Spaces are important. And for many people, the bathtub is the most sacred of all listening spaces. Amniotic water temperature, flickering candles, blissful solitude — rockin’ tunes in the tub rules. Thus, it makes sense why receiving someone’s bathtub playlist can be a truly revealing, psychological experience. Here are a few thoughts on Chance the Rapper’s bathtime playlist, titled “Yup.” First, if it were me, I would begin with something a little more relaxing, but that’s just my personality—”Harambe” is a cool choice to start off with, and Young Thug had a great 2016, so he deserves the top spot here. Then we go onto Bon Iver’s “00000 Million,” the inclusion of which 1) seems appropriate for bathing, and 2) reminds me of Rosie O’Donnell’s tweet from 2011, “i like the song perth — its good music for making dinner.” There are a lot of good hip-hop tracks on here, many of which I missed earlier in the year. I love that Chance included “Summer Friends” from <i>Coloring Book</i>—listening to one’s own music is an important experience, and the bath is a great place for reflection. Lots of Frank Ocean on here (maybe too much?), and a few things on that I’ve never heard of. Didn’t know Smokie Norful—now I do, and I like him. Even though this is a personal playlist, I feel like it should still be subject to the Playlist/Mixtape Rulebook, which clearly states that an artist not be used more than once on the same mix, and if they are, definitely not twice in a row. Penalty!
