Maria Lawson
With Finals Season Upon You Students, Here’s A Playlist Of Dallas-Made LoFi Hip Hop Beats To Get You Through Those Late-Night Study Sessions.
Finals season is in full swing, and if you ask any college student, their stress levels are likely at an all-time high — especially for those who are trying to graduate this semester. With finals week comes a whole lot of studying, and there’s no better music to accompany a study sesh than some good lo-fi beats.
On the YouTube homepage, “lofi hip hop radio – beats to relax/study to” has become an iconic staple of the internet. The 24-hour stream has thousands of people listening at any given moment and its studying anime girl and her cat have practically become besties for students everywhere. While this playlist is a fire study soundtrack, we love to support our Dallasites. With that being said, here are 10 lo-fi songs from Dallas-based artists to add to your playlist this finals season.
“Space Is Like Getting Your Nipple Caught in a Zipper” — Nxck Lewxs
Nxck Lewxs is a solo act dedicated to discussing mental health, racism and love in his tracks, all while using a lo-fi spin to help those who are struggling. This song uses lo-fi beats and a laid-back ambiance with some robotic, undecipherable lyrics in a smooth one-minute-27-second runtime.
“Swing My Feet” — Nxck Lewxs
Another Nxck Lewxs track, this song takes a different approach to lo-fi from what you’d hear on the iconic YouTube playlist. It brings in some echoey strums with a person reciting some more lines that can’t really be understood with a slow and steady pace, making it some perfect background noise.
“Postop” — Coronado
Coronado is another Dallasite with some lo-fi fire under his belt. In this song, he uses introspective beats — no pun intended considering his album is called Quick Introspection — to help you wrap up your finals studying with a bass piano-like emphasis.
“Seventy Degrees Fahrenheit” — Hanover Park
Smooth guitar strums and some snare taps make up this instrumental masterpiece that will become the top of our lo-fi playlist. The song is short and sweet, and Hanover Park keeps up his devotion to lo-fi while encouraging listeners to use his music to process their life experiences through a series of beats.
“I’m Accepting The Fact That We’re Never Getting Back Together” — Hanover Park
This track takes on a more somber tone, with maraca-like shakes and piano echoes to tell this breakup story without any lyrics. It’s a lowkey song and could be good to come down from your study night with.
“Lately This Week: April 2022” — Iamyu
This Dallas-based musician and DJ makes music for his interest in creating music for others and sharing these experiences with others. This lo-fi track has a more upbeat vibe than your typical beat-based tune, and at an hour runtime, this is guaranteed to power you through a study session.
“March 2022” — Iamyu
Iamyu keeps this momentum going each month with an hour-long track. March brought a track that’s just as dope, and when the studying needs to last more than just one hour, you can resort to this one after hitting up April’s. This one embodies more of a house beat while still sticking to the roots of lo-fi with beats and unique sounds to stay focused.
“Lofi God 2 Type Beat [HOTEP]” — Altoon C
Born and raised in Dallas, Altoon C is known for working in the realm of different genres while playing underground venues and art galleries with a modern feel. His music brings messages of hope and endurance while using lo-fi as a platform for creative expression. This type beat is something to fall asleep to or work on a tedious task while listening to, and the piano strikes make this song one to keep in rotation.
“LOFI DALLAS 3: 7TH FLOOR” — Altoon C
Another song from Altoon C, this man doesn’t stop with the hits. The song opens with a distorted voice saying “I love lo-fi,” then someone responding saying, “Well you should love lo-fi cause it’s low key garbage.” We love some good irony. The track keeps this distorted vibe going to spice up your playlist a bit, with a cool video to keep that trippy theme going.
“Press Start” — Yo Cisco Kidd
Another song with some killer snare beats and guitar usage, this Dallas-based artist came to Dallas after being born on the East Coast and started making lo-fi music after his arrival. Since then, music has become an integral part of his life.