KAYTRANADA
Kaytranada, the Montreal-raised producer, arrived during the early 2010s with ear-perking remixes and an array of sounds that veered from J Dilla-inspired hip-hop beats to distinctly woozy house grooves. Numerous commissioned works and short-form solo releases led to his debut album, 99.9%—which went on to win the 2016 Polaris Music Prize and the 2017 Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year. Since signing to major-label RCA, the Haitian-Canadian has released his sophomore album, Bubba. Kaytranada has worked with a wide array of artists including Anderson .Paak, Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper, Robert Glasper, Lauren Faith, Mick Jenkins, GoldLink, Snoop Dogg, Freddie Gibbs, and Alicia Keys. His 2016 debut album, 99.9% features guest appearances from Phonte, Craig David, Vic Mensa, Little Dragon, and more. Bubba, his second album, was released the following December with Pharrell, Kali Uchis, and Masego among the contributors—and has won the young producer 2 Grammys at the 2021 Grammy Awards.
Anderson .Paak
Anderson .Paak is a multi-faceted musician who sings, raps and plays drums. Rather than limit himself to one genre of music, .Paak creates an amalgamation of sounds that include hip-hop, soul, rock and R&B. He climbed to the top of the music scene after getting the chance to work with rapper Dr. Dre on his album Compton (2015) and has since had a string of critically successful albums under his name.
In addition to his solo projects, .Paak is part of the neo-soul group Silk Sonic, which he formed with singer Bruno Mars in 2021. The duo won over fans with music that reimagines classic soul, like the single “Leave the Door Open.” .Paak’s discography includes the songs “King James” and “Fire in the Sky,” which were featured in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). His song “Lockdown” was a protest anthem that came out weeks after the murder of George Floyd in 2020.