The Bubbling Box Hitlist: Yes, We Are Playing That Again

There is a perfectly respectable time to discover something new. There is also a time to hear “Dragonball Durag” again.

The Bubbling Box Hitlist is our favorites shelf with the door left open. The current sequence begins with “Redbone,” Hiatus Kaiyote’s “Everything’s Beautiful” and Little Simz’s “Woman,” before moving into Black Pumas’ live-in-studio “Colors” and Thundercat’s “Dragonball Durag.”

SAULT’s “Wildfires,” Jungle’s “Back On 74” and Sampha’s “Spirit 2.0” follow. Further down, Masego, Olivia Dean, Ibibio Sound Machine, KAYTRANADA, BADBADNOTGOOD and Yebba offer more names to spend time with. The point is the company these selections keep.

A hitlist without a chart position

This is a personal editorial playlist, not a streaming chart, a public vote or a claim to have found the year’s definitive top 50. The present list contains 50 videos, including live performances and alternate versions. Check the upload title when you want a particular recording.

Some of these artists already have a history inside the Box. Thundercat, for instance, also took us into a wonderfully unruly night at The Plaza Live. A playlist and a concert story offer two different ways into the same musical world.

Play the opening run, nominate your own repeat offender and make a case for it in the comments. Leah and I will respond. “Because I like it” is an acceptable beginning; telling us what keeps bringing you back is where it gets interesting.

Play the full playlist on YouTube → · Explore all five playlists in the Listening Room →

Playlist curated by Chetuno / Bubbling Box. Cover: original AI-generated artwork created for Bubbling Box. Embedded videos remain with their original publishers; availability can vary. Playback starts only when you choose it. Pause any other site audio before listening.

Written by Chetuno