New and Noteworthy Artists

The summer has always been the ideal time for artists to drop new music. Fortunately, many artists have kept up with their releases during these tough times. Let’s take a look at some of the freshest artists out there right now.

H.E.R.

This young R&B artist got her start as the winner of Radio Disney’s The Next BIG Thing contest in 2009. Her first single, “Something to Prove”, was released under her real name (Gabriella Wilson) before she re-invented herself. In 2016, Wilson began performing under the name H.E.R.–which is said to stand of Having Everything Revealed.

H.E.R. has dropped several EPs since her debut, but her first album came out in 2017; it was appropriately titled after the artist herself. I Used to Know Her was H.E.R.’s second compilation album to come out, and it included both songs from her previous EPs and new tracks. Both albums landed H.E.R. nominations in the 61st and 62nd Grammy Awards. She took home the Grammy’s Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Album awards, as well as a BET award in 2019.

The talented artist has been supported by big names in R&B for the duration of her short career. Artists Usher, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, and actress Taraji P. Henson have publicly supported H.E.R.. Most recently, H.E.R. released a chilling protest song titled “I Can’t Breathe” as a response to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Roddy Ricch

After dropping his first two mixtapes, Roddy Ricch (Rodrick Wayne Moore Jr.) had a quick climb up the charts. His single “Die Young” hit Billboard’s Hot 100, and he won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance from Nipsey Hussle’s “Racks in the Middle”. “The Box” from Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial (2019), Ricch’s first studio album, became his most popular song across the globe.

Ricch began rapping at the young age of eight, and was making his own beats by sixteen. He has been recognized for his talent and his signature raspy voice by several rappers; Nipsey Hussle and Meek Mill even brought Ricch out as a guest performer at their respective concerts when Ricch was still a small-time rapper. “The Box” spent eleven weeks in the number one spot on Billboard’s Hot 100, and the single’s album had a total of three weeks as number one on the Billboard 200 Chart.

In the last year alone, Ricch has been nominated for eight music awards. He has won a grammy and two BET Awards for Album of the Year and Best New Artist. Recently, Ricch featured in fellow rapper DaBaby’s single “Rockstar”. This song became Ricch’s second single to hit number one on the Billboard Charts.