?Si=C6iySWb_Qteekvm6FnDW9Q

  
  
  
  Remember sex? I don’t, although in case you do, this 2018 bop by British artist MNEK is a brilliant addition to any playlist. Let lyrics like “I think I love you / I think you’re the one” transport you back to the pre-COVID-19 days, once you thought something special about that person on the other end of the dance floor immediately after a couple cocktails. No? Just me? OK. Treat yourself to a listen, and watch the exquisite music video. *Turns up the volume* —Zach O’Connor
  
  
  
  
  



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  Blood Orange: “Charcoal Baby”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=hIlauccaH88
  
  
  
  Upon first listen, the most notable sound on Blood Orange’s “Charcoal Baby” is the off-key strain of the guitar in the background juxtaposed against the song’s silky chorus and funk beat. The lyrics have a dusted-over good quality about them, taking a backseat to the track’s musicality, which aligns with the song’s theme of being outcast. In its simplest form, “Charcoal Baby” is a song about Blackness and the strength and tolerance required to exist in richly hued skin.
  
  
  “No one wants to be irregular one out at times / No one wants to be the negro swan,” the chorus sings. Delve a little bit deeper, nevertheless, and you’ll realize it’s also about the difficulty of navigating individuality in a siloed experience and still having the aspire to bloom — or break — without the burden of judgment. It’s a song filled with questions that holds a resemble up to the human experience and invites you to find the answers. —Virginia Lowman
  
  
  
  
  



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  Keiynan Lonsdale: “Gay Street Fighter”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=ZVe1lh4KS0M
  
  
  
  “Gay Street Fighter” is aggressive. It’s an abrasive, peculiar celebration of the fact that LGBTQ+ people make the world go round. It is probably the only song in the world that can get away with the phrase “taste the bussy” — truly a thing I just typed. “We all just a little gay,” Lonsdale declares, and he’s not counting anyone out: Even God, which he yells out countless times, is probably somewhere on the queer spectrum. Tea! —Terron Moore
  
  
  
  
  



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  Vincint: “Save Myself”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=wWnVfRF14pk
  
  
  
  Nothing screams Pride quite as much as a song about love and resilience, so Vincint’s “Save Myself” makes the best anthem to celebrate this month. The song includes a lively dance-pop beat superimposed with Vincint’s soulful, airy vocals, making a song so decadently pop, nevertheless sonically gorgeous. The personalized lyrics encapsulate the feeling of finding independence within a relationship, defining boundaries, and wanting passion rather than needing help. It’s rare to find a love song that promotes such a healthy, totally realized state of mind. The single, released as piece of Vincint’s debut EP, The Feeling, is accompanied by an adorable video, featuring fans singing and dancing to the song in their homes while in quarantine. Since dancing in the streets won’t be possible this time around, dancing around your room is the next best thing. —Sarina Bhutani
  
  
  
  
  



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  Victoria Monét: “All You Need”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/HSZql-lBfdc
  
  
  
  “All You Need" by Victoria Monét is just that: all you need. The artist famously known for co-writing most of your preference Ariana Grande hits must also be recognized for her extensive catalog of R&B heartbreak tracks. “All You Need” is the mantra for things left unsaid, succinctly realizing all those feelings you desire to tell your new love yet are afraid won’t be reciprocated. You aspire to feel wanted, needed. The track is a good wind-down addition to your Pride playlist; more importantly, it's a not-so-sneaky way to let Monét tell that cutie that you really wish to be all he needs. —Daniel Head
  
  
  
  
  



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  Alex Newell: “Mama Notified me (David Penn Remix)”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/Bu0rwrGMDH0
  
  
  
  Alex Newell has gone from the Broadway stage to NBC's musical fantasy series Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. Nevertheless in case you look on Spotify, it's more like Alex Newell's Extraordinary Playlist, as the singer has been putting out a nonstop parade of disco bops since his 2016 track, "Kill the Lights." Moreover to Zoey's, Newell also sashayed into the work room earlier this year on RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race, where Mama Ru confessed that Newell was his preference singer. Everybody mention love! Newell's latest single, "Mama Informed me is a love song to his mother, and the ’90s house-inspired David Penn remix will have you feeling your Frankie Knuckles fantasy this Pride weekend. —Chris Rudolph
  
  
  
  
  


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  Syd: “Getting Late”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=x2r5beVs-3s
  
  
  
  Whether she’s performing as segment of The world wide web or on her own, every word that rolls off Syd’s lips is smooth. “Getting Late,” her contribution to Lena Waithe’s Queen & Slim soundtrack, is no exception. The hip-hop soul track is as tranquil as a morning cup of coffee, though its lyrics speak to disarming late-night hours while you can’t help yet let your guard down. “You just fell in love with me again,” she starts, weaving a tale about companions who become lovers and also a romance that peacefully keeps you up, going on to declare their future at the end: “You never know another lonely night.” —Carson Mlnarik
  
  
  
  
  



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  Frankie Knuckles: “The Whistle Song”
  
  
  
  
  
  In the 1970s, Frankie Knuckles learned how to DJ in New York’s burgeoning disco underground. A decade later, Knuckles had filtered those experiences into an icy, fashionable descendant called home, named for the Chicago club where he reigned as its godfather. Before French robots charged by means of the genre, Knuckles used it for some of the most transcendent dance music ever created. 1991’s “The Whistle Song,” namely, is a humid dream, all floating flutes and drum machines spinning toward eternity. Who could expect anything much less from The Godfather? —Patrick Hosken