Ben Young

Ben Young lives a life of polarity. He has split his life between the coasts: half his life on the West (California) and half on the East (Georgia and Virginia). He has pursued careers in the art world (film school graduate) and the corporate world (executive with Fortune 500 companies). And he is Biracial, the personification of being two things at once. Ben’s musical influences were formed by music loving parents, raised in a world of John Coltrane and John Lennon, James Taylor and James Ingram, Huey Lewis and the News and Prince and the Revolution. Saxophones, electric guitars, synthesizers, and breakbeats filled the air Ben breathed from birth. And being born one year after the birth of Hip Hop, Ben has been joined at the hip with the genre his entire life.

musicto Top 10 Tracks of 2023

16 January 2024

Featuring artists like: André 3000, Mariah the Scientist, The Libertines, Rammstein, Alice Longyu Gao, The Heavy, Corinne Bailey Rae, Lambrini Girls, Saba, Nep, Burna Boy, Billie Eilish, Phoebe Bridgers.

8 Songs to Stop Shouting

1 November 2023

You don’t need to be loud to be heard. Featuring artists like: Radiohead, Noah Kahan, Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, Autechre, Snoh Aalegra, Craig Finn, Prince

Hip Hop Heavy Halloween

24 October 2023

Bound to get anyone with a soul on the dancefloor. Featuring artists like: KIDS SEE GHOSTS, Michael Abels, D’Angelo, Outkast, Midnight Star, The Egyptian Lover, Tarrus Riley, Yellowman

Go With Spirit

15 August 2023

Tracks that speak to a higher power. Featuring artists like: Thomas Wynn & The Believers, Alabama Shakes, Gary Clark Jr., The Roots, Garland Jeffreys, Ben Harper And The Innocent Criminals, Chris de Burgh, DMX

What the Funk is This?

13 July 2022

Funk me? Funk you! And Rock you: Classic and New School. EDM you, Hip Hop you, and finally, Afrobeat you! Featuring artists like: Con Funk Shun, Mofak,Norman Greenbaum, The Black Keys, Jimi Hendrix, Kanye West, Peter Gabriel, Silvastone

Made by Ruth Langmore

30 June 2022

If you want to stop me, you’re gonna have to F***ING KILL ME!, featuring artists like: Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Rage Against the Machine, Beastie Boys, Run The Jewels

Take a Break: The Greatest Interludes in Hip Hop History

4 April 2022

Are you ready to ride the wave of life? Jump in – featuring artists like Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Vince Staples, Outkast, Drake, J Cole, Kanye West, The Weeknd

4×4

13 December 2021

Fast and aggressive, exactly what you wanted – featuring artists like Strapping Young Lad • Descendents • Architects • The Bronx • FEVER 333 • GHOSTKID • Loathe • The Virus

French Girl Nigerian Boy

22 September 2021

Do you want to get lost in a moment? – featuring artists like Lovage • WizKid • Burna Boy • DaVido • Sudan Archives • Juniore • The Avener • Sudan Archives

The French girl releases her legs from the Nigerian boy’s hips. The hem of her black mini-skirt slides down her thighs as her suede ankle boots graze the floor of the passenger train’s toilet. He tosses the condom into the metal bin and pulls up his zipper. Breathless, eyes glossy and sparkling, they embrace. He rests his forehead against hers. She smiles.

Where to Start with Jodeci

2 September 2021

Every artist starts making music because they hear someone’s music that they enjoy, to the point they want to make it themselves. Jodeci was that group for me. Since the first time I saw them on TV as a child, I knew they were the coolest. The first member that I became enamored with was Devante Swing, A tall light-skinned pretty boy, with a high top fade, and dark sunglasses that gave him an edge that stood out to me as a youth. I would later come to find out that he wrote and produced every Jodeci record, until their sophomore album, Diary of A Mad Band. 

Hootie Hoo

2 September 2021

Retirement was invented to allow people, who were once but no longer good at something, to stop doing that thing they are no longer good at. That creation bore an offspring named Early Retirement, where they may still be good, but there’s someone better, cheaper, and/or fresher to take over.

Country Music for Country Music Haters

23 August 2021

Hate Country music? Of course you do. You’ve come to the right place – featuring artists like Paul Cauthen • Lyle Lovett • Willie Nelson • Sturgill Simpson • Hank Williams Jr. • Johnny Cash • Jesse Dayton • Merle Haggard