13 Songs Buoyed by the Power of SO

Reading Time: 14 min read

🎧 13 Songs Buoyed by the Power of SO features Conway the Machine, Ginuwine, jxdn, The Kid LAROI & Tower of Power.

Bitmoji Image

mm, it seems like the word SO is totally in line for a playlist! Yes, why not shock the world and make a compendium about a two-letter word that is used SO much. There’s no extra magic or surprises, just 🎧 13 Songs Buoyed by the Power of SO. It’s SO much, right (surely, you’re catching the drift by now)?

so excited 🎧 13 Songs Buoyed by the Power of SO features an assortment of musicians, like, SO many! Let’s see, we’ve got 🎙 Conway the Machine, 🎙 Ginuwine, 🎙 jxdn, 🎙 The Kid LAROI, and 🎙 Tower of Power among others. SO, rap, R&B, alternative (punk-pop or is it pop-punk), pop-rap, and soul just amongst those five highlighted musicians, sigh. SO, without further ado or trying to force the issue SO, SO much, we leave you with these 13 powerful SO songs!

1. Koduku, “So Fine”

🎵 “So Fine” • 🏷 Koduku • 📅 2022

“My baby so fine / The way she walks in, the room goes quiet / Oh / The feeling I feel is something different / I think that I’m in love with this girl.” Well, damn, 🎙 Koduku feels some type of way about this girl! Woo! He makes it clear on 🎵 “So Fine” that he’s the sugar honey iced tea (“In case you didn’t know, I’m a big baller, shot caller around). Furthermore, he’d be “Quite upset if you turn me down, but if you do another one’ll come around.” Cocky/confident much?

Bitmoji Image Koduku keeps it short – two-minutes and change – and relatively sweet by my estimations. It’s a vibe, all in all. He has a beautiful voice to match the game that he speaks. He’s obsessed with her because she’s ‘the stuff,’ including his “fetish.” Wow! That’s a bit TMI but to each his own. I guess when she’s “So Fine” it drives some men wild!

2. jxdn, “So What!”

💿 Tell Me About Tomorrow • 🏷 DTA • 📅 2021

“PTSD leavin’ me in my grave (I’m not okay).” Oh my! Well, punk-pop (or is it pop-punk?) has made a comeback in the 2020s. Back in the late 90s and into the aughts, punk-pop artists/bands ran rampant. After a while, however, the trend cooled off. But now, with artists like 🎙 jxdn (🎙 Jaden Hossler), the alternative sub style is back in business. Hossler shines on 🎵 “So What!”, the 12^th track on his 2021 debut album, 💿 Tell Me About Tomorrow.

iced coffee SO, what is jxdn ‘so what-ing’ about? A girl, of course! Are you shocked? This. Is. Pop. Punk (or punk-pop)! “And I’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout you all night / I don’t wanna fight,” he sings in the first verse, continuing, “All these other random girls wanna kill my vibe / Yeah, what a waste of time.” Woo! Of course, the big moment – the centerpiece – is the chorus, in all its dramatic glory:

“So what? I’m broken

And my heart is frozen

All my words are chokin’

I’m so over life

So what? I’m broken

Knew this love was poison

All these wounds are open

I’m so down tonight

I’m so down tonight.”

3. Conway the Machine, “So Much More”

**💿 God Don’t Make Mistakes • 🏷 Shady / Interscope • 📅 2022**

🎙 Conway the Machine does NOT want you to put him in a box. Yeah – don’t go and do that! Why? “It’s so much more it’s so much more / … Don’t confuse me as just another rapper, I’m so much more than that.” Woo – say that! The 40-year-old rapper delivers surefire illness on 🎵 “So Much More,” the ninth track from 💿 God Don’t Make Mistakes. He gets some incredible production work courtesy of 🎛 J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. Man, the League always comes through!

Bitmoji Image Conway the Machine has a lit flow from start to finish. There’s an easygoing nature yet what he spits is potent. “I’m a motherfuckin’ legend, nigga,” he raps in the first verse, adding, “And I have to sell my soul to sell no records, nigga / I wrote some of the illest verse ever and shifted the culture / But I’ll probably never get the credit, nigga.” That’s true and a shame. As interesting as those lines are, how about the closing lyric from the verse: “My tweet got taken out of context, they think I left the group.” The lyric references his status with Griselda, apparently. Anyways, there is no shortage of intriguing moments (“When people organically fuck with your music, that’s a bonus”) making “So Much More” a must-hear.

4. Doja Cat, “Say So (Remix)” (Ft. Nicki Minaj)

🎵 “Say So (Remix)” • 🏷 Kemosabe / RCA • 📅 2019

“Day to night to morning, keep with me in the moment / I’d let you had I known it, why don’t you say so?” Shew, 🎙 Doja Cat (Amala Zandile Dlamini) is a walking bop! She continues the chorus from 🎵 “Say So” (💿 Hot Pink), singing, “Didn’t even notice, no punches left to roll with / You got to keep me focused; you want it? Say so.” Honestly, she didn’t need 🎙 Nicki Minaj to make 🎵 “Say So (Remix)” but, I do like what Minaj serves up on the remix.

groovy Following the catchy chorus by Doja, Nicki goes right to work exuding confidence delivering drippy, clever, and eyebrow-raising bars.

“Used to be bi, but now I’m just hetero

Ain’t talkin’ medicine, but I made him more a fiend

Ever since I put the cookie on quarantine

He know this thing A1 like a felony

All he gotta do is say the word like a spelling bee.”

Holy sugar honey iced tea!!! Doja Cat responds with the superb chorus, and of course, the second verse from the original. Doja is tamer than usual, but we still get plenty of sexual innuendo, as well as ending with a bang – or leading up to ‘banging’ as she references “Ass and titties.” Anyways, it’s not the last we hear of Nicki! We get an outro referencing COVID-19 (“I got dressed just to sit in the house”) as well as talking some shit (“Why you talkin’ ‘bout who body fake? / With all them fillers in your face, you just full of hate”). “Say So (Remix) = BOP!

5. Ginuwine, “So Anxious”

**💿 100% Ginuwine • 🏷 Blackground / Atlantic • 📅 1999**

“I’m so anxious / So meet me at 11:30, I love the way you’re talkin’ dirty.” Oh yes! Ginuwine – what a stud! Women adored the sex symbol back in the day, while many men were envious (rightfully so). This isn’t about objectifying G, but rather focusing on his sexy gem, “So Anxious”. The chorus, excerpted above, continues as follows: “Said, I’m so anxious / Girl could you quit this stallin’, you know I’m a sexaholic.”

nervous sweating A sexaholic huh? Bet that’s a stimulating experience 😈! In 1999, the R&B artist was on fire with this sensual highlight from 💿 100% Ginuwine. Produced by 🎛 Timbaland, Ginuwine has a lush, rhythmic backdrop to share his horniness and anxiousness about the imminent sex. Throughout, time is an issue for G, mostly because he wants to do it so badly again with this hottie. “You said you’re working / Well hit me just as soon as your shift is over,” he sings on the second verse, continuing, “And I’ll be waiting, cause I can’t sleep for reminiscing / Reminiscing bout you and what we do, hit me back.” G is arguably his lustiest on the bridge:

“Said as soon as you hit the door, I’mma pull you down on the floor

…Baby girl, I wanna bump and grind

This s something that’s been on my mind.”

“So Anxious” = contemporary R&B classic.

Appears in 🔽:

6. Alicia Keys, “So Done” (Ft. Khalid)

**💿 Alicia • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2020**

“’Cause I’m so, so done / Guardin’ my tongue, holdin’ me back / I’m livin’ the way that I want…” 🎵 “So Done” gave 🏆 Grammy winning R&B artist 🎙 Alicia Keys a sleek, more commercial record than much of 💿 Alicia. Enlisting 🎙 Khalid for the assist shows that the ‘true OG of R&B’ can assimilate with the times and evolve, at least to some extent.

Bitmoji Image “So Done” features a lovely harmonic progression, which helps to construct a chill, sensual, and soulful sound. The production is strong with guitars serving as the main accompaniment; the sound is throwback but refreshing. The biggest reason why it’s a winner for Keys is her voice; she sounds strong. Furthermore, the chemistry between her and Khalid is nice.

Appears in 🔽:

7. Big Sean & Metro Boomin, “So Good” (Ft. Kash Doll)

**💿 Double or Nothing • 🏷 G.O.O.D. Music / Def Jam / Boominati Worldwide / Republic • 📅 2017**

“Head so good, pu$$y so good / If I could quit my job and fuck you all day, shit, I would.” That pretty much sums up the filthiest, raunchiest song from the 2017 🎙 Big Sean/ 🎙 Metro Boomin collaboration, 💿 Double or Nothing. Big Sean is no stranger to incorporating sex into his music, but “So Good” just might ‘take the cake.’ He goes into graphic detail, taunting his size on the first verse (“Got a long dick, that shit barely fit”). If that’s not enough, on the same verse, he manages to be blasphemous regarding his performance (“Got so deep in that bitch, it felt spiritual / Flood in that pussy, it’s a miracle”).

Bitmoji Image Featured guest 🎙 Kash Doll doesn’t let Big Sean have all the fun, as she focuses on how awesome the sex is as well. If Sean seemed like the boss, self-proclaimed “nasty bitch” Kash Doll makes it clear that she holds the reins:

“Last time I let you fuck, it was amazing, shit

Love a nigga who ain’t scared to put his face in it.”

Obviously, she’s referring to her own private parts. And just in case it was perfectly clear, she goes on to say, “And I still remember every single place you licked / So I sucked the soul outcha just to thank that dick.” This one’s NSFW.

Appears in 🔽:

8. The Kid LAROI, “So Done”

**💿 FCK LOVE 3: OVER YOU* • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 2021**

“I’m done, so done, I’m done with all the games you play,” 🎙 The Kid LAROI asserts on the chorus of 🎵 “SO DONE”. So, what exactly is young Charlton Howard ‘done’ with? Love – he’s not ready for it right now! The result of his pain is an enjoyable, melodic single from 💿 F*CK LOVE 3: OVER YOU.

Bitmoji Image Given the melodic nature of this track, as well as Howard’s distinct, expressive sound, he perfectly captures the plight of love to be honest. “Sometimes, I sit and I think about why / I even trusted you… / Want you to walk out and walk out of my life.” He never goes incredibly deep, but whether you’re his age – an ‘angst-laden teen’, twice his age (shout-out millennials), or far older, the subject at hand is quite relatable.

Appears in 🔽:

Done ✅: 5ive Songs No. 57 (2020)

9. Akon, “I’m So Paid” (Ft. Jeezy & Lil Wayne)

**💿 Freedom • 🏷 UMG Recordings • 📅 2008**

“Number one hustla get money / Why you wanna count my money / I’m a hustla and I don’t need them! / One of them y’all see! I’m so paid.” 🎙 Akon had a good run – for three albums. Sure, he’s released more albums than that over the course of his career, but his biggest claims to fame have been 💿 Trouble, 💿 Konvicted, and 💿 Freedom. Focusing on Freedom, the distinct voiced artist gave us a sweet gem with 🎵 “I’m So Paid”, featuring rap verses from both 🎙 Jeezy and 🎙 Lil Wayne.

pay day “I’m So Paid” is exactly what you expect it to be. Balling, flexing, toughness, and unapologetic lyrics and rhymes. Akon sings with incredible ease here but also packs a punch with his performance. Likewise, Jeezy is ever a ‘G’, while Weezy asserts at one point, “How do I feel? Bitch, I feel undefeated.” Cocky and confident, consider “I’m So Paid” one of the last big bangers of the most lucrative part of Akon’s career.

Appears in 🔽:

Pay: 5ive Songs No. 22 (2021)

10. Harry Styles, “To Be So Lonely”

**💿 Fine Line • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 2019**

“And I’m just an arrogant son of a bitch / Who can’t admit when he’s sorry.” On 🎵 “To Be So Lonely,” compared to a pair of preceding songs from 💿 Fine Line – 🎵 “Cherry” and 🎵 “Falling” – 🏆 Grammy winner 🎙 Harry Styles is more lighthearted. “To Be So Lonely” was written by Styles alongside 🎼✍ Thomas Hull, 🎼✍ Tyler Johnson, and 🎼✍ Mitch Rowland. Johnson and 🎛 Kid Harpoon (Hull) produce this ‘lonely’ joint.

Bitmoji Image Interestingly, he connects both songs to “To Be So Lonely.” How so? “Don’t blame me for falling,” Styles sings in the first verse, cleverly. Furthermore, in the chorus, he sings, “Don’t call me ‘baby’ again, you got your reasons.” Whether he’s drunk or not (“Don’t blame the drunk caller”), Styles is honest about personal flaws: “Do you think it’s easy being of the jealous kind? ‘Cause I miss the shape of your lips.” Woo! Oh “TO BE SO LONELY!!!”

11. Kid Cudi, “Mojo So Dope”

💿 Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 2010

Back in 2010, 🎙 Kid Cudi, an innovative, left-field rapper, dropped a truly underrated banger in 🎵 “Mojo So Dope”. Cudi spits agilely, while also staying true to the concept of his sophomore album, 💿 Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. While Cudi’s concepts are interesting, on this song, I found myself more taken with his flow and honestly, the production and vibe. 🎛 Emile Haynie does a fantastic job with the production. “Mojo So Dope” samples a marvelous alternative track, 🎵 “Claustrophobia” by Danish collective 🎙 Choir of Young Believers. From the onset, the sample helps to give “Mojo So Dope” its identity: “God I thought I loved you so / God I thought I loved you so” (Sung by 🎙 Fridolin Nordsø). Nordsø’s light, airy backing vocals, coupled with the floating sound of “Claustrophobia” set up the Kid for surefire success.

Bitmoji Image Kid Cudi rides the beat like a champ! “They done let in the skinny jean-wearing / Fro-for-days in a old AA,” he spits, continuing, “Ball’ so low, most fools couldn’t price me / Silently stunt with a blunt full of P.E.” Woo! The crowning achievement is the chorus, which works brilliantly with the Choir of Young Believers sample. Let’s just say, it’s the “oh, oh-oh, oh” by Fridolin Nordsø works splendidly with Kid Cudi’s confident rhymes.

“Oh, oh-oh, oh

Hey, my mojo so dope, bitch

My mojo so dope

Yep, we live it, live it

Yep, we on it, on it

Oh, oh-oh, oh

Give a fuck about your lifestyle

Give a fuck about a motherfucker lifestyle, ‘cause, nigga

We, we live this shit

Oh, oh-oh, oh

Give a fuck about your lifestyle

Give a fuck about a motherfucker lifestyle, ‘cause, nigga, hey.”

Appears in 🔽:

Kid Cudi, “Mojo So Dope”: Rap BNGRZ 🔥 No. 5 (2022)

12. Ne-Yo, “So Sick”

**💿 In My Own Words • 🏷 The Island Def Jam Music Group • 📅 2006**

“And I’m so sick of love songs, so tired of tears / So done with wishin’ you were still here.” In 2006, 🎙 Ne-Yo (Shaffer Smith) was such a big deal. His debut album, 💿 In My Own Words, topped the Billboard 200. So did his debut single, 🎵 “So Sick.” Basically, Smith is perturbed by hearing these love songs given his heartbroken state. He continues singing on the chorus, “Said I’m so sick of love songs, so sad and slow / So why can’t I turn off the radio?” Sigh – it’s a lot!

Bitmoji Image In the verses, Ne-Yo expounds on his struggles. There are far too many reminders of what was and what isn’t anymore. “Gotta change my answering machine / Now that I’m alone,” he sings in the first, adding in the second, “Gotta fix that calendar I have / That’s marked July 15^th / Because since there’s no more you / There’s no more anniversary.” Bummer, bummer, bummer! As sad as it is, “So Sick” was and still is our listening pleasure north of fifteen years later. Ne-Yo, well, that boy can sing!

13. Tower of Power, “So Very Hard to Go”

💿 Tower of Power • 🏷 Warner • 📅 1973

🎙 Tower of Power is awesome, period. The R&B band has some incredible hits, with 🎵 “So Very Hard to Go” leading the charge. One of the reasons “So Very Hard to Go” is SO great are the lead vocals of 🎙 Lenny Williams. Williams was the vocalist of TOP during arguably their most lucrative, memorable run. His pipes are crucial to the success of this ballad. That tone = magnificent.

Intense “Ain’t nothin’ I can say / Nothin’ I can do,” Williams sings in the first verse, continuing, “I feel so bad, yeah / I feel so blue.” Oh, the feels, the feels, the feels. In the second verse, he continues to acknowledge his mistakes, which leads to the chorus sections, where he states, “I can never make you unhappy /… Only wish I didn’t love you so / Makes it so, so very hard to go.” Indeed, indeed! Love sucks, but what doesn’t suck in the least is this utterly sublime Tower of Power classic. The vocals! The songwriting! The music (instrumental)! The soulful aesthetic!

🎧 13 Songs Buoyed by the Power of SO [📷: Atlantic, Boominati Worldwide, Blackground, Brent Faulkner, Columbia, Def Jam, DTA, Frank Mckenna on Unsplash ,G.O.O.D. Music, Interscope, The Island Def Jam Music Group, Kemosabe, Koduku, The Musical Hype, RCA, Pixabay, Republic, Shady, UMG Recordings, Inc., Warner]

13 Songs Buoyed by the Power of SO | Playlist 🎧

Published by the musical hype on March 9, 2022March 9, 2022