Featured Artists

Presented anonymously, contemporary R&B artist H.E.R. (Having Everything Revealed) surfaced in 2016 with H.E.R., Vol. 1, an EP of downcast post-breakup material that sounded both vulnerable and assured, much like what followed from the singer and songwriter. The seven-track EP appeared on major-label RCA in September 2016 with limited promotion, but labelmates Alicia Keys and Bryson Tiller spread the word through social media, and a cover of Drake's "Jungle" helped send the set to number 28 on Billboard's R&B/hip-hop chart. A similarly styled follow-up, H.E.R., Vol. 2, arrived in June 2017 and debuted at number 22. The EPs were soon combined and expanded, released as H.E.R., with six additional cuts -- including "Best Part," a number 32 R&B/hip-hop hit previously heard on Daniel Caesar's Freudian -- referred to as B-sides.

Rapper Jack Harlow gained significant regional buzz as a teenager coming up in Louisville, Kentucky's hip-hop scene, but matured quickly as his styles developed with each new song. Examining the pains, victories, and boredom of youth with an honesty and vulnerability lacking in many of his peers, he went from songs about partying and hanging out on 2015's The Handsome Harlow EP to more nuanced lyrics about sexuality, depression, and self-doubt on 2017 mixtape Gazebo. His raw talent and growing acclaim led to a record deal with Atlantic Records subsidiary Generation Now, which released his full-length project Loose in 2018.

A singer, songwriter, and rapper who crossed over from R&B to hip-hop, Rodriquez Jacquees Broadnax is known simply as Jacquees when he steps out from behind the scenes. His smooth, sensuous songs sound contemporary while staying true to the artist's formative influences, and their main purpose is to make his listeners feel good. Jacquees has collaborated with numerous notable singers and rappers, including Chris Brown, Young Thug, Trey Songz, and others. After debuting in 2011 and releasing several mixtapes, EPs, and singles (including the hits "B.E.D." and "At the Club" with DeJ Loaf), Jacquees released his debut album, 4275, in 2018.

Known for his distinctively gravelly voice and unflinching hardcore rhymes, Jadakiss established himself with Bad Boy and Ruff Ryders affiliates the LOX before he made further strides as a solo artist with Ruff Ryders and Def Jam. He started a streak of Top Ten solo albums with Kiss tha Game Goodbye (2001) and continued it with the chart-topping Kiss of Death (2004) (featuring the controversial, Grammy-nominated "Why?"), both of which were certified gold by the RIAA. His releases since then include Top 5 Dead or Alive (2015), the Fabolous collaboration Friday on Elm Street (2017), and Ignatius (2020).

Juice WRLD became a Top Ten hitmaker delivering introspective lyrics atop melodic production, with echoes of Travis Scott and Post Malone. His heartsick 2018 debut Goodbye & Good Riddance (2018), home to his biggest hit "Lucid Dreams," reflected a wide range of stylistic influences: R&B instrumentation, dreamy beats, and even indie rock melodicism. The momentum built by "Lucid Dreams" helped land Juice's sophomore effort A Death Race for Love (2019) at the top of the charts. Months later, at the height of his mainstream popularity, he tragically passed away after suffering a medical emergency at Chicago's Midway Airport; he had just turned 21. At the time of his death, Juice had three singles in the Hot 100 and both official LPs in the Top 100.

Singer, songwriter, and model Justine Skye is known for her dance-oriented R&B and hip-hop-influenced sound. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1995, Skye first gained notice in her teens when she tagged along with her mother, an entertainment lawyer, to a music panel held by performance rights organization BMI. During the question-and-answer session, Skye surprised everyone in attendance by asking to sing. In front of various music executives, she performed a cover of Sam Sparro's "Black and Gold." She subsequently took singing lessons and honed her songwriting, then worked with August Rigo (Justin Bieber, One Direction, Musiq Soulchild) and Eric Hudson (Kanye West, Diddy, August Alsina). Their sessions led to Everyday Living, a confident contemporary R&B EP released on Atlantic in August 2013. The brief collection featured a cover of Aaliyah's "I Don't Wanna."

Born in Spanish Town, just outside of Kingston, Jamaica, Koffee was bought up alone by her hard-working mother, her father having left for New York when Koffee was an infant. “Mummy struggled so I didn’t have to,” remembers Koffee. An occasional actress who works for the Ministry of Health and who gives sex education and body positivity talks to young people, Koffee’s mum sheltered her daughter from a lot of the violence that afflicted their community. “I was aware of curfews and shootings growing up but it wasn’t necessarily a reality for me because I didn’t experience anything directly,” she says. “I would hear about gunshots over in [neighbouring] Gordon Pen, but where I live, in Eltham View, it’s a mellow vibe. It’s a pretty friendly community, we know each other for the most part and we get along well.”

Charismatic, confident Atlanta-bred rapper Lil Baby quickly rose to fame after he launched his career in 2017. Following a series of mixtapes, his popularity exploded in 2018, the year he released Harder Than Ever (which included the Drake-featuring hit "Yes Indeed"), Drip Harder (a collaborative mixtape with Gunna), and Harder Than Ever (his first proper album), all of which entered the Top Ten of the Billboard 200. He topped the chart in 2020 with My Turn.

Lil Wayne began his career as a near-novelty, a preteen delivering hardcore Southern hip-hop. Through years of maturation and prolific output, during which the delivery of his humorous and wordplay-heavy rhymes gradually changed from ringing and pugnacious to stoned and rasped, he developed into a million-selling artist with a massive body of work, one so inventive and cunning that it makes his claim of being the "best rapper alive" worth considering. Wayne debuted at the age of 12, received his first platinum certification only five years later as a member of the Hot Boys, and immediately thereafter became a formidable solo artist with Tha Block Is Hot (1999), his first of 12 Top Ten albums on the Billboard 200. During a period of constant output entailing not just successful full-lengths but also reputation-building mixtapes and featured appearances on pop hits like Destiny's Child's "Soldier" (2004), he reached mainstream superstar status with Tha Carter III (2008). A triple-platinum blockbuster, it spawned the number one pop hit "Lollipop" and the number six follow-up "A Milli," and netted three Grammy awards, including Best Rap Album. Throughout the 2010s, despite numerous legal and creative battles, Wayne continued to be a regular presence on the upper reaches of the charts with albums such as Tha Carter IV (2011) and I Am Not a Human Being II (2013), additional smash singles as a headliner, and a continually lengthening list of collaborative hits, including the multi-platinum "Sucker for Pain" (for the Suicide Squad soundtrack in 2016) and "I'm the One" (headlined by DJ Khaled in 2017). Since the latter hit, Wayne has topped the Billboard 200 with the consecutive LPs Tha Carter V (2018) and Funeral (2020).

Combining her roots in Houston rap, gospel soul, and classical flute as confidently as she addresses issues of race, sexuality, and body positivity, singer/rapper Lizzo's music abounds with humor and charisma. Her 2013 debut, Lizzobangers, reflected her years in Minneapolis' hip-hop and indie music scenes (Doomtree's Lazerbeak was one of its producers), and as time went on, her style became more wide-ranging and melodic. In 2015's self-released Big Grrrl Small World, she added more R&B and gospel to her sound, a trend that continued on her brash major-label debut and breakthrough album, 2019's Cuz I Love You.

Hailing from the Bay Area of San Francisco, LoveRance -- real name Rance Oliver -- made the transition between the independent local rapper and international major-label star within a head-spinning matter of months. Having been focusing his attention on organizing parties for other artists in the Bay Area, Oliver decided to put his own rapping skills to the test. In the summer of 2011, with the help of blogs and social media sites such as Twitter, Oliver's first single, "Up!," entered the Top 100 of Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.