“Singing and rapping in his arrestingly incongruous array of styles,” (Rolling Stone) JIDENNArocketed to pop fame with his 2015 single “Classic Man.” The song came out on his debut EP The Eephus, released by Janelle Monáe’s Wondaland Records label. “Classic Man” was nominated for a GRAMMY Award; he was nominated for best new artist at the 2015 Soul Train Music Awards; and a chopped and screwed version of the song was featured in the 2016 Academy Award winning film Moonlight. Jidenna became a star before he had a full record. His highlife and hip hop infused 2017 record The Chief, dedicated to his Nigerian father, revealed an artist of substance lurking beneath a glamorous surface. Jidenna has cited KRS-One and Big Daddy Kane as primary influences, as well as Nigerian Highlife music.
ANIK KHAN’s rapid-fire flow is laced with “genre-fluid harmonies and narratives that explore what lies at (his) core—Queens life and Bengali culture.” (Billboard) Born in Bangladesh and raised in Astoria, his music is inspired by fellow Queens rapper Nas and incorporates sounds from different cultures, especially South Asian (specifically Bangladeshi and Indian) and West Indian.
DJ MOMA, born in Sudan and raised in Queens, is a master of connecting the dots musically—his Everyday People party celebrates African diaspora.
