In advance of his show at the Varsity Theater, Raury stopped by The Current studio to chat with Jade about local music, how people pigeonhole music from Atlanta, and how names influence who we are. We're also republishing the excellent playlist he created for our friends at Dinner Party Download.

Raury is the 19-year-old musician who caught the eye of Kanye West with his mixtape “Indigo Child.” With his debut album “All We Need,” he blends folk and hip hop in songs that range from feel-good to political. GQ calls him, “One of the most exciting up-and-comers out there.” Here’s Raury with a playlist that’ll make your party impeccably cool.

Rhye – “The Fall”

Raury: Hey, yo, what’s good? This is Raury, and I put together a little soundtrack to get your dinner party started. So, my first song will be Rhye, “The Fall.”

Rhye is like this generation’s Sade. It’s two guys, Hannibal and Milosh, and they just make the most dynamic duo ever, man, but you will be surprised that Milosh, this vocalist, is actually a man, and is an amazing voice, man. It’s like, one of my favorite voices so far.

So, I’m DJ-ing at this party. The dinner is taking place in the middle of a forest. So imagine a 300-foot long table. Everybody’s wearing velvet white sheets, and drinking wine, and they’re just chilling. Man, they flew in like, the best chefs from the world to make part a vegan feast, part seafood. Then you got your poultry, and at the end of the table, it’s all the beef and the pork, so everybody can go find what they like easily.

Amy Winehouse – “Just Friends”

The next track I’d play at my party is “Just Friends” by Amy Winehouse.

This song is, at the same time, relaxing as it is provocative, how it just turns into this gentle, chill thing, but at the same time it’s a party because you hear the horns going [makes horn sounds], and you just feel like having a good time, man.

I heard her hits and all that when I was 14-ish. She was everywhere, but I never got extremely into her until I watched the movie “Amy.” And you know what? It really takes a lot for a movie to evoke so much emotion from me. I mean, I’ve never cried because of a movie until seeing “Amy.” But you know, it’s not easy to be a person that had went through so much pain, you know, and translate it into songs. That’s what makes her very genuine, one of a kind.

And by the way, this party is not happening in, like, present time, OK? It’s taking place in a post-apocalyptic world where humans have learned to live with nature, which is why they have a table out in the middle of the woods, you know what I’m saying? So, it’s in 3500, and Amy Winehouse is still poppin’.

Frank Ocean – “Sweet Life”

So, the third song has to be “Sweet Life” by Frank Ocean.

When you listen to this song, pay close attention to the nice little fluttering, high-noted keys. That really completely makes the song. That’s the part of the song that gives you butterflies and makes you feel the magic.

“Sweet Life,” you know, you’re in this type of human-made heaven that is known as the “Sweet Life.” You know, “mangoes, peaches, and limes.”

Raury – “Kingdom Come”

All right, you know, so, yeah, we’re getting into the party. We’re all feeling the vibe, right? So I can go back up to the DJ booth, and I play my own song, “Kingdom Come.”

My hometown in Stone Mountain, Georgia, is one of the major hubs of the Ku Klux Klan, you know? Growing up around that and seeing all that, it just inspired my career and my existence on this world to be the complete opposite, man, and to embody like, love and embracing people because I’ve seen enough hatred.

This feature originally appeared as a segment in episode 325 of of APM's The Dinner Party Download. Subscribe to their excellent podcast here.

Related

• Event Calendar: Raury at the Varsity Theater