Great Music Doesn’t Need Permission to Be Cool
The West Coast has always marched to the beat of its own kick drum. Sometimes that beat came from a lowrider rolling through Los Angeles with the windows down. Sometimes it came from a surfer cruising Pacific Coast Highway. Other times it came from a teenager in a garage somewhere in Southern California trying to figure out how to play the opening riff to Eruption. Whatever the source, the West Coast has spent decades creating music that eventually became everyone else’s soundtrack.
So… are we surprised that the very first song on Billboard’s new West Coast Momentum Mix is “California Love” by Dr. Dre and 2Pac?
Not even a little bit.
If there were ever a song engineered specifically for driving a convertible down A1A with the top down, the sun setting over the ocean and absolutely nowhere important to be, that’s probably it. Some songs simply belong in certain places. “California Love” belongs on every summer playlist until civilization eventually invents something cooler than summer.
Billboard’s newly released playlist, created with streaming data supplied by Luminate and editorial input from Billboard’s music team, highlights the songs currently defining listening habits across Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento and Las Vegas. It’s a fascinating mix of hip-hop, alternative rock, pop, R&B and música mexicana, proving once again that the West Coast doesn’t really care about musical boundaries. Those are mostly suggestions anyway.
Artists like Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Tyler, The Creator, Fuerza Regida, Empire of the Sun, Kendrick Lamar, Doechii, Noah Kahan and many others appear throughout the playlist, blending modern chart dominance with artists who’ve spent years building loyal audiences.
Looking over the playlist brought back something else entirely for us though. The West Coast sound isn’t just today’s biggest streaming artists. It’s generations of musicians who helped shape rock and popular music long before playlists existed.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers turned funk, punk and California sunshine into one of the most recognizable sounds in rock history, earning six Grammy Awards and multiple No. 1 Alternative songs including “Scar Tissue” and “Dani California.” Van Halen rewrote the rules of guitar playing forever, landed a No. 1 Billboard album with 1984, and gave the world classics like “Jump,” “Panama,” and “Hot for Teacher.” Even The Killers, while proudly representing Las Vegas, became one of the defining arena rock bands of the 2000s with global anthems like “Mr. Brightside,” “Somebody Told Me,” and “When You Were Young.” Maroon 5 may have broader pop roots, but songs like “Sugar,” “Moves Like Jagger,” and “Girls Like You” have become unavoidable pieces of modern radio history.
Then there’s Kendrick Lamar, one of the most decorated artists of his generation. With multiple No. 1 albums, Grammy Awards numbering well into the double digits, a Pulitzer Prize for DAMN., and chart-topping hits like “HUMBLE.” and “Not Like Us,” he’s become one of hip-hop’s defining voices. Billie Eilish has accomplished something equally rare, collecting multiple Grammy Awards, Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and worldwide No. 1 albums before most people have figured out what they want to do with their lives. Humans are exhausting sometimes.
And of course, 2Pac remains one of the most influential rappers ever. Decades after his passing, songs like “California Love,” “Changes,” “Dear Mama,” and “Hit ’Em Up” continue to inspire new generations of artists and listeners alike. Some music ages. Some music becomes folklore.
What makes this playlist particularly enjoyable isn’t simply the streaming data behind it. It’s that it accidentally captures the personality of an entire coastline. One minute you’re listening to Kendrick Lamar, the next Empire of the Sun, then Guns N’ Roses, Van Halen, The Killers or Maroon 5. Somehow it all works. Good playlists aren’t built by genre. They’re built by mood.
For anyone who spends weekends driving the coast, heading toward the beach, or simply looking for something that feels like summer regardless of what the calendar says, this collection deserves a permanent place in your library.
We’ll happily add our endorsement.
Top down.
Windows down.
Volume all the way up.
The neighbors will survive.
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