#1. Baby Storme
Genre cannot limit her creativity. Much like counterpart Fishbone, who grooved through the 70s and 80s defying genre, Baby Storme, can't be shoehorned into any one genre.
#2. Moses Sumney
Moses's been featured with artists from Metallica to Bon Iver to Lil' Wayne. Like Micheal Jackson before him, his music is his own. When the industry tried to tie him to only one sound, he chose to say "nah" graciously" and make the music his soul desired.
#3. J’Nai Bridges
Opera has always been kept behind white walls. Much like Dinah Washington did for Black pop female artists in the 1950s, J'Nai Bridges is tearing those walls down and is one of the world's top mezzo-sopranos.
#4. Chapel Hart
Artists like Linda Martell had to fight to have Black country artists recognized. Because of her fight and others after her, The Hart family trio is able to push forward in the industry.
While we have tended to lean into R&B, Blues, and Hip-hop, our artistry is and always has been more. Mainstream musical media has taken our sounds and capitalized on them while trying to box us into limited categories. But the music we create never has been limited. It's always been a form of expression with countless sounds. What music brings you joy?