Jay Gwuapo

Brooklyn's long been a hotbed for the latest and greatest in rap talent, and Jay Gwuapo is the borough's next rising star in the drill scene. The East New York native is just 20 years old, having picked up rap as a career two years ago—but he's already making moves that artists with years on him have yet to accomplish. With a series of buzz-generating street singles and debut mixtape under his belt, Gwuapo's talent and hybridized musical style will surely only gain more recognition to come. Gwuapo started pursuing rap in earnest, pumping out unreleased tracks that started making noise in the NYC rap scene and eventually teaming up with Russ and K. Balla’s From Nothing record label. "Downbad" from 2018 marked his proper debut single, featuring chilly production and Gwuapo's now-trademarked "R&B-drill" sound. Since then, Gwuapo's dropped a few more choice tracks, including "Steppin' Out" and the grim, serious "Well Explained”. Eventually word got around to star-making label Polo Grounds Music, who’s B. Jacques took particular interest in helping Gwuapo take his career and talent to the next level. "A lot of people were reaching out, but no one connected with me like my son B," he enthuses. "The love felt different from what I felt from nobody else." In 2019, Gwuapo announced his signing to Polo Grounds Music/RCA Records and released his debut project, From Nothing Pt. 1 which featured collaborations with label mate Calboy as well as Lil Tjay, Don Q and KJ Balla.