Black. Lives. Matter.

Stevie-T: Wavy, Pt. 2
Columbus, Ohio
Stevie-T is an OSU student who is absolutely electric on stage. He was supposed to open for T-Pain this spring, but since that obviously didn’t happen, go give his new album some love.

TINO: Gov’t
Cleveland, Ohio
There are a lot of times when you listen to a local or regional artist for the first time and think “Oh they have to blow up soon.” One of these days people will stop sleeping on TINO.

Mike Bankhead: Anecdote
Dayton, Ohio
Bassist and singer from Dayton, Mike Bankhead linked up with TINO for a true story about the experience of driving while black. It is real, it is raw, and it happens every day.

BdotJeff: Dancing with Depression 2K19
Columbus, Ohio
“What you are about to hear is a culmination of a year of emotional toil from a bruised ego, broken heart, and dilapidated mental state.”

The World I Knew: Burn Me Alive
Cincinnati, Ohio
Live shows don’t exist right now, but once they come back, see these guys live. They are also the only artist on this list to appear on the Doom Eternal soundtrack, which rips.

Willie Phoenix and the Soul Underground: Back to the Fillmore
Columbus, Ohio
My aunt Eileen introduced me to the Columbus blues scene with Willie Phoenix when I was in high school. I truly regret taking so long to return to that well, because Willie and his Soul Underground have not let off the gas.

Illogic: A Change in Mantra
Columbus, Ohio
I’m not sure what I can say that hasn’t been said about Illogic. He helped put Columbus on the map in Hip Hop, and he’s still consistently putting out incredible work.

Blueprint: A Hero Dies Once
Columbus, Ohio
“While y’all run and hide, I’ll be out in front, because a coward dies one hundred times, a hero dies once.”

Illogic and Blueprint also have a podcast called SuperDutyToughWork

Dominique Larue: WBC
Columbus, Ohio
Dominique Larue has some of the smoothest vocals, in one album touching on everything from mental health and suicide, as well as strippers, and she makes all of it sound like honey.

Run The Jewels: walking in the snow
This obviously isn’t an Ohio artist, but I truly think RTJ4 is the one of the best albums of this year and it should be required listening.