BADBADNOTGOOD, Charlotte Day Wilson

Mixing instrumental hip hop with free improvisation and spacey electronica, the virtuosic Toronto quartet BADBADNOTGOOD lets “the jazz philosophy of music bending to individual musicians’ styles shape their genre-hopping evolution.” (The Seattle Times) The group, which includes keyboardist Matthew Tavares, bassist Chester Hansen, saxophonist Leland Whitty, and drummer Alexander Sowinski, became known for their collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, Denzel Curry, Danny Brown, Mick Jenkins, and Ghostface Killah. They recorded at a furious pace after forming in 2011, releasing six albums in five years; their first, BBNG, was laid down in a single three-hour session, setting the tone for the spontaneity and confidence that has marked their career ever since.

The singer-songwriter and guitarist CHARLOTTE DAY WILSON, another BBNG collaborator, possesses a “wide, bright, humid voice” (NPR) that packs a heavy emotional wallop. Another product of Toronto, she produces much of her own work—a fact often overlooked as critics swoon about her singing. This combined with her distinctive mix of R&B and dark pop has made her an artist to watch.