Whether it’s new releases or up-and-comers, you must add these musicians to your playlist
Tyler the creator, photo by Rick Kern via wireimage.
With new music and artists popping up all the time it’s hard to keep up, but the following musicians and their projects are ones you don’t want to miss.
Tyler, the Creator
A favourite of many, Tyler, the Creator has consistently released an album every two years since his debut Goblin in 2011. My prediction for his new album is a disco-fusion sound, titled Welcome to the Disco. While this may not come to fruition (as the artist has stated), many of Tyler’s fans have been diligently searching for clues regarding this new release. Tyler himself tweeted in 2011, “I will be making disco-fusion by my 4th album.” Although, discography-wise, his fourth album has come and gone, Tyler’s albums create storylines and characters: a “New Tyler” emerged in the 2017 album, which makes the supposed Welcome to the Disco the fourth album of this character. The predicted name of the album is a theory that stems from a Golf Le Fleur and Globetrotter apparel drop with the same title.
KIDZ At Play
If you’ve ever felt nostalgia for listening to BROCKHAMPTON while arriving to first period in highschool, this group is for you. This boy band released their debut album, Mike Tyson Jab, in November 2022. As quoted from their Spotify page, Kidz At Play is, “Ur Mom’s best kept secret” – which seems true contrary to their ~ 138 000 listeners per month. The group expresses their desire to “harness the power of curiosity” and “be a positive force” in their mission statement.
Lil Yachty
After releasing “Poland,” a song that became an international sensation when he claimed to “[take] the Wock to Poland,” Yachty’s reputation was that of an unserious, juvenile rapper. With his new album Let’s Start Here, Lil Yachty takes a 180, delving into psychedelic rock and experimental jazz. The album can be summed up in the song “The Black Seminole.” It is both a nod to the Black Seminoles who fought in the Seminole Wars, BIPOC fetishization, as well as a culmination of influences such as Pink Floyd and The Doors. Yachty clearly intends to pursue his deep-dive into songs expressing Black history as well as various genres.
Ethel Cain
Ethel Cain’s newest album Preacher’s Daughter, released in May 2022, is a true picture of gothic Americana, featuring themes of generational family trauma, religion, and small-town living in the South. The album, reminiscent of Taylor Swift’s Fearless, will leave listeners in tears as Cain tells the story of a queer woman growing up in a heavily religious environment, eventually cannibalized by her lover.
Ben Reilly
Reilly first became popular with the song “Maytag (Tax Free),” which went viral on TikTok in 2021 due to its similarity to Kendrick Lamar’s voice, flow, and Lamar’s signature breakdowns mid-song, such as in “DNA” or “HUMBLE.” However, this artist’s latest album Freelance: Charlie is both a continuation of his debut album Freelance, and a way to tell the Black Atlanta rapper’s story.
Chase Plato
This artist evokes 2011 scene/emo culture with his singles, however many wonder when this midwest/sixth wave emo artist will release an album. His most recent single “SET YOU FREE” is a combination of many genres like surf punk, progressive rap, and pop music. Plato’s upcoming album will no doubt give a new light to the alternative genre.
Ice Spice
Her iconic ginger afro is not the only thing listeners think of when the name Ice Spice is mentioned. The Bronx rapper began making music in 2022, and skyrocketed in her male-dominated genre due to both TikTok virality and her connection to the “Rich Flex” rapper Drake. There is no skepticism towards her current and imminent success.
Whether you’re into hip-hop, rap, or indie music, what these musicians bring to the table will leave you hungry for more.
