Bark + Bite

On the Verge: Elle Varner

WHO'S THIS: Elle Varner

FROM WHERE: Los Angeles, CA

WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN: Her musical style is just as vibrant and quirky as her persona seems to be. Varner mixes old school hip-hop, soul and jazz into a fun urban hybrid. For extra measure, she includes unexpected elements into her songs to make them truly unique. (see: the fiddle in “Refill”) Add in a interesting way with words and you’ve got a complete package. On her first single, “Only Wanna Give It To You”, she compares her object of affection to a new pair of shoes saying “You’re so classic I want you more than my Adidas.”

MUSIC SOUNDS LIKE: Varner’s voice has a very jazzy overtone, which makes a lot of sense considering that Ella Fitzgerald is reportedly her biggest influence. There’s also a little raspiness there when it needs to be. Other throwbacks to the jazz age such as saxophones and upright bass sounds can be heard throughout her mixtape Conversational Lush. It’s a welcome reprieve from the not-so-R&B R&B that’s dominating the scene these days.

YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD HER ON: Her debut single, a nod to the boom bap era of hip hop and collaboration with fellow up and comer J. Cole, put her on the scene last year. However, her latest entitled “Refill” has taken over the radio the more recent months.

MUST-LISTEN TRACKS: The first track on Conversational Lush entitled “WTF” is the ultimate bad day set to music. From catching her boyfriend in bed with a dude to getting robbed, she provides a comic narrative for what sounds a day full of lose. “So Fly” promotes self-acceptance. “Ghosts” is a breezy song about a string of failed relationships with beautiful background vocals. “32 Flavors” is more akin to traditional pop fare.

IN HER OWN WORDS: “The title really encompassed how I felt about myself, reaching a point of full acceptance of who I am, how I look, how I sound. But also the album inspired the title in a sense that there’s so many imperfections on the album,” Varner said of her debut album Perfectly Imperfect to Global Grind.

On the Verge: Big K.R.I.T.

WHO'S THIS: Big K.R.I.T.

FROM WHERE: Meridian, Mississippi

WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN: When Outkast kinda-sorta broke up, they left a void in the way of every-man rap coming out of the South. Since then, the dope boys have taken over as the go-to archetype for a rapper from south of the Mason-Dixon line. It’s almost a prerequisite to have some kind of shady criminal past and a sizeable wrap sheet. Enter Big K.R.I.T. Instead of tales of some kind of drug kingpin days, he uses his music to illustrate tales of what it’s like to come of age in the South and makes them something that people can relate to regardless of region.

On the Verge: Anjulie

WHO'S THIS: Anjulie

FROM WHERE: Ontario, Canada

WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN: Anjulie’s biggest draw is her voice. She’s not a belter like a Mariah or Beyonce, nor is she limited vocally in the way that a lot of female pop acts are these days. Her voice is very unique but definitely melodic. Imagine a less nasal Nelly Furtado. To boot, the fact that she’s a songwriter is apparent. Anjulie’s lyrics paint a picture but aren’t so overwhelming that they affect the danceable sound of her up-tempos. It’s the perfect balance between meaningful words and pop appeal.

MUSIC SOUNDS LIKE: Honestly, her newer music isn’t any different from the pop music that dominates Top 40 radio. Her newest effort “Stand Behind The Music” sounds like a feminine version of a Bruno Mars and B.o.B. mash up. She even raps a little with some considerable skill. Her 2009 self-titled debut doesn’t reek of the themes that dominate pop music. It’s all over the place. There’s a lot of jazzy sounding material, stuff borrowed from popular '60s music and even a little R&B. Overall, she’s versatile and covers a lot of ground sonically.

On the Verge: Azealia Banks

WHO'S THIS: Azealia Banks

FROM WHERE: Harlem. She also attended the famed LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, where alums include another female rapper by the name of Nicki Minaj and a host of other famous folks. 

WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN: Even with the meteoric rise of Nicki Minaj into the forefront of pop culture relevance, mainstream female rappers still have a long way to go to reclaim the numbers and relevance they had in the mid to late '90s. The emergence of rappers like Banks means that Nicki doesn’t have to shoulder all of the weight by herself. Not to say that Banks hasn’t established herself. She’s already gotten major co-signs from the likes of Kanye West and fashion juggernaut Karl Lagerfeld. Azealia has spit on tracks from Diplo and is expected to go into the studio with legendary rapper and producer Missy Elliott soon too. 

MUSIC SOUNDS LIKE: Imagine the quirkiest parts of the dance music influenced pop phenomenon mixed with a little of Nicki Minaj’s mainstream sensibilities, including the occasional singing, and you’ll have an idea of what Banks is all about. She represents the finest in hipster rap. All of her material thus far is upbeat, party-ready music complete with plenty of braggadocio to go around. 

YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD HER ON: At this point, she’s probably more famous for calling out Iggy Azalea, an ironically similarly named female MC, for some interesting lyrics. The whole thing spiraled out of control when T.I. put his two-cents in regarding some tweets that Ms. Banks issued about his legal situation. On a more positive note, Banks performed at this year's Coachella festival to some pretty positive reviews. 

MUST-LISTEN TRACKS: “Liquorice” is a fun spin on Lone’s “Pineapple Crush” and very reminiscent of early '90s house music. “F*ck Up The Fun”, produced by in part by Diplo, features thundering drums and rapid-fire bars on Banks’ part. “NEEDSUMLOV” is an uptempo electro  love song that complete with a sample of Aaliyah’s “One In A Million.” “212” sounds like less guilty pleasure and more authentic version of something LMFAO would come up with. “L8R”  and bass-heavy “Runnin” are about the closest things in Banks’ catalog thus far that fits into the traditional urban music format.

IN HER OWN WORDS: “The beats are like scripts, and the raps are my monologue,” Banks told Interview magazine.

On the Verge: The Yes Ma'ams

WHO'S THIS: The Yes Ma’ams. Known individually as Privacy, Secret and Slander. 

FROM WHERE: Who knows. There’s not a lot of information out about them, which works in this case. Way to let the music speak for itself. 

WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN: The world can never have too many girl groups styled after Vanity 6. We can all agree they were a good time. And, let’s face it, good girl groups in general are so hard to come by these days. 

MUSIC SOUNDS LIKE: The Yes Ma’ams borrow heavily from the sound Prince spent most of the '80s crafting with the Revolution and the rest of his affiliate groups. Early Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis influences can also be heard. In fact, the intro to their teaser EP, Taste Test, features clips from a lot of those Minneapolis sound records. These girls definitely pay homage by taking what made those songs great and mixing it all together. Where most girl groups recently have tried to update the same style of music, think Danity Kane and most recently Electrik Red, these girls stick to the script patented back in the '80s. The ladies have a cohesive mix of whispery vocals, dance music, electro-funk and provocative lyrics.

YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD THEM ON: The Internet. The group has a following that basically grew out of social media, complete with a Tumblr and a pretty awesome Vimeo account. 

MUST-LISTEN TRACKS: “Current Affair” completely encompasses what this group is about. It’s fun and flirty and definitely has Flyte Tyme footprint all over it. “Only If I Say So”  is dancefloor ready and sounds closer to today’s dance-influenced R&B. “Light Up The Night” is a feel-good celebratory song with disco leanings. Also, check out “What Girls Are Made Of” and “Vanessa.”

On the Verge: Neon Hitch

WHO'S THIS: Neon Hitch (Yes, that's her god-given name)

FROM WHERE: London, UK...kinda. She grew up traveling in a bus with her family and had dreams of being a famous trapeze artist. There’s even a BBC documentary about it. She spent her late teens in India before going back to the UK to pursue a music career.

WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN: In the words of Deena from Jersey Shore, she’s a good time. Hitch's penchant for feathery headdresses and her fiery red hair are proof. Most of her original songs follow the lead of the dance-oriented pop music that owns radio right now. But she finds a way to make it her own with relatable lyrics and her distinct voice. The most glaring example being her covers of popular hip-hop songs from Wiz Khalifa, Kreashwhatthefuckever, and Waka Flocka Flame. Seriously, what pop princess can flip “No Hands” and make it doper than Flocka and company did? Neon Hitch, that’s who.

MUSIC SOUNDS LIKE:Her debut album Beg, Borrow and Steal, set to be released this summer, is said to be chiefly produced by Bennie Blanco. Blanco, known for his work with Khalifa, Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Ke$ha, is pretty much the synth-pop juggernaut. Judging from songs like “Bad Dog” and current single “F**k U Betta” her album should follow along with that trend. Expect an autotuneless Ke$ha sound with the same foul mouth, but a higher pitched (and if we’re being honest, more enjoyable) voice.

YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD HER ON: Gym Class Heroes' hit "Ass Back Home" and you’ve heard her words on Ke$ha’s “Blah, Blah, Blah”.

MUST-LISTEN TRACKS: The aforementioned “Bad Dog” and “F**k U Betta” but also her stripped down, mid-tempo version of rapper Mac Miller’s “Donald Trump”.

She also goes into a slightly more urban direction with "Silly Girl" featuring Wale. 

IN HER OWN WORDS: ‘I want to be the kind of artist that people feel like they can relate to,” Neon says. “Maybe my music will make them feel a bit less lonely. They may not be able to relate to my story, but they’ll be able to relate to me as a person. The album is going to be me, inside and out, because I’m a very honest person. I’ve been through so many bad patches, but having the opportunity to do this makes it seem like it all happened for a reason. I want people to know that, yeah, times are tough, but you know what? There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. I’m living proof.”

On the Verge: Schoolboy Q

In this new music landscape, it’s not unusual for rappers to release independent albums that are better than most mainstream releases. One of the artists to catch this wave has been Schoolboy Q. 

Hailing from the left coast, he’s given fans two stellar releases: last year’s Setbacks and 2012’s prequel Habits & Contradictions. Along with Kendrick Lamar, he and his Black Hippy collective are giving a more serious offering than what other youthful rap groups like Odd Future are bringing from L.A.

It would be easy to throw Schoolboy Q in the stoner rap category given the many declarations of love toward Mary Jane in his songs and interviews, but that would be a bit hasty and dismissive. His catalog thus far is more complex.

On The Verge: Fortunate Ones

This New Jersey hip-hop duo has been putting in the groundwork for quite a while now and first caught some listeners attention with the release of their When You Least Expect It EP on iTunes. The project featured dense lyrical poetry over industrial extraterrestrial production and established the duo's unique sound.

Fortunate Ones, as they call themselves, followed this up with two mixtapes Auditory Consensusand Sleepless Nights & Numb Hearts which you may have come across if you peruse popular hip-hop blogs like 2 Dope Boyz and You Heard That New.

NBA star Lebron James even showed the rising stars some love when he posted the duo's single "Space Jam" on his website as game day music.

If you're behind on their buzz, and don't know where to start, it's not a bad idea to dive into some of the interesting visuals the group has produced.