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Spinall is a Nigerian DJ and producer known for his gutsy, genre-blending mixes and strong visual aesthetic. Not only does he don his trademark cap, but he's branded his style TheCAP, standing for The CrazyAzzParty. Sometimes known as Top Boy, Spinall had numerous mixtapes and collaborations to his name by the time he released his star-studded 2015 debut album My Story. Breakout singles like "Oluwa" and "Ohema" established his power as a hitmaker and he proceeded to release a series of increasingly popular albums on his label TheCAPMusic, while bolstering his credits by producing big hits for Kizz Daniel, Wizkid, Mayorkun, and Davido. Mixing electronic house music, R&B, hip-hop, and Afrobeat, Spinall became something of a global ambassador, playing festivals like SXSW and Glastonbury and doing major tours of North America and Europe. His international reach expanded with an Atlantic Records UK deal, an appearance on Beyoncé's Making the Gift documentary, and albums like 2020's Grace and 2023's Top Boy. He continued releasing singles and DJ mixes in 2024.

Born Sodamola Oluseye Desmond in Lagos, he began working under the name DJ Spinall in 2003 to indicate his musical diversity and spin records from all genres. After earning an electrical and electronics engineering degree, he began to focus on his career as a DJ, first working at a radio station, then moving into nightclubs. With countless gigs and a number of mixtapes to his credit, his reputation preceded him as he signed to the Mavin label in 2013, where he acted as the official DJ for singer Wande Coal. Honoring his heritage, he became known for wearing brightly patterned caps and soon coined both his headwear and creative aesthetic "TheCAP," a name he also used for the label/management firm he founded in 2014. Riding the momentum from his Burna Boy-assisted hit "Gbe Gba E," Spinall released his first album, My Story, in 2015, featuring guests like 2Baba, Olamide, and Timaya. That year he also earned the distinction of being the first African DJ to play a set at SXSW as part of a multi-date U.S. tour. His follow-up album, Ten, arrived a year later and again featured big names like Mr. Eazi and Davido. Averaging an album a year, he released Dreams in 2017 and Iyanu in 2018 -- the latter featuring the major hit "Nowo" -- while continuing to expand his fan base globally with appearances at the BET Awards in Los Angeles and later playing a set at England's famed Glastonbury Festival. Around this time, Spinall signed U.K. deals with Atlantic Records and Warner Chappell Publishing and became a brand ambassador DJ for Pepsi. In 2019 he released a handful of collaborations including "Dis Love" with Wizkid and Tiwa Savage. He also appeared in a documentary film about the making of Beyoncé's soundtrack album The Lion King: The Gift. Spinall's next album, 2020's Grace, was a typically collaborative affair that yielded the popular standout "Sere" with Fireboy DML. It was also his last to feature the DJ designation before his name; after April 2021, he was known simply by the mononym Spinall. Two major singles arrived in 2022, the most prominent of which was "Palazzo" with Asake. That song, along with "Power" and "Bunda" were featured on Spinall's sixth full-length, Top Boy, in 2023. The star-studded release featured numerous guests including Ladipoe, Olamide, Tay Iwar, and many more. His first outing in 2024 was the high-energy single "Psalm 23" featuring Teni, followed later in the year by "One Call" with Omah Lay and Tyla. Spinall ended the year with the DJ mix "NYE 2025." ~ Timothy Monger

A Grammy-nominated producer, France's DJ Snake is at the forefront of the electronic trap music movement. Having taken the genre to the charts with his 2013 single "Turn Down for What" featuring Lil Jon, he scored an additional mainstream hit with 2015's "Lean On," a multi-platinum, global chart-topper that featured Major Lazer and vocalist MØ, before topping that song's success with 2016's Justin Bieber collaboration "Let Me Love You," off Snake's Top Ten Billboard 200-charting debut, Encore. He has remained a chart regular, landing at number one on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums list with 2019's Carte Blanche. The record also spawned the dance hits "Taki Taki" with Selena Gomez, Cardi B, and Ozuna, and "Fuego" with Sean Paul, Anitta, and Tainy. In 2021, he again joined Gomez for her song "Selfish Love" before reuniting with Ozuna (as well as Megan Thee Stallion and BlackPink's Lisa) for the Top Ten dance single "SG." He's since released singles with Future ("U Are My High"), Peso Pluma (2024's "Teka"), and others.

Born William Grigahcine, Snake's production work on Lady Gaga's 2011 effort Born This Way earned him a Grammy nod when it was nominated for Album of the Year in 2012. He signed with Diplo's imprint Mad Decent that year and released the single "Bird Machine" on the label in 2013. The singles "Slow Down" and "Together" also arrived in 2013, along with more work for Gaga on her ARTPOP album. Snake's big break as a solo artist came late in the year when "Turn Down for What," featuring Lil Jon became the most popular crossover trap hit since Baauer's "Harlem Shake." In 2014, he collaborated with Dillon Francis on the single "Get Low," while 2015 saw him join MØ and Major Lazer on the worldwide hit "Lean On."

In 2016, DJ Snake delivered his debut album, Encore, which appeared at number eight on the Billboard 200 chart. Included on the record were the singles "Middle" featuring guest vocalist Bipolar Sunshine and "Let Me Love You" with Justin Bieber. The latter track topped the charts and was certified multi-platinum across the globe. More singles followed, including 2017's "A Different Way" featuring vocalist Lauv.

The following year, Snake landed hits first with his solo track "Magenta Riddim," followed by "Taki Taki," a collaboration with Selena Gomez, Cardi B, and Ozuna that charted across the globe, including a number two placement in France. "Try Me" with Plastic Toy and "SouthSide" with Eptic followed in early 2019. All these singles were included on Snake's sophomore full-length, Carte Blanche, which arrived in July 2019 and hit number four on the Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. Also featured on the album were J Balvin, Anitta, Majid Jordan, Bryson Tiller, Zomboy, and others. A stand-alone track, "Trust Nobody," appeared in June 2020. The following year, he collaborated with Selena Gomez on her song "Selfish Love," and with Rick Ross and Rich Brian on "Run It." Another single, "SG" with Ozuna, Megan Thee Stallion, and BlackPink's Lisa, appeared in 2021 and hit the Top Ten of Billboard's Dance chart. Snake also released "U Are My High" with Future.

In 2022, Snake released "Disco Maghreb," "Nightbird," and "Guddi Riddim" (with Wade and Nooran Sisters). "Westside Story" appeared in 2023. "Big Bang" (with Crankdat) and "Teka" (with Peso Pluma) were both issued in 2024. ~ David Jeffries

A leading light in contemporary R&B who excels with self-recorded ballads and richly detailed slow jams, Summer Walker arrived in 2018 and within a year hit number two on the Billboard 200 with Over It (2019), her first proper album. The singer and songwriter has followed her platinum-certified debut with the Life on Earth EP (2020) and her second proper album, the chart-topping Still Over It (2021). Another EP, Clear 2: Soft Life, was released in 2023, followed by the 2024 single "Heart of a Woman."

The Atlanta-born Walker was discovered when the studio manager of LVRN (LoveReinassance), coincidentally named Summer Walker, Googled herself and was led to videos the fledgling musician had uploaded to social media platforms. This led to a contract with LVRN, the Interscope-distributed home to the likes of DRAM and 6LACK. Leaving behind her work as a housecleaner and dancer, Walker made her LVRN/Interscope debut in 2018 with the self-produced acoustic number "Session 32," and shortly thereafter followed it with "CPR" (a swooning Jacob "Gambi" Gamboa collaboration), "Deep" and "Girls Need Love" (alluring ballads created with Arsenio Archer). All of this material was included on Walker's first mixtape, Last Day of Summer, issued that October. A four-track acoustic EP entitled Clear built on the tape's number 44 showing on the Billboard 200 and was out only three months later.

Over It, billed as Walker's first album, arrived in October 2019 and landed at number two, supported with the Top 40 hit "Playing Games" (number nine R&B/hip-hop) and two additional charting singles, "Stretch You Out" and "Come Thru." In 2020, she was featured on tracks by 21 Savage, Khalid, and Trey Songz, and issued her second EP, the five-track Life on Earth, that July. The following November, she offered her second LP, Still Over It, previewed with "Ex for a Reason," her fifth Hot 100-charting single as a lead artist. The album debuted at number one. The EP Clear 2: Soft Life, including a Childish Gambino feature, appeared in 2023, hitting 26 of the Billboard 200. She charted again in 2024, cracking the Top Ten of the R&B chart with her single "Heart of a Woman." ~ Andy Kellman