Studio 2 Extra: The Gen Z musician writing 21 songs about New Jersey

Earth Kenan Salazar is a Berklee College of Music grad who’s just embarked on the journey of a lifetime: he’s creating a song about each of New Jersey’s 21 counties. He has already developed a following for his satirical yacht-rock songs, in the style of Steely Dan but with lyrics that resonate with Gen Z.

His Camden and Gloucester County tributes took off on Instagram and TikTok, but with just two songs down, Salazar has more work to do. He joined Avi Wolfman-Arent for this Studio 2 extra to talk about the project, his musical style and explain why ‘brain rot’ lyrics work so well with yacht-rock vibes.