Snarky Puppy (ft. Lalah Hathaway) - Something
Snarky Puppy is a NY-based instrumental fusion band led by award-winning bassist, composer, and producer Michael League. The band, a collective of over 40 musicians (many of whom are former University of Texas students) who perform on a variety of instruments, was formed in 2004. The song above - part of the band's Family Affair- Volume 1 (2013) - which features Lalah Hathaway (daughter of the legendary Donny Hathaway), earned the band a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance.
Jack Garratt - 7 Days (Craig David Cover)
Jack Garratt - whose currently a lot of attention in the music scene - is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Buckinghamshire, UK. After releasing his first extended play, Remnants (2014), Garratt started to grow in the British music scene, being playlisted by BBC One and performing at the 2015 Apple Itunes Music Festival. He won the Critics Choice Prize at the 2016 Brits Award and he's just released his first debut album Phase (2016).
Jazmine Sullivan - Stupid Girls (Live for NPR)
Philadelphia-born Jazmine Sullivan is a Grammy-nominated R&B and Soul song-writer and singer. She's collaborated with numerous influential artists like Missy Elliott, Stevie Wonder, and Timbaland. She's already released three albums: Fearless (2008), Love Me Back (2011), and most recently Reality Show (2014). In this short acoustic session, Sullivan performs her song 'Stupid Girls' for NPR in a U.S barbershop.
The Internet - Girl (ft. Kaytranada)
Neo-soul band The Internet was created in 2011 and is made up primarily of Syd Tha Kid and Matt Martians, both originally members of the Odd Future Hip-Hop collective. The band's third and most recent album, Ego Death (2015), (which I've been listening to on repeat for weeks now) is currently nominated for Best Urban Contemorary Album at the 2016 Grammys.
Oddissee - The Going Ons (ft. Good Company)
Amir Mohamed El Khalifa, better known for his stage named Oddisee is in my opinion one of the most underated rappers of our time. Born to an African American mother and a Sudanese father, Oddisee is currently Washington based and has released albums including: People Hear What They See (2012), Tangible Dream (2013), and most recently, The Good Fight (2015).
Son Little - Lay Me Down
Aaron Livingstone - better known for his stage name Son Little - is a Philadelphia-born singer and song-writer. Only recently making a name for himself in music, Son Little released his first eponymous album with Anti-Records in October 2015 (from which the song above comes from). He has collaborated with musicians like The Roots and Mavis Staples.
Kali Uchis - I Know What I Want
Kali Uchis (born Karly Loaiza) is a Colombian-born singer, songwriter, producer and videographer from Virginia. Playing piano and saxophone in high school, Uchis released a self-produced mixtape entitled Drunken Babble in 2012. After collaborating with Snoop Dogg on his track 'On Edge' in 2014, Kali Uchis released her first studio album Por Vida the following year, featuring productions by Tyler The Creator, Diplo, and even Kaytranada.
Anderson .Paak-
The Bird
Anderson .Paak (born as Brandon Paak Anderson) is a singer, rapper, and songwriter from Oxnard, California. In 2011, before he began his music career, Paak worked for a marijuana farm from which he was abruptly fired - leaving him, his wife, and infant homeless. Although he's been making music since and has released numerous albums, he released his first album Venice under Anderson .Paak in 2014. His second album Malibu - from which the song above comes from - was released in 2016. Recently, Anderson announced that he's been signed under Dr.Dre's Aftermath Entertainment label.
tank and the bangas (live for npr)
Tank and the Bangas have been making beautiful, soulful and special music since they first formed in 2011 after meeting at an Open Mic night in New Orleans. The band consists of Tarriona 'Tank' Ball on lead vocals, Anjelika Joseph on vocals, Jonathon Johnson on the bass, Albert Allenbeck on saxophone, Norman Spence on bass and Joshua Johnson on drums. The band have been making a big name for themselves after winning the 2017 NPR Tiny Desk concert and with their charming, soulful and theatrical approach to modern day funk it's easy to see why.
Submotion Orchestra - Hard to Stay
Influenced by dubstep, soul, ambient electronica, and jazz, Submotion Orchestra is a seven piece band formed in Leeds in 2009. They are a favourite of the likes of Gilles Peterson or Trevor Nelson and regularly fill out popular venues like London's KOKO. They have released three critically-acclaimed albums: Finest Hour (2011), Fragments (2012), and Alium (2014) , with their fourth album Colour Theory to be released in February 2016.
Anne-Marie - Boy (Live for SBTV)
Anne-Marie is a singer and song-writer from Essex, United Kingdom. She's a triple world champion in Shotokan and a former West End musical child star (featuring in Whistle Down the Wind when she was 12) who's recently emerging and making a name for herself on the music scene. After touring for two years with pop collective Rudimental (and collaborations with numerous dance producers), Anne-Marie released her first solo single EP Karate in 2015 and has been getting a lot of attention in the UK pop scene for her fresh and original approach to the genre.
fkj & masego -
tadow
FKJ (or French Kiwi Juice) is a French multi-instrumentalist, singer and musician from the city of Tours. His debut album, entitled eponymously French Kiwi Juice was released in March 2017 and it's a wonderful mix of jazz,, funk, hip-hop and electronic music all tied up into a beautiful wave of chilled vibes and all that's good. In this short 'jam session', FKJ is playing with Masego, who is considered one of the leading figures in a new movement of TrapHouse Jazz. Discover this beautiful multi-instrumentalist energy with this short video !