11 Songs U Need 2 Listen UP 🆙 2 | Playlist 🎧

11 Songs U Need 2 Listen UP 🆙 2 features music courtesy of Beyoncé, dvsn, Rick Astley, Rihanna, and Yeat among others.

Like Cardi B once rapped, “If it’s up, then it’s up, then it’s up, then it’s stuck!” WOO! Cutting straight to the chase, though, this list – 🎧 11 Songs U Need 2 Listen UP 🆙 2 – is all about a two-letter word, UP 🆙.  Unlike a previous UP list from 2021, 🎧 Listen UP to These 15 Songs, UP is NOT used as an affix- in the respective song titles.

As many UP lists have graced The Musical Hype, for 🎧 11 Songs U Need 2 Listen UP 🆙 2, we’ve managed to feature 11 songs that weren’t previously featured on other UP lists.  This latest edition features music courtesy of 🎙 Beyoncé, 🎙 dvsn, 🎙 Rick Astley, 🎙 Rihanna, and 🎙 Yeat among others. There’s pop, R&B, the 80s (oldies), rap, and rock in the mix – woo! So, without further ado, let’s get all UP 🆙 into these songs, shall we?

1. Rihanna, “Lift Me Up”

💿 Blank Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music From and Inspired By • 🏷 Def Jam • 🗓 2022 

“Lift me up / Hold me down / Keep me close / Safe and sound.” After a lengthy hiatus – six years – 🏆 Grammy-winning R&B/pop artist 🎙 Rihanna (Robyn Fenty) returned in 2022 with 🎵 “Lift Me Up”, the promo single from 💿 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music From and Inspired By. She penned “Lift Me Up” alongside 🎼 ✍ 🎛  Ludwig Goransson (also produces), 🎼 ✍ Ryan Coogler, and 🎼 ✍ Temilade.  Here, Fenty pays tribute to the late actor 🎭 Chadwick Boseman who starred in the lead role of the original 🎦 Black Panther.

Given its tribute status, “Lift Me Up” is a ballad.  Rihanna has recorded her fair share of ballads, even if it’s her quicker records that tend to catch the ear the most.  Vocally, on “Lift Me Up,” she sounds utterly sublime.  Her lower register still has a bite and an edge that is stunning.  Her upper register, including some falsetto moments (for lack of a better word), is also quite impressive.  The backdrop by Ludwig Goransson is warm and feels like a proper memorial and tribute, much like the simple but thoughtful lyrics: “When you depart, keep me safe / Safe and sound.” “Lift Me Up” isn’t game-changing in the world of pop, but marks a strong return for an artist who dominated during her prime.

2. Post Malone & Roddy Ricch, “Cooped Up”

💿 Twelve Carat Toothache • 🏷 Republic • 🗓 2022

🎙 Post Malone has been feelin’ 🎵 “Cooped Up”! The singer/melodic rapper preceded his fourth studio album, 💿 Twelve Carat Toothache, with the single, which taps fellow Grammy-nominated rapper, 🎙 Roddy Ricch, for the assist. “Cooped Up” features the expected from a PM song, including his unique vibrato and signature vocal stylings.  He commences the record with a brief intro, followed by a memorable chorus.  From there, he delivers the first verse over smooth production (Malone and 🎛 Louis Bell). If nothing else, the sound or the record is a V-I-B-E.

“Yes, I’m off the Bud Light, not the bourbon.”  In the first verse, Post drops an agile, confident flow.  His bars are colorful and entertaining, the expectation from the artist.  One line that stands out is, “Police show up at my door with a warrant… / I remember flushin’ somethin’ down the toilet / Guess you gotta let me get off with a warnin’.” My, my, my! There are also pop cultural references, including a killer 🎙 OutKast reference. Roddy Ricch performs verse two, with mixed results: “Shit, gotta pull up / Pull up, I’ma pull up / I pull up, ayy / Got black minx all on the rug, woah, woah / Got hella he’s poppin’ drugs, woah, woah.” Once Ricch settles in, he improves, but it’s, um, different.  Post, does solid doing the heavy lifting, including a bridge that precedes the final chorus.  All in all, the record is enjoyable even if it’s not one of Ricch’s finest moments nor necessarily the best Post Malone track from his catalog.

3. Lizzo, “Break Up Twice”

💿 Special • 🏷  Nice Life / Atlantic • 🗓 2022

🎵 “Break Up Twice” samples the beloved 🎙 Lauryn Hill no. 1 hit, 🎵 “Doo Wop (That Thing)” and 🎵 “Private Number” by 🎙 Judy Clay and 🎙 William Bell.  “Break Up Twice” is one of the most soulful numbers on 💿 Special, the sophomore album by 🏆 Grammy-winning pop standout, 🎙 Lizzo. Yes,  Lizzo is, indeed, “the whole damn meal!” Woo!

It’s not surprising, with 🎛 Ricky Reed and 🎛 Mark Ronson behind the boards, two producers who do a fine job integrating retro elements.  Thematically, Lizzo sings about love taking time, and a willingness to work things out. That said, she also gives a clear warning to that boy that wants a second chance: “‘Cause, boy, you know me better / You know me so much better / You know that I don’t break up twice.” Better heed her warning!

Appears in 🔻:

• Break: 5ive Songs No. 38 (2022)
• 13 Marvelous Break Songs

4. Machine Gun Kelly, “make up sex” (Ft. blackbear)

💿 mainstream sellout • 🏷 Bad Boy/Interscope • 🗓 2022

“Okay, screaming when we fuck, screaming when we fight, yeah / Even when I’m drunk, you’re my only type, yeah.” 🎙 Machine Gun Kelly keeps things ‘shallow’ on 🎵 “make up sex”.  It can be assumed that the singer is into her emotionally on this 💿 mainstream sellout song, particularly with the Bonnie and Clyde reference, but the thing that stands out is sex. “Face down, lay pipe, ooh / Waterworks, swim your pool,” MGK sings towards the end of the first verse, adding, “Backstroke, we both naked / I can see that ass shaking (Damn).” Damn indeed.  Of course, the chorus doesn’t make “make up sex” more refined, depicting a simple order of events: “Yeah, break up just to make up / You’re gone when I wake up.”  

🎙 blackbear joins the mix in the second verse.  Arguably, he’s a bit more focused on the emotional connection… a little bit… Still, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t at least mention the sex:

“You’re my only drug, you’re my only vice, yeah

Fighting then we fuck, you’re my only type, yeah

Mixing bad decisions up with one-night stands and Hennessey

All I’ve got’s this broken heart, but you can have the rest of me.”

Blackbear only adds to the melodrama and silliness. I mean, it is a pop-punk song; it can only go so deep 😏.

Appears in 🔻:

• Machine Gun Kelly, “make up sex”: After Dark 🕛 🌃 31 (2022)
• 15 M Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2

5. Jazmine Sullivan, “Stand Up (From the Original Motion Picture ‘Till’)”

🎵 “Stand Up (From the Original Motion Picture ‘Till’)” • 🏷 RCA • 🗓 2022

“You got a purpose / What is your reason? What is you fightin’ for?”  Those are the questions that 🏆 Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter 🎙 Jazmine Sullivan asks on the single, 🎵 “Stand Up”.  “Stand Up” appears in the 2022 original motion picture, Till, described as ‘the never-before-told story of Mamie Till Mobley’s quest for justice for her son, Emmett.’ Sullivan’s song, which she composed with songwriter/producer 🎼 ✍ 🎛 D’Mile, captures the spirit of activism, perseverance, and strength.

“Yeah, everyone’s hurtin’

But you gotta fight, get up, and keep movin’ forward

See, don’t back away with your hand up

‘Cause somebody need you stand up.”

Beyond thoughtful lyrics that are appropriate for a theme encompassing racial justice, there’s lots to rave about “Stand Up.”  Expectedly, D’Mile shines behind the boards.  The production work is lush including keys, guitar, and strings. As lovely as his backdrop is, it’s the vocals by Jazmine Sullivan that elevates “Stand Up” to even higher heights.  As always, Sullivan’s lead vocals are incredibly expressive and soulful.  Furthermore, the harmonized background vocals are to die for, upping the ante even more. Also strengthening “Stand Up” is a radiant melody and strong harmonic progression – those musical underpinnings, gotta love them! All in all, Jazmine Sullivan brings the heat on 🎵 “Stand Up”.  It’s a nice addition to her musical collection, and certainly captures the themes encompassed in Till perfectly.

Appears in 🔻:

• 11 Marvelous Songs That Stand Tall
• Awesome Songs: October 2022

6. Yeat, “Up Off X”

💿 Lyfë • 🏷 Geffen • 📅 2022

“Sittin’ outside, just still on X / Up all night ‘cause I’m up off X / Bro, you not rich, not rich like this…” That 🎙 Yeat is one intriguing rapper – for sure. 🎵 “Up Off X” appears as the second track off his 2022 album (or whatever it’s considered to be), 💿 Lyfë – the umlaut is important!  From the excerpt alone, we see that Yeat is experiencing the effects of ecstasy. While his drug use is unsettling (Ecstasy, Percocet, drinking, etc.), in “Up Off X,” Yeat doesn’t only focus on substances.

“Five hundred k on my shoes like this / Two million cash on my bitch like this.” Woo! Yeat also makes it clear he’s rich AF over an intriguing 🎛 Opium Jai and 🎛 MadeByJarel production. The drip is dripping hard, yo! He has no shortage of confidence either:

“Yeah, I been makin’ them M’s, you ain’t touching my profits, bitch

Yeah, uh, I’m pullin’ it back, I’m golfin’, bitch

Yeah, she gon’ suck it up, she gon’ gulp them kids

Yeah, and I’m pourin’ it up, yeah, just like this.”

Also, Yeat goes on to not give a fuck about an assortment of things (his words, not mine) including followers, the internet, politics – you get the picture.  He’s unapologetic AF!

7. Beyoncé, “All Up In Your Mind”

💿 RENAISSANCE • 🏷 Parkwood Entertainment LLC / Columbia • 🗓 2022

After six long years, the most awarded woman in 🏆 Grammy history, 🎙 Beyoncé, began her 💿 RENAISSANCE. While it took far too long for the renaissance to commence, this dance/house-driven makeover is a bold, ultra-successful return for one of music’s brightest stars. The final quarter of the album, where 🎵 “All Up in Your Mind” appears, remains strong up until the closing seconds.

“All Up in Your Mind” is a surefire production standout, with Bey producing alongside a talented cast: 🎛 BAH, BloodPop®, MIKE DEAN, S1, Jameil Aossey, The-Dream, and A. G. Cook.  It’s those wacky synths that truly stand out.  Beyond the backdrop, the melody is tuneful.  The chorus, as expected is the centerpiece:

“I try to get all up in your mind

It stops at a crime that I wanna make you mine

I try to get all up in your mind

I’ll go and do the time if it means I’ll make you mine

My eyes, yeah, I really like your smile

It stops the time, yeah, I’ll stay here for a while

You give me that real good feeling that I need

Be careful what you ask for ’cause I just might comply.”

Woo! Beyond the chorus, Bey titillates, dropping bombs like, “He know I’m a fucking problem,” and, “My eyes behold you, this kitty always want you.” Meow! What makes “All Up In Your Mind” even more intriguing, however, is the fact that it plays around with Dorian mode (raised sixth). Of course, casual music listeners aren’t concerned with the fact that a Beyoncé song is modal – that’s for us music theory nerds! One thing’s for sure – you won’t be able to get “All Up In Your Mind” off your mind!

8. dvsn, “What’s Up” (Ft. Jagged Edge)

💿 Working On My Karma • 🏷 OVO Sound / Warner • 📅 2022

According to Canadian R&B duo, 🎙 dvsn – 🎙 Daniel Daley and 🎙 Nineteen85 (producer) – they’ve been 💿 Working On My Karma in 2022.  Among the standouts to appear on the album is 🎵 “What’s Up,” featuring male R&B group, 🎙 Jagged Edge.  In addition to the skills of Nineteen85 behind the boards, 🎛 Bryan-Michael Cox and Jermaine Dupri also produce.  So, who and why is Daniel Daley asking, “what’s up?” That is the question!  The answer lies in the first two lines of the first verse: “Biggest mistake I made / Shouldn’t have let you go.” Those matters of the heart – they get you every time!

Daley is in his head because he can’t stop thinking about her, his ex. As the memorable, tuneful chorus states, he’s with someone new, but it’s just not the same:

“I’m layin’ here with someone else

Feel like I’m by myself

Thinkin’ and my mind won’t rest

I just wanna text my ex

I’m just seein’, what’s up with you?”

Of course, it devolves into the likes of “Who’s fuckin’ with you?” and later, in the second verse, “Fuck his name / We ain’t cut the same / He don’t touch the same / He don’t fuck the same,” regarding his ex’s new boo.  It’s a dramatic but totally feasible contemporary R&B cut; a surefire standout from Working On My Karma.

9. Ruel, “GROWING UP IS_____”

🎵 “GROWING UP IS_____” • 🏷 RCA• 📅 2021 

It never grows tiring raving over 🎙 Ruel (Ruel Vincent Van Dijk), an incredibly gifted young Australian pop musician.  He has a truly radiant, expressive instrument – his voice is angelic! He’s growing up, believe it or not, officially leaving those teen years in 2022. In his 2021 single, 🎵 “GROWING UP IS_____,” it’s clear that Ruel is no longer a child, but becoming a man.  In the first verse, he apologizes for his ineptitude: “I wasn’t tryin’ to let you down / I was just workin’ my shit out / I’m sorry I didn’t know how much I led you on.” Clearly, he’s dealing with those complicated and complex matters of the heart.

Even beyond potentially reinvigorating a former relationship, during the chorus, Van Dijk reflects on growing up:

“Growin’ up is weird

Sleep with friends, break a heart

Question everything you thought

Split a pill, smoke a dart

Growin’ up is weird

Fall in love for a year

And then I disappear

Wish that you were here.”

Indeed, “GROWING UP IS_____” a lot.  But hey, he does so, so well with the help of producer 🎛 M-Phazes!

Appears in 🔻:

• 13 Satisfying Songs That Exude Growth

10. Kate Bush, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)”

💿 Hounds of Love • 🏷 Noble & Brite Ltd • 🗓 1985

“Do you wanna know, know that it doesn’t hurt me? / Do you wanna hear about the deal I’m making?” Those lyrics hail from 🎵 “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)”, the biggest hit from 🎙 Kate Bush. “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” experienced moderate success in the mid-80s, as the promo single from Bush’s 1985 album, 💿 Hounds of Love.  That said, the opener received greater success in 2022 thanks to being featured in the fourth season of the beloved Netflix series, 📺 Stranger Things.  In the United States, “Running Up That Hill” ascended up the Billboard Hot 100, eventually reaching the top five! Furthermore, Hounds of Love enjoyed new success on the Billboard 200.

The opener from Hounds of Love is idiomatic of the 1980s to the core! Nostalgic synths and pads stand out, as does the drum groove.  Those drums pummel consistently, creating an intense soundtrack that matches the lyrics and overall aesthetic. Bush serves up a compelling vocal performance, exhibiting poise at times, but also digging in when things grow more intense. As this 80s classic progresses, we get additional rhythm (via rhythmic guitar), additional, vintage, boxy drums, and additional bite from Bush.  And what about this deal she references in the first verse? Well, the chorus shed some light:

“And if I only could

I’d make a deal with God

And I’d get him to swap our places

Be runnin’ up that road

Be runnin’ up that hill

Be runnin’ up that buildin’

Say, If I only could, oh.”

Woo! I don’t think such deals go down, but give Kate Bush credit for trying, I suppose.  The lyrics are incredibly captivating, including the likes of “Unaware, I’m tearin’ you asunder / Oh, there is thunder in our hearts.” Like, BOOM! 🎵 “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” is a prime example of a record being “old, but still lit!”  It’s amazing this 1980s gem from Kate Bush unexpectedly found new life and relevance in 2022.  Also, this is a tale to never give up on a song, ever, even if it doesn’t instantly ignite the charts.  It took nearly 37 years for “Running Up That Hill” to receive just due in the US, haha.

Appears in 🔻:

• Kate Bush, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 82 (2022)
• 13 Songs Filled with GOD
• 15 Songs Where There are Hills to Climb

11. Rick Astley, “Never Gonna Give You Up”

💿 Whenever You Need Somebody • 🏷 BMG Rights Management (UK) Limited • 📅 1987

“Never gonna give you up / Never gonna let you down / Never gonna run around and desert you.” Aww, how sweet and dedicated of you, 🎙 Rick Astley.  Honestly, when it comes to the 1987 pop classic, 🎵 “Never Gonna Give You Up”, little analysis or explanation is necessary. “Never Gonna Give You Up” was massively successful, peaking at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. as well as in multiple countries throughout the world.  To date, the RIAA has certified the single as quintuple platinum, while its parent album, 💿 Whenever You Need Somebody, is double platinum in its own right.  Face it, this is one of those quintessential 80s songs that never grow old, still resonating to this day.

So, what makes “Never Gonna Give You Up” so iconic? The production, in all its exuberance, is a huge selling point.  It’s incredibly groovy and those keys (synths) pop, including synthesized strings.  Also, supporting Astley’s warm lead vocals are inspired background vocals, which give this record more oomph – more punch.  Does Astley’s performance feel cheesy and dare I say, schmaltzy? Of course, it does! It’s not helped by seeing the compelling music video 🎶📼, which incited rickrolling (it’s the dancing for sure, y’all).  Also, while Astley, who was 21 at the time, was a handsome young man, he also comes off as dorky – no disrespect.  The lyrics in the song do matter, but the big takeaway is that Rick is going to remain dedicated to you FOREVER, it seems.  Furthermore, doesn’t it seem like 🎵 “Never Gonna Give You Up” is the type of song that will last forever? 

Appears in 🔻:

• Rick Astley, “Never Gonna Give You Up”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 110 (2022)

11 Songs U Need 2 Listen UP 🆙 2 [📷: Atlantic, Bad Boy, BMG Rights Management (UK) Limited, Brent Faulkner, Columbia, Def Jam, Geffen, Interscope, The Musical Hype, Nice Life, Noble & Brite Ltd, OVO Sound, Parkwood Entertainment LLC, RCA, Republic, Warner, Jordan Bergendahl, Pixabay, Pexels]