Akilah Hughes on the intersection of 90210 and Beyoncé

A true modern-day multi-hyphenate, Akilah Hughes has made a name for herself through the worlds of comedy, YouTube, podcasting, social media, and everything in between. This fall, Hughes channels all of that experience into yet another medium with her debut memoir, Obviously: Stories From My Timeline, which tells tells the tale of her life through a series of insightful personal essays about cheerleading tryouts, the South, teenage acne, and much more. And, in true multi-hyphenate fashion, Hughes decided to make Obviously a multimedia experience by crafting a Spotify playlist inspired by her essays, including everything from Carly Simon to The Black Eyed Peas. In anticipation of Obviously’s release on September 24, we had Hughes run down some of the most notable tracks on her playlist and explain what made them the most pivotal songs of her life.