What do you listen to when you want to get in character as a gay stick-up man from Baltimore? A lot of Nas and Biggie, apparently. Actor Michael K. Williams shared the playlist he listened to while playing Omar on The Wire with Vulture today, and it’s full of classics (2Pac’s “Against All Odds” and Jay-Z’s “Oh My God”) and slight obscurities (Meshell Ndegeocello’s “Akel Dama (Field of Blood)” and Sun Tan’s “Sunscreen”) alike. In other words, it’s better than that guilty pleasure mix on your iTunes that you made for yourself (“Why SHOULDN’T Smash Mouth follow the Dixie Chicks???). One thing, though: where’s the Wu-Tang love?
2pac, “Unconditional Love”
Nas, “Let There be Light”
Young Jeezy, “Dreamin’”
Mary J. Blige, “My Life”
Lauryn Hill, “Oh Jerusalem”
Jay-Z, “You Must Love Me”
2pac, “So Many Tears”
Biggie Smalls “Suicidal Thoughts”
Young Jeezy “Bury me a G”
Jay-Z, “Oh My God”
Biggie Smalls, “Who Shot Ya”
2pac, “Against All Odds”
Biggie Smalls, “Everyday Struggle”
Nas, “One Mic”
Lauryn Hill, “War in the Mind”
Common, “It’s Your World”
Lauryn Hill, “Mystery of Iniquity”
Meshell Ndegeocello, “Akel Dama (Field of Blood)”
Lauryn Hill, “I Gotta Find Peace of Mind”
2pac, “Dear Mama”
Sun Tan “Sunscreen” (Via)
You can listen to the whole thing via Spotify here, or just listen to “Everyday Struggle” again and again here.
