Here at The FADER, we've always prided ourselves on looking down the road. We aspire to provide a deeper look at the innovators whose work reflects the ever-changing music landscape. Here, we've rounded up a few of the artists we've put on for recently, many of which were featured in our long-running GEN F section. There are some talented noisemakers here—like Lil Yachty, a rapper from Atlanta, and Tricot, a Japanese-born rock band. It's an eclectic crew, sure, but they've all got one thing in common: it's only the beginning for them.
Kodak Black is a high-school-aged rapper from Florida who's turning heads with his distinct growl and indefatigable work ethic. He's found famous fans in Drake and Kylie Jenner, but he's determined to prove he's more than just the sum of his co-signs. Read Kodak Black's GEN F profile.
Watch Kodak Black's episode of The Slang Show:
Adia Victoria has a preternatural way with words. Now the Nashville singer-songwriter is rewriting her life story—one sinister, swampy country song at a time. Read Adia Victoria's GEN F profile.
Lil Yachty is a new rapper from Atlanta with bright red hair and a very sleepy voice. He half-sings a lot, and he has a verifiable fan favorite in “1Night”—3.5 million plays and counting. Read more about Lil Yachty.
Whitney, a Chicago band that includes ex-members of Smith Westerns and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, makes hopelessly soulful rock music. The band's namesake is a fictional hermit. “We wanted to make a record that seemed like it was by an old-ass dude living alone,” they told The FADER. Read Whitney's GEN F profile.
Wizkid is already famous in his native Nigeria, but thanks to a couple clutch co-signs and “Ojuelegba”—his 2015-defining smash, named for a heaving Lagos suburb—he's getting a global embrace. Read Wizkid's GEN F profile.
Houston producer Eric Burton, aka Rabit, makes psychologically rattling electronic music. His Tri Angle Records' full-length, Communion, turns his love for the occult and his frustrations with systemic oppression into a noisy rumination on resistance. Read Rabit's GEN F profile.
The aura of impending fame emanates from Tory Lanez's slight frame. The 23-year-old rapper and singer—who was once dubbed Justin Beiber's hip-hop coach and is possibly the target of some Toronto shade on Drake's new song—has orbited big-time success for years. Has his moment finally arrived? Read Tory Lanez's GEN F profile.
Tricot, a DIY-minded Tokyo rock trio, make music that crushes their home nation’s music charts. Their smart use of YouTube—and their unpredictable post-hardcore sound—has helped them win looks overseas, too. Read Tricot's GEN F profile.
Like the eclectic city they come from, Toronto four-piece Dilly Dally can't be defined by one thing. There's more fueling the band's sludgy songs than just nostalgia ’90s noise-rock, that's for sure. Read Dilly Dally's GEN F profile.
Watch Dilly Dally cover Drake's "Know Yourself" at The FADER FORT.
Kamixlo is a soft-spoken, blue-haired Brixton producer with a brutal take on reggaeton. He's inspired by the intensity of professional wrestling and music that "makes you feel like you’re dying." Read Kamixlo's GEN F profile.
This Taiwanese MC, who's featured on a killer track off Grimes' Art Angels, is blending influences from hip-hop, jazz, and literature to create a woozy sound all her own. Read Aristophanes' interview with The FADER.
Watch Aristophanes meet Grimes for the first time in a FADER documentary:
After co-signs from Drake, Earl, and Erykah Badu, Bankroll Fresh has emerged as one of Atlanta’s newest, truest originals. His songs' narratives might not go against the grain, but his raspy stammer seems to exist in a world of its own. Read an interview with Bankroll Fresh.