For a while, I've had the thought of discussing underrated artists but I wanted to get multiple perspectives, so I enlisted the help of some friends and one of my brothers. Each person talks about different artists, how they were introduced to them and why they deserve more hype.
My beloved friend Marv has taste in music, we share a common interest in artists but Marv is always telling me about new people that I should listen to. Marv knows what he's talking about when it comes to music, and I will defend him for it always.
Chloe x Halle:
If you haven't heard of Chloe and Halle yet well I promise this is not the last time you'll hear their names. The two beautiful girls are not only artists but sisters, and actors. They are Atlanta-born but moved to Los Angeles where they starred in various films. During 2012 the pair would make a connection with Disney allowing them to become a part of Radio Disney. Years later the unstoppable girls would sign with Parkwood Entertainment after the label heard them perform "Pretty Hurts" by Béyonce. In 2018 they debuted their first album The Kids Are Alright. Songs from the album appeared in the film A Wrinkle in Time, and their title track "Grown" became the show Grown-ish‘s theme song. More of their accomplishments are being featured on Michelle Obama's charity single, "This is for My Girls", and even opened during Béyonce's Formation World Tour. This past June their second album Ungodly Hour has hit the market. And trust me it's worth the listen.
Marv found the duo through where, of course, Twitter friends. But what makes Marv love their music is their amazing harmonies, and the fact that you can hear their genuine vocal abilities. When asked what Marv's favorite song by the duo is he couldn't just pick one. But, it would be Busy Boy or Forgive Me. The reason Marv chose these 2 from the rest is because the way they sing so smoothly and melodically in hard trap beats in the songs is super impressive. Marv believes that the sister duo is the future of music, especially when it comes to their performances.
Jon Bellion:
A Long Island native, who grew up loving basketball. When he was in his junior year of high school his love for music from artists such as Eminen, Pharrell, and more inspired him to write his own music. While in college he enrolled in a music program where for the first time he was part of a "music scene". After graduating from college he got his first taste of fame when his song "The Monster" was featured on Eminen's 2013 album. The song featuring Rihanna topped charts and even won a Grammy. It was that year Bellion released his first mixtape. In 2015 his song, "All Time Low" was streamed millions of times, when his debut album The Human Condition was released in 2016. His latest album drop was in 2018 Glory Sound Prep. Bellion continues to write for artists today such as Halsey, Christina Aguilera, and many more.
Marv actually learned of Jon Bellion through his cousin, who was close friends with Bellion during college. Why he thinks he's such a great artist, because he does everything himself from the writing to the engineering to even the production. Personally Marv loves the song Luxury, but believes Bellion's best song is Hand Of God. Hand Of God was the closing track to the 2016 album The Human Condition. He was able to mash every other song from the album into one and added a choir. "Peak musicianship I've ever heard tbh." The reason why more people should be listening to him, because you've actually already heard him before. Jon Bellion is a sought after songwriter writing hits for Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Jason Derulo, Katy Perry, and the list doesn't stop there.
My next friend is not one to shy away from music, she doesn't go to a music school in the city for nothing. Imayah has an amazing voice and I've even had the pleasure in getting to see her perform. Don't expect to hang out with Imayah and not hear her sing a couple times. From Broadway to Rap music, Imayah knows all.
Omar Apollo:
At 23, Omar Apollo (whose full name is Omar Velasco) grew up in Indiana. He taught himself how to play the guitar, and sing (from a gig at church). Being self taught from Youtube where he learned how to sing from his diaphragm and learn the chords of a guitar gave him the impression that he could experiment creatively, which in turn he did. Each one of his songs hold emotional messages which he traces back to his Mexican heritage. Omar also drew inspiration from everywhere because growing up he didn't have many around him with similar backgrounds to look up too. The first song he released on Spotify, Ugotme, was recorded in his attic. After being persuaded to upload it, the song today currently has 35 million streams. Since then Apollo has released two EP's Friends, and Stereo, and is currently working on his debut album.
Imayah discovered Omar Apollo on her own. Why does she love his music so much, because Apollo has a sweet, summery sound. He may be more indie but not to the point where it's the "annoying gate keeping indie." Ugotme is Imayah's favorite song by him because it's one of his first songs. Not only that but the song has meant a lot to her when she was in a state of confusion with love. Apollo is super underrated and he has such a different sound than pop stars out there such as Ed Sheeran. For Imayah, his music always evokes a good time, and his songs are versatile in any given situation.
Adrian is the type of kid that you always pass the Aux too. He's aware of the vibe and instantly knows which playlist he should pick. Most of our friends turn to him to ask if he can swing artists, and songs their way. His range of music varies. But he always passes the vibe check.
Ramirez:
From the San Francisco Bay Area, Ramirez's music is inspired by the West Coast Rap sound while at the same time is heavily influenced by Southern Trap. His unique sound has transcended him from SoundCloud Rapper to working with $uicideboy$, Yung Gravy, and multiple others on their singles and EPs. Ramirez has released several albums but it was Son of Serpentine released in 2019 that he became widely known for. Just in 2020 he's released an album and 2 singles.
Youtube would be how Adrian learned of the artist, a creator who had posted what music he had been listening to, Ramirez being one of them. Ever since Adrian's been a fan. Ramirez is known for his lyrics, and diversity and that's what draws listeners such as Adrian to him. Though he finds it hard to pick one song that's his favorite, he would choose Lavender Lust because "it defines the term summer vibes." When I asked him why more people should be listening to him he said, "He is a wide range of sounds and for sure has something for everyone. He has a lot to offer and has amazing potential as an artist."
IDK:
IDK stands for Ignorantly Delivering Knowledge. IDK (or his actual name Jason Mills) may have been born in England but he was raised in Prince Georges County, Maryland. When he was 21 instead of focusing on his lectures or doing his job at the barbershop he worked on writing song lyrics. For the first 7 years of his career as an artist he released albums, and toured independently. But in 2019 he signed with Warner Records. In 2018 he released his highly successful album, IDK & Friends working on the album with 7 of his closest friends. Since that album release he's released Is He Real?, which generated buzz from Kevin Durant, to playing the album for Kanye West. A bright future is ahead with all the buzz that IDK generates.
Finding IDK through one of his friends, Adrian enjoyed his music and decided to dive deeper. He went through his discography and has enjoyed everything he has released since. IDK puts so much emotion into his music. "You can tell he writes his own music and he really goes through all those thoughts." IDK is genuine with his words, and the flow of any of his songs' production. Adrian loves how creative he is, helping any listener visualize all the thoughts the artist is going through. Adrian's favorite song is, No Shoes On The Rug, Leave Them At The Front Door. "It speaks of his upbringing and how he realized his mistakes from the past. He was a troublemaker as a kid and wasn’t the best in school. He wraps the whole song around how the only person who had his back was his mom. She cared for him after all of his mistakes unlike anyone else and even when he thought she didn’t love him, she was still there.” More people need to be listening to IDK because he's an amazing rapper. IDK is not afraid to discuss any subject, "and makes really good music to the ear." The production of his music makes each lyric flow, it makes the music amazing to listen to. "He has developed and grown as an artist throughout the years." IDK recently just released a new project, and he just keeps getting better.
Sophie loves listening, discovering, and playing music. She's an amazing guitar player, who has played at our school’s own talent shows for countless years. Sophie loves to have fun, and she loves music, so put 2 and 2 together, and you have a very happy Sophie.
Jaz Karis:
From the South of London, Karis is a different type of artist. Soul, jazz, and hip hop all wrapped into one. When releasing her debut EP, Into The Wilderness she did it with an independent label. Influence of her music comes from all different artists to Erykah Badu, Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, and many other artists. Since 2017 she has released multiple singles and last year debuted her second EP Summer Stories.
Over time Sophie began to discover a lot of underground artists and she happened to stumble upon Jaz Karsis. All her soundtracks are mixed with soul, and r&b, for Sophie all her music has, "increased my appreciation for different genres and styles of music." While Sophie doesn't have a favorite specific song of Jaz's, her 2017 EP Into The Wilderness has great tracks on it. "She tells a story about the love between her and another and you can really tell how experimental she is with her music." Sophie believes you should be listening to Jaz Karis because she's a "VIBE", "expand your bag music from drake and pnb. Love her!!"
The last person I asked to discuss underrated artists, is not actually my friend but one of my brothers. Unlike my friends he's at a different point in his life, currently about to be in his 3rd year of college. Anytime I get in the car with my brother, I know what to expect, him blasting his music. But I appreciate him because I still don't have a license, so I don't mind. Liam loves to listen to rap but trust me that doesn't mean he doesn't know a pop song. (I know Dancing Queen is a big pregaming song, so I have a feeling I'm not stretching far from the truth)
Lil Durk:
Growing up in Englewood, on the south side of Chicago, he began his career by creating mixtapes and issued them out. It wouldn't be until 2012 that he released his first single under Def Jams, L's Anthem. In 2013, he collaborated with a big time artist for the first time, French Montana on his album, Coke Boys. During 2015 Durk released his first album, Remember My Name, featuring singers such as Logic, and Jeremiah. It wasn't until his 3rd album, Signed to the Streets 3, that he reached the top 20 on Billboards 200. In 2019, Lil Durk faced criminal charges, while out on bail he released Love Songs 4 The Streets 2, which would chart the Top 5. Since then he has also released Just Cause Y'all Waited 2 which would again chart in the Top 5.
Through friends Liam learned of Lil Durk, as well as him being featured with some more famous rappers. Lil Durk has been in the rap "game" for almost 8 years, "his beats along with his lyrics always amaze me at being really solid for a project." Neighbored Hero on his album Signed to the Streets 3, would have to be his favorite. Why? It is exactly Liam‘s point that he is able to mesh everything together both beats and lyrics. "Saying Lil Durk is underrated might be a stretch. His most recent album has done pretty well but I still don’t think he gets the recognition he deserves compared to the likes of the top tier names in the rap game currently."
Royce Da 5'9:
He may go by Royce Da 5'9, but his name is Ryan Montgomery. His love for music sparked from his older brothers, as well as the radio and t.v. It would be in his late teens that he began to go to open-mic's where he made a name for himself in Detroit. On Eminem's record The Slim Shady LP, Royce Da 5'9 made his first big appearance on the song Bad Meets Evil. Since their first collaboration the 2 have joined up multiple times together to create new music. Prior to landing under the Game Records Label, Dr. Dre offered for Royce to sign under his own label. He released his first full album in 2002, Rock City. Since then he has released countless records, his 7th album Book of Ryan included T-Pain, Eminem, J.Cole, and many more.
Eminem was the first rapper Liam ever really listened to and Royce was a common featured artist on Eminem's songs. Liam says that he still never got a lot of recognition for his solid verses. Royce is an old school rapper, and his lyrics aren't exactly what you would consider an 'old school rapper' to sound like. Bad Meets Evil is his favorite song. "it’s an old song but it was one of the first songs I really liked in the rap world and has always stuck with me. Royce always worked well with Eminem and I thought his verse was much better." Royce has been in the rap game for centuries. Liam says, "his verbal dexterity is amazing, bringing me back to that old school rapper vibe. If you like that type of music Royce is the guy to go to."
This is already long enough so I won't bore you with artists that I believe are underrated. But my two underrated artists are Kiana Ledé and Delacey. Their sounds are completely different from one another, and they both have really amazing music.
All information discussing the artists were from:
Blistein, Jon. “Omar Apollo Wants to Inspire Young Latinx Musicians to 'Go Crazy'.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2019, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-latin/omar-apollo-interview-866248/.
“Here's What You Need To Know About Maryland Rapper IDK.” Cool Accidents Music Blog, www.coolaccidents.com/news/who-is-idk.
Payne, Ogden. “Rapper IDK Announces Label Partnership With Warner Records.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 19 June 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/ogdenpayne/2019/06/19/rapper-idk-announces-label-partnership-with-warner-records/.
Spotify.com
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