Take a Dive into My Favorite Artists

Brent Faiyaz

This Maryland native is a skilled vocalist with a strong preference for having a very soothing and soulful R&B sound. I first heard him sing in the Goldlink song "Crew" in which he was featured in. When Christopher Brent Wood isn't working under the solo alias Brent Faiyaz, he sings for a music group he helped form called Sonder. Brent Faiyaz is one of my favorite artists because he truly keeps it real within the art that he creates for his fans. On the surface you may be distracted by his angelic voice, but if you listen to more of his songs and dig a little deeper, you’ll see that he’s definitely no angel. He’s just what he always has been: a human. Behind all of his growing fame and what appears to be a great abundance of sex with beautiful women based off of his raunchy lyrics, he reminds us that he’s made mistakes, has regrets, and has felt tremendous pain in his life.

He doesn’t go too deep into the details of that in his lyrics, but he still touches on it in a very raw and unapologetic way. Other fans of his music often say that if you listen closely you’ll see that he is what you’d call “toxic”, but at the end of the day that’s why we fuck with him. He’s self aware and showcases authenticity. I believe we really need both R&B artists or just artists in general to not be afraid of radiating that authentic energy. Even though you can hear the strong 90s and 2000s influences in his music, he knows how to give it a modern spin to leave people wanting more and feeling nostalgic.

My Top 6 Brent Faiyaz Songs: “Been Away”, “Talk 2 U”, “L.A.”, “Gravity”, “Stay Down”, "Dead Man Walking"

Steve Lacy

Steve Lacy could be considered to be a prodigy in the music game. This guy has been producing and writing his own music with just his iPhone and guitar since he was a teenager. I fuck with Steve because of his fresh funky/psychedelic/indie rock/lo-fi jazzy sound! When you hear him sing you can literally feel his passion for what he does, and ultimately THAT is true magic. Not only does he write music for himself, he also produces for popular and respected artists such as Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Kali Uchis, Mac Miller, Solange, and much more. A few months ago he played the guitar for Brent Faiyaz’s song “Gravity”, featuring Tyler, The Creator. On top of that he‘s also in a band called The Internet. Not to mention that as of April 2021, he’s not even 23 yet.

I remember my senior year of high school in 2017 when Kendrick Lamar’s album “DAMN.” came out. One of the songs that I loved and resonated with the most off that album was “PRIDE”. I didn’t know know who Steve Lacy was at the time and had no clue that he helped write & produce that song at just 18, going on to win a Grammy for it. I enjoyed how slow and soulful it was. I found out about Steve Lacy in 2019 when his song “Dark Red” randomly played on SoundCloud. From there I wanted to hear more of him and quickly fell in love with his music. Later that year in October, I went to go see Steve Lacy in concert at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. and it was so surreal. This was my first ever concert and it was a wonderful, energetic, and dream-like experience. I was only feet away from him and it was incredible to see someone have so much power over an audience. Definitely give this Compton-raised musician a listen.

My Top 6 Steve Lacy Songs: “Dark Red”, “Ryd”, “Lay Me Down”, “Some”, “N Side”, "Basement Jack"

Here's a little bit of footage I got from his Apollo XXI Tour:

Aaliyah

I can’t create a list of my favorite artists without mentioning Aaliyah. She came on to the music scene in 1994 with her controversial platinum album “Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number” that was produced by R. Kelly. After allegedly marrying a 27 year old R. Kelly at just 15 years old, Aaliyah soon cut all ties with the R&B singer after the marriage was annulled due to the fact that she was an underage girl involved with a known predator in the industry. A few years later she began to work with producers Timbaland & Missy Elliot for her "One in a Million" album at 17. She was one of the first famous people that these two worked with and this was the album that actually helped further catapult them into fame as both producers and artists.

I started listening to Aaliyah's music in 6th or 7th grade and was initially drawn to how timeless her sound was. She just had a natural swag that didn't feel forced or artificial. At the beginning of her career she started off as a tomboy and had a nice blend of masculine and feminine energy that both men and women could enjoy. I think people will see this on the classic songs from The Isley Brothers that she covered which are "At Your Best (You Are Love)" and "Choosey Lover". Her music wasn't too girly for men to get into which I believe solidified her spot as a star. I respect her as an artist because she wasn't afraid to venture out of R&B and experiment with different genres such as rock, electronica, neo soul, funk, etc. As someone that wants to expand my music taste, it's important for an artist to bring something different to the table and she did just that. This is most evident on her third and final album which is self-titled.

Before her tragic death in a plane crash at just 22 years old in 2001, the singer talked more about having a dark side and wanting to fully express that within her music for her last album. I think it's really interesting and brave for an artist to even admit something like that and I'm sure a lot of fans can definitely resonate with that. For someone so young she was able to fully articulate her vision for who she wanted to be as an entertainer in such an intellectual and intriguing manner. She didn't fear displaying vulnerability in her music and singing about touchy subjects such as domestic violence or being the side chick. It didn't matter if she sang about abuse or intimate sex (like in her song "Rock The Boat") or just having a plain old good time; she was able to execute it with class and grace. I don't know too many artists nowadays that have that same level of depth and realness. What I find to be the most admirable about Aaliyah is that she didn't have to only rely on her looks because she also had a brain and was wise beyond her years. She could sing, dance, and act, even landing a role in the last two movies of "The Matrix" trilogy but obviously had to quickly be replaced because of her death. Despite being deceased for about 20 years now, she is still very relevant and continues to play an influential role in the music industry. It makes sense as to why she was given the title "The Princess of R&B".

She's been sampled and randomly referenced in more songs than I think I can count. Artists like Drake, Beyoncé, Adam Levine from Maroon 5, The Weeknd, Brandy, Arctic Monkeys, Billie Eilish, J. Cole, Rihanna, and dozens more have all cited her as an influence on their music. Brent Faiyaz's song "Been Away" uses a very similar beat to her songs "One in A Million" and "Four Page Letter". I think a Brent Faiyaz collab with some of her unreleased music would be perfect! Some people have gone as far as saying that Brent is the male version of Aaliyah because of their similar styles, and I can kinda agree with that to an extent. She also had plans to work with one her favorite rock bands called Nine Inch Nails and was set to work with artists of legendary status like Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston. There's lots of speculation that she would've gained bigger success had she lived and I believe so as well, but unfortunately that's something we will never be able to witness. She shows us that age surely has nothing to do with making a huge impact on so many artists and fans. If you're in need of a blast from the past with a modern/futuristic feel, you should totally check this artist out!

My Top 6 Aaliyah songs: "Loose Rap", "At Your Best (You Are Love)", "Heartbroken", "Four Page Letter", "We Need a Resolution", "Giving Up" (not to be confused with her other song called "Never Givin' Up" which I think is still great by the way)

Kid Cudi

Scott Mescudi is an artist that I heavily gravitated towards in my teen years. His music taught me to keep pushing through whatever obstacles were in my way without giving up. A lot of people I know began to embrace his music in very dark periods of their lives and for that I can't help but to love him as an artist even more. Kid Cudi is a rapper that lets the kids know that it's okay to be a little bit weird or a little bit emo. He has a unique way of making you feel his emotions from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. I may be a little biased here, but I wouldn't even consider him to be just a rapper. In my mind Kid Cudi is a genre all by itself. He's another genre-blending artist that has had a huge impact on my life. As a stoner I appreciate that he also makes a lot of stoner-friendly music, especially with his songs "Marijuana" or "Just What I Am". I remember being a 15/16 year old kid listening to that and just wanting to smoke and vibe. In reality I probably should've been more focused on my grades, but it still just takes me back to those early stoner days... The days when I would sneak out of school at lunch to go smoke with my friends without a care in the world. Thinking about Cudi's music takes me back to some happy times as well as some sad times. I don't think a person has to know him personally to absolutely love and adore him. I love the fact that he doesn't want his fans to feel as low as he has felt in his life. I appreciate that he acknowledges the healing power of his music for millions of people. Although I don't listen to him as often as I did when I was a teenager, a time I needed him the most, I will forever respect Scott Mescudi for helping me and so many others in more ways than he could possibly imagine.

My Top 6 Kid Cudi Songs: "Just What I Am", "Pursuit of Happiness", "Illusions", "Ghost!", "Unfuckwittable", "My World"

Mac DeMarco

I first got hip to Mr. Mac DeMarco my junior year of high school when a friend of mine at the time did a cover of his song "Chamber of Reflection". I just think Mac is one cool and silly White-Canadian dude. His music is a little trippy, wavy, and is very relaxing to me. Listening to him always puts me in a happy mood. I think we all go to music for comfort, and he's always been an artist that I went to for that very purpose. If you don't normally listen to this type of music, I'd highly recommend him to anyone that wants to change up their music taste a little bit. I think certain artists can take notes from him when it comes to creating lyrics with a sound that will capture a listener's attention. He's so great that I don't think I even need to write a long ass paragraph for him like I did with the other artists on the list. Sit back, relax, and take a listen for yourself.

My Top 6 Mac DeMarco Songs: "Chamber of Reflection", "On the Level," "Ode To Viceroy", "Dreaming", "Another One", "One More Love Song"

Kendrick Lamar

Growing up I listened to rap music but I never was someone that always sought out rap in my free time. My friend Jassiem and I were actually talking the other day about how as kids we only really listened to the stuff that was on the radio. It wasn't until we got older that we started to gain more interest and start listening to full albums. I think that there's a lot of other people that can relate to that. I always liked Kendrick Lamar growing up, but his "DAMN." album was his first album that I listened to from start to finish. I fell in love with his attention-grabbing lyricism along with the overall theme of the album. It came out in April 2017 and I listened to it almost every day in school until my last day as a high school senior in May. After that I explored his other albums and was hooked on his ability to talk about his life and upbringing in Compton.

I really love Kendrick because he's what you'd call a "conscious rapper". He raps about real world issues, especially within the black community. I think I was a sophomore when I first heard his addictive hit "A.D.H.D." and this is one of the songs he's made that showed exactly what he had to offer as an artist. Kendrick is a magnificent storyteller. Regardless of what he talks about in his music, he's gonna make it sound so beautiful and poetic. I thought it was clever how he sampled a criticism of his music from Fox News on his song "BLOOD." He knows that certain people (and what I really mean by that is certain white people) will fear his music from a huge lack of understanding on the environment that he was raised in, but he doesn't expect them to understand nor does he care, so he poked a little fun at it. He doesn't rap about sunshine and rainbows because that was not what he experienced before the fame, and that goes for a lot of other rappers as well. There's a general myth that 100% of rappers want to promote drugs, hypersexuality, and violence to the youth. If any of the haters and criticizers actually took the time to explore the genre, they'd see that a lot of these rappers are highly intelligent people that talk about the trauma they've faced or have seen others face in unhealthy environments. A lot of them want their communities to heal and grow. I understand that this can be hard to discover if someone only focuses on the bitches, hoes, and guns, but there's always more to a story than the judgmental and negative reputation that rap has gained throughout the decades. Rap can be about love and wanting to uplift. Rap can discuss issues in the world that need to be worked on so future generations can live better lives than the people of today. It doesn't have to all be put into a single box meant to be misunderstood and judged harshly. Kendrick Lamar has a remarkable ability to show all of this. This is why he is truly one of my favorite music artists.

My Top 6 Kendrick Lamar Songs: "The Recipe", "PRIDE.", "Money Trees", "A.D.H.D.", "Alright", "LUST."

Tame Impala

Lastly, I HAVE to talk about Tame Impala! I think this is a great band for someone that has little to no knowledge of psychedelic music and wants to get their feet wet. I think that even seasoned listeners of the genre will appreciate Tame Impala as well. This band helped me want to further explore more psychedelic-infused music from different artists. I remember hearing "It Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" and "Solitude is Bliss" in my early teen years and I became an instant fan! Kevin Parker is the real mastermind behind Tame Impala. He produces, writes, and records the music all by himself. The other members of the band help with playing instruments while touring. The band is pretty popular already but I think there's always room for them to grow more success. Rihanna covered their song "New Person, Same Old Mistakes" for her 2016 "Anti" album. A$AP Rocky also sampled "Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind?" for his 2018 song "Sundress". This type of recognition and appreciation from artists from completely different genres will only lead to newer people finding out about the band. I respect this band because with each album they prove that they aren't a one-trick pony. Kevin Parker knows how to switch up their sound but not to the point to where fans are confused about who Tame Impala truly is. Out of all 4 albums, their third album "Currents" is my personal favorite. Virtually every track off that album can be replayed. I'm not encouraging drug use BY ANY MEANS, but word on the street is that Oregon, Denver, and D.C. have decriminalized a little bit of magic mushroom possession, and some other places may be joining that list in the near future. At your own risk, maybe you can get a full psychedelic experience in these locations while jamming out to some of Tame Impala's music, but hey, you didn't hear it from me. 😉

My Top 6 Tame Impala Songs: "Eventually", "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards", "Music to Walk Home By", "Past Life", "New Person, Same Old Mistakes", "Sundown Syndrome"