13 Big Mood, Surefire Vibe Songs

Reading Time: 13 min read

13 Big Mood, Surefire Vibe Songs features music courtesy of Gunna, Kendrick Lamar, Ohio Players, Sam Smith, SG Lewis, and Saint Levant.

To quote the late, great 🎙 Aretha Franklin via her 2003 song, 🎵 “Wonderful”, “’Cause the VIBE we share feels so comfortable / Is it possible someone could make me lose control.” VIBE is key 🔑 on the 12^th musical compendium on The Music Hype in 2023, 🎧 13 Big Mood, Surefire Vibe Songs. Only five of the songs feature the word ‘vibe’ in their respective song titles. All 13 songs exude a ‘big mood’ or ‘vibe’ which makes this playlist more flexible and subjective. What is indisputable is the fact that these songs right here will make you feel some type of way! 🎧 13 Big Mood, Surefire Vibe Songs features music courtesy of 🎙 Gunna, 🎙 Kendrick Lamar, 🎙 Ohio Players, 🎙 Sam Smith, 🎙 SG Lewis, and 🎙 Saint Levant among others. So, grab your best pair of headphones, or turn up those speakers for this big mood, surefire vibe joints!

1. SG Lewis, “Vibe Like This” (Ft. Ty Dolla $ign & Lucky Daye)

💿 AudioLust & HigherLove • 🏷 Jasmine Music Limited / PMR • 🗓 2023

“Been around the world, I did / Never felt a vibe like this,” 🎙 Lucky Daye sings in the chorus of 🎵 “Vibe Like This”. The 🏆 Grammy winner continues, “Might be worth the risk / To make up for the time I missed.” Honestly, listening to this single from 💿 AudioLust & HigherLove, the sophomore album by English DJ, producer, and singer-songwriter 🎙 SG Lewis, I must concur with Daye – about the vibe, that is! Vibe, of course, is related to the spiritual definition of energy (think aura): a spiritual force that is held to emanate from or give animation to living beings. On “Vibe Like This,” Lewis not only tapped Daye for the assist on vocals but also the walking, ultra-versatile vibe himself, 🎙 Ty Dolla $ign. This record is absolutely glorious!

“Vibe Like This” may be best characterized as a pop record. That said, it’s R&B-infused pop/electronic, considering both Daye and Dolla $ign are known for R&B. This record has love and sex on the brain – that’s the vibe. Following Daye’s chorus, Ty starts spitting game, including offering her “Crocodile Birkin, I did it for Steve Irwin /Whatever it takes to get you back, girl I’ll put the work in…” Daye echoes $ign’s sentiments in the pre-chorus – “…in your arms wish we could freeze time, I need mine / ‘Cause you’re the only one in here I wanna try” – before delivering that sweet chorus once again, this time with some help from Ty on the back half. Ty gives us another noteworthy verse, trying to secure the P, if you catch my drift. Beyond the vocals, theme, and lyrics, what about the production by SG Lewis? “Vibe Like This” is groovy, features a colorful palette of sounds, and easily catches the ear. The man is a beast behind the boards. All told, SG Lewis, Ty Dolla $ign, and Lucky Daye make a formidable team.

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2. Katrina & The Waves, “Walking On Sunshine”

💿 Katrina & The Waves • 🏷 Capitol • 📅 1985

“Now I’m walking on sunshine, whoa / I’m walking on sunshine, whoa / I’m walking on sunshine, whoa / And don’t it feel good?” Of course, it does, 🎙 Katrina & The Waves – WOO! The British rock band scored a huge hit with the 1985 song, 🎵 “Walking On Sunshine”. The positive vibes are lit from the onset, as 🎙 Katrina Leskanich confirms the fact that he loves her – something she was totally maybe about. Furthermore, given the fact that he’s not there with her, Leskanich asserts, “Now every time I go for the mailbox, gotta hold myself / ‘Cause I just can’t wait till you write me you’re coming around.” In 2022, this is a more archaic means of communication – there is more technology that allows us to participate in long distance relationships. Different times when this 💿 Katrina & The Waves highlight came along.

The distance obviously bothers Leskanich in the second verse. “Now, I don’t want you back for the weekend, not back for a day, no, no, no,” she sings, adding, “I said, baby, I just want you back, and want you to stay.” Makes perfect sense. Worth noting, Katrina did NOT write this song. Guitarist 🎼 ✍ Kimberley Rew is responsible for both music and lyrics. Even so, Leskanich successfully brought his words to life. The music is as bright and cheery as the lyrics, something that makes this nearly 40 year old song still relevant. 🎵 “Walking On Sunshine” performed quite well on the Billboard Hot 100, ultimately peaking at no. 9. What an exceptional sunny song!

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3. Latto, “Big Energy”

💿 777 • 🏷 Streamcut / RCA • 📅 2022

“Bad bitch, I could be your fantasy (Yeah) / I can tell you got big dick energy (Uh-huh).” There is no doubt in the least that there’s ample energy on 🎵 “Big Energy”, a breakout record for 🎙 Latto. Released in 2021, “Big Energy” ultimately appeared on her 2022 album, 💿 777. So, how much energy did this BDE-heavy track have on the charts? Well, “Big Energy” peaked at no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also spent a total of 51 weeks on the chart, which is HUGE (and fitting)!

Featuring bold, sexual, and unapologetic lyrics, “Big Energy” has no shortage of personality. Besides the lyrics (“I’ma bust it on a pole like Onyx (Ooh) / I’m just bein’ honest (Uh-huh) / Pussy juicy, Minute Maid (Oh) / But can’t do it one minute, man (Hell no)”), one thing that also cannot be failed to mention is the samples. The big inspiration is 🎵 “Genius of Love” courtesy of 🎙 Tom Tom Club. Also, how about a little 🎙 Mariah Carey featuring 🎙 Ol’ Dirty Bastard with 🎵 “Fantasy (Bad Boy Fantasy)”. With such awesome ingredients – the lyrics, samples, production, personality, rhymes, and of course, big dick energy – it is unsurprising that “Big Energy” was the hit and surefire bop. The chorus, of course, is the BIGGEST attraction, excerpted at the top and seen below in its ROBUST entirety:

“Bad bitch, I could be your fantasy (Yeah)

I can tell you got big dick energy (Uh-huh)

It ain’t too many niggas that can handle me (Yeah)

But I might let you try it off the Hennessy (Uh)

Make ‘em sing to this pussy like a melody (Make ’em sang)

And if your bitch ain’t right, I got the remedy (Ooh)

It ain’t too many niggas that can handle me (Ayy)

Bad bitch, I could be your fantasy (Ayy, ayy).”

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4. Sam Smith, Koffee & Jessie Reyez, “Gimme”

💿 Gloria • 🏷 Capitol • 🗓 2023

“Gimme, gimme what I want, what I want.” Woo! It is not hard to deduce what 🎙 Sam Smith, 🎙Koffee, and 🎙 Jessie Reyez want on 🎵 “Gimme” – relax, it’s just sex! “Gimme” marks the third single from Smith’s fourth studio album, 💿 Gloria. “Gimme” is a ball of fun – infectious from an initial listen. It begins with Reyez repetitive and utterly simplistic chorus, which is a VIBE and a half – NO CAP! Throw in an infectious beat that totally slaps (production courtesy of Smith, 🎛 Jimmy Napes, StarGate, and Anju Blaxx) and “Gimme” is on fi-ya!

While Reyez arguably gets the best part of the song, Smith and Koffee shine too. Smith continues to open up about themself song after song, album after album. Admittedly a sexual person, they reveal the cards in the first verse and pre-chorus. “So, nut before you come over,” they assert, adding, “Your eyes on my dun, dun-dun-dun / I need you closer.” Day-um, Sam! As for the pre-chorus, “Voyeurs are watching us / Giving me such a rush / When I’m crazy and drunk on love / Give me what I want…” Koffee brings the reggae energy on this tropical, reggae-tinged joint, which means we get the patois. “Mi rock yuh body, ooh suh go rock yuh body fi mi / Come over yah so may mi push yuh body to the limit.” Yup, it’s giving good sex, ladies and gents! Clearly, on “Gimme,” the 🏆 Academy and Grammy-award winning nonbinary singer/songwriter is embracing his sexual side. We know Smith can slay a ballad, but it is also cool to hear him switch things up and open up.

via GIPHY

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Awesome Songs: January 2023

5. Sigrid, “Don’t Kill My Vibe”

💿 Sucker Punch • 🏷 Island • 📅 2019

“You think you’re so important to me, don’t you? / But I wanted you to know that you don’t belong here /… Don’t kill my vibe!” Say that girl, SAY THAT! In 2017, Norwegian pop artist 🎙 Sigrid (Sigrid Solbakk) released a soaring single with 🎵 “Don’t Kill My Vibe”, which ultimately appeared on her 2019 debut album, 💿 Sucker Punch. This record latches from a first listen with assertive and exuberant vocals and compelling production to match (🎛 Martin Sjølie). Who would dare kill this girl’s vibe? Someone ‘tried it’ mind you (“You love to tear me down, you pick me apart”), but she’s not having it (“Guess you’re surprised, I’m the puzzle you can’t figure out”)!

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6. Gunna & Future, “pushin p” (Ft. Young Thug)

💿 DS4EVER • 🏷 Gunna Music LLC / Young Stoner Life / 300 Entertainment • 🗓 2021

On 🎵 “pushin P”, 🎙 Gunna and 🎙 Future deliver a surefire banger – NO CAP 🔥! This highlight from Gunna’s 2021, no. 1 album, 💿 DS4EVER, keeps it real. It is a musical occasion where the vibe is enough to carry the song without being able to decipher what Gunna, Future, or featured guest, 🎙 Young Thug are rapping. Examining the lyrics, what Gunna, Future, and Young Thug are going for makes more sense… sort of. These rappers are pushing the truth and of course, ample drip. Following an intro that shouts out producer 🎛 Wheezy, Gunna and Future kick the first verse off with a bang. “Pointers in the Patek and my piece, I’m pushin’ P,” Gunna asserts, with Future following up with, “Copped new hammers for my P, we don’t want no peace.” Woo! There is no shortage of outlandish lines, with one of my favorites being “She not a lesbian, for P, she turn Pesbian 😏 (Pushin’ P, I’m pushin’ P).” As for Young Thug, he’s in a world of his own. Mostly he drops ample ‘P’ talk, such as, “Okay, bought her a P, not a pill, a Porsche,” and the colorful, “I just fucked a cup of water (I did).” He closes with a KO on this hard-flexing gem: “Take the P out the alphabets, nigga, try to sort it out.”

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7. ZAYN, “Vibez”

💿 Nobody is Listening • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2021

“Mind runnin’ wild, we touchin’ slow / Just say the word, I’m ready to go…” 🎵 “Vibez”, which appears on 💿 Nobody is Listening, the third studio album by 🎙 ZAYN, is indeed a vibe. Contributing to the success of this urban-pop record is production courtesy of 🎛 Scribz Riley and Rogét Chahayed. Running just 2:43, that’s plenty of time for ZAYN to woo us with his smooth, sexy vocals. Although sensual, he keeps the love and sex tasteful. While he serves up nothing game changing, ultimately, “Vibez” is an enjoyable, pleasant, well-rounded pop record – a surefire standout from Nobody is Listening.

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Vibes: 5ive Songs No. 7 (2021)

8. Skrillex, Fred again.. & Flowdan, “Rumble”

🎵 “Rumble” • 🏷 OWSLA / Atlantic • 🗓 2023

Three words: “Hear the rumble.” Woo! 🎙 Elley Duhé is the first voice heard on 🎵 “Rumble”, a lit single attributed to the superstar team of 🎙 Skrillex, 🎙 Fred again.., and 🎙 Flowdan. Skrillex and Fred again… handle the production duties, which entails some sick percussion, synths, and of course, those pitched-up vocals by Duhé that recur. The heavy lifting vocally arrives courtesy of English Grime MC Flowdan, who is a VIBE from the start of the first verse.

“Run for dem life when I step into the jungle,” Flowdan asserts, adding, “Said they wanna group up, they better move up / Never gonna win a Royal Rumble.” Woo! As stellar as those lines are, his best moments arrive on the refrain: “Yo, listen, you hear that? Killers in the jungle.” The music brilliantly matches his jungle reference with an intense percussive, tribal groove and a sense of enigma. During the drop, Duhé also references the rumble. Beyond the refrain, Flowdan also drops some vibe-laden smoking references in the second verse (“Yo, you hear that? Over, smell the aroma”). All told, 🎵 “Rumble” is a big mood, surefire vibe bop. Just the energy needed for 2023.

9. Saint Levant, “Very Few Friends”

🎵 “Very Few Friends” • 🏷 Saint Levant • 🗓 2022

“I wanna take you to Paris and spoil you / I wanna go to Marseille and enjoy you / I want those guys in your DM’s who talk to themselves / And then tell all their friends that they know you.” Woo! 🎙 Saint Levant (Marwan Abdelhamid) serves up good vibes – better yet, sexy vibes – on his single, 🎵 “Very Few Friends”. The brief “Very Few Friends” showcases the appeal, talent, and versatility of Abdelhamid. This handsome musician with a diverse background (Palestinian/French/Algerian/Serbian) raps in multiple languages: English, French, and Arabic. To characterize it as ear-catching would be an understatement.

Saint Levant never gets too high while performing “Very Few Friends.” The smooth backdrop gives off love-oriented, romantic, R&B vibes. Abdelhamid raps smoothly, supporting romantic sensibilities. After dropping some Arabic rhymes, he continues spitting in the first verse, “Love boy Levant back in the building.” He goes on to drop French as well. Even if you’re not proficient at Arabic or French, English lines like, “We have designer sex in the morning / Expensive when you moanin’,” as well as the memorable closing lyric, “When we come together it’s a fuckin’ problem” makes it clear what Abdelhamid has in mind. The chorus is a highlight: “I have very few friends / I’m focused on very few friends.” 🎵 “Very Few Friends” gives a terrific snapshot of Saint Levant, showing his versatility. Furthermore, it will easily enhance your playlist, particularly when it comes to matters of the bedroom.

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10. 2 Chainz, “It’s a Vibe” (Ft. Ty Dolla $ign, Trey Songz & Jhené Aiko)

💿 Pretty Girls Like Trap Music • 🏷 Def Jam • 📅 2017

“That’s a vibe… / She wanna vibe, yeah…” 🎙 2 Chainz strikes gold on 🎵 “It’s a Vibe”, the crowning achievement of his 2017 album, 💿 Pretty Girls Like Trap Music. Yes, it would be safe to say that “It’s a Vibe” is indeed a vibe, even if 2 Chainz and company eschew depth and substance ultimately. 🎙 Ty Dolla $ign and 🎙 Trey Songz perfectly amplify the sexual intent of the number. 2 Chainz spends his verse rapping about money 💸, sex 👉👌, and hustling. Adding the feminine touch is 🎙 Jhené Aiko, who sounds as sensual as ever in her sweetest, ‘cool-as-a-cucumber’ voice.

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11. Kendrick Lamar, “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”

💿 Good kid, m.A.A.d City • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2012

In the context of the 2012 masterpiece, 💿 good Kid, m.A.A.d. City, 🎵 “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” translates 🎙 Kendrick Lamar’s father’s ‘oldies’ reference from 🎵 “Sherane a.k.a Master Splinter’s Daughter” to soulful production, contributed by 🎛 Sounwave. The production incorporates live strings, background vocals, and a 🎙 Boom Clap Bachelors sample (“Tiden Flyver”). While the record has soulful sensibilities, it also possesses a lush West Coast sound. “I am a sinner, who’s probably gonna sin again / Lord, forgive me! Lord, forgive me / Things I don’t understand,” Kendrick Lamar proclaims on the chorus, continuing, “Sometimes I need to be alone / Bitch, don’t kill my vibe!”

Lamar admits to his improprieties and ultimately wants/knows he should be a better person but knows he’ll fall short despite this. He also doesn’t want to be compromised as an ‘individual’, hence a play on the line, “Bitch don’t kill my vibe.” He brilliantly alters his voice and changes inflections, including moments when his flow is ultra-rhythmically contrived.

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12. Ohio Players, “Fopp”

💿 Honey • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 📅 1975

“Fopped last night and the night before / I had to fopp outside and then I went indoors.” Woo! That’s some fopping right there, 🎙 Ohio Players. The legendary funk/soul collective was something else in their heyday. Ohio Players’ music was risqué to say the least. 🎵 “Fopp” graces the band’s 1975 album, 💿 Honey, which is best known for the no. 1 hit single on the Billboard Hot 100, 🎵 “Love Rollercoaster”. Even so, “Fopp” garnered success too, peaking at no. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Fopping is dancing, evidenced by lyrics like, “Fopped so hard I made the people roar / They stood back and gave me all the floor.” Clearly, Ohio Players front man 🎙 Leroy ‘Sugarfoot’ Bonner has some serious skills on the dance floor, so much so, everybody else lets him do his thing. That said, given Ohio Players’ risqué musical approach, it seems that a song merely about dancing seems far too innocent. Don’t let those funky instrumentals and a brand-new word for dance fool you! Bonner isn’t totally being innocent in the second verse when he sings, “Raise your leg and then you hump your back / Do your thing, don’t you give no slack / Shake your hips and then you turn around /… Fopp me right, don’t you fopp me wrong / We’ll be here foppin’ all night long.” All night long, huh? Yeah – there’s more than just dancing going on there OP! All told, listening to 🎵 “Fopp” is the perfect example of heaven – funk heaven, that is!

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Ohio Players, “Fopp”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶118 (2022)

13. Beyoncé, “Break My Soul”

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

After six long years, the most awarded woman in 🏆 Grammy history, 🎙 Beyoncé, began her 💿 RENAISSANCE. She got off to an electrifying start with 🎵 “Break My Soul”, which features no shortage of writers including 🎼 ✍ Terius The-Dream Nash and Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, who also produce. The boisterous intro by 🎙 Big Freedia gets you hyped for what’s to come (sampling 🎵 “Explode” from 2014). “Break My Soul” establishes itself as a house-driven pop/R&B joint, contrasting what Beyoncé has served up in the past. The record features an infectious, danceable groove, led by beloved house keys, bass synth, and beat. Lyrically, “Break My Soul” features its fair share of inspirational lyrics, including the titular lyric – “You won’t break my soul” – as well as exudes confidence. (“Motivation / I’m lookin’ for a new foundation, yeah / And I’m on that new vibration / I’m buildin’ my own foundation, yeah / Hold up, oh, baby, baby”). Besides singing, Beyoncé also serves up a rapped verse, keeping things interesting. Furthermore, cannot fail to mention those lovely, harmonized backing vocals. Honestly, there’s lots to heart on this bop, ready-made for summer, or fall, or winter, or spring! Could be the BEST song of 2022 too!

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13 Big Mood, Surefire Vibe Songs [📷: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; 300 Entertainment, Atlantic, Capitol, Columbia, Def Jam, Gunna Music LLC, Island, Jasmine Music Limited, OWSLA, Parkwood Entertainment LLC, PMR, RCA, Saint Levant, Streamcut, UMG Recordings, Inc., Young Stoner Life; Hamann La, Kelvin Akparanta, Layton Findlater, Philip Boakye, Yuri Manei via Pexels]

13 Big Mood, Surefire Vibe Songs

Published by the musical hype on January 27, 2023January 27, 2023