Ten Artists You Need to Know for Black Music Month

Bugus

The first bars on Bugus’ 2022 LP The Proof  any hip-hop lover’s head spin.

“Switched to Nikes at the bank cuz I don’t do calluses / Walked in with checks and walked out with New Balances” – in less than 25 words, the Atlanta emcee paints a vivid and playful portrait of his grind. It’s no wonder he’s a member of Russ’s DIEMON (Do It Everyday Music Or Nothing) crew and as comfortable dressing down haters as he is on lanky slow jams.

The sky’s the limit, no matter what kicks he wears to get there.

Chapel Hart

When the fiery country music harmony group graced America’s Got Talent with their barnburner “You Can’t Have Him Jolene,” they received a coveted group golden buzzer and an enthusiastic “My God, we needed you” from Cowell himself.

One listen to Chapel Hart and you’ll understand why. The group’s Nashville-country is as radical as it is pleasing, breaking barriers for country artists of color while honoring the genre’s signature sounds.

Let them make a good impression on you.

Erica Mason

Erica Mason’s sing-rap flow is unapproachable.

On love ballads like “Everythang” and atmospheric jams like “12 Years,” Mason switches from crooning to spitting fire without missing a step. It’s this versatility and relentless optimism that’s made the Gainsville, Florida-born Queer Christian artist a social media sensation. With more than 800,000 IG followers and counting, Mason’s music is reaching people and inspiring them to live more connected, satisfying numbers.

Be one of them, stat.

Garth.

Garth.’s music practically oozes creativity.

The Brooklyn-based multi-hypenate zigs where other artists zag. His album Good Taste opens with an opus for strings before barreling into the emotive and funky title track. 2023’s Celebration gave 80s R&B an early aughts makeover. Garth.’s music gets your brain and body going simultaneously, and the list of artists we can say that about is few and far between.

Find out why by streaming him now.

Jor’Dan Armstrong

Jor’Dan Armstrong is the self-proclaimed “King of Christian R&B’ and it's a title he’s earned.

The Baton Rouge, LA native delivers his faith-affirming music with such swag the videos feature Lil Yachty and yellow Lambos. Armstrong is uniquely committed to making Christian-music jams, and his unparalleled drive yields songs with cutting-edge beats and melodic hooks for days.

Don’t take our word for it – take his.

Joy Oladokun

Joy Oladokun’s music thrillingly plants its feet in multiple black music traditions.

Her recent bop “Am I?” opens on a gospel choir. It transforms into a hip-hop-indebted singer-songwriter jam that simultaneously calls Tracey Chapman and Indie Arie to mind. Anyone can emulate the greats; only Oladokun can harness what made so many greats excellent into music that’s unquestionably her own.

Listen to how she does so now.

Kelvyn Colt

Kelvyn Colt is making some of the most idiosyncratic hip-hop on the planet. 

While the LA-based, Nigerian/German artist cites Tupac and Sade as major influences, they, dancehall, and cyberpunk textures all show up in the DNA of “EYE4EYE.” His music video for the just-dropped “BLEED” is a visual opus that transcends any genre tag in any medium. 

Colt feels like he’s shaping the future of music in our present day. Get ahead of the curve by streaming him now.

K. Forest

You can read all about K. Forest’s massive 2024 in our TuneCore Accelerator report, and here are the cliff notes.

210,000 streams came from editorial playlist placements on major DSPs. Travis Scott co-signs. A deep catalogue of releases that all push R&B and rap into new sonic territories. K. Forest embodies what an independent artist’s career growth can look and sound like in the modern music world.

Any fan of music should get familiar with him, stat.

Miko Marks

Miko Marks fuses country and soul to create a hybrid sound that’s entirely her own.. Named one of CMT’s Next Women of Country in 2022, Marks’ songs are stirring and soothing. Listen to “Let The Music Get Down In Your Soul” for proof. It’s a jam that makes you want to live and wipes away the day’s stresses in one fell swoop.

Country is not a monolith and Marks is chipping away at the idea it is, making audiences hoot and holler all the while.

Nia Allen

If Jor’dan Armstrong is the “King of Christian R&B,” his track with Nia Allen makes her the Queen by proxy alone.

Let’s be clear: she earns that title on her own terms. On “Sunshine,” the singer and worship leader paves the path to belief out of vocal hooks and an endlessly compelling delivery, one that blends Berklee-training with one-of-one instincts. You can hear those instincts play out on any of Allen’s solo tracks or collaborations with industry luminaries.

It doesn’t matter where you start, but we recommend you get started checking her music out now.