Em'Core

The music that Wyclef Jean has written, performed, and produced — both as a solo superstar and as founder and guiding member of the Fugees — has been a consistently powerful, pop cultural force for over two decades. In 1996, the Fugees released their monumental album The Score. As a solo artist, Wyclef has released six albums that have sold nearly nine million copies worldwide, including his 1997 debut The Carnival and 2000’s aptly titled The Eclectic: 2 Sides II a Book. Jean’s latest studio album, Carnival III: The Fall and Rise of a Refugee, his first in eight years, released on Sept. 15.

While working with hard-edged production & powerful delivery, Savannah, Georgia rapper Quando Rondo opted for an emotionally nuanced lyrical approach with R&B undercurrents to set him apart. Flowing over stylized trap beats, his songs are intelligent & complex while incorporating enough melodic elements to remain pop friendly. Quando Rondo's rise was massive & quick, perhaps best exemplified by his life-inspired mixtapes Life B4 Fame & Life After Fame. In April 2018, the powerful Life B4 Fame mixtape streamed millions in its first few days. Quando quickly followed up with Life After Fame, in September 2018. The project found the young rapper grappling with his newfound success in almost every song, & featured Rich Homie Quan, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Boosie Badazz, & others.

DARK WITH A TWIST OF LIGHT

Mgtm @cheddadaconnect

NSG It’s a simple yet vast acronym, seeping with potential. “It’s a lifestyle, a movement,” the group say. At first, it stood for No Sleep Gang, then Non-Stop Grinding. At the moment it means Never Stop Growing but that could change too. As NSG member Kruddz explains, that’s why they refer to the name’s meaning as a lifestyle – it echoes what’s happening to NSG in the present moment. 
 Past and present names aside, the group reflects the most exciting components of the current UK music scene: a lively diasporic afro bashment sound and a larger-than-life personality, all rolled into one six-member group. Comprised of 6 members: Kruddz, Mxjib, Mojo, OGD, Dope, and Papii Abz, they’ve been bubbling under the crest of producer JAE5 slowly crafting their sound together.

A London-based grime MC of Ghanaian heritage, Stormzy launched his career clashing at youth clubs around his hometown. His performances evolved from grime-only music that showed a love of artists like Skepta to more rap-oriented material that reflected Stormzy's growing appreciation for artists like Drake. Late in 2013 he began uploading his "Wicked Skengman" series of freestyles over classic grime beats; in 2014, he made his official debut with the EP Dreamers Disease. A year later he released the single "Know Me From" along with "WickedSkengMan 4," the first track in his "WickedSkengMan" freestyle series and a Top 20 hit in the U.K. That December, Stormzy performed the single's B-side, "Shut Up," at a match between heavyweight boxers Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. The song jumped into the Top 40 following the broadcast, and the rapper launched a campaign to have the song top the charts during Christmas. This boosted the track to the number eight position, and the number one position on the R&B singles chart. Before returning to the studio to record his debut LP, he released non-album single "Scary" in the spring of 2016. Stormzy returned in 2017 with Gang Signs & Prayer (#Merky Records), which featured the single "Big for Your Boots" and appearances by Kehlani, MNEK, and Ghetts. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi

Alpha Ojini is a Nigerian rapper, record producer and audio engineer. In 2010, he released his first project, "No SIlence" - a 10-track EP. In 2011, he released his second project, "The Road to R.U.S.H", consisting of covers only. In 2013, he released a 6-track jazz/hip-hop fusion EP - "My Own Horns”. His debut album, “Half Price”, dropped in 2018 to critical acclaim, garnering an impressive rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from Pulse.ng. His second album, "CHVMELEON", dropped in November 2019. It offers a real glimpse into Alpha's musical range, and features some of the biggest and brightest artists in the Nigerian music space.

At it's

Big Steppa