Kansas-born, L.A.-based music executive Ericka Coulter is one of those magical people who connects instantly, makes you feel like a lifelong friend and surrounds herself with an incredible crew. Above all, she is someone who turns visions into reality.

As the VP of A&R at Epic Records, Coulter not only represents big name artists such as Rick Ross, she also highlights rising talent with the event series/industry movement she launched in 2017, TheBasement. Her vision is to help connect emerging talent with what they need to keep growing—excited fans to support them, a label to amplify their work, a manager to rep them, a cool brand to partner with—and to offer them a vibey space to share their music.

Right before the doors opened for the June edition of TheBasement's artist showcase event series, Ericka sat down with the Recording Academy to discuss the spark that started it, how she stays grounded while always moving, her best advice for young artists and music professionals and more.

After the conversation, the doors opened and the exposed-brick space in downtown L.A. quickly became packed and bustling with energy, as the city's hip music creators, professionals and most in-the-know fans waited for the first artist to take the stage. The events take place, popup-style, in different spaces around the city and partner with an exciting mix of music companies and other brands. The June event celebrated Black Music Month and the BET Experience, featuring a stacked lineup of AWAL artists from their new Urban roster.

Attendees at TheBasement June 2019 | Photo: Bre Jones/​Courtesy of TheBasement

When did you first discover your calling for working in music?

I'm from Kansas, so I grew up listening to gospel music, and that's really where it started. Like, okay this is what makes me happy. I love to just be around it. But when I came out to L.A., I went to school for fashion and got a degree in fashion merchandising. I loved what I was doing in that, too, but my calling was always that I want to just be in music. I want to put together products. I want to close deals. I want to help people.

At one point I was trying to be an artist and had a couple of sketchy managers, let's say, that weren't the best. If anything, that made me want to go harder to be that person that, if people ever cross my desk, they wouldn't have to go through those things.

But as you get into this, you learn some things are out of your control. It's a process, and not everything works out exactly how you want it to. But if you know that your intentions are good, that's what keeps you sane. And it's like, you know, I know where my heart was. I know why I did it, although it may not have worked.

Did you have any mentors along the way that made you feel like you were on the right path?

Oh, absolutely. I got to work at Interscope during some of the most amazing moments. When Lady Gaga was discovered and Mary J. Blige, Keyshia Cole, Black Eyed Peas and Eminem were all fire. It was just so much all at once, and to see what Jimmy Iovine did, even building Beats.

To see what Beats turned into now, and for Apple Music to be so influential in today's culture, it's incredible. So to see him do that, and when I started I worked for a guy named Step Johnson who was the President of Urban Music. I can honestly say that from him, I learned how to be in this and also know that you can get out at some point, but leave a legacy. And I think that's the most important part, like "what are you doing this for?"

When I was working on Rick Ross' last album, Rather You Than Me, we were in the studio one day and JAY-Z was there, and he was talking about his last project, 4:44. He was playing a couple of records before it dropped and the main thing that he was saying was like, "Yo, you can't be in this if you're not doing it for something." Like as much as we love music because it makes us feel good, what are you doing it for? What are you wanting to leave behind? 

And after that, it just made me look at things differently, okay, why am I going so hard? That's what led to TheBasement. 

Can you speak a little more to the beginnings of TheBasement and the spark that lead you to starting it?

I wanted to create an environment for people to network, vibe and discover. A room where artist can meet the right people to help them move forward. So maybe you leave TheBasement Series with a record deal out the gate. But maybe you leave with a manager, attorney, producer or writer; something else to help you move further. That's what made me be like, "Okay, there's a need for this."

I found my first sponsor, and then our first venue, a photo gallery. And that's been our thing, to find venues that people wouldn't regularly perform at, something that didn't feel so familiar. Somewhere you can feel inspired, and learn about new artists. Where is it at that you feel like you're discovering something, that you don't feel like it's familiar or that you know what it's going to be. You want to go and feel either inspired or like "I didn't know that person was that dope and I'm going to come back." Or "Now I'm going to go look up that person and start listening to their music." That's what I want you to leave with.

Lu Kala performs at TheBasement June 2019 | Photo: Bre Jones/​Courtesy of TheBasement

What are some lessons you've learned along the way? I'm sure it's one of those things that keeps going, but could you speak to TheBasement's growth a little bit?

This was literally an idea that has not become a movement that I feel is my responsibility to keep it going.

The one thing that I had to learn is that every conversation is not going to turn into that deal that you wanted it to turn into. But you can't let that stop you. There's been moments where I feel like other people probably would have given up. Where I feel like I'm showing it to you exactly what it is, but you're still not getting it; but I'm a true believer in that whatever is for me is going to be for me. God is going to make sure that happens, and when that door doesn't open that just wasn't the door that was supposed to be there. And no hard feelings, you know what I mean? It is what it is.

I think when you have that mentality, you're going to make it work. Cool, all right, that person, that sponsor didn't come through right now, we're going to get this sponsor, and we're going to put this together. Or you know I've been blessed to have a team of kids that literally we can take $50 and make it look really good. Sometimes too good, but you know that's what makes you be like, okay I'm not doing it for nothing; there's no way that something this good is not going to get where it needs to be.

I use metaphors for a lot of things, but it's like cooking chicken. You cook the chicken, it starts to look really good on the outside, you might open it up just to check on it, and it might be a little pink inside, that means we not ready yet. So we cooking. And we're going to cook until it's time. When that timer hits off, and it's time to go, people will feel it.

So you have two pretty major jobs; how do you stay grounded when you're always moving?

Right. My faith is strong. My parents are in Kansas City and they've built me up to be strong. And you know, you just never look at something like it was a failure. You always look at it like, all right cool, that just wasn't it. So we're going to figure out the next one, but I have a really good team of friends and a foundation around me that even if I wanted to beat myself up, they wouldn't even allow me to do it. And I think that's the thing, and you don't realize that you really have friends. Because you can have a group of people around you. You can throw a party and everyone will be there, but to have people that you actually call your friends. Like who you invite to your house when you have on no makeup and don't feel like putting on clothes. Those are your friends. You know?

They make me feel secure and even when I am down on myself they'll talk to me like, "You're bugging. Like are you serious right now? I'm not going to have this pity party with you. So cry, get your thug tears out for a couple minutes, and then we back at it again."

As cliché as that may sound I think it's just important. Because everyone in L.A. is always from somewhere different so if you don't have that little core team of people, although we may be from different places, that is your family, it's a struggle. Like I'm not going to lie. Like sometimes, you don't have the balance. I still don't know what the balance is even, but I feel like some days when I can just breathe and be like, "All right."

Sitting with you here right now, usually, I'd be like, "Girl, I can't do this because I got to figure out what's going on in there." But I have to trust my team. And I have to trust that they know that I've got them and they got me.

When you are working on a project like this, where it's something you created from the ground up, how do you bring in people that you know are going to work with your vision and keep the vibes positive?

I'm honest with what our vision is. This is no disrespect, but this is not a talent show, and I think you have to look at it in that way to know what type of talent you want in there, what the vibe is supposed to be. That sets the tone, especially in Los Angeles. That'll make you like, "Am I leaving my house?" Because you know people are in their bubbles and I think when I've been honest with my team about that, and then they've seen the results of it, that people need motivation and inspiration as well. For my team, some of the people I don't even get to see until the next Basement, because we're all so busy, but I can count on them. For them it's like, "TheBasement's coming, I have something to look forward to. I have something that I'm a part of that's growing."

I always tell them, "This is not just for me; this is all of us. If you're a part of this team, and you're going into an interview you tell them, I'm a part of TheBasement. I'm your reference. Use me as much as you can so that I can help you or it will be pointless." I think that's why we've been able to form the talent that's coming on the stage, to the team that I'm building or even the sponsors that are coming on now. Because there are brands out there that want to support the emerging artist.

Yes, you need the artists that are already established because that is something that is a part of it as well, but we also got to help these acts that like don't have it yet, that are really, really talented, and they just need their moment. So if they can get their moment on TheBasement stage, I did my job, and that makes me go to sleep at night. Knowing I may not have been able to take over the world, every project might not be perfect, but at least I was able to give somebody some hope, because hope is what keeps us going.

What's your favorite part of your jobs?

Favorite part, I would have to say, from the A&R side of things, is when you get to hear the finished product and everybody else agrees on what you heard. Because sometimes we can move with our hearts and then sometimes you've got to move with your ears. So it's exciting to get the finished products of that part of it. For TheBasement, it's exciting when these artists get off the stage or they hit me up, like, "That was a moment for me, E. Thank you." And some of them have already been performing on stages, but I think it's just such a home kind of feel, like it makes you feel like you're at a party with your friends. And you get to just be free, be yourself, rock out and not overthink it, and that's what this is supposed to be.

Is it important to you to have TheBasement be a safe space, sort of a container for creativity? If so, how do you foster that?

Yeah, it's definitely a safe haven for creatives. And even for the people that work within the industry that come in here. For them, they're like, "Hey, there's a lot of people in there that are from different industries, but I don't feel like I'm at an industry event. I feel like I'm at a kickback." And that's when I was like, how can I make one room feel like Atlanta, New York and L.A. all at one time? I get a vibe every time I go to Atlanta. When I go to New York I feel like I can take over the world and when I'm in L.A., it's like, "All right cool, I'm vibing, I'm chilling." That's what I feel what we're creating. I'm still adding on to it, learning every show. There's always something to be like, Okay, we could have done that better.

What's your biggest hope or vision for TheBasement, in the next six months or year?

To get it on the road, that's been my biggest thing. I want to get this to New York, Atlanta, Toronto. Also, we're working on a lot of content pieces that we're going to be launching very soon and I want to make sure that we get that out too because I don't want people to think that this is just a showcase. It's a movement; I want it to be a creative agency that literally, whatever you need help with we're here to help you, we work with everybody. We're not working against anyone, this is not for us to be the next thing and next that. We want to be that thing that's not there and actually be the glue for a lot of people.

I feel that. I think there's kind of two lines of thought, one is when there's someone at the top, no one else can be up there. That feels counter-intuitive to me, especially if you are living your truth, being honest and helping other people along the way. Do you see that in the music industry, that it's a bit more like, "This is THE person and they're the best"?

I don't want to say it's the music industry. I just think it's industries in a whole. We as people tend to put things into boxes and it's not until you step outside of that box for people to see you. It happens everywhere, not just in entertainment. That's where you have to live your best life and color outside the lines, be humble and be the best you.

I think we all are going to get into coloring outside of the lines. Not only giving people opportunities but also taking risks on ourselves. We get so caught up sometimes in being in one spot and being comfortable, but comfortability is not necessarily going get to the success that we need it to.

"I think we all are going to get into coloring outside of the lines. Not only giving people opportunities but also taking risks on ourselves."

What is your biggest hope for the music industry in the near future, the biggest changes you wish to see?

I think it's happening. I see more women being empowered, more women being highlighted. I see different types of artists being signed that usually would be stereotyped. I just love it. You know, I feel like there is no genre, because all genres are all pretty much going together. You got country music and hip-hop doing records together. You have people redefining themselves doing jazz or doing R&B; to see what things are evolving into is exciting. I know about more R&B singers right now than I've ever known in at least the last two years. There's more festivals, which means more visibility for new artists, which is incredible. Yeah, I think everybody just got to start having fun and not taking this sh*t too seriously. We making music, it's supposed to make us happy and free, and that's all I want.

How do you believe women who work in music can help support each other and other less historically represented groups in the industry?

I think for things like that, it's hard to be like, "Oh, we got to all come together and we got to do this." My girlfriends and I struggle to see each other in person because we're all working so much. But we check in on each other and encourage each other. Sometimes, just sending somebody a text to say, "Hey girl, I don't know what you're going through this week, but I want to let you know that you're going to be great. And whatever it is, we're going to get through it."

Those little things, even if it's a stranger. I might want to send you a text one day and be like, "Just letting you know that today is going to be the day and you're going to be great." I think it's about being more encouraging and also being more vocal if we don't know each other, to reach out to each other and just be, "Hey girl, hey!"

Starting TheBasement, I've met some of the most incredible women in this industry, I didn't even know what they did and they didn't really know what I did, but now like I consider that person a friend or a colleague. I've had more women hit me up and be like, "Hey, just checking on you." That goes a long way because sometimes we get so caught up in this and we'll run ourselves down and we don't check on ourselves or each other. I think that that's important, those little words of encouragement, and I think we're going to get there. And yes, you'll see more things of women coming together and doing things, but I think it starts with just a little gesture of "Hello, how you doing, you need help with anything?"

It's really easy to get caught up in the "I'm so busy and don't have enough time." But you never know what the other person is going through, and that little encouragement could be just what they need to hear to do the thing they're afraid of.

I feel like they can do it. I hope seeing this makes somebody be like, "Okay, I don't have to be just one thing. I can be a lot of multiple things."

Pharrell reinvents himself every year! I mean he's the G.O.A.T., but to see this man take it so many different places, that's my motivation to be like, "Oh I don't need to stop, I just need to be like smarter in the moves that I make and just make them make sense." And have fun while I'm doing it.

What's your biggest piece of advice for young women interested in a career on the business side of the music industry? And what about for an up and coming artist, someone that just isn't really sure how to get their name out there or how to meet the right people?

For that young girl, she has to be fearless, and she has to understand that sometimes it's not going to be that full plan on the vision board just in that order, but you will cross out all those dots, know that.

For that new artist, if you are in a little town somewhere in your bedroom making music, and you've graduated from school, it might be time to move. It might be time to take that risk and go to L.A. or New York or Atlanta. That place that you've been like, "Maybe I'm not ready." Well maybe you are ready, and maybe when you get there you might not be, but at least you did it.

I always tell myself this, "I can go back home. If this sh*t don't work out, my mom will gladly be like, "It's okay; we're going to figure this out." I think that's the beauty of it, just knowing that you can go back home. And if you can't go back home, that's going to make you work harder.

And I think it's also being honest with yourself. If you're an okay singer, let's go to being great, let's get the proper training to do that. Don't just settle to be an okay singer. There are artists like H.E.R. who didn't rush the process. She trained herself, so that now, she's on a roll, because she practiced to be great at whatever it is that she needed to do.

Beyoncé practiced to be a beast. So I think you have to use things like that to be like, "Okay, I can't just be mediocre at it, I've got to be great." And that takes time. It goes back to the chicken. We're cooking, so let's just let it bake, let it get all ready and marinated, and then we'll be ready to go.

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On "Dear Life," R&B singer Genia pens a farewell letter to her lover — while simultaneously reflecting on how the intense saga crumbled her.

"I can't take anymore/ Put my pride aside, thought you could save me," she cries in the first verse. "These days, I don't know what I need/ You destroy me from the inside out/ If I go off the deep end/ You'll be sure not to bring me back."

In this episode of Press Play, watch Genia deliver a stripped-down performance of the vulnerable track alongside her guitarist.

The California native released "Dear Life" on Nov. 10, via Def Jam Recordings. She has also dropped three more singles — "Like That," "Know!," and "Let Me Wander" — leading up to her sophomore mixtape, 4 AM In The Ville, on April 19. 4 AM is a sequel to her debut, 4 PM In The Ville; both projects are inspired by Genia's experience of growing up in Victorville, California.

""[The songs] explore the different stages of grief in a relationship," she revealed in an interview with Urban Magazine. "The second tape is really me touching on falling in love, betrayal, anger, and rape."

Watch the video above to hear Genia's acoustic performance of "Dear Life," and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of Press Play.

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"You don't know that people are going to 40 years later call you up and say, ‘Can you talk about this record from 40 years ago?’"

That was Cory Robbins, former president of Profile Records, reaction to speaking to Grammy.com about one of the first albums his then-fledgling label released. Run-DMC’s self-titled debut made its way into the world four decades ago this week on March 27, 1984 and established the group, in Robbins’ words, "the Beatles of hip-hop." 

Rarely in music, or anything else, is there a clear demarcation between old and new. Styles change gradually, and artistic movements usually get contextualized, and often even named, after they’ve already passed from the scene. But Run-DMC the album, and the singles that led up to it, were a definitive breaking point. Rap before it instantly, and eternally, became “old school.” And three guys from Hollis, Queens — Joseph "Run" Simmons, Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels — helped turn a burgeoning genre on its head.

What exactly was different about Run-DMC? Some of the answers can be glimpsed by a look at the record’s opening song. "Hard Times" is a cover of a Kurtis Blow track from his 1980 debut album. The connection makes sense. Kurtis and Run’s older brother Russell Simmons met in college, and Russell quickly became the rapper’s manager. That led to Run working as Kurtis’ DJ. Larry Smith, who produced Run-DMC, even played on Kurtis’ original version of the song.

But despite those tie-ins, the two takes on "Hard Times" are night and day. Kurtis Blow’s is exactly what rap music was in its earliest recorded form: a full band playing something familiar (in this case, a James Brown-esque groove, bridge and percussion breakdown inclusive.)

What Run-DMC does with it is entirely different. The song is stripped down to its bare essence. There’s a drum machine, a sole repeated keyboard stab, vocals, and… well, that’s about it. No solos, no guitar, no band at all. Run and DMC are trading off lines in an aggressive near-shout. It’s simple and ruthlessly effective, a throwback to the then-fading culture of live park jams. But it was so starkly different from other rap recordings of the time, which were pretty much all in the style of Blow’s record, that it felt new and vital.

"Production-wise, Sugar Hill [the record label that released many key early rap singles] built themselves on the model of Motown, which is to say, they had their own production studios and they had a house band and they recorded on the premises," explains Bill Adler, who handled PR for Run-DMC and other key rap acts at the time.

"They made magnificent records, but that’s not how rap was performed in parks," he continues. "It’s not how it was performed live by the kids who were actually making the music."

Run-DMC’s musical aesthetic was, in some ways, a lucky accident. Larry Smith, the musician who produced the album, had worked with a band previously. In fact, the reason two of the songs on the album bear the subtitle "Krush Groove" is because the drum patterns are taken from his band Orange Krush’s song “Action.”

Read more: Essential Hip-Hop Releases From The 1970s: Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Flash, Sugarhill Gang & More

But by the time sessions for Run-DMC came around, the money had run out and, despite his desire to have the music done by a full band, Smith was forced to go without them and rely on a drum machine. 

His artistic partner on the production side was Russell Simmons. Simmons, who has been accused over the past seven years of numerous instances of sexual assault dating back decades, was back in 1983-4 the person providing the creative vision to match Smith’s musical knowledge.

Orange Krush’s drummer Trevor Gale remembered the dynamic like this (as quoted in Geoff Edgers’ Walk This Way: Run-DMC, Aerosmith, and the Song that Changed American Music Forever): “Larry was the guy who said, 'Play four bars, stop on the fifth bar, come back in on the fourth beat of the fifth bar.' Russell was the guy that was there that said, ‘I don’t like how that feels. Make it sound like mashed potato with gravy on it.’”

It wasn’t just the music that set Run-DMC apart from its predecessors. Their look was also starkly different, and that influenced everything about the group, including the way their audience viewed them.

Most of the first generation of recorded rappers were, Bill Adler remembers, influenced visually by either Michael Jackson or George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic. Run-DMC was different.

"Their fashion sense was very street oriented," Adler explains. "And that was something that emanated from Jam Master Jay. Jason just always had a ton of style. He got a lot of his sartorial style from his older brother, Marvin Thompson. Jay looked up to his older brother and kind of dressed the way that Marvin did, including the Stetson hat. 

"When Run and D told Russ, Jason is going to be our deejay, Russell got one look at Jay and said, ‘Okay, from now on, you guys are going to dress like him.’"

Run, DMC, and Jay looked like their audience. That not only set them apart from the costumed likes of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, it also cemented the group’s relationship with their listeners. 

"When you saw Run-DMC, you didn’t see celebrity. You saw yourself," DMC said in the group’s recent docuseries. 

Read more: 20 Iconic Hip-Hop Style Moments: From Run-D.M.C. To Runways

Another thing that set Run-DMC (the album) and Run-DMC (the group) apart from what came before was the fact that they released a cohesive rap album. Nine songs that all belonged together, not just a collection of already-released singles and some novelties. Rappers had released albums prior to Run-DMC, but that’s exactly what they were: hits and some other stuff — sung love ballads or rock and roll covers, or other experiments rightfully near-forgotten.

"There were a few [rap] albums [at the time], but they were pretty crappy. They were usually just a bunch of singles thrown together," Cory Robbins recalls.

Not this album. It set a template that lasted for years: Some social commentary, some bragging, a song or two to show off the DJ. A balance of records aimed at the radio and at the hard-core fans. You can still see traces of Run-DMC in pretty much every rap album released today.

Listeners and critics reacted. The album got a four-star review in Rolling Stone with “the music…that backs these tracks is surprisingly varied, for all its bare bones” and an A minus from Robert Christgau who claimed “It's easily the canniest and most formally sustained rap album ever.” Just nine months after its release, Run-DMC was certified gold, the first rap LP ever to earn that honor. "Rock Box" also single-handedly invented rap-rock, thanks to Eddie Martinez’s loud guitars. 

There is another major way in which the record was revolutionary. The video for "Rock Box" was the first rap video to ever get into regular rotation on MTV and, the first true rap video ever played on the channel at all, period. Run-DMC’s rise to MTV fame represented a significant moment in breaking racial barriers in mainstream music broadcasting. 

"There’s no overstating the importance of that video," Adler tells me. vIt broke through the color line at MTV and opened the door to a cataclysmic change." 

"Everybody watched MTV forty years ago," Robbins agrees. "It was a phenomenal thing nationwide. Even if we got three or four plays a week of ‘Rock Box’ on MTV, that did move the needle."

All of this: the new musical style, the relatable image, the MTV pathbreaking, and the attendant critical love and huge sales (well over 10 times what their label head was expecting when he commissioned the album from a reluctant Russell Simmons — "I hoping it would sell thirty or forty thousand," Robbins says now): all of it contributed to making Run-DMC what it is: a game-changer.

"It was the first serious rap album," Robbins tells me. And while you could well accuse him of bias — the group making an album at all was his idea in the first place — he’s absolutely right. 

Run-DMC changed everything. It split the rap world into old school and new school, and things would never be the same.

Perhaps the record’s only flaw is one that wouldn’t be discovered for years. As we’re about to get off the phone, Robbins tells me about a mistake on the cover, one he didn’t notice until the record was printed and it was too late. 

There was something (Robbins doesn’t quite recall what) between Run and DMC in the cover photo. The art director didn’t like it and proceeded to airbrush it out. But he missed something. On the vinyl, if you look between the letters "M" and "C,", you can see DMC’s disembodied left hand, floating ghost-like in mid-air. While it was an oversight, it’s hard not to see this as a sign, a sort of premonition that the album itself would hang over all of hip-hop, with an influence that might be hard to see at first, but that never goes away. 

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African music has become increasingly mainstream, with Afrobeats gaining global popularity in recent years. As Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid, and Tems have become household names, and the Recording Academy presented the inaugural Best African Music Performance award in 2024, all eyes are on Africa.

Hip-hop is a crucial thread running through Afrobeats, which also mixes traditional African rhythms with pop and dancehall. Hip-hop landed in Africa between the 1980s and 1990s, first in Senegal in 1985 and in South Africa the following decade. Over time, African hip-hop advanced from imitating American styles, to a focus on artists incorporating their own cultural experiences, languages, and social commentary.

The result was a distinctly African sound, present across the continent from West to East Africa. In Nigeria, the rap scene is almost mainstream with artists like Olamide earning a GRAMMY nomination for Best African Music Performance for his hit song with Asake; Tanzania has gained enormous respect on the international rap scene for its own "Bongo Flava." 

Women have been a part of African hip-hop since its onset, contributing to the genre’s foundation. Nazizi Hirji is known as the "First Lady of Kenyan Rap" for becoming the first successful female artist in her country at age 16. Mariam of the Malian duo Amadou and Mariam created a distinctive sound by fusing elements of hip-hop and traditional Malian music. 

Africa's hip-hop community is ever-evolving, and women are at the forefront. The following 10 African women rappers are bringing their unique voices, experiences and sounds to the scene.

SGaWD

After leaving her career as a lawyer to pursue music, the Nigerian rapper SGaWD is beginning to make her mark on the scene. Fusing elements of hip-hop and Nigerian alté, SGaWD creates a sound without restrictions. 

She released her debut EP, Savage Bitch Juice, in 2021 and collaborated with fellow Nigerian artist Somadina on flirty lead single "Pop S—." In the second single "Rude," SGaWD detailed the nuances of her romantic and sexual experiences with men. She followed this with a slew of singles, including "INTERMISSION " and "Dump All Your Worries On The Dance Floor."

Her summer anthem "Boy Toy" is a sexy and melodic blend of rap and R&B. Her comfort with sexuality goes beyond lyricism; the music video for "Boy Toy" shows her comfort and embrace of sexuality via wardrobe choices and choreography.

But it's not all sex; SGaWD is dedicated to organizing her community. In December 2023, she organized The Aquarium, a sonic experience that included performances from herself and other female rappers.

Lifesize Teddy

Mavins Records is known for producing back-to-back breakout stars — from Rema to Arya Starr — and fans now expect a new artist from them annually. When Lifesize Teddy was introduced to the scene, rapping as her alter ego PoisonBaby, she got deep. Her intro video dissected her relationship with her inner child and explored her roots in Port-Harcourt, Nigeria. 

After spending three years of artist development in the Mavin Records Academy, she started her music career, by releasing two EPs in the span of four months in 2023. Her self-titled debut EP was led by the single "Hypnotic," a flirty song of sexual freedom that merges hip-hop and Afrobeats. Her second EP, POISN, featured five songs with one featuring her fellow Mavins Records artist, Magixx.

She ended last year headlining different shows in Lagos’ Detty December and is a special guest on Ayra Starr World Tour. 

Eno Barony

Ghanaian rapper Eno Barony's name reflects her aura and essence: "Eno" is Twi for mother, and quite fittingly she is referred to as "The Mother of Rap" in Ghana. Raised by missionary parents, she uses her music to spread the message that women should not be silenced. 

She has been releasing music for over a decade, with singles "Tonga," "Megye Wo Boy", "The Best," "Touch the Body," and "Do Something" gaining mainstream attention on the continent. Eno Barony released her first album in 2020 and, the following year became the first female rapper to win Best Rapper at the Ghana Music Awards. 

Her most recent album, Ladies First, captures the nuances and complexity of being a woman in Ghana and serves as a form of resistance to patriarchy. Opening track "God Is a Woman," featuring Ghanaian singer/songwriter Efya, establishes the tone: Eno is "entering every lane" even though "it’s a man’s world and she entered without a passport". 

Eno Barony continually pours vulnerability into her music. On these lead singles; "Heavy Load" and  "Don’t Judge Me" she raps about accepting her body image and addresses the culture of unconstructive criticism in the music industry, respectively. Last month, she released a new single "Good Enough," a romantic and reflective tune.

Nadai Nakai

Hailing from both Zimbabwe and South Africa, Nadai Nakai has been a fixture in the African rap scene for over a decade. She was the first female rapper to win the Mixtape 101 competition on the hip-hop show, "Shiz Niz."   

A mentee of pioneering Kenyan hip-hop artist Nazizi, Nakai released her first single "Like Me" under Sid Records in September 2013. The rightfully braggadocious song detailed her many talents and skills, wrapped in clever lyricism. She continued to release a slew of singles, including "Naaa Meaan" (a collaboration with Casper Nyovest, a South African male rapper), which garnered over 1 million views. Her debut album, Nadai Naked, was an ode to women making liberating choices. 

Her hip-hop and R&B-inspired songs highlight her values of female free expression and strength. Her most recent single, "Back In," announced Nakai's return to the industry after grieving the death of her boyfriend, AKA. She plans to release a tribute EP dedicated to AKA.

Deela

Deela saw a hole in the Nigerian music industry that needed to be filled. Where were the women who talked and behaved like her, with brazen confidence and an unfiltered sense of expression? 

She started making music during the pandemic lockdown, releasing singles such as the raging "Bitch Boi" and trap track "Rolling Stones." Both tracks later appeared on her debut album, Done Deel. Deela's most popular single, "Get A Grip," shows the rapper is demanding autonomy while owning her promiscuity and single life.

Deela's experimental sound includes ventures into trap, drill and more. Her 2023 album Is This On? showcased this range via UK rap-inspired "Trapstar" and straight-up hip-hop track "Take That Up" featuring Flo Milli.

She hit the ground running in 2024, releasing a collaboration with Somadina titled "Lagos" and a love-themed EP, Love Is Wicked. 

Deto Black

Lagos-based rapper Deto Black is an artistic polymath who dabbles in modeling, acting and photography. Her music spans hip-hop, Afrobeats, rap, pop and rock, and is becoming known in the alté scene following her collaboration with Odunsi the Engine, Amaarae and Gigi Atlantis on "Body Count." Deto’s verse on the 2020 track is  sex-positive, and encourages listeners to follow her example. 

Deto released her debut EP, Yung Everything, in 2021 and followed with singles "Nu Bag" and "Just Like Deto." At the start of 2024, she released "It’s A No From Me" featuring Chi; its music video was directed by notable alté artist Cruel Santino.

Rosa Ree

Tanzanian rapper Rosa Ree addresses the nuances of womanhood in male-dominated spaces. She entered the scene in 2016 with the goal of proving her naysayers wrong, releasing the aggressive "One Time" to dispel any notions that a woman couldn't exist in hip-hop.

In her 2022 single "I’m Not Sorry," Rosa Ree dismisses criticism and asserts that she won’t be sorry for showing her true image or voice. She also explores the unique bond between mother and child in 2023's "Mama Omollo," further showcasing the multifaceted identities of women in music.

Rosa Ree's 2024 single "In Too Deep" further showcased her introspective side by exploring themes of emotional hurt, betrayal and disappointment.

Candy Bleakz

Nigerian rapper Candy Bleakz fuses Afrobeats, amapiano and hip-hop, with heavy emphasis on street music. She started making music in 2019 and quickly began developing a community. Candy Bleakz collaborated with Zlatan and Naira Marley on "Owo Osu." 

Her resume now includes hits like "Baba Nla," "Kelegbe," "Virus", and "Kope." Her single "Won La" was even featured on the American TV series "Flatbush Misdemeanors." The most amazing thing about Candy Bleakz, though, is her courage to question the established quo and push for female representation in the infamously male-dominated street music scene.

She released her debut EP, Fire, in 2022 and raps proudly about her life and talent. On its breakout single, "Tikuku," she addresses her haters head-on. This song has garnered over 300,000 posts on TikTok going as far as eliciting a challenge in the Nigerian section of TikTok.

Candy Bleakz's second EP, Better Days, was released on March 22 and featured lead single "Para," a rap song featuring African drums, strings and chords. 

Femi One

At just 26 years old, Femi One is a renowned  Kenyan rapper and songwriter. Most of her songs are in Swahili and Sheng — a unique offering as many African rappers perform in a more universal language. 

Over the past five years, Femi One has released back-to-back singles, culminating in her 2019 debut EP XXV. " Two years later, her debut album, Greatness, further detailed her wild style and personality. Tracks like "Balance" are jam-packed with witty wordplay and hidden allusions. She also taps into her gospel roots on Greatness, thanking God for her career on "Adonai."

Her latest single, "B.A," is a pure Afrobeats song that invites listeners to lose themselves in the music and positive energy by throwing open the virtual club doors. 

Sho Madjozi

This South African rapper is known for her bold aesthetic, from her rainbow-coloured hair to her bright costumes. She released her first song, "Dumi Hi Phone," in 2017 and dropped her a genre-bending debut album the following year. Limpopo Champions League explores sounds from hip-hop to EDM.

Sho Madjozi has a quirky habit of writing songs about notable individuals. Her breakout single "John Cena," a tribute to the wrestler and actor, earned her the BET award for Best New International Act in 2019. She also collaborated with Sneakbo, Robot Boi and Matthew Otis on the hit amapiano song "Balotelli," which celebrated the renowned African soccer player. 

Sho Madjozi's music is entirely intertwined with her culture; she raps in the Bantu language Xitsonga and performs traditional dances such as xibelani wearing an adapted 

xibelani skirt. The xibelani (which translates to "hitting to the rhythm") dance is native to Tsonga women, and is performed by girls on special occasions as a celebration of their culture. Sho Madjozi's use of the dance and interpretation of its clothing helps shape her region’s cultural identity.

11 Women Pushing Amapiano To Global Heights: Uncle Waffles, Nkosazana Daughter, & More

Coco Jones is feeling more inspired than ever following a year of exciting surprises and breakthroughs. In 2023, the 25-year-old budding star celebrated her first Billboard Hot 100 entry thanks to her platinum-selling "ICU" single, embarked on her first headlining tour, and earned her first GRAMMY nominations.

"Being a GRAMMY-nominated artist changes everything. It's such a different creative mindset when the world says, 'You're good, we like what you do,'" Jones tells GRAMMY.com. "It's like a gold star. It makes you want to work harder, it makes you wanna continue to impress, and it makes you impressed with yourself, too."

Jones is nominated across five categories at the 2024 GRAMMYs: Her 2022 EP What I Didn't Tell You is up for Best R&B Album and its "ICU" will compete for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song. Her feature on Babyface's "Simple" has received a nod for Best Traditional R&B Performance. Jones is also up for the coveted golden gramophone for Best New Artist.

In recent years, her vocal prowess has received praise from SZA, Janet Jackson, and Beyoncé, but anyone who's even remotely familiar with Jones' story knows that her newfound success is anything but overnight. Jones first found success at age 14, when she starred in the 2012 Disney movie musical Let It Shine. The Tennessee native faced colorism early on, which she addressed in a 2020 YouTube video that went viral.

"I always wanted that representation that my dreams were possible growing up," she shares. "I definitely was not based in reality of what the entertainment industry is. It's tough and it's challenging and sometimes it isn't fair and that is not what I was prepared for as a kid."

During the pandemic, Jones secured a spot in "Bel-Air" (Peacock's reimagining of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air") as the spoiled yet beloved Hilary Banks, but she never let go of her love of  music. Following her 2014 departure from Hollywood Records, Jones released music independently, including the ominous "Hollyweird" and "Depressed"; when Def Jam approached her in the summer of 2021, she was ready for her close-up.

Fast forward to present, and Jones is gearing up for one of the most pivotal nights of her blossoming career. But perhaps the most precious thing she's collected along the way is self-assurance. "I'm learning that I have to believe in my creative choices and that I shouldn't second guess what I feel because it does well," she says with a laugh.

Of her recent success, Jones says the back-to-back accolades shocked her, but like a true artist, she's already thinking ahead and manifesting an exciting first for 2024: "I want my debut album to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart."

Ahead of the 2024 GRAMMYs, Jones discusses the power of representation for dark-skinned Black women, why her mother is her biggest inspiration, and how joining forces with Babyface created momentum in her career.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

After finding out that you received five GRAMMY nominations, you posted an Instagram video showing you and your mother reveling in the excitement of it all. Tell me more about that moment and your mother's role in this journey.

I'm one of four children and my mom owned multiple businesses, but she made us all feel loved and supported while also being a boss. Watching her navigate the entertainment industry — which she had no prior experience with — was very inspiring. She took every challenge head-on and still managed to make time with all of her kids. 

She's always been a visionary, so I think for her, it's like, This is exactly what we worked for. The end goal is to be award-winning, to be show-stopping, to be classic, to be timeless. That's what she saw for me even when I was a little girl on stage singing Aretha Franklin.

There were times when it was hard for me to see what she saw in me, especially when you're dealing with the rejection that is the music industry. But she always knows the right thing to say to keep me going and to keep my faith. So, when it wasn't like how it is now, she was the entire team. She did anything she could to help me progress.

You retweeted a meet-and-greet with a fan, who donned your merch from 2018, which seemed to take you by surprise. It seems like your 2023 breakthrough was a win for not just yourself, but for those early supporters as well.

I would definitely say it's a win for my fans and my supporters, but also for young Black women who look like me and have big dreams and just want to see what they are dreaming about is possible. I know that I inspire so many young Black women — they tell me almost every day that seeing me win helps them believe in themselves winning.

My goal is to continue to break those barriers down for young Black women so that it's not such a surprise when we succeed.

In a 2022 interview, you said you wanted to experience the highs of being an entertainer and being on stage "even if it meant a lot of lows." Many creatives feel that way. Do you have any advice for struggling artists who feel like no one's paying attention?

You can make it this thing where you feel like you're running out of time, or you can make it feel like you're adjusting to time. Time is whatever you decide it is.

There were so many obstacles I didn't understand, but hindsight is 20/20. I needed the lessons that I learned, I needed the self-reliance, I needed the optimism and the faith. So, I think it was all very growing but still tough not knowing what was going to happen, not knowing if I was going to have that life-changing job, that life-changing song. 

I'm just grateful to God for protecting me through all the confusion and for not giving up. I had enough support around me and enough doors to open even though they felt far and few between to keep me sustained and pursuing this dream, even though I was pursuing it without any guarantees.

What I Didn't Tell You isn't the first EP you released, but it's the one that made you a first-time GRAMMY nominee. What was different this time around?

I was very supported; when Def Jam approached me, they seemed so understanding of my vision that I couldn't help but feel like we were already a team. They helped me put the pieces together. Before this, I was just on my own or it was me and my mom, so I felt more supported with this EP release. My label understands me and what I want to be, and there's no pushback against who I am and what I can naturally do. It's all about enhancing. 

As part of R&B's new class, what do you want to bring to the genre?

More uptempo! I want to be able to sing my heart out but make a bop that you wanna dance to. I love how Whitney Houston would do that with some of her songs like "I'm Your Baby Tonight" and "How Will I Know."

Your breakthrough single, "ICU," is up for Best R&B Song, but what lesser-known song off What I Didn't Tell You (Deluxe) would you nominate in the same category if you could?

"Fallin'" because it's a sensual song, and I feel like it sits in a really cool, pretty place in my voice. It also tells a good story of the chaos that my life is while also starting to fall for somebody.

In 2022, you joined forces with R&B legend Babyface for his collaborative Girls Night Out project. Your "Simple" duet with him is nominated for Best Traditional R&B Performance. Do you think collaborating with Babyface acted as a precursor for the incredible year you had?

When I learned Babyface wanted me on his album, I was beside myself. He was really one of the first legends to give me that stamp of approval. I definitely think the recognition I got from him was like a turning point in what was next for my life. The world started to notice around that time. 

When I interviewed Babyface soon after the release of Girls Night Out, he talked about doing his homework to better understand the differences in today's R&B. That was surprising to hear, because he's clearly an expert at writing hit songs but not above learning from others. What did you learn from his mentorship?

I just learned that you can be a legend and you can still be open to ideas, open to new talents, and open to suggestions. Just stay open to what’s new, who's new, and why they're doing well, and that's what will keep you legendary. 

I'm a big fan of studying music, so I will continue to be a student. Creating music and studying music are two different things to me. I study it and then I feel creative, so I think it's about separating them because sometimes if you're creating while studying, you just end up repeating exactly what somebody's doing and that doesn't feel authentic. It's more about getting inspired and then creating.

My love for music and being a creative is what keeps me going because it's not always fun, it's not always easy. Sometimes it's about business, sometimes it's about pushing past your exhaustion. I don't think I would do that, not for this long, if I didn't love the payoff of being a creative. 

How will you celebrate if you win a GRAMMY?

I haven't thought about how I'm gonna celebrate. I think my favorite type of celebrations are intimate. They're with people who are in the mud with me — my family, my team. I would probably just want to have a great dinner and think about how far we've come and what's next.

2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List