Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as one of the most influential musicians of her generation. She is often credited for breaking barriers for female rappers, popularizing melodic rap, and pioneering neo soul for mainstream audiences. In addition to being named one of the 50 Great Voices by NPR, Hill was listed as one of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone. In 2015, she was ranked as the greatest female rapper by Billboard. Her other accolades include eight Grammy Awards—the most for any female rapper.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is the only solo studio album by American singer-songwriter and rapper Lauryn Hill. It was released on August 25, 1998, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is a neo soul and R&B album with some songs based in hip hop soul and reggae. Its lyrics touch upon Hill's pregnancy and the turmoil within her former group the Fugees, along with themes of love and God. The album's title was inspired by the film and autobiographical novel The Education of Sonny Carson, and Carter G. Woodson's The Mis-Education of the Negro.
Marlanna Evans, better known by her stage name Rapsody, is an American rapper. After signing with music producer 9th Wonder's music label It's a Wonderful World Music Group, she released a series of mixtapes and collaborated with Erykah Badu and Talib Kweli. Soon afterwards Rapsody released her debut album The Idea of Beautiful (2012). She would attain further prominence when she was featured on Kendrick Lamar's 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly, on the track "Complexion ".
Charlotte Emma Aitchison, known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery by a promoter who invited her to perform at warehouse raves. In 2010, she signed a recording contract with Asylum Records, releasing a series of singles and mixtapes throughout 2011 and 2012.
Karly Marina Loaiza, known professionally as Kali Uchis, is an American singer and songwriter. After releasing her debut mixtape Drunken Babble (2012), she gained recognition for enlisting rapper Tyler, the Creator and Diplo to produce for her debut extended play, Por Vida (2015). She signed with Virgin EMI Records to release her debut studio album Isolation (2018), which peaked at number 34 on the Billboard 200 and saw widespread acclaim. She then signed with Interscope Records to release her second studio album and first Spanish-language project, Sin Miedo (2020). It spawned the single "Telepatía", which first gained virality on TikTok and marked her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 25, also receiving double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Her third studio album, Red Moon in Venus (2023) peaked at number four on the Billboard 200, while her fourth album and second Spanish-language project, Orquídeas (2024), peaked at number two.
Kero Kero Bonito (KKB) are a British indie pop band formed in London in 2011. The band consists of vocalist Sarah Midori Perry and producers and multi-instrumentalists Gus Lobban and Jamie Bulled.
Kehlani Ashley Parrish is an American singer and songwriter. Kehlani is originally from Oakland, California, and achieved initial fame as a member of the teen pop group Poplyfe in 2011.
Courtney Shanade Salter, known professionally as Ari Lennox, is an American R&B singer from Washington, D.C. She is the first female artist to be signed to J. Cole's record label, Dreamville Records. She began gaining recognition after the release of her first EP Pho (2016) on the label. That same year, she made an uncredited guest appearance on J. Cole's song "Change". Lennox's debut studio album Shea Butter Baby followed in 2019.
Alma-Sofia Miettinen, known professionally as Alma, is a Finnish singer and songwriter. Beginning her career in 2013, she placed fifth in the seventh season of the Finnish version of Idol. Her breakthrough came in 2015 when she was featured on the single "Muuta ku mä" by Sini Sabotage, and was subsequently signed to Universal Music Group.
Rachel Agatha Keen, known professionally as Raye, is an English singer and songwriter. Her debut studio album, My 21st Century Blues (2023) was released independently to critical and commercial success, and won Album of the Year at the 2024 BRIT Awards. Among five other awards for which she was a recipient, Raye broke the record for most wins and nominations for an artist at the ceremony in a single year.
Lehlogonolo Ronald Mataboge, known professionally as A-Reece, is a South African Hip-Hop artist, songwriter, record producer and record label executive. He was raised in Pretoria, Gauteng.
Genesis Yasmine Mohanraj, known by her stage name Tommy Genesis, is a Canadian rapper. In 2016, Dazed magazine described her as "the internet's most rebellious underground rap queen". Her music incorporates experimental style and often sexual verses. Her debut album titled Tommy Genesis was released in November 2018. Her second album Goldilocks X was released in September 2021.
Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, known professionally as H.E.R., is an American R&B singer, songwriter and guitarist. She has won an Academy Award, a Children's and Family Emmy Award, and five Grammy Awards, along with nominations for a Golden Globe Award, three American Music Awards, and four Billboard Music Awards.
Alba Farelo Solé, known professionally as Bad Gyal, is Spanish singer, songwriter, DJ and model. Known for her distinctive overall use of Auto-Tune, Bad Gyal has developed a strong cult following ever since her musical career began in 2016, with her uploading an interpretation of Rihanna's "Work", sung in Catalan, to YouTube. She continued to make music as an independent artist, releasing records like "Indapanden", "Jacaranda" and the popular "Fiebre". Bad Gyal later released two mixtapes: Slow Wine Mixtape (2016) and Worldwide Angel (2018), which consecrated her as an emerging artist within the Spanish urban scene.
Snoh Sheri Nowrozi, better known by her stage name, Snoh Aalegra, is a Swedish singer-songwriter. Her debut album Feels was released in 2017, followed by Ugh, Those Feels Again in 2019.
Misharron Jermeisha Allen (born December 7, 1996), known professionally as Asian Doll, is an American rapper. A Dallas native, she is the first female artist to be signed to Gucci Mane's 1017 Eskimo Records.
Summer Marjani Walker is an American R&B singer. She signed with the Atlanta-based record label Love Renaissance, an imprint of Interscope Records in late 2017. The following year, she released her debut commercial mixtape Last Day of Summer (2018), supported by its lead single, "Girls Need Love." The song became her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and spawned a remix featuring Canadian rapper Drake. Her debut studio album, Over It (2019) was met with critical and commercial success, peaking at number two on the Billboard 200 chart—briefly breaking the record for the biggest debut streaming week for a female R&B artist—and receiving double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Haviah Mighty is a Canadian rapper from Brampton, Ontario. She rose to prominence in 2016 as a member of the hip hop group the Sorority, before releasing several EPs on her own, most notably Flower City, in 2017. Her first album, 13th Floor, was released in 2019 and won the Polaris Music Prize. After her debut, XXL named her one of the "15 Toronto rappers you should know" and CBC Music called her one of the "New Faces of Canadian Hip Hop".
Olivia Lauryn Dean is an English neo soul singer. Her music is described as "devastating heartbreak ballads and sing-along self-love anthems". She has released one studio album: Messy (2023) and five EPs. In 2021, Dean was named the breakthrough artist of the year by Amazon Music and, in 2023, Dean was selected as BBC Music Introducing Artist of the Year.
Bayli Mckeithan, known professionally as Bayli, is an American Pop and R&B singer. Raised in Brooklyn, New York, she first gained fame as part of the music band The Skins, with which she released one EP and various singles. Following the group's hiatus in 2018, she began the solo project, BAYLI.
