Weekend Frequency Vol. 9 | Hip-Hop Roots, Cosmic Folk, Global Soul Playlist by Jason Vest

by | Apr 25, 2025 | FUNK & JAZZ, HIP HOP & RAP, MUSIC, RHYTHM & SOUL, WEEKEND PLAYLIST

Richmond gets it. More than any other city in Virginia. So here’s Weekend Frequency, a weekly, reader-curated playlist built for the city, by the city.

Weekend Frequency is part revival and part continuation of our RVA Mag Weekend Playlists which we curated before the world flipped upside down in 2020. Feel free to dig through our entire archive of 100+ playlists here. Each playlist is curated by local legends and national artists alike, setting an undeniable weekend vibe.

This week’s Weekend Frequency comes via Jason Vest from VCU’s da Vinci Center and panelist on RVA Mag’s: The Obsolescence of Culture event last night at Big Dipper Innovation Summit.

“I grew up burning CDs and always trying to find the best mixtapes. My cousin and I would drive around on all of the backroads in my ‘92 Ford Explorer Sport and blast songs out of the 12 inch subwoofers in the back. In those moments, we were one with the music. Nothing else mattered. Since then, my musical tastes have grown, and this playlist is an artifact of that evolution. The playlist doesn’t fit neatly into a single genre…just like me. This playlist is for everyone that can’t be boxed in…and prefers coloring outside the lines.”


Editor’s Note: We want to hear what you’ve been listening to. Each week we’ll turn over the playlist to one of our readers giving you the chance to share what’s been on your turntable, headphones, or blasting through your speakers. Drop us a line at  hello@rvamag.com with Weekend Frequency in the subject line, along with 15 tracks and one paragraph telling our readers why you chose the songs you did.


Support RVA Magazine. Support independent media in Richmond. 
In a world where corporations and wealthy individuals now shape much of our media landscape, RVA Magazine remains fiercely independent, amplifying the voices of Richmond’s artists, musicians, and community. Since 2005, we’ve been dedicated to authentic, grassroots storytelling that highlights the people and culture shaping our city.

But we can’t do this without you. A small donation, even as little as $2 – one-time or recurring – helps us continue to produce honest, local coverage free from outside interference. Every dollar makes a difference. Your support keeps us going and keeps RVA’s creative spirit alive. Thank you for standing with independent media. DONATE HERE

Also, you can show your support by purchasing our merch HERE.

Click HERE if the playlist is not showing up in your browser.

Jason Vest

Jason Vest

Jason is an educator, innovator, and creative instigator. A former dropout turned first-gen VCU grad, he now teaches at the VCU’s da Vinci Center, where he launched one of the university’s first AI courses—AI + Human Experience. His work spans from reimagining public school programs to redesigning internship systems to help students explore identity, storytelling, and creativity in a tech-driven world. Jason’s professional interests lie at the intersection of reimagining education, innovation in sports + student-athlete experience, and embracing the power of having real conversations.




more in music

Iron Blossom is Part of a Bigger Richmond Music Story

Ahead of Iron Blossom, we talked with veteran promoter Ken Macdonald about the city’s changing live music ecosystem, from clubs to festivals and the Allianz Amphitheater. Richmond has always been a music town, but going back decades there were gaps in the local scene....

A First Look at the New Brown’s Island

Brown's Island has been closed since November 2025 for a $30 million improvement project, the largest renovation of the six-acre island in decades. It will temporarily reopen for the Richmond Folk Festival, October 9 - 11th, giving Richmonders their first chance to...

Richmond Loves Dolly Parton

I was gonna kill my husband in a cab in Peru, but “Islands in the Stream” came on the radio, and we stopped arguing and started singing. She could do that to you. You could totally be feeling some type of way, but if you put some Dolly Parton on, well, then you got a...

Night Idea Has Been Here the Whole Time.

Richmond has no shortage of bands that arrive and then disappear. Night Idea has taken the opposite approach. They’ve been around for 16 years, and keep getting better. I sat down with Joey Anderson, Reggie Pace and Reyna Pannell ahead of Night Idea’s appearance at...

You Can Kiss Off! 45 Years of Violent Femmes

You can always kiss off into the air. Behind my back, I can see them stare. They hurt me bad, and I don’t mind. They hurt me bad, they do it all the time! Yeah, yeah. You just sang that in your head, didn’t you? I believe it is impossible not to. There’s an alchemy, a...

Read the Virginia Pride 2026 Pride Guide 🏳️‍🌈

For more than a decade, RVA Magazine has worked with Virginia Pride to produce the Official VA PrideFest Guide, bringing together stories from Richmond’s LGBTQ+ community and everything you need to know for PrideFest this Saturday, September 12,...

Virginia Film Chief Andy Edmunds Made a Movie

For context, when I’m not writing for this magazine, I’m a director and producer in the film industry. There’s one person rallying troops in the trenches for me and my colleagues all over the state. Andy Edmunds is on the front line of the conversations that bring...