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Larry June draws on aspects of both his West Coast roots and his Atlanta upbringing for a rap style that is as gritty as it is dreamily smooth. Prolifically releasing projects throughout the 2010s, June's laid-back flows and sunny instrumentals graced multiple mixtapes and studio albums, like his 2020 collaborative effort with Harry Fraud, Keep Going, and 2022's Spaceships on the Blade. The Great Escape, a full-length effort with the Alchemist, appeared in 2023 and was followed by singles with Slum Village and Knucks, as well as the Cardo collaboration The Night Shift. Solo album Doing It for Me was issued in 2024.

June was born in San Francisco in 1991 and relocated to Atlanta at age four. He grew up splitting time between the two major cities, spending summers with his father in the Bay Area and the rest of the year immersed in the culture and sounds of the South. He began rapping and making his own music at age eight and by 15, he had released his first mixtape. As he got a little older, June threw himself passionately into a life of music, growing his fan base through an active social media presence and eventually touring with big names like Asher Roth, Post Malone, and Cousin Stizz.

After issuing several self-released mixtapes, the rapper signed on with Warner Bros. Following the release of several singles and mixtapes such as 2015's #GoodJobLarry, June issued his EP Larry in the summer of 2016, gaining more visibility. He released the mixtapes Orange Season and Larry 2 before returning in March 2018 with the more fully realized collection You're Doing Good. More material followed at a staggering clip, as June released six mixtapes and studio albums throughout 2019, including the Cardo collaboration Mr. Midnight and the old-school-flavored Product of the Dope Game. He barely slowed down in 2020, issuing one project after another at about the same rate. Standouts from June's output that year included the hazy Berner collaboration Cooks & Orange Juice and the Billboard Heatseekers-charting mixtape Keep Going, made with Harry Fraud and featuring guest spots from Dom Kennedy and Curren$y. Another full-length project, Orange Print, appeared in June 2021, charting at number 125 on the Billboard 200. It was followed by the EP Into the Late Night (with Cardo) and 2022's 2 P'z in a Pod (with Jay Worthy). June released the solo full-length Spaceships on the Blade in the fall of 2022; it was his first album to chart in the Top 40 of the Billboard 200.

He collaborated with the Alchemist for the 2023 full-length The Great Escape, which featured guest verses by Big Sean, Action Bronson, Boldy James, Slum Village, and others. It was June's second Top 40 entry. He then guested on singles by Slum Village (with the Dramatics), Curren$y, Knucks, and others. June released a full collaboration with Cardo, The Night Shift, which included guest appearances by 2 Chainz, DeJ Loaf, the Alchemist (as a rapper), ScHoolboy Q, and others. The full-length Doing It for Me was released in 2024, and included production by Harry Fraud, Jake One, Cookin' Soul, and others. ~ Fred Thomas

Cardo's smooth, sunny productions primarily take influence from '90s West Coast gangsta rap and G-funk. Through top-tier clientele and output as one-half of a duo with Payroll Giovanni, Cardo (aka Cardo on the Beat and Cardo Got Wings) has been in ascendance since the dawn of the 2010s. After first gaining notice for his work with Wiz Khalifa, he produced charting hits for Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Drake, and many others. His first collaboration with Payroll Giovanni, Big Bossin, Vol. 1, arrived in 2016. Cardo also released efforts with Pi'erre Bourne and Wiz Khalifa, as well as several albums with Larry June, including 2023's The Night Shift.

Born Ronald LaTour in St. Paul, Minnesota, Cardo established his career with mixtapes following a 2006 move to Fort Worth, Texas. The first major connection he made was with Wiz Khalifa, whose 2010 mixtape Kush & Orange Juice contained two of his productions. Shortly thereafter, Cardo no longer needed a nine-to-five. During a prolific run over the next several years, his biggest commercial work included charting singles headlined by Meek Mill ("Levels"), Jeezy ("Seen It All"), the Game ("100"), Kendrick Lamar ("untitled 07 | levitate"), and ScHoolboy Q ("That Part"), as well as Travis Scott ("Goosebumps"), his first certified-platinum collaboration. Another milestone for Cardo during this period was the co-production of Stalley's "Spaceships & Woodgrain" with DJ Quik, one of his primary inspirations.

Cardo forged a partnership with Detroit rapper Payroll Giovanni that enabled him to fully explore and advance his love of the G-funk sound pioneered by Quik. The two released their first mixtape, Big Bossin, Vol. 1, in 2016. Continued work with Kendrick Lamar ("GOD."), Migos ("Deadz"), and Dizzee Rascal (several tracks for the number ten U.K. album Raskit) followed in 2017, as did Big Bossin, Vol. 1.5, a modified edition of the 2016 mixtape, which doubled as the duo's debut for major-label Def Jam. The first two months of 2018 alone saw the release of Drake's "God's Plan," which topped the Billboard Hot 100, and Migos' Culture II and Black Panther: The Album, both of which included Cardo beats and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Cardo and Payroll also followed up with Big Bossin, Vol. 2. He also teamed up with another notable producer, Pi'erre Bourne, for Pi'erre & Cardo's Wild Adventure.

Game Related, the first of several collaborations with Larry June, appeared in 2020, quickly followed by Cruise USA. Another Day Another Dollar (with Giovanni) and Into the Late Night (with June) both appeared in 2021. Cardo reunited with Wiz Khalifa for the mixtape Wiz Got Wings. Raised by Wolves, a collaboration with YoDogg, was issued in 2022. The Night Shift, Cardo's fourth collaboration with June, arrived in 2023. ~ Andy Kellman & Paul Simpson

Los Angeles-based producer and songwriter Blxst seamlessly blends rap and R&B, switching between harder rhyming and more melodic singing over smooth, intricate backing tracks. He became known for his emotive, relationship-themed songs such as 2019's "Hurt," as well as collaborations with artists like Bino Rideaux and Mozzy. A deal with Red Bull Records in 2020 first yielded No Love Lost, the deluxe edition of which featured "Chosen," a Billboard Hot 100 entry with Ty Dolla $ign and Tyga. Sixtape 2, his Def Jam-supported second release with Rideaux, landed on the Billboard 200 just after he was named to XXL magazine's 2021 Freshman Class. Blxst quickly returned to the charts in 2022 with Before You Go, his first solo full-length, then released the EPs Just for Clarity 2 and Sixtape 3 in 2023. Singles such as "Risk Taker" appeared in 2024.

Matthew Burdette began rapping and producing shortly after he finished high school, heavily influenced by Ryan Leslie as well as Pharrell Williams and Kanye West. His first song as Blxst, "Who Would've Thought," appeared in 2016, and he became more productive in 2018, with six singles appearing on his own Evgle label that year, including "Can I," a collaboration with Eric Bellinger. In 2019, he released the single "Hurt," which became his breakout solo hit, racking up millions of streams. He also produced Kalan.FrFr's "Right wit It," which caught the attention of Bino Rideaux. The two got in touch, and Blxst sent Rideaux several beats, which he used on his mixtape Sorry for tha Wait. The duo then collaborated on the EP Sixtape and performed several sold-out shows throughout the West Coast.

After signing with Red Bull Records, Blxst released the EP No Love Lost in 2020, as well as singles such as "My Emotions" and "Slip & Slide" (featuring 1TakeJay). A deluxe edition of No Love Lost contained his biggest song yet, "Chosen," which peaked at number 51 on the Hot 100. The next year brought the two-track single Just for Clarity, which featured collaborations with Drakeo the Ruler and Russ, and another album with Bino Rideaux, Sixtape 2, which was distributed by Def Jam and reached number 117 on the Billboard 200, mere weeks after he was selected for XXL's annual Freshman Class feature. Later in 2021, Blxst appeared on the song "Go to War" on Snoop Dogg Presents Algorithm.

Seizing the momentum, Blxst completed a full-length project with featured roles for Rick Ross, Zacari, and Arin Ray. He also delegated most of the production, working with ThaRealCStylez and ThaRealJFKBeatz (co-producers of "About You") and Jahaan Sweet and Sevn Thomas (on "Sometimes," another highlight), among others. Before You Go arrived in 2022 and entered the Billboard 200 at number 90. Around the same time, Blxst was featured on Kehlani's "Any Given Sunday" and Kendrick Lamar's "Die Hard." Later that year, he teamed up with fellow California rapper Larry June on the single "Keep Calling." The track appeared on Just for Clarity 2, a 2023 EP also featuring Terrace Martin, Mustard, and Roddy Ricch. Blxst was also featured on "West Coast Weekend" with Tyga and YG, and he released "child of GOD" with Remble. Sixtape 3 (with Rideaux) appeared before the end of the year. In 2024, Blxst released the singles "Heart Ain't Empty," "Rewind" (with Feid), and "Risk Taker" (with Offset). ~ Paul Simpson & Andy Kellman