One of Carnival’s popular DJs, DJ Skoot (who is a HBCU grad from Alabama A&M University), curated a 50-song playlist in tribute to the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop. The playlist was made especially for fans of the genre who may be trying to get in some final vacation travel these last few weeks of summer and need a great playlist to be the soundtrack of it all!
You can listen to and share the full playlist on Spotify HERE!
Top Five Songs on the List:
- Hip Hop Hooray – Naughty by Nature
- Flava in Ya Ear (feat. Notorious B.I.G.) – Craig Mack
- Crush on You – Lil’ Kim
- Public Service Announcement – JAY-Z
- Player’s Anthem – Junior M.A.F.I.A.
DJ Skoot confirmed that his original Hip-Hop playlist is hundreds of songs long, but he curated this list to his top 50 cuts by reaching back to his roots and going forward by seasons, by decades and his own personal life experiences.
DJ Skoot said, “Hip Hop is all about the beat, and the beat is a universal language. That’s why I gravitate toward songs that are impactful and send positive vibes. It’s my favorite way to engage with people.”
He shared that curating this list was extremely hard to do; especially, when considering memorable faves from his childhood, particularly LL Cool J’s “I’m Bad,” all the way to honoring the legendary rappers, both male and female, as well as showing respect to the east coast, west coast, the south (‘cause they still got something to say), and much more! Even though this list is not nearly as long as he wants it to be, Skoot was sure to select good quality songs that were (and still are) memorable, full of storytelling, and impactful for the culture.
Do you mind sharing this playlist with your audience? *imagine my praying hands emoji here* 😊
ABOUT DJ SKOOT
DJ Skoot, whose real name is Jeff Hedgemon, was born in Baton Rouge, LA. A bonafide ‘80s baby, Skoot was raised surrounded by music with a father who worked radio broadcasting since the early 70’s. He confirmed that his first encounter with Hip Hop was through his father, but he also credits the Black cult classic movie JUICE as what solidified his fate to be a DJ.
Even though his father, primarily, worked in sales and promotions, he had a lot of equipment, a ton of records and was always around well-known DJs. Eventually, Skoot’s father showed him a couple of things on the turntables and let him spin records on his own for practice. Soon after, Skoot landed his first gig, which was a graduation party of a classmate that he didn’t even get paid for, but today… getting paid isn’t a problem!
Today, DJ Skoot is one of the many sought-after DJs that spin on Carnival cruises. Now in his 5th year with the company, DJ Skoot has had the pleasure of tuning up FUN on many Carnival ships, including Carnival Dream, Carnival Legend, Carnival Vista, Carnival Horizon, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Pride and many more!
When it comes to playing Hip-Hop on a cruise ship, DJ Skoot says that the beat of the songs make Hip-Hop a universal language that is understood across cultures and generations.
It goes without saying that Hip Hop has impact, and to him, a large part of that impact came from the role of the DJ. In fact, Skoot believes that emcees and DJs are the “1s and 2s” of Hip Hop, and it’s the DJ who sets the tone before the emcee cracks the mic.
