Sound Signal is a bi-weekly newsletter produced by Third Bridge Creative for people in the music industry that identifies emerging artists, tracks, as well as new scenes and genres. This week, we’re enjoying elusive punk rock, Brazil's baile funk, and celebrating 50 years of hip-hop. If you enjoy this newsletter, pass it on to a friend. They can sign up here.

TRENDING ARTISTS

Foggieraw

Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap

TBC Score: 74

Foggieraw’s sample-laden tracks and prismatic short-form visuals have made him rap’s new poet laureate. They also double as social media campaigns to get classic samples cleared. In September, the rapper released a visual for “Psalm 62,” a recreation of Alicia Keys’ 2003 hit “You Don’t Know My Name.” Fans flocked to his slick delivery and the nostalgia of the video, which has 9M views. Still, Foggie struggled to get the sample cleared. The footage eventually got on Keys’ radar, and the R&B singer even played the piano as he rapped the song in the background—a clear indication of her co-sign. A day later, he released the track on The Foggie Pound 3 after nine months of anticipation. Since its release he’s seen success on Spotify: He’s gained over 80K Spotify followers, over 1M streams, and editorial playlist placements on hubs like State of Mind. Foggie’s internet advertisements are working in his favor. 

illuminati hotties

Genre: Punk

TBC Score: 65

Experimental punk band illuminati hotties are no strangers to stoking intrigue and establishing lore. In 2020, they released a self-released mixtape on SoundCloud anonymously as part of a buyout from Tiny Engines (their label, which had been accused of mismanagement by multiple bands). The following year, they released the critically acclaimed Let Me Do One More and a single in 2022. Now, they’re back with a breezy, twangy new song, “Truck,” boosting their profile further via placement on major playlists like Spotify’s All New Indie and Today’s Indie Rock. Five days after releasing the single (out July 19), their Chartmetric rank increased by 70.5K. Live shows are illuminati hotties’ bread and butter: Appearances at Pitchfork Music Festival, Boygenius, and Carly Rae Jepsen in late July coincide with their boost in recognition. 

Doss

Genre: Electronic

TBC Score: 64

Doss, the Texas-born, New York-based producer-vocalist-DJ, became a cult figure with the 2021 release of the EP 4 New Hit Songs. The EP defines how Doss creates moods with her specific blend of house, trance, and drum’n’bass. On July 14, Caroline Polachek tapped the elusive electronic artist to remix “Bunny Is A Rider,” alongside Sega Bodega and Nikki Nair mixes (Of the three, Doss' version has the most views with 7.6K views on YouTube). The same day, the track was added to Spotify’s flagship playlist POLLEN and Doss’ monthly listeners skyrocketed, nearly doubling over the course of a single week. A week later, she released a steamy new track “Drugs,” perhaps hinting at a new project, the first since October 2022.

Paris Texas

Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap

TBC Score: 65

Los Angeles-based duo Paris Texas brings their own renegade take on rock-inspired rap by merging broodingly introspective verses, audacious humor, and punk guitar riffs. After gaining buzz with their 2021 projects Boy Anonymous and Red Hand Akimbo, their act found their breakthrough with May’s “BULLET MAN.” The single’s subversive music video started gaining attention on YouTube, now clocking in over 260,000 views. The newfound attention has steadily translated to Spotify with the release of their July 21 debut album MID AIR; in the past five months, their monthly listener count has doubled from 318,694 to 641,972.

TRENDING TRACKS

Actress and comedian Angel Moore-Tanksley turned a viral speech by popular Evangelical preacher Sister Cindy into a contender for song of the summer. In May, Angel freestyled the hook on her podcast Here’s the Thing, turning a speech about abstinence into a campaign for a bar tab full of ‘ritas. After sharing the clip to TikTok (1.3M views), an official release came days later. The sound blew up: Janelle Monae and Doechii posted it, along with 55.6K others. By June 20, Angel had 500K monthly listeners on Spotify. Nine days later, that number more than doubled to 1.4M listeners. Over 9M streams and a Saucy Santana remix later, it’s safe to say we’ll be drinking margaritas all summer. 

Baile funk, the brash Brazilian rap/dance hybrid, has been having another global moment over the last few months thanks to both the genre’s popularity on TikTok (The #funkcarioca hashtag has 733.9M views) and crossover hits, like YouTuber iShowSpeed’s fiery “Portuginies,” that draw on the sound. Bibi Babydoll is one of the scene’s rising stars, marrying the ostentatious sound of funk with a colorful, carefree image that recalls internet faves like Uffie and PC Music. “Automotivo Bibi Fogosa” is her biggest hit thus far—drawing on video game beats and vibrant rapping to make an infectious and immediate version of the sound. It’s connected with listeners—recent virality has powered it onto Spotify’s Viral 50 and global charts as well as popular playlists like phonk, Funk Hits, big on the internet, and Hits de Internet. 

Portland singer-songwriter Haley Heynderickx released her first and only full-length album of introspective folk songs, I Need to Start a Garden, in 2018. Since then, the record has become somewhat of a cult hit with Heynderickx’s marquee track, “The Bug Collector,” trending on TikTok with 352K posts, 71.6M likes, and 596M views. The song, which soundtracks sentimental posts like promposals, engagements, and baby photos, experienced a spike on July 2nd, a 306% increase on TikTok. It has been used most frequently with the viral “old age” filter — as seen in the post (3M views) from Spanish sensation, Rosalía, which may have contributed to the track’s virality. “The Bug Collector” now has 53M streams on Spotify, where it’s inspired playlists such as “the bug collector typa beat” and “the bug collector vibes.” 

Though she’s only recently come to fame for her sensitive, orchestrated pop music, kenzie has been in the public eye since she was a child. She’s the younger sister of dancer, actress, and Sia collaborator Maddie Ziegler and together, they appeared on the Lifetime reality show Dance Moms when they were kids. In the years since, the younger Ziegler has amassed a robust following on social media (23.3M followers on TikTok) and shortform video—substantially lifting her burgeoning career in pop music. “Anatomy” is just beginning its viral journey, but it’s already garnered a staggering 1.1M views on YouTube since July 21. With appearances on tastemaking editorial playlists like big on the internet, Pop Rising, teen beats, the tender track is poised to only get bigger from here.

TREND OF THE WEEK

By Brandon Ousley

Fifty years after hip-hop’s inception, sex remains an enduring tradition—but those leading the conversation have changed. Miami bass rap group 2 Live Crew made dirty rap mainstream, marrying bass-heavy beats with crude sexual humor. In the wake of their popularity, prominent male rappers followed suit, building successful careers about their sexual conquests and often objectifying women. As women transitioned from the background to center stage, bedroom banter was told from their perspectives. 

From Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown’s brazen, explicit rhymes to Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s boasts on sexuality and pleasure in their hit 2020 collaboration, “WAP,” female rappers' exploration of eroticism is not only a means of selling records. For many, it is an act of resistance to patriarchal attitudes upheld in hip-hop and society at large. 

A new raunchy crop of female emcees are carrying the torch, blending profane freestyles over catchy trap beats, subverting a history in hip-hop that was largely reserved for men—and St. Louis provocateur Sexyy Red is leading the pack.

Thanks to her cheeky, unfiltered style and TikTok engagement, Sexyy Red’s meteoric rise is owed to the down-right lewd lyricism of her Tay Keith-produced breakout hit, "Pound Town.” In May, she enlisted Nicki Minaj for the equally bawdy remix, "Pound Town 2," only widening her reach. Its meme-friendly, sex-positive lyrics caused a stir across social media, helping the remix secure 17.93M Spotify streams and 3.1M additional monthly listeners. Both the song and video are viral sensations on social media, especially on TikTok with over 88K posts on the platform since July. 

Still, she’s far from a one-hit wonder. In June, the rapper released “SkeeYee” and “Looking For The Hoes (Ain’t My Fault)” in June. Amassing 7.71M streams on Spotify already, the former is seeing an uptick in engagement among TikTok users with 216K posts globally. The latter is building high momentum on Spotify and TikTok with 2.5M streams and 263.7M views respectively. 

Sexyy Red’s success represents a shift in rap; what was once only profitable for men is no longer a lane they thrive in.