\n(Credit: Durrell Hospedale MAKE WONDERS, IG @makewondersworldwide)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
On September 24, the day the world was supposedly coming to an end (Google \u201cRapture 2025\u201d for a good laugh), the first panel of the day kicked off shortly after 2:00 p.m. Titled \u201cDope Sets, Detours, Dead Ends and Navigating What\u2019s Next,\u201d it featured panelists DJ Jazzy Jeff (real name, Jeff Townes), Natasha Diggs, and Aktive, who dove headfirst into how their careers were affected by the pandemic and how they were forced to pivot when live shows simply weren\u2019t a thing.<\/p>\n
A producers panel found DJ Premier, Jimmy Jam (of famed production duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis), No I.D., and Don Cannon swapping stories about memorable moments from their careers, including the time Public Enemy\u2019s Flavor Flav told DJ Premier\u2019s father he had \u201csuper sperm.\u201d<\/p>\n
The \u201cA.I.W.T.F.2\u201d panel (a very polite way of saying \u201cA.I. What the Fuck\u201d) boasted JAY-Z\u2019s longtime engineer and producer Young Guru, Mark Thomas (Splice\u2019s vice president of product marketing), the Recording Industry Association of America\u2019s Dr. Moiya McTier (an actual astrophysicist), and a virtual appearance by Paul McCabe, Roland\u2019s senior vice president of research and innovation.<\/p>\n
Young Guru, dressed in a white T-shirt with a pink crewneck loosely draped around his shoulders, spoke passionately about his contrarian views on AI, calling it a \u201cbuzzword.\u201d He brought up Timbaland, who controversially launched an AI company in June, as he bantered back and forth with members of the audience about the dangers of AI, inadvertently illustrating what the Playlist Retreat is all about: community. The ability to have spirited conversations without judgement. A place to let your guard down and strip away egos. A chance to unwind, have a few laughs with like-minded people who are just as exhilarated about connecting as you are. A way to de-stress.<\/p>\n\n\nDJ Mell Starr. (Credit: Durrell Hospedale MAKE WONDERS, IG @makewondersworldwide)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
For Jazzy Jeff, that was one of the initial intentions behind the Playlist Retreat. Attention to mental health is an integral component to the entire event. Each morning, the Playlist Retreat \u201cSweat Captain,\u201d Jacy Cunningham, provided early birds with a \u201cwellness reset,\u201d which included cold plunges, fitness classes, and meditation sessions. Having the bandwidth to really get into meaningful conversations was also paramount to its success.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like our job is to give joy through what we do to everybody in the world,\u201d Jazzy Jeff told SPIN from his living room. \u201cWhat I started to realize just from going out on the road and bumping into artists like Maseo, it\u2019s all surface-level conversations because we don\u2019t have enough time. When you spend three, four, five days together, the conversation starts to change into therapy conversations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to figure out a way to get us all together for therapy, for healing, for creative energy. I look at it like we are the gas and we want to fill your tank. You can go service all the people in the world and when your gas tank gets a little low, hopefully it\u2019s retreat time again and you can come back and fill up the tank.\u201d<\/p>\n
The closing night of the retreat saw it all come into focus. Toward the beginning of the week, creatives were split into 20 teams, chosen by Jazzy Jeff, for the Playlist Challenge. Each team was given a mere 12 hours to write, execute, and record a two-minute (or less) song, not knowing who their collaborators would be. Once the teams were laid out, with names like Ben & Jerry, Fish & Chips, Boom Bap, and Needles & Thread, some stayed up into the wee hours of the morning finishing their compositions. No sleep\u2014just pure grit and determination.<\/p>\n
DJ Perly, a member of the Bread & Butter team, stayed up until 6:00 a.m. trying to hit the deadline. The Bronx-born turntablist and first woman to win the DMC US Finals DJ Battle marveled at the dedication of those involved.<\/p>\n\n\nJazzy Jeff, center, with his wife Lynette Townes, to his right. (Credit: Durrell Hospedale MAKE WONDERS, IG @makewondersworldwide)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really proud of everyone and what we all created in such a short time,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m truly inspired by everyone\u2019s musical gifts and talent. The whole experience is an incredible whirlwind of memories and moments in such a short amount of time. I already feel a little homesick being away from the retreat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jazzy Jeff admitted he wanted the songwriting challenge to be \u201cslightly uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Challenge is one of those things where I\u2019m trying to get creatives out of their own heads,\u201d he explained. \u201cYou have all of that [creativity] inside, but you haven\u2019t used those things in so long because you\u2019ve been in a comfort zone. I want you to tap into your potential and when you hear the end result, you realize like, \u2018Oh man, I had that in me all along.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
As everyone gathered under the tent for the big reveal, the excitement in the air was palpable. People applauded, cheered, and danced to the eclectic rhythms and sounds blaring from the speakers as each song played. It was transcendent for the participants and the people hearing the music for the first time. With that, the conversations around collaboration, creativity, and celebration carried on well into the night.<\/p>\n\n\n(Credit: Durrell Hospedale MAKE WONDERS, IG @makewondersworldwide)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The following morning, as cleanup began, several attendees waited for their rides to the airport. In the kitchen, Maseo and the Roots\u2019 Stro Elliot dined on waffles and eggs (OK, and maybe a cupcake or two), the Beat Junkies\u2019 DJ Shortkut made his way to the shuttle while saying his goodbyes, and Lynette worked with the Playlist staff to return the house to normalcy.<\/p>\n
It will be months before Jeff can fully digest what transpired at this year\u2019s retreat. From an outsider\u2019s perspective, it was seamless. Jeff, Lynette, Playlist Chief of Staff Dayne Jordan, the Playlist organizers, Siempre Security<\/a>, Dana Herbert of Desserts by Dana<\/a>, vegan chef Lisa Smith <\/a>and even the family dog Champ, whose whole body wiggled when he wagged his tail, made the retreat feel like a second home.<\/p>\n\u201cOver time, you start to get a reminder of how special all of this stuff is,\u201d Jeff concludes. \u201cSo much is happening at the same time, you\u2019re never going to see everything, but what you do see is amazing.\u201d\u00a0not<\/em> get thrown out of Jazzy Jeff\u2019s home\u2014even though we kinda wanted to for comedic value.)<\/p>\nTo see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n