Nostalgia plays heavily into the music of Tacoma, Washington grunge-rockers Enumclaw—as it does in all of our lives, seemingly more so all the time. While their sound and slacker demeanor has always been rooted in various strands of the ’90s alt-rock push, early singles from their debut album Save the Baby carry obvious homages to the years of their upbringing: Two of the pre-album tracks were named after late-’90s/early-’00s animated series, while the first taste of the record was more pointedly titled “2002.”
Yet for all the callbacks to fuzzily familiar cultural touchstones, Save the Baby feels modern in the same way Nothing has been leading a revival of niche alt-rock sounds long buried in a once-hip parent’s basement—sounds which previously only existed in the shadow of the inexplicably revived nu-metal craze. From the opening yearn of the shoegaze-conscious title track onward, the record excels at drawing the line between homage and instrumental jumping-off point when looking back on the music of two decades ago, which vocalist/guitarist Aramis Johnson uses as a foundation for lyrics frequently taking him back to his younger years in this era.
With the album’s lead single “2002” in mind, Johnson took the time to share a playlist he likely had queued up on his first-gen iPod. Comprised of rappers whose outlandish sounds and visuals are ripe for revival any minute, check out his picks below. You can also pre-order Save the Baby before it drops tomorrow via Luminelle Recordings here.
Ludacris, “Diamond in the Back”
The creativity on this album still holds up today!
50 Cent, “High All the Time”
One of my favorite songs to bump when I’m having a nice session with the homies.
E-40 feat. Afroman & B-Legit, “Roll On”
As soon as you hear that funky bass line you can’t help but start bobbin’ your head.
Kingpin Skinny Pimp, “Run Up, Get Done Up”
One of the few artist from the Memphis rap scene that I really fuck with. This is one of his better records
Cam’ron, “Hey Ma”
By far my favorite song to sing at karaoke!
Beanie Sigel, “Nothing Like It”
Beanie Sigel is definitely in my top five from the East Coast. Some of his bars still stick with me today.
N.O.R.E., “Nothin’”
This song could still get the club going crazy, to be honest.
Busta Rhymes, “Pass the Courvoisier” (Remix)
Busta Rhymes really showed me that music could be fun!
Lil Wayne feat. Big Tymers, “Fuck You”
My love for and interest in rap music from Louisiana will always be because of Lil Wayne and his mixtapes.
Project Pat, “Take da Charge”
It’s like a love song, but it’s not.
