{"id":20078,"date":"2021-01-20T01:24:41","date_gmt":"2021-01-20T06:24:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/multi.nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/biden-harris-inauguration-star-studded-playlist-opens-with-brooklyn-producer-and-songwriter-kota-the-friend\/"},"modified":"2025-02-13T09:40:57","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T14:40:57","slug":"biden-harris-inauguration-star-studded-playlist-opens-with-brooklyn-producer-and-songwriter-kota-the-friend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/biden-harris-inauguration-star-studded-playlist-opens-with-brooklyn-producer-and-songwriter-kota-the-friend\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden\/Harris Inauguration Star-Studded Playlist Opens with Brooklyn Producer and Songwriter ‘Kota the Friend’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, Kendrick Lamar, and Mac Miller are just a few of the artists included on the Official Biden and Harris Inauguration playlist. The 46-song collection was curated by D-Nice, acclaimed DJ, and Instagram Club Quarantine host, and Raedio, a label cultivating new and independent artists, founded by Issa Rae and Benoni Tagoe.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Brooklyn Native Provides the Opening Voice<\/b><\/p>\n

This curated playlist that includes some of the music industry’s biggest stars begins with Brooklyn native and rising star Kota the Friend. The rapper, producer, and creative has been making a statement in the music industry with well-received albums like his first, “<\/span>FOTO<\/span><\/a>,” and his second project, <\/span>“EVERYTHING,” <\/span><\/a>the album the opening track on the Inauguration playlist comes from.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The song, “Lupita’s Interlude,” is a collaboration between Kota the Friend and Academy-Award winning actress Lupita Nyong’o. The track features Nyong’o softly but powerfully expressing statements like: “It means everything to me, to not feel gaslit every day,” and “I want to be able to dream together and make things happen.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kota the Friend thoroughly enjoyed working on the song with the talented actress:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Lupita Nyong’o was great to work with on the production of this track. I was happy to have her on the EVERYTHING album.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Promoting the Theme of Unity<\/b><\/p>\n

The potent messages from this song fall right in line with the theme of the incoming Biden and Harris inauguration: “American United.” And its inclusion on the playlist is a valued success for the Brooklyn rapper and storyteller:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“It’s always an honor to be recognized for my work, but to see my name on a playlist with Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marley, and so many others is truly humbling.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Kota the Friend’s contribution to this historic playlist is part of a powerful message that this partnership between the Biden and Harris Administration and the Raedio team is coveying through music.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Taego <\/span>expressed<\/span><\/a> this sentiment in a recent statement:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“We know that music has the power to bring people together, and after a year of national challenges and division, we hope this collection serves as an indication of a new beginning, positive change and a reminder that music of all types is a common language.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Take a listen:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From EVERYWHERE to Lyrics to Go Vol. 1<\/b><\/p>\n

This exceptional honor is only a starting point for Kota the Friend, who is already onto a new project. Kota just released the new album, <\/span>“Lyrics to Go. Vol 1.”<\/span><\/a> The 10-song project is a compilation album that is based on his <\/span>Youtube web series<\/span><\/a> with the same name. Each track includes verses and instrumental music created and produced by the Brooklyn rapper himself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>a conversation<\/span><\/a> with Ones to Watch, Kota the Friend describes the purpose of his new fan-inspired project:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“It’s an extension of my series that’s been growing on Youtube. It’s like over 60 million views – it’s something that gets me closer with my fans and helps me discover new friends. But this project is a carefully thought out piece of art. It’s album worthy.”<\/span><\/p>\n

If this artist’s past work and inclusion on the Inauguration playlist are any indications about the future, Kota the Friend will continue to make Brooklyn proud.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, Kendrick Lamar, and Mac Miller are just a few of the artists included on the Official Biden and Harris Inauguration playlist. The 46-song collection was curated by D-Nice, acclaimed DJ, and Instagram Club Quarantine host, and Raedio, a label cultivating new and independent artists, founded by Issa Rae and Benoni Tagoe. A […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5893,"featured_media":20079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-and-culture"],"yoast_head":"\nBiden\/Harris Inauguration Star-Studded Playlist Opens with Brooklyn Producer and Songwriter ‘Kota the Friend’ - Brooklyn News and Events<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/biden-harris-inauguration-star-studded-playlist-opens-with-brooklyn-producer-and-songwriter-kota-the-friend\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Biden\/Harris Inauguration Star-Studded Playlist Opens with Brooklyn Producer and Songwriter ‘Kota the Friend’\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, Kendrick Lamar, and Mac Miller are just a few of the artists included on the Official Biden and Harris Inauguration playlist. 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