It’s the last Now Playing Playlist of February and we asked local artist, Jesse Santana — also known as, ReSrface, to curate this week’s mix. The Denver rapper was happy to oblige and give insight to his recent release. His latest track, “Give Me 100” went streaming Saturday and features Illinoisan-born rapper, Futuristic. “Give Me 100,” is the type of song that, “feels as if it could be played in a strip club without question,” Santana admits. It’s one of those songs that make it socially acceptable to mutually grind with a stranger — if times were different. The rapper admits it’s different from the lyrical quippy songs he prefers, but wanted something more fun. Curating a 14-song playlist including Chance the Rapper, J. Cole, Logic, and more.
Be sure to check ReSrface’s playlist below and don’t forget to follow 303 Magazine and like our #NowPlaying playlist on Spotify.
Dreamville (ft. J. Cole, DaBaby & Lute) – “Under The Sun”
Jesse Santana (JS): This song is one of my absolute favorites, from the beginning sample to the massive 808s that introduce the rap stylings of J. Cole, Lute and Dababy. The power and ease of the lyrics along with the three breaks done by Kendrick Lamar are absolutely incredible and after I heard this song all I’ve ever wanted to do was create a song this good.
Futuristic, Devvon Terrell – “Sub Me In”
JS: With Futuristic filling the feature spot on the highlighted track of the playlist for, “Give Me 100” I thought it would only be fair to also include the song of his that originally made me a fan. This lyricism and wordplay in this song are second to none. I remember listening to this song in my headphones cutting grass in 2018 never imagining that I’d have a track where that artist was on my song — it’s surreal.
Joyner Lucas – “Ultrasound”
JS: Joyner Lucas, since I initially discovered his music a year and a half ago, has been one of my greatest musical inspirations. I particularly enjoy the level of intellect that he uses when he writes and I feel like this track was one of the most unique tracks I’ve ever heard. Its originality and stand-alone sound remind me of the highlight track.
Lil Tecca – “Ransom”
JS: Lil Tecca took over the globe and came out of virtually nowhere with his massive hit Ransom which many described as perfectly encapsulating the “viral formula” in modern-day rap. The way that he uses simple and quick language in the hook with slight melodic variation inspired the formula for how I wrote the song, “Give Me 100.” It’s also a super fun song to listen to at really any point so I had to throw it in.
Lil Mosey – “Blueberry Faygo”
JS: Another song that was practically structured from the beginning to be hit, Blueberry Faygo is simply an entire vibe. The way that the hook is so effortless and matches the instrumental perfectly, I can’t help but love the track and draw inspiration from it in my own music.
Young Thug (ft. J. Cole & Travis Scott) – “The London”
(RS): The London is a hit track that truly made me, as a hip hop fan, believe that the rejuvenation of modern-day hip-hop on the radio had been complete. There was an era of time where down-right ignorant rap was dominating the radio waves, with Lil Pump spearheading the movement. “The London” made me feel like as a whole we were getting back to better music on the airwaves.
ReSrface (ft. T-Rex)- “Laundromats and Payphones “
JS: “Give Me 100” is a song that honestly I did not think very hard before I put together. As opposed to almost every other song I’ve written, this track feels as if it could be played in a strip club without question. Most of my music is a little more thoughtful and emotionally provoking, however, in 2017 my friend Tariq and I wrote a song that was just fun. It has garnered thousands of worldwide plays, which I could’ve never foreseen when we recorded it on Audacity in his basement, but this song perfectly fits in this playlist because it’s wavy.
Mustard (ft. Roddy Ricch) – “Ballin’ “
JS: To this day one of the best tracks I’ve ever heard in terms of quality of audio as well as content, “Ballin'” by Mustard and Roddy Ricch truly inspired me. It sounds so crisp and incredible but also has so much meaning in every lyric that even though I feel like it inspired my track, I’m still trying every day to create a song that feels as good as this one does when listening on headphones.
Aminé – “Caroline”
JS: One of my biggest struggles as an artist has been creating music that is simply less serious. I’m extremely particular when it comes to everything about my music and oftentimes my obsessive compulsiveness can take the fun out but, “Caroline” is a track that Aminé created fairly early on in his career that was just fun. Fun to hear, fun to rap, fun to sing and fun to experience. When I was creating, “Give Me 100” I wanted people listening to have as much fun as when I heard “Caroline” in the Pepsi Center for the first time.
YG – “Toot It and Boot It”
JS: One of the worst engineered hits of the last 20 years, “Toot and Boot It” by YG is just a banger. The hook is so good and so charming that you can’t help but sing along with it after hearing it a couple of times. I wanted, “Give Me 100” to do that exact same thing to whichever audience was consuming it.
J. Cole – “Work Out”
JS: From the memories of hearing this song on the radio as a sophomore in high school, to experiencing tons of different memories throughout the years and connecting this song to those, “Work Out” by J. Cole is a top-tier track in every way. I cannot say enough about this track, or J. Cole as an artist, and how inspired I am, but I can say there was no way that this song wasn’t making the list.
Chance the Rapper (ft. MadeinTYO & DaBaby) – “Hot Shower”
JS: The thumping 808s and effortlessness of the track make, “Hot Shower” such an energy-packed awesome track. I love the bars throughout and I think Chance the Rapper deserved some love on this track
Logic (ft. J. Cole) – “Wizard of Oz “
JS: Logic and J. Cole, among others are two of my favorite rappers to exist. This track is a super fun one to bump in the car specifically on a nice day with the windows down. I tried to encapsulate that same idea in my track.
Check out “Give Me 100,” the newest single from ReSrface and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.