08 Aug 2025 4 min read what's good

What's Good (Week of 8/3 - Digest Edition)

So, between not feeling well and a bit of a rough work week, I fell behind on getting What's Good out to you in a proper fashion. That said, I don't wanna leave you completely in the lurch, so I'll be giving you the TIDAL and YouTube playlists, as well as a few Bonus Beats, and the Bandcamp-only joints. This week there's new music from:

Aesop Rock
Anysia Kym & Tony Seltzer
The Armed
DJ Premier & Roc Marciano
Die Spitz
Disclosure w/Anderson.Paak
JID
Jason Griff, Alex Ludavico, & Alaska
Teethe

As well as these Bandcamp exclusives:

tvkii - Operation:Z

ShrapKnel & Mike Ladd - Saisir Le Feu

Messiah Musik - Sejuwin

Things should return to normal next week, and if I feel up to it there may be a few updates. Take care of yourselves, and make good choices.

Playlists

TIDAL

TIDAL: What's Good Playlist - Week of 8/3/25

YouTube

Bonus Beats

Jessica Dobson's Deep Sea Diver touched down at KEXP's gathering space in May for a short set of songs from this year's Billboard Heart and interview.

And speaking of live performances, Madison McFerrin graced LA's KCRW with a set of songs from her recent album SCORPIO.

NAPPY NINA and Swarvy give us a brief behind the scenes look of their show at Philarmonie de Paris in support of last year's excellent Nothing Is My Favorite Thing.

As part of his conversation with Discogs for their Listening Room session during the SF Art Book Fair 2025, Dan The Automator spun a few of his favorite records.

JD Sutler chopped it up with LA legends Tha Alkholiks for Passion of the Weiss to talk about highlights throughout their discography, including this year's Daaam!

Tha Liks said the raucous collaboration between them and Ol’ Dirty, was born out of genuine camaraderie between labelmates. Early in their careers, Wu-Tang Clan was opening for the group, and ODB’s wild energy naturally meshed with their irreverent, party-heavy ethos. The recording session was pure chaos.

“One of the most memorable studio sessions ever,” Swift recalled as the other two chimed in with heavy laughs like there was a lot more they wouldn’t let the outside world in on. “We went in there, one microphone, three emcees, and one dude would rap and the other one would push each other out the way. It was not rehearsed. It was like, I’mma rap to this bar right here. I wish we would have video. Had a videotaping been as big as it is now, that would have definitely been one for the archives.”

Topshelf Records, label home for What's Good alums like Elephant Gym, Subsonic Eye, and Thanya Iyer, is starting donations campaign for the donations-based Palestinian aid initiative The Sameer Project, matching all donations up to $1,000 for the rest of the year:

Although we are a small entity with modest funds, we still believe that every voice matters in this fight. It is our collective humanity and responsibility towards one another that binds us, especially as musicians and artists. For how can we call ourselves artists if we sit silently as an entire people are eradicated in our name? What we are willing to overlook now will redefine the state of our world globally and at home, as the imperial war machine is at the base of all problems we bear witness to, including climate, poverty, failing infrastructure, falling standards of education… you name it. Palestinian Liberation == Collective Liberation.