Hip-hop producer Kenny Beats might be everywhere these days, but he didn’t arrive fully formed. Kenny’s dad, Kenneth Blume II, turned him on to all kinds of music as a kid, and would make and host mixtapes for friends as if he were a radio DJ. “My dad had an obsession with mixtapes,” Kenny Beats tells Apple Music. “The song selection, the order of the tracks, his homemade interludes to round everything together—it was all part of a big puzzle he spent years perfecting. Each tape he made was for a specific person, a journey to match their mood.” Beats took a similar collage-style approach to his 2022 album LOUIE, which was made as a tribute to his dad after Blume was diagnosed with cancer. For his Selects playlist—where DJs and producers highlight their favourite tracks of any given moment—Beats hands the reins to one of his biggest musical influences: “Here are a few songs picked by my dad to get you through your routine.” Hear all of Kenny Sr.’s Selects, and add any favourites to your library.