91.5 Chapel Hill 88.9 Manteo 90.9 Rocky Mount 91.1 Welcome 91.9 Fayetteville 90.5 Buxton 94.1 Lumberton 99.9 Southern Pines 89.9 Chadbourn

IDK, 'Santa Monica Blvd'

Life's big challenges — and IDK's had many — have fueled the rapper's hard-earned success. Every song on USEEFORYOURSELF is noteworthy, but "Santa Monica Blvd'' is one that I really enjoy. Backed by producer Mike Dean's indomitable beat, the sonic voids are perfectly timed, and the bottom pops back in just when you want it. The track affirms a triumphant IDK, punctuated by the hook: "I win, I win, again and again." That's a message that I always need to hear.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Suraya Mohamed is a three-time Peabody Award-winning producer, sound designer and editor. She currently serves as the project manager for Jazz Night In America and is a contributing producer on the Alt.Latino podcast. She also produces NPR's holiday specials package, including Tinsel Tales, Hanukkah Lights, Toast Of The Nation, Pink Martini's Joy To The World: A Holiday Spectacular and most recently Hamilton: A Story Of US. You'll also find her work on the Tiny Desk series as either a producer or engineer.
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