Gauntlet Mixtape Vol. 13: Nimra’s Campus Mixtape

By Nimra Amir, September 14 2022—

The music you listen to can set the tone for how your first days at the University of Calgary will go, and what better than some songs to make you feel like the main character. With this short list of universal favourites to add to your playlists, you will have what it takes to conquer the world — plus that early-morning class and late-night study session. The full playlist can be accessed by scanning the QR code. 

“Pound The Alarm” by Nicki Minaj

Nothing hits harder than nostalgia. Any early 2010s Nicki Minaj song, for many, is the epitome of that nostalgia but “Pound The Alarm” has the explosive energy that really does make you want to pound the alarm and take on whatever the day has to offer.

“Roaring 20s” by Flo Milli

“Roaring 20s” — built around a sample of Zero Mostel’s performance of “If I Were a Rich Man” — lets listeners pretend for two minutes that they are rich. In this economy, as a university student, you will need those two minutes of pretending.

“Knock Knock” by Mac Miller

Miller starts the song with “This is gonna feel real good” and he did not lie. This is an upbeat song that will have you strutting around campus with your shoulders back and head up high — even when you just rolled out of bed and into the closest oversized t-shirt and sweatpants to make the class that you were debating on skipping. 

“Ruin My Life” by Zara Larsson

Is this song about an ex-boyfriend or a course that is not the GPA booster you thought it would be? Whichever one it is, it sure is cathartic to sing — or yell — along to whenever you are feeling particularly wounded.

“Campus” by Vampire Weekend

I mean, it is in the name. A song curated perfectly to make you feel like the main character in a coming-of-age Netflix original where bumping into a stranger who grazes your hand when they help you pick up your books will eventually turn into a romance that changes everything. 

“Baby Elephant Walk” by Henry Mancini

Head empty, no thoughts, just vibes. Sometimes that is all you really need.

“Valet” by Eric Bellinger (feat. Fetty Wap and 2 Chainz)

Whether you are taking public transit or driving a car to university, you can make the ride to and from more fun with this song.