“PELL — born and raised in New Orleans but forced, at 13, to relocate with his family to Jackson, Mississippi when Hurricane Katrina hit and destroyed their home—has been praised for fusing precise lyricism and soulful singing into an eclectic sound, entirely his own. Turning to music both as an emotional outlet and a way to make friends in a new city, he pursued it through high school, college, and while working day jobs; including his first, at the local Dollar Store—a place he eventually paid homage to in the first track on his debut album. Pell rose to prominence following the release and subsequent critical acclaim of that very album: Floating While Dreaming.
FWD has, to date, amassed more than 19 million streams on Spotify, and more than 7 million on SoundCloud, as well as garnering him spots on Complex’s “Top 25 Rappers to Know” and Pigeons & Planes’ “Top 10 Rappers To Know Before They Blow.” In May, he was named Spotify’s 2015 “Emerge” Artist.
Pell’s also been active on the live front: he performed at this year’s Lollapalooza, Buku, and SXSW festivals; along with appearances at the U.K.’s Reading & Leeds, and recently wrapped up a completely sold-out, nationwide tour opening for R&B/pop sensation Kehlani.”

There is no longer such a thing as a “typical” rapper. From Drake to RiFF RAFF to Childish Gambino, we’ve seen and heard it all. Still, Daye Jack is a unique case. He was born in Nigeria, grew up in Atlanta, and now he studies computer science at NYU. He’s 18-years-old. He listens to James Blake and the title of his first mixtape, Hello World, was inspired by a computer program.

Being different can be a good thing, though. While ATL continues to spawn trap rappers who hop on the latest trends, Daye Jack has no trouble standing out. His ability to combine complex song structures, vocal melodies, and soulful production gives his music a weight that so many of the artists making the club bangers of the month will never achieve. Will it ever catch on in a major way? That’s still to be determined, but weirder shit has happened.—Jacob Moore

Gathering influence from J Dilla, Madlib, MF DOOM, Pete Rock, Just Blaze, and The Alchemist Thelonious Martin brings a sound like no other. At the age of 20 the young king has worked with Joey Bada$$, Chance The Rapper, Pac Div, Mac Miller, Action Bronson, Curren$y, Freeway, Hodgy Beats,Domo Genesis,Da$h & Retchy P, MC Tree, Add-2, Vic Mensa of Kids These Days, Rockie Fresh, Kid Daytona, Sir Michael Rocks, Boldy James,GLC, Million Dollar Mano, Kids These Days, and list of others…So listen with your heart.

rapper/producer/stupidrose @closedsessions be the squad