Editor’s Note (June 2026): I originally wrote this piece in the summer of 2024, and I wanted to preserve it as it was. The playlist below was created during that season of my life and reflects what I was listening to then. While I’ve added a few songs over the years, I now keep separate playlists for my secular and gospel music. Even so, this one still feels like an honest snapshot of who I was—and in many ways, who I still am. Consider it a musical time capsule rather than a brand-new playlist.
Welcome to Rhythm portion of the blog. Here I’ll typically update you on what’s currently burning a hole in my AirPods, musings on concerts I’m looking forward to or have recently attended, commentary on new or anticipated music and playlists to support a variety of moments, occasions or moods. I’ll provide Apple Music and Spotify links for the playlists. Feel free to download, share and even adapt them to fit your needs. Stop back by and let me know what razzle dazzle you sprinkled in there. One of my favorite pastimes is sharing music so I welcome the collaboration and discussion.
This inaugural Rhythm post will be slightly different from the subsequent entries., I figured I would share my go-to pump me up, blowing kisses in the mirror saying “Sis you my boo” playlist. If there is anything definitive I can say about music, it’s that it holds the power to pull me out of a place of sadness, anxiety, aggravation, self-loathing and even loneliness and thrust me full force into a feeling of beautifully bold bad bitchery – second only to how I feel after a good sermon on a Sunday morning. The playlist originated around my 37th birthday. I was coming off a year of changes in my personal and professional life, and headed into what was shaping up to be a shenanigan-filled summer, and unbeknownst to me, a rocky fall and winter. I wanted to harness the myriad of emotions I was experiencing at the time. Some days I was so impressed with myself, I channeled my inner Beyonce. Some days, I wanted to chuck an index-less finger peace sign to my haters and could only be soothed by Megan the Stallion. Other days, I was in the middle of a classic, late thirties, ‘omg what is my life’ menty b and needed the embrace of some good ol’ Jesus music to remind me of how blessed I truly was and how far I’d come. Of course, the playlist has been updated since its inception, and will no doubt continue to evolve as my life ebbs and flows; but the purpose remains the same. I can press play on this bad boy while getting ready to head out, cleaning up my apartment or just because I want to hear some solid ‘love and appreciate yourself and your life’ vibes. So, let’s dive in:-)
Playlist Name: Babygirl, You Got it
Play It When: When that fit is hugging you just right, all the lights were green, your cute neighbor checked you out in the gym mirror, you got the good news you’ve been waiting for and you feel on top of the world. Or, press play when none of those things are true and maybe you need to be reminded just how amazing you are and how beautiful this life truly is.
Current Fav (at time of writing): “Inner Me” by Francesca (7/22/24)
Listen on: Apple Music | Spotify
Relatable Rhythms 