How does dance music sensation John Summit pregame his set at one of Las Vegas’ most popular nightclubs the Friday before the Super Bowl? Laying in bed, eating an airport sandwich. But just because he’s horizontal doesn’t mean he’s unproductive. In fact, he’s spending his time cooking up something new …
Read More »MC Abdul: The Palestinian Rapper 'On a Mission'
MC Abdul is in Cairo on a Monday night when I connect with him over Zoom. “I just got my family out of Gaza three days ago,” the Palestinian rapper says. “It’s the first time that I reunited with them in five months.” Abdul, whose real name is Abdulrahman Al-Shantti, …
Read More »J Noa Is Racing Forward. Can You Keep Up?
There are few people on planet Earth who can rap as fast as J Noa — and even fewer who actually have something to say. On her 2023 debut EP, Autodidactica, the 18-year-old MC from the 5 de Abril barrio in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic, showcased one of the most …
Read More »Yovngchimi's Dizzying Ascent to the Top of Latin Trap
Ever since Yovngchimi burst onto the stage in 2021, his breakneck ascent through the Latin trap scene has been nothing short of impressive. Within his first rookie year, the Puerto Rican rapper, 28, was already collaborating with established names like Eladio Carrión and Ñengo Flow on hits like “Glizzy Walk …
Read More »A ChatGPT for Music Is Here. Inside Suno, the Startup Changing Everything
I ’m just a soul trapped in this circuitry.” The voice singing those lyrics is raw and plaintive, dipping into blue notes. A lone acoustic guitar chugs behind it, punctuating the vocal phrases with tasteful runs. But there’s no human behind the voice, no hands on that guitar. There is, …
Read More »Faye Webster Closes Rolling Stone's Future of Music Showcase With Late-Night Pedal-Steel Bliss
Rolling Stone’s Future of Music showcase has brought an array of genres to the Moody Theater in Austin over four nights, from hip-hop to música mexicana, urbano to Afrobeats, and beyond. The final night was all about guitars, bringing together acts from indie rock, country, and more who love the …
Read More »Flo Milli Rules the Stage at SXSW as Her Album Drops — Literally
On Wednesday night, Peso Pluma headlined a night of music that careened from música mexicana to urbano to Norteño-inflected folk at Rolling Stone’s Future of Music showcase, causing lines around the block. The next evening, the showcase pivoted in another, no less potent, direction, mixing up hip-hop with innovative sounds …
Read More »The Future of Underground Rap Is Extremely Online
B y the time you figure out where a song by New York rapper and producer Xaviersobased is coming from, it’s usually already over. On 2021’s “115 & LSD,” which the 20-year-old cites as a creative breakthrough in his music, he builds up a cacophony of exotic-bird whistles, overlapping hums, …
Read More »Peso Pluma at Rolling Stone's Future of Music Showcase Was the Hottest Ticket of SXSW 2024
A lot has changed since Hassan Laija was just a high schooler in central Texas. Now better known as Peso Pluma, the 24-year-old superstar of música Mexicana (and recent Rolling Stone cover star) is a certified international phenomenon, one with the power to get people to line up as early …
Read More »Everybody Loves Young Miko
Leer en español Young Miko is taking me for a drive to Piñones, the northeastern Puerto Rico hot spot known for its mesmerizing ocean views and long history as a stronghold of Afro-Caribbean culture. “I knew I had to bring you here,” she tells me. And she was right: A …
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