The New Crew of GOOD Music

Kanye West and Pusha T’s GOOD Music is one of the biggest labels in hip hop today. A division of Def Jam music, GOOD (which stands for “Getting out our dreams”) was founded by Kanye in 2004, and he passed the presidential reins to rapper Pusha T last November. The label boasts Big Sean, Mos Def, Teyana Taylor, and John Legend among its artist roster, and Very GOOD Beats (the production division of the label) features an all-start team that includes Travis Scott, Q-Tip, Hudson Mohawke, Mike Dean, Charlie Heat, and No I.D..

In the past several years, however, GOOD Music has begun to embrace interesting diversity in its sound. The label started out mostly as a Chicago institution, counting GLC, Really Doe, Common, and Consequence among its artists. As it expanded, it tended to take in artists that collaborated with Kanye and fit his visions; that is, until two years ago. Now, the label boasts a former American Apparel model, a punk artist, and an Atlanta rap trio among its members. Check out the changing face of GOOD Music below:

Kacy Hill

Kacy Hill is only 21 years old, but she’s already been an American Apparel model, worked as a backup dancer on Kanye West’s Yeezus tour, and released an EP that included Jack Garratt and Yung Gud among its contributors (as well as appearing on “90210” off Travis Scott’s Rodeo). Her music’s hauntingly beautiful, and her sound has been picked up by publications including Dazed & Confused, GQ, and the Express Tribune. She’s set to release her eagerly anticipated debut album through GOOD Music this year, and hopefully she’ll be making some more appearances on her labelmates’ music as well.

HXLT

HXLT (fka Hollywood Holt) hails from Kanye’s hometown of Chicago, but sounds nothing like anything else coming out of the windy city: he’s far more punk than rap, and his attempts to combine the two genres hasn’t seemed to come to produce anything very listenable. Getting picked up by Kanye is no small feat, and neither is getting punk legend Kathleen Hanna on your first album, but his self-titled debut feels too much like an unsuccesful Death Grips tribute. His live shows are supposed to be next-level, however, so maybe we’ll have to wait and see.

Desiigner

Nobody’s quite sure how or why Desiigner managed to become the subject of a seven-label bidding war that ended with his signing to GOOD Music. His breakout single “Panda” (which, for a long time, was pretty much his only song) drew its inspiration from how a white BMW X6 looks on Grand Theft Auto, and his inescapable love for machine gun adlibs can prove a little overpowering, but there’s something about his sound that’s undeniably entertaining. He’s a product of the post-Future world (drawing understandable comparisons to the Atlanta rapper), and he’s one of the main artists responsible for the current upsurge in hate for “new rappers” (despite the fact that he distances himself from the genre). Desiigner seemed like a one-hit wonder when his debut mixtape fell totally flat, but his latest track, the Mike Dean-produced “Tiimmy Turner”, proves that he may have more than one trick up his sleeve.

070 Shake

It hasn’t been confirmed that New Jersey rapper/singer 070 Shake has joined the ranks of GOOD Music, but, as this Pigeons & Planes article points out, the GOOD Music account only follows those signed to the label, and it follows Shake. Shake’s a part of NJ’s 070 collective (which also includes rappers PHI, J Sebastian, and Ether), and she’s always stood out in the group’s posse cuts. Her unique sounds has tinges of Post Malone’s sing-rap style, and she seems about to blow: she’s currently on tour with British rock band the 1975, and has been spotted in the studio with the likes of Usher, French Montana, and Madeintyo. She’s also been spotted at several GOOD Music events, so keep an eye out for her on upcoming label projects.

Tyga

Tyga’s been in the game a long time, but his career’s been less than successful lately: his “surprise released” mixtape The Gold Album: 18th Dynasty was met with little-to-no attention, and subsequent releases Fuk Wat They Talkin BoutRawwest N***a Alive, and his Fan of a Fan mixtape with Chris Brown were met with similar disinterest. Tyga’s been more famous lately for his personal life, most notably his on again/off again relationship with Kylie Jenner (Kanye’s sister-in-law). Tyga’s earlier career on Young Money saw him cranking out multi-platinum winning singles like “Rack City” and “Faded“, and his earlier career on Decaydance Records saw him working with pop-punk artists like Pete Wentz (of Fall Out Boy), Evan Taubenfeld (of Avril Lavigne’s band), and Travis McCoy (of Gym Class Heroes) to experiment with a sound that was at least original. Tyga’s essentially faded into relative obscurity in music, but maybe this new signing can revitalize a dead career.

Migos

Atlanta rap trio Migos (consisting of rappers Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset) have owned the airwaves for the past three years, releasing hit after hit with tracks like “Versace“, “Fight Night“, “Handsome & Wealthy“, “Pipe It Up“, and the recent “Cocoon”. They’re still signed to Quality Control and 300 Entertainment, and their connection to GOOD Music is only in a management capacity, but this marks just another step in the trio’s ascension from underground favourites to superstar status. Recent appearances by Quavo on tracks like “Champions”, “Pick up the Phone“, and “Familiar” have proven their recognition in the industry, and the trio’s (and most notably Quavo’s) role on Donald Glover’s TV series Atlanta have only provided more deserved exposure. The Migos are also expected to appear on Kanye’s supposedly upcoming Turbo Grafx 16 album according to pictures like this.

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