Music

Vincent Jamal Staples is an American rapper, singer, and actor. Staples was once a close associate of Odd Future, Mike G and Earl Sweatshirt in particular. He is currently signed to Motown and Blacksmith Records.

Run the Jewels is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Run the Jewels, which consists of Killer Mike and El-P. The album was released on June 26, 2013, through Fool's Gold Records.

On April 9, 2013 , Killer Mike and El-P announced they would be releasing a collaborative album under the name Run the Jewels. On May 15, 2013, El-P announced on his Twitter account that they had finished the album. On June 12, 2013, it was announced that the album would be released on June 29, 2013. On June 25, 2013, Killer Mike announced on his Twitter account that the album would be released the following day, June 26, 2013.

On April 29, 2013, the first song from the album, "Get It", was released. On May 31, 2013, the second song from the album, "Banana Clipper", featuring Big Boi, was released. On June 7, 2013, the third song from the album, "36" Chain", was released. On July 16, 2013, the music video was released for "36" Chain". The album was released in Europe on January 13, 2014, through Big Dada Recordings. On October 24, 2013, the music video was released for "Get It". On December 21, 2013, the music video was released for "A Christmas Fucking Miracle".

Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, O.B.E. Vol. 1, in 2012 and went on to release Venice in 2014. In 2016 he followed up with Malibu, which received a nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the Grammy Awards, followed by Oxnard, in 2018. At the 61st Grammy Awards, Paak won his first Grammy award for Best Rap Performance with the song "Bubblin". He won two more Grammy awards in 2020 for Best R&B Album with Ventura and for Best R&B Performance for "Come Home" (featuring André 3000).

Apart from his solo career, Anderson formed the duo NxWorries in 2015 with record producer Knxwledge. He is frequently accompanied by the band Free Nationals, who play a variety of instruments, such as electric guitar, bass, piano, keyboards and drums, and also serve as backing vocalists. In 2021, he formed the duo Silk Sonic with fellow singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. The duo's debut single, "Leave the Door Open", became Anderson's first single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and was the recipient of four awards at the 64th Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

Isaiah Rashad Joel McClain, is an American rapper. His first big break was performing on the 2012 Smoker's Club Tour with rappers Juicy J, Joey Badass and Smoke DZA among others. He is a founding member of the Chattanooga hip hop collective The House along with fellow Chattanooga rappers YGTUT, Michael Da Vinci (MikeyD), Chris P, and Brian Brown.

Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott (born January 20, 1995), known professionally as Joey Badass (stylized as Joey Bada$$), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A native of Brooklyn, New York City, he is a founding member of the hip-hop collective Pro Era, with whom he has released three mixtapes as well as his numerous solo projects.

Joey Badass released his debut mixtape, 1999, in June 2012 to critical acclaim and recognition, followed by Rejex in September, and Summer Knights in July 2013. His debut studio album, B4.Da.$$, was released in January 2015. In 2016, he made his television debut on the USA Network series Mr. Robot. His second and third studio album, All-Amerikkkan Badass and 2000, were released in April 2017 and July 22, 2022, respectively.

Clifford Ian Simpson (born July 16, 1996), known by his stage name Kevin Abstract, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter, and was a founding member of Brockhampton. He released his debut album, MTV1987, in 2014 to critical acclaim, and received attention from a number of major music blogs and magazine publications. His second album, American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story, was released in November 2016, and his third, Arizona Baby, was released in April 2019.

Abstract was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. Abstract never met his father and was not close with his mother, not even knowing what her profession was. As Abstract began to realize his sexuality, he isolated himself from his family, feeling ashamed. Many speculate that this is one of the reasons that he ran away from home. He has stated that his family members are "extremely religious" Mormons. Abstract began producing music at 11 and ran away from home at 15, staying at a friend's house for a year before moving to Georgia to live with his sister.

Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 2010, alongside his older brother No Malice. As Clipse, the two released three studio albums and a number of mixtapes, and had hit singles including "Grindin'" and "When the Last Time" (both 2002). They also founded the label Re-Up Records and the fashion label Play Cloths.

In September 2010, Pusha T signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music imprint, under the aegis of Def Jam Recordings. Later that year, he was featured on West's single "Runaway," which peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2011, he released his first solo project, the mixtape Fear of God. He released his debut solo album, My Name Is My Name, in 2013. In November 2015, Kanye West appointed Pusha T to take over his role as president of GOOD Music. Pusha T has since then released three more solo albums: King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude (2015), Daytona (2018), and It's Almost Dry (2022), all of which received widespread acclaim; the latter was Pusha T's first number one debut on the Billboard 200.

Tahj Malik Chandler (born July 17, 1994), better known by his stage name Saba (stylized as SABA), is an American rapper and record producer. He grew up in the Austin neighborhood of the West Side of Chicago. He is a co-founder of the musical collective Pivot Gang with his brother Joseph Chilliams, their late cousin John Walt, and their high school friend MFn Melo. He is also one third of the supergroup Ghetto Sage, with Smino and Noname.

Saba initially gained recognition after releasing two independent mixtapes: GETCOMFORTable (2012) and ComfortZone (2014). He was also featured on Chance the Rapper's mixtape Acid Rap, in the song "Everybody's Something". In 2015, Saba and Chance the Rapper collaborated on the song "Angels". The duo performed the song live on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, on October 26, 2015. He released his debut album Bucket List Project on October 27, 2016, and his sophomore album CARE FOR ME on April 5, 2018, to widespread critical acclaim. Saba’s third album, Few Good Things released February 4, 2022.

Representing NYC is a nonprofit artist management firm based in New York City. Representing NYC acts as a bridge between artists working in the context of social services programming and professional arts organizations and artists by fostering collaborative projects. Past Representing NYC projects have included a series of hip-hop albums, a silk screened T-shirt line, and three radio programs. Its network has included the Social Registry, True Panther Sounds, and Terrible Records, and a number of artists and educators.

Sampha Lahai Sisay is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer from Morden, South London. Sampha is widely known for his collaborative work with Kendrick Lamar, SBTRKT, Jessie Ware, Drake, Kanye West, Solange and others. Sampha has released two solo EPs: Sundanza (2010) and Dual (2013). Sampha's debut album, Process, was released on 3 February 2017 by Young and won the 2017 Mercury Prize.

Daniel Dewan Sewell (born March 16, 1981), better known by his stage name Danny Brown, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He has been described by MTV as "one of rap's most unique figures in recent memory".

In 2010, after amassing several mixtapes, Brown released his first studio album, The Hybrid. Brown began to gain major recognition after the release of his second studio album, XXX (2011), which received critical acclaim and earned him such accolades as Spin, as well as Metro Times "Artist of the Year". In 2013, he entered a US Billboard chart, with the release of his third studio album, Old, which reached number 18 on the US Billboard 200 chart and spawned three singles, "Dip", "25 Bucks" and "Smokin & Drinkin", which peaked at number 31 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart. His fourth studio album, Atrocity Exhibition, was released on September 27, 2016, and his fifth studio album, U Know What I'm Sayin?, was released on October 4, 2019, both albums being received with further critical acclaim.

Clifford Ian Simpson (born July 16, 1996), known by his stage name Kevin Abstract, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter, known for his role as a founding member of Brockhampton. He released his debut album, MTV1987, in 2014 to critical acclaim, and received attention from a number of major music blogs and magazine publications. His second album, American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story, was released in November 2016, and his third, Arizona Baby, was released in April 2019.

Abstract was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. Abstract never met his father and was not close with his mother, not even knowing what her profession was. As Abstract began to realize his sexuality, he isolated himself from his family, feeling ashamed. Many speculate that this is one of the reasons that he ran away from home. He has stated that his family members are "extremely religious" Mormons. Abstract began producing music at 11 and ran away from home at 15, staying at a friend's house for a year before moving to Georgia to live with his sister.

The Internet is an American alternative R&B band from Los Angeles, California. It consists of vocalist Syd, keyboardist Matt Martians, bassist Patrick Paige II, drummer Christopher Smith, and guitarist Steve Lacy.

Thebe Neruda Kgositsile (born February 24, 1994), also known by his stage name Earl Sweatshirt, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Kgositsile was originally known by the moniker Sly Tendencies when he began rapping in 2008, but soon changed his name when Tyler, the Creator invited him to join his alternative hip hop collective Odd Future in late 2009.

He gained recognition and critical praise for his debut mixtape, Earl, which he released in March 2010, at the young age of 16. Shortly after its release, his mother sent him to a boarding school in Samoa for at-risk teens for a year and a half. He was unable to record music during his tenure there, but returned to Los Angeles in February 2012, just before his eighteenth birthday. Kgositsile rejoined Odd Future and started producing new music, releasing his debut studio album, Doris, in August 2013.

Devonté Hynes, also known as Blood Orange and formerly Lightspeed Champion, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and director based in New York City. From 2004 to 2006, Hynes was a member of the band Test Icicles, playing guitar, synth, and occasionally performing vocals. They released one full-length album in 2005. Hynes went on to release two solo studio albums as Lightspeed Champion and subsequently five more as Blood Orange, between 2008 and 2019.

Archy Ivan Marshall, also known by his stage name King Krule, among other names, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, rapper and record producer.

Chancelor Johnathan Bennett, known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Bennett released his debut mixtape 10 Day in 2012. He began to gain mainstream recognition in 2013 after releasing his second mixtape, Acid Rap. He then released his third mixtape, Coloring Book in 2016, which garnered further critical acclaim and attention. It earned him three Grammy Awards, including the award for Best Rap Album; upon winning, it became the first streaming-only album to win a Grammy Award, and peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200. His debut studio album The Big Day was released in 2019.

Malik Keith (born May 9, 1996), professionally known as Lege Kale (pronounced /lej/ /kale/), is an American record producer, songwriter and vocalist. In 2016 he gained critical acclaim as one of the producers of Kyle's single iSpy featuring Lil Yachty. His joint EP, "Tidal Graves" with frequent collaborator Khary released on July 28, 2017. In 2018, He worked with rising pop artist mastermind Still Woozy to create his new hit song "Habit", quickly amassing over 49 million streams on Spotify alone.

Malik Keith was born on May 9, 1996, in Columbus, Ohio. From an early age he took an interest in music after his grandmother would play jazz and blues records throughout his home. At the age of twelve he joined his middle school's percussion music program, leading on into most of his high school experience. This would eventually lead him on his path to become a producer. He later attended Ohio University as a student before choosing to pursue music production full-time as a career.