Hip Hop’s 50th Birthday may be one day behind us, but the genre is undeniably and consistently one of the most consumed. So forget ONE day, The Shade Room (TSR) and The Shade Room Teens (TSRT) are celebrating the lifestyle and its art form all month long! As a special treat, TSRT has partnered with Tidal to create the ‘TSRT: The Best of Gen Z’ playlist.
RELATED: Latto Speaks On Empowering Female MCs While Celebrating Hip Hop’s 50th: ‘It’s My Responsibility To Bring Others Up As I Go’
The curated party starter features 41 tracks by award-winning, trendy, and on-the-rise talents. From Latto to Ice Spice and NBA YoungBoy, the list is hitting–even on shuffle.
Keep reading to learn more about THREE artists to watch from the playlist! And don’t forget to get into all the poppin’ new and still-reigning players in the rap game. Click HERE to listen exclusively on Tidal!
Three Artists To Watch: Gloss Up, Luh Tyler & Flau’jae
While the TSRT: Best of Gen Z’s playlist features over 20 talented artists, here are three to keep an eye on.
Meet Gloss Up
The 26-year-old rapper appears on ‘TSR: Best of Gen Z’ twice–and with good reason! Signed to Atlanta powerhouse Quality Control, Gloss Up, real name Jerrica Russel, was raised in Memphis. According to Okayplayer, her mother didn’t allow her to consume hip-hop music. But Gloss Up continued leaning into the genre–writing rhymes, uploading freestyles to the internet, and participating in rap battles during high school lunches.
After meeting GloRilla in 2019, the two reportedly formed a bond and performed at a talent show two years later. There, they met Hitkidd, and he ultimately met the entire squad: Gloss Up, GloRilla, K Carbon, and Slimeroni. As a group, the women commanded viral attention, leading Gloss Up to a QC deal and GloRilla to Yo Gotti’s label. In January, the mother of two released her QC debut album, Before the Gloss Up.
On TSRT’s Tidal playlist, Gloss Up is featured on “Shabooya,” along with HitKidd, K Carbon, Slimeroni, and Aleza. Her second track on the playlist is a feature on Lakeyah’s–her QC labelmate– the song “Real B*tch.”
Meet Luh Tyler
For this 17-year-old, confidence seems as easy as breathing! And it makes sense because Luh Tyler has been buzzing since last summer. The first tracks he publicly released were “Planet Fitness” and “Jayda Wayda”–raw cuts made using a phone and BandLab, per Rolling Stone.
But before that, his summer of rapping (and his third single, “Law & Order Pt. 2”) made him a sensation when he returned for his junior year last fall. As labels started ringing his line, the then 16-year-old had a tough conversation with his mother about dropping out of Godby High School. His mother supported his desired move, his cousin signed on to be his manager (with no experience), and eventually, Luh Tyler inked a deal with Atlantic Records.
Approximately one year after his first single, Luh Tyler graced the Rolling Loud Miami 2023 stage with a five-song set. Luh Tyler’s “First Show” is featured on TSRT’s Tidal playlist.
Meet Flau’jae
When she’s not dominating with the Lousiana State University’s women’s basketball team, Flau’jae Johnson is spitting fire in the studio! The 19-year-old’s interest in rap started with her father, stage name Camoflauge, who reportedly died six months before her birth. Years later, when his hometown of Savannah, Georgia, held a celebration of life, 8-year-old Johnson took the stage with a dedicated rap.
“I feel like his legacy was cut short,” Johnson told ESPN UK. “It was taken from him. That’s why I sometimes feel like it’s my duty to finish what he started.”
That was in 2011. As she grew, she continued her rap aspirations, participating in shows like “The Rap Game” and “America’s Got Talent.”
By 2020, the part-time basketball star, part-time rapper landed a distribution deal with Roc Nation. Last month, she released a 13-track mixtape titled “4 My Fans.” Her track, “Big 4 Anthem,” is featured on the ‘TSRT: Best of Gen Z’ playlist.
