Moses Sumney Best New LA Artists 2
For the past few years, Los Angeles has been experiencing a renaissance. Previously ignored parts of the city are suddenly desirable addresses for both residences and retail shops. Once known mostly for diners and donut shops, the culinary scene is now flush with experimental chefs. Galleries have sprouted everywhere, and The Broad, a massive modern art museum, opened downtown, attracting droves with its free admission and famous collection.
But L.A.’s musicians were ahead of this curve: For almost a decade, homegrown groups like Odd Future and labels like Top Dawg Entertainment, boasting soon-to-be-stars Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q, have stormed the city, making L.A. a hotbed of musical talent once again.
Los Angeles is a movie town, but from N.W.A. and the Pharcyde to YG and Syd tha Kyd, musicians have long flourished in Los Angeles—maybe it’s because when you look up, you see the sky, not skyscrapers, and nothing is better for dreaming. Plenty of artists have already burst out of the city and onto the national stage. Below, check out five of the best and most exciting artists riding the next wave.
G Perico
These days, rappers often build their reputations online. But G Perico built his the old-fashioned way, on the streets of South Central, not on Soundcloud. Growing up, he didn’t think he would wrestle his way out of his 20s alive, but when he decided to devote himself to the mixtapes he’d been halfheartedly making, laying down verses with vividly-drawn hood tales instead of living them, his destiny became more secure. 2016’s Sh*t Don’t Stop was the surprise hit of the year, and May’s All Blue confirmed G’s ready to revive gangsta rap once more. A tightly coiled rapper with an eye for detail, a penchant for Jheri curl perms and a knack for self-mythologizing, he’s both a throwback to old-school L.A. and a reminder that the scrappy street rap L.A. pioneered can still be exciting.
Kacy Hill
If Kanye West signs you, you’re probably a big deal. If he signs you off the strength of one song, you’re definitely a big deal. Kacy Hill, who moved to L.A. when she was 18 with a Camry and $1,500 in cash, wasn’t even hired to sing on 2013’s The Yeezus Tour—the former American Apparel model simply had been booked as a dancer-who-can’t-really-dance. But she’d dropped her first song, the sleek, futuristic “Experience,” at the beginning of the run, and when West heard it, he immediately scooped her up for his label, G.O.O.D. Music. This summer, Hill released her much-anticipated debut album, the moody, sensual and sexually explorative Like a Woman. Brimming with poetic, unapologetically emotional lyrics delivered in a sweet, pure soprano, it’s marked her as a rising princess of dark pop.
Moses Sumney
Formerly the social media director for California Pizza Kitchen, Moses Sumney is now at the forefront of the avant-folk movement in Los Angeles. Growing up the son of pastors at a charismatic church, Sumney’s childhood was split between San Bernadino’s suburbia and Ghana, where he was bullied. He sought solace especially in country music, but he hid his passion for writing and singing, and his friends weren’t aware of his gift until he was 20. They know now: Sumney is buddies with Solange’s cool-kid crowd, and he’s performed and won praise for his ghostly, loop-pedal-anchored soul from Erykah Badu, Sufjan Stevens, Grizzly Bear, St. Vincent and a slew of others. Look for his upcoming album, Aromanticism, to make all the year-end best lists.
SiR
One of the biggest influences on Los Angeles’ music scene over the past decade is Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). The label, founded by sharp-eyed Compton native Anthony Tiffith, boasts Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, SZA, Isaiah Rashad and, most recently, Inglewood rapper/singer SiR. Growing up in a musical family that included his famous songwriter brothers, SiR sang in church, but he eventually abandoned music and found himself edging dangerously close to being homeless in Hollywood. When he was 22, however, his mom—who sang backup for Michael Jackson—intervened, and now, he’s written for Stevie Wonder and collaborated with fellow funked-out L.A. native Anderson .Paak.. SiR’s sound, refreshing, sun-kissed soul sung in a gospel-sweet voice, mines the very essence of L.A., making him a perfect fit for the most celebrated roster in the city.
Jay 305
It’s been five years since the squiggly-synthed, bass-bottomed “Youzza Flip” entered the annals of city-wide anthems and perched South Central rapper Jay 305 on the brink of national fame. Still, anticipation for his long-awaited debut has never cooled, which says a lot considering the noise his raunchy, ratchet-minded peers YG, Ty Dolla $ign and Joe Moses have been making. Jay finally got a chance to shoot his shot, and with Taking All Bets, his debut full of streetwise advice and rowdy anthems over go-dumb drums, he’s once again poised to reign supreme in the city’s clubs. As a Los Angeles OG once said, ain’t nothin’ like a gangsta party. Jay obviously agrees. OG once said, ain’t nothin’ like a gangsta party. Jay obviously agrees.