Brent Faiyaz

Brent Faiyaz is a contemporary R&B singer, songwriter, and producer whose sly vocals, frequently applied to atmospheric slow jam productions, resemble a distinctive cross between Slim (of 112) and the Weeknd. Active since the mid-2010s as a solo artist and as one-third of Sonder, he made a major commercial breakthrough with a featured appearance on GoldLink's multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated "Crew" (2016). He has since issued the independent solo albums Sonder Son (2017) and Top 20 entry Fuck the World (2020). The features-heavy Wasteland (2022) topped the R&B chart and hit number two on the Billboard 200, and was followed by the features-heavy Larger Than Life (2023), his first mixtape.

The Maryland native got started with SoundCloud uploads and within a couple years settled in Los Angeles to further his career. Shortly after he made his commercial debut in 2016 with the A.M. Paradox EP, he was heard on GoldLink's "Crew." The single reached number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100, went triple platinum, was nominated for a Grammy -- in the category of Best Rap/Sung Collaboration -- and was licensed for season two of Insecure. Just before "Crew" was released, Faiyaz, along with producers Atu and Dpat, formed a group called Sonder, who debuted in early 2017 with the Into EP. Later in the year, Faiyaz released Sonder Son, a full-length recorded during a one-month stay in the Dominican Republic. Another solo EP, Lost, was out in 2018.

Appearances on tracks by A$AP Ferg and Juice WRLD preceded the February 2020 release of the singer's second album, Fuck the World, which debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 20. Early the following year, Faiyaz and DJ Dahi collaborated on the single "Gravity," which also featured Tyler, The Creator. "Wasting Time" featuring Drake arrived a few months later. Both songs appeared on 2022's full-length Wasteland, which also included contributions from Alicia Keys and Raphael Saadiq. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and topped the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. More non-album tracks appeared in 2023, including "Fell in Love" (with Marshmello) and "Moment of Your Life" (featuring Coco Jones). That October, Faiyaz -- with support from a new distribution deal -- released the mixtape Moment of Your Life. In addition to "Moment of Your Life," the comparatively outward-looking set included collaborative tracks such as "Last One Left" (featuring Missy Elliott and Lil Gray) and "Outside All Night" (with A$AP Rocky and N3WYRKLA), and also contained self-examining material such as the solo "WY@." ~ Andy Kellman