--- title: 12 Artists Helping Shape the New Geography of R&B Music description: From Syd to Kendrick Lamar to Khalid, here are some of our favorite artists bending the genre lines in R&B and hip-hop. canonical: https://time.com/4728291/new-music-containing-multitudes/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-04-06T10:27:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T04:14:57.325Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: 12 Artists Helping Shape the New Geography of R&B Music og:description: From Syd to Khalid to Jidenna, here are the genre-bending rising stars to watch. og:url: https://time.com/4728291/new-music-containing-multitudes/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 12 Artists Helping Shape the New Geography of R&B Music twitter:description: From Syd to Khalid to Jidenna, here are the genre-bending rising stars to watch. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # 12 Artists Helping Shape the New Geography of R&B Music  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Apr 6, 2017 10:27 AM UTC  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Apr 6, 2017 10:27 AM UTC From the minimalism of Syd to the progressive lyricism of Kendrick Lamar, here are some of our favorites. ### Childish Gambino **_AWAKEN, MY LOVE!_** Dec. 2, 2016, Glassnote Childish Gambino, a.k.a. Donald Glover, surprised fans with this funk- and soul-inspired album. Brimming with Gambino’s impressive falsetto and a slow-burning energy, Awaken finds a futuristic R&B groove in breezy bops like “California” and “Redbone.” ### Jidenna **_The Chief_** Feb. 17, Wondaland, Epic American-born, Nigerian-raised, Stanford-educated rapper Jidenna’s latest injects melody into his songs. He tempers straightforward raps with sung-through tunes like the nostalgic lullaby “Bambi” and flamenco-inflected “Adaora.” ### Drake **_More Life_** March 18, Republic The musical equivalent of a house party, More Life’s songs dabble in global flavors with wide-ranging guest stars. From juicy slow jam “Passionfruit” to his flute-backed rap on “Portland,” Drake shows how to host a relaxed, all-inclusive bash. ### Jacob Banks **_The Boy Who Cried Freedom_** April 20, Interscope Whether layering his powerful baritone over distorted bass or stripped-down ballads, soulful British-Nigerian artist Jacob Banks takes his cues from blues, contemporary production and African rhythms, all of which come together in this album. ### Russ **“Keep on Goin”** March 16, Diemon, Columbia The Jersey-born artist employs his elastic voice to skip from hip-hop to R&B and back in the same song. His most recent releases, the Southern-style “Keep On Goin” and 2016 hit “What They Want” find him teasing out lazy love songs. ### Kehlani **_SweetSexySavage_** Jan. 27, Atlantic Former _America’s Got Talent_ contestant Kehlani amps up languid, ’90s-reminiscent slow jams with lyrical kick. This debut album swings between emotions without apology, mining vulnerabilities for musical punch, all delivered with her easy swagger. ### Bibi Bourelly “Ballin” Sept. 29, 2016, Def Jam After writing hits for Rihanna and Selena Gomez, this German-born 22-year-old is set to make a mark with her own voice. Bourelly has a powerful delivery and an open-book authenticity that finds a home in songs ranging from rock to R&B. “Ballin” suggests a slinkier sound for her forthcoming debut album. ### Kendrick Lamar **“The Heart Pt. 4”** March 23, Interscope Master of fiery rhyme Lamar teased new material and a fresh album this spring, kicking things off with this jubilant track, which showcases his dexterity as he moves confidently from slow jams through jazz interludes into burning political send-ups–all hallmarks of his unique flow. ### Frank Ocean **“Chanel”** March 10 Ocean is generally classified as a rapper or an R&B singer, but he’s an idiosyncratic one in any category: self-releasing, secretive, raw. His approach to music means that many of his most lauded tracks–from “Chanel” to much of 2016’s _Blonde_—fall into a category all their own. ### Sampha **_Process_** Feb. 3, Young Turks The British pop singer and hip-hop producer behind some of the industry’s biggest stars finally gets his own moment to shine on this debut album. Sampha’s music is spare but tender, marked by his flexible, emotive voice and the specter of heartbreak. ### Syd Tha Kyd **_Fin_** Feb. 3, Columbia Syd’s minimalist, sharply produced tracks feel like the R&B of a more evolved society. The Odd Future and Internet member’s first solo project, Fin is subtle, technical and darkly alluring, mixing slinky bops with sultry ballads that still come across as fresh. ### Khalid **_American Teen_** March 3, RCA At 19, Khalid’s soulful way with beats and words speaks to the modern experience of adolescence with joyful honesty. The Texan singer-songwriter manages to coyly document the intersection of love, youth and technology in groovy, unhurried jams. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4728291/new-music-containing-multitudes/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4728291/new-music-containing-multitudes/"},"headline":"12 Artists Helping Shape the New Geography of R&B Music","datePublished":"2017-04-06T10:27:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T04:14:57.325Z","description":"From the minimalism of Syd to the progressive lyricism of Kendrick Lamar, here are some of our favorites","url":"https://time.com/4728291/new-music-containing-multitudes/","keywords":["Music"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4728291/new-music-containing-multitudes/","name":"12 Artists Helping Shape the New Geography of R&B Music"}}]}] ```