Emerging Black musicians to listen to right now

Blues, Motown, hip-hop, jazz, reggae — the history of music is and always will be inseparable from Black history and artists. In honor of Black History Month this year, the Daily Trojan is highlighting up-and-coming young Black artists. Each has a unique style and story to tell, and every artist showcases the experimental, creative forces behind today’s dynamic music scene. 

Fana Hues

Born and raised in California, 25-year-old Fana Hues is bringing raw lyrics and genre-defying beats to the table, gaining the admiration of Tyler, the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt in the process. Her 2020 album “Hues” explores the complexities of a toxic, failing relationship. Set against jazzy, smoky drums and bass chords, Hues’ melodic voice shines especially bright. The bouncy rhythm in “Lay Up” is reminiscent of Mary J. Blige and Dionne Warwick, both of whom Hues cites as inspirations, while the stripped-back tracks “Desert Flower” and “Death on the Vine” showcase Hues’ emotive vocals. Pulling inspiration from R&B, psychedelia, rock and jazz, Hues manages to sculpt a music style that is emotional, feminine, nostalgic and uniquely hers.

AG Club

“Everyone is in the club, unless you’re not. AND YOU WILL KNOW IF YOU’RE NOT,” AG Club told i-D in an interview last year. Hailing from the East Bay Area, AG Club is loosely composed of about eight musicians, with Baby Boy, Jody Fontaine and Mick Antony making up the core trio.

Similar to Brockhampton in their approach to music and band structure, AG Club captures both the energy of a young, all-male rap group and American urbanity. Their bold, youthful lyrics in “Memphis” (now remixed with features from A$AP Ferg and NLE Choppa) reflect AG Club’s upward trajectory: “Still screaming ‘F*ck you pay me/ Please don’t try to educate me’ / A.G. never hesitating.” 

But the group doesn’t get too lost in the clouds; their shimmering yet solemn track “Hngover” is an ode to universal young-adult angst, with lyrics such as: “Always saw myself as less than perfect / Lil less than worth it / Lookin’ at what’s on the surface / Wondering if I deserve it.” Consistent in their passionate lyrics and echoey instrumentals, AG Club has retained their ability to mix and switch genres on each track of their 2020 album, “Halfway Off the Porch.”

Dua Saleh

Sudanese American singer Dua Saleh cannot be constricted by labels. They grew up listening to Sudanese music, 1940s jazz and 1990s hip-hop, and while these influences are undeniably apparent in their music, Saleh has successfully established their own unique style.

With sculptural, fluid vocals and textured production, Saleh’s music tiptoes near the edge of psychedelia in terms of both instrumentation and lyrics, with their poetic lines in “Warm Pants” illustrating trippy visuals: “I need you now / Found all that smoke that clouds / The shadows that keep leakin’ out your house / You throwin’ daggers at the crown / There’s liquor fallin’ from you mouth.”

Saleh also incorporates Arabic into a few of their songs in the hopes of connecting to their Sudanese fanbase, especially closeted queer, trans and non-binary listeners. Saleh told City Pages that listening to queer artists such as Mykki Blanco, Le1f and Kilo Kish “saved [their] life” when they were younger. Futuristic but warm, lush but clear, Dua Saleh’s music is an organic, growing art to keep an eye out for.

Tems

At only 25 years old, singer Tems is already taking the Nigerian and U.S. music scenes by storm. Her powerful, impassioned voice has earned her two Headies awards and a collaboration with Khalid and Davido on the 2020 track “Know Your Worth.” Her music undoubtedly has roots in R&B and pop, but Tems is part of “alté,” a powerful, youthful Nigerian music scene where creativity and nonconformity are the only rules. 

Many alté artists attribute their inspiration to the 1990s Nigerian music scene and contemporary indie acoustics. In an interview with British Vogue, Tems described alté as “a small but strong force of bold, strong and courageous people thinking outside the norm in the Nigerian space.” Tems also noted the artistic freedom of the alté scene, saying: “[The musicians are] original, they’re being themselves and nobody can give them their approval. Nobody can give you that apart from God.”

Berwyn

Though sometimes heartbreaking in its naked emotion and raw lyrics, Berwyn’s music holds the same soft comfort as J. Cole’s “She’s Mine Pt. 2” or Frank Ocean’s “Cayendo.” Born in Trinidad and Tobago but based out of London, Berwyn tells personal stories of abandonment, loneliness and lost potential in his recent album “DEMOTAPE / VEGA.” His tracks are often accompanied by a single, stripped piano, and while his gentle rapping fits well between chords, Berwyn’s singing voice is skillfully tender. 

Berwyn does not shy away from vulnerability with lyrics such as “I used to see your Mum every time I go visit mine in prison / Working nights at the front desk, just tryna feed her children” from “TRAP PHONE.” The singer outlines his hardships in “017 FREESTYLE,” his voice straining and breaking with pain near the end of the track as he recounts the distance between him and his family and the times his life didn’t go as planned. Though his work is highly personal, the artistry behind Berwyn’s songwriting will strike a chord in any listener.

BEAM

Miami-based Tyshane Thompson, who goes by the stage name BEAM was born in Jamaica to dancehall and gospel reggae icon Papa San. At 25 years old, BEAM is rapidly breaking into the hip-hop scene.

His EP “95” is energetic and aggressive. With Kid Cudi-esque rapping and production inspiration from 21 Savage and 2 Chainz, BEAM’s work is influenced by artists across the contemporary hip-hop spectrum. He’s also collaborated with Skrillex; in an interview with The Face, BEAM attributed his love for dubstep and EDM to the white friends he made when he moved to Miami at age eight.

His recent single “Delete” with Ape Drums is a rare combination of EDM and reggae. While some of his newer music is about partying, drugs and sex, BEAM emphasizes in an interview with The Face that he’s intent on including the dark sides of humanity along with the good — a radical break from his father’s gospel reggae: “It’s not an abomination to feel a certain type of way. Everyone has flesh, that’s what I really want to explain … I grew up in the church, and everyone I know is still human, has flaws, feels a certain type of way.”