‘I can spit hot fire on Baby Got Back': Sterling K Brown's honest playlist

The Guardian

03-03-2025

The first song I fell in love with
I was in elementary school and If I Had No Loot by Tony! Toni! Toné! was getting a lot of play on BET – Black Entertainment Television. I love the vibe. It has a good bounce. I like things that make me move and this is one song you can't help but move to.
The first single I bought
I remember buying Don't Be Cruel by Bobby Brown because everybody was jamming out to Prerogative. I bought it from Streetside Records in St Louis, Missouri, where you could listen to albums on headphones before you bought them.
The song I do at karaoke
I don't like people judging my vocals, but I can spit hot fire on the rap to Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-a-Lot. It comes from the heart, because I actually do like big butts.
The song I know every lyric to
I know a lot of musicals. Ragtime is one of my favourites. The character Coalhouse Walker Jr sings Wheels of a Dream with the mother of his child. It's a beautiful duet. When I saw it, I fell in love with it, and went out and immediately memorised the song.
The song I secretly like
Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!! by Vengaboys is the jam. I'd be worried Black people might be like: 'What, you listen to that stuff?' Hell, yeah. That song slaps.
The best song to get the party started
A lot of women will go to Prince. Prince is great, but Cupid by 112 has this hypnotic beat and a sweetness when you get the party started. You want to start it off sweet for the ladies, but they like to finish with a little bit of edge.
The best song to have sex to
Oh! I thought that's what you meant by 'get the party started' … The best song to have sex to is Cupid by 112, and the best song to get an actual party started is Poison by Bell Biv DeVoe.
The song that changed my life
As a kid I used to try to sing like Aaron Hall, who performs on Let's Chill by the band Guy. His voice fell right where mine was. It was a lot better than trying to hit the falsetto high notes on Whitney Houston. Singing the hell out of that song made me realise that I could sing.
The song that makes me cry
For Good from Wicked. And a song called A Part of Us from a musical called Once on This Island.
The song I'd like played at my funeral
Happy by Pharrell Williams. Hopefully it'll be a celebration of a life well lived, and I'll be in a better place, so I'll go ahead and leave with a smile on my face.
Paradise is streaming on Disney+ now.