Lexa Gates
Saturday 15, the Scoot Inn
Lexa Gates weaves laid-back R&B vibes and live, jazzy instrumentation into her raps. The Queens native – recognizable by her signature winged eyeliner – is set to release her major-label debut I Am sometime this fall.
Free Bloo & the Freak
Saturday 15, Valhalla
At Empire in May, rap trio Free Bloo & the Freak (Free Hamze, Kardinal Bloo, and YoursTruuly, aka Locuust) opened Hamze’s inaugural Razzfest with a fiery performance. Though the group of lyrical rebels haven’t officially released any music as FB&F, YoursTruuly’s passionate delivery of a bar somewhere along the lines of “in my own city they want to put me in a coffin” remains memorable months later. Support comes in the form of fellow locals Ben Buck, Chucky Blk, and KAYEMJAE (fka Khxnid!). In August, KAYEMJAE released his first EP since 2021, WUSGOINON? VOL 2: THUMBS UP, as a SoundCloud drop.
Lloyd
Sunday 16, Bass Concert Hall
No disrespect to Omarion, but Lloyd (“Get It Shawty”) delivered the superior hook for what eventually turned into Young Money’s 2009 smash “BedRock.” The 39-year-old R&B singer supports headliner Jagged Edge (“Where the Party At”).
This article appears in November 14 • 2025.
