Influences Playlist: Aaron Frazer

Back in 2017, no one could have foreseen that a clip of Durand Jones & the Indications performing “Is It Any Wonder?” in the Paste Studio in Manhattan would have eclipsed more than 50 million views. But, with drummer Aaron Frazer on the mic, that very thing happened and changed Paste and the Indications forever. Now, Frazer has a new solo album titled Into The Blue under his belt, which came out back in June via Dead Oceans. Frazer described the LP as “the clearest portrait of who I am as an artist,” and Into The Blue showcases him refining his eclectic and soulful sound, immersing himself in a growing pool of influences and breaking through to new emotional depths.

We’ve been inviting our favorite musicians to compile playlists of the songs and artists who have impacted their latest projects the most. Recently, we featured Wild Pink and Katy J Pearson, and we asked Frazer to assemble a rap-centric mix of Into the Blue‘s most beloved influences. Check out his Influences playlist, which includes tracks from Nas, Common and the Roots, below.

Three Times Dope: “Funky Dividends”

I spent my childhood getting an education in soul music through hip hop records and this a great example. I was hearing Delegation’s “Oh Honey” sampled a few years before I ever heard the original. An interesting late ’80s rap album. Released in 1988, you can hear how the more square style of first wave emcees was melting into something smoother and more laidback. Philly legends.

Eric B. & Rakim: “Mahogany”

Another high school Goodwill cassette find. I loved Rakim since I heard “It’s Been A Long Time” when I was 12 years old, but this tape became the soundtrack to half my high school years. I wore it out in the tapedeck of my ’98 Honda Civic, I remember having to crank the treble just to make it sound normal after so many listens. This song in particular drew me in with it’s sample of an Al Green drum break. I loved the way Rakim rapped the opening bars over just the drums, and years later when I recorded my own drum break for “Live On” as the Flying Stars of Brooklyn, NY, I played the drums to emulate Rakim’s phrasing on the opening bars of Mahogany. I love the idea of soul music influencing hip hop influencing soul music. A beautiful cycle.

The Roots: “Web”

I heard The Roots for the first time when I was 11—The Tipping Point—and it changed my life. I would drum to this CD over and over. As a kid who grew up learning to play the drums but loving rap, this album was mind blowing because it was clearly a real band playing instruments together, not just loops. I was convinced I would go on to play in a soulful hip hop band like the roots, but instead I wound up making soul influenced by hip hop. Close enough. “Web” is such a great track because it’s incredibly minimal. Still one of my favorite drum breaks, I soundcheck with it before shows to this day.

Jay-Z ft. Mecca: “Feelin’ It”

I associate lots of my favorite albums with seasons, Reasonable Doubt is a fall record for me. Songs like “Feelin’ It” have an autumnal crispness to them, but not a coldness (Illmatic is a winter record, see below). I have memories of driving home from high school soccer practice in October blasting this. Jay-Z was always the epitome of cool for me when I was a kid, he was like Frank Sinatra.

Big L: “98 Freestyle”

The early days of music on the internet were a beautiful time for me of rapid learning, expansion, exploration. I’d get on Limewire nightly on my family’s computer and download often mislabeled freestyles from radio stations, albums out of order, and probably plenty or malware. But man I learned so much music. One track I came across was Big L’s “98 Freestyle,” originally recorded on the legendary Stretch & Bobbito. The starting out with “kinda tired” and proceeding to unleash possibly the most ferocious freestyle the genre had ever seen? Legendary moment.

Crooklyn Dodgers: “Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers”

QUINTESSENTIAL New York sound: dusty drums, melancholic jazz sample, tough bars. I could make an entire separate list with just that formula. I’m a simple guy, it hits for me every single time. This was an original soundtrack cut for Spike Lee’s 1995 movie Clockers. I think songs like this show that you can right incisive, fearless political music that still knocks hard. When I wrote “Morning In America” for Durand Jones & The Indications, the Crooklyn Dodgers were on my mind.

Ghostface Killah ft. RZA: “Nutmeg”

A great example of what I like to call “the Avengers model.” I love Ghost in the context of Wu-Tang, and I also love his solo work. There’s crossover even within his solo story line, like Iron Man showing up in a Spider-Man movie. I love having a group like Durand Jones & The Indications and then also having the room to do my own thing.

Fabolous ft. Tamia: “Into You”

I have a huge soft spot for mid ’00s hip hop R&B crossovers. Again, I could put together a list of just that intersection at that moment in time. Tender but tough. It’s a combination I’ve always been drawn to and has definitely wound up in my own approach to writing. “Into You” is a remix (sort of) of Tamia’s “So Into You” from 1998. It’s ’90s R&B filtered through ’00s rap, and definitely inspired my approach on “Fly Away” from my new record.

Common: “Testify”

Common’s always been a vivid storyteller, cementing his place in hip-hop lore with classic albums and innovative tracks like his extended metaphor masterpiece “I Used To Love H.E.R.” Years later, in the mid-aughts, Common delivered again with his album Be. Amidst a ton of favorites, from this album I’m picking “Testify.” Like Nas, it plays like a movie unfolding in front of you—a great example of how you can make things immersive with small details. On my track “Time Will Tell,” I want a small detail like “packed up the picture frames” to bring the listener into the story like they’re there, too.

Mos Def: “UMI Says”

Probably the first drum break I ever taught myself. There’s nothing boring to me about a drum loop, playing a beat like that over and over again is like meditation. It feels even more spiritual on a song like with a twinkling Rhodes and beautiful vocal melodies.

Gang Starr: “My Advice 2 You”

One producer, one rapper—a formula that creates an unmistakable, cohesive sound. When I started writing tunes for my new record, I considered the idea of working with lots of different co-producers (after all, albums like Illmatic assembled a murderer’s row of producers to reach the level it did). But, I also realized that I wanted to bring a ton of different musical influences together. So to make the album was cohesive, I decided to just stick with one co-producer for the project and I’m so happy with how it turned out. The consistency made it possible.

J Dilla: “U-Love”

Jay-Z once said “can’t see em comin’ down my eyes, so I gotta make this song cry.” Few songs cry like Dilla’s “U-Love.” Another great soul sample, Jerry Butler’s already heartbreaking “Just Because I Really Love You.” So many artists, myself included, find it easiest to process their feelings in music. And when I found myself heartbroken and alone in a new city, I put the heartbreak on wax to help myself and hopefully anyone who finds themselves in a similar place.

Rye Rye: “Shake It to the Ground”

I grew up in Baltimore and I think it’s a place that fosters eclectic taste—rock ‘n’ roll, hip hop, soul music, bluegrass, jazz, gospel, Northern and Southern culture colliding in one place. But the most distinctly B-more sound is Baltimore club music. Before it was ever know as “Jersey Club,” it was ripping through dance floors across the city, and Rye Rye emerged from the scene as a rising star. I made B-more club myself in high school, those beats are buried on a hard drive somewhere, maybe for another day 👀 But being exposed to so many different styles definitely made me the artist I am today, allowing me to bring lots of different influences into one project.

Nas ft. AZ & Olu Dara: “Life’s A Bitch”

I could honestly filled three quarters of the list just with tracks from Illmatic. One of the all-time greatest front-to-back records, up there with Curtis Mayfield’s self-titled album. With detailed storytelling that stands shoulder to shoulder with classic country yarn-spinners like Marty Robbins and folk bards like Doc Watson. All killer, no filler. And amidst the vivid writing and hall of fame instrumentals, there only one featured verse on the album—and it’s no throwaway: AZ delivers one of the most famous verses in hip-hop history. That’s always stuck with me: If there’s gonna be a feature, make it memorable, make it special. So for my record, there’s only one official feature, which is Cancamusa on our song “Dime” (Spanish, pronounced “dee-meh”). And I think her voice makes that song come to life perfectly.