Rochelle Jordan ladida’d her way onto our latest FADER Cover 🎶 With talents that precede her, the British-Jamaican innovator details her slow burn journey, reflecting on her most recent project, ‘Through the Wall,’ her lifelong battle with sickle cell anemia, and the “divine timing” that finally brought her music to a global stage. After over a decade of being the industry’s best-kept secret, she’s ready to step out from behind the wall and into her own light. “I know that there’s a lot in front of me and there’s a lot behind me, and I think what I’ve learned from the journey is that surrendering is the only thing, and the best thing, you can do.”
Read the interview and see all the photos at the link in bio.
Photographer: Coughs @coughs
Stylist: MALU @musexmalu
Hair: Kaleel Joy @joyboylace
MUA: Luigi Chamorro @luigichamorro
Editorial Director: Steffanee Wang @eenaffets
Writer: Evan Nicole Brown @evaninwonderland
Social Editor: Kylah Williams @kylahnicole
Video Editor: Hajin Yoo @official_gop
Publicist: @nootheragency@danielleque
SKAIWATER IS POST-EVERYTHING.
Four years ago, @gghettoprincesss broke big with their 2022 single “#miles,” which catapulted the Nottingham native to viral highs and major label deals. To another rapper, this might have been a happy ending — for The FADER’s latest cover star, it’s been a turbulent prologue to their current era as an independent artist, fighting against rap purists, gender norms, and industry standards to push hip-hop forward. “Bro, it’s a group of kids changing how we listen to this type of music. People just gotta get with it or get left.”
skaiwater opened up about their childhood, being friends with Lil Nas X, their nonbinary identity, and leaving the major label system in a new interview with @perlucidum for the cover of The FADER.
Read @gghettoprincesss ’s full FADER cover story at link in bio.
Photography: Nate Gotsis @nategotsis
Styling: Christine Vuong @error404priestess
MUA: Jazzmin Oddie @jazzrockmc
Editorial Director: Steffanee Wang @eenaffets
Lighting assist: Sam Frank @_samfrank
Photo assist: @veilcastles
Styling assist: Goyo
Story by Vivian Medithi @perlucidum
Social Editor: Kylah Williams @kylahnicole
Video Editor: Hajin Yoo @official_gop
Quiet Light’s pop songs ebb and flow like life.
The Austin, Texas-based musician @quietlight_forever has been balancing her music practice with a full medical school schedule since 2020, and is inspired by the Olympic skier Eileen Gu’s commitment to self-improvement. “[Pro athletes] push themselves so hard,” she says. “I kind of hope to do that.”
Mahesh’s hard work is paying dividends as she enters a fertile period in her life. Wrapping up school, she’s releasing her debut mixtape, ‘Blue Angel Sparkling’ Silver 2, on the buzzy indie label True Panther on April 24 — a sequel to a 2023 mixtape that utilizes ambient textures and unwieldy song structures to turn fleeting feelings into entire atmospheres.
At the link in bio, we spoke to @quietlight_forever about her love for classical music, resists music industry pressures, and dreaming.
The FADER’s longstanding GEN F series profiles the emerging artists you need to know right now.
✍️: @tobiasfornow
📷: Grace Alexander
Remember the name, they’re about to be huge.
After elevating artists like Latto and Sexyy Red, Drake continues his streak of spotlighting female artists on the rise.
Swipe to learn more about @mollysantana , @stunnasandy , @iconicsavvyyy , and @whereisqendresa ➡️
The Drain Gang CEO, @dg_bladee returns
Bladee has announced his new album Sulfur Surfer, arriving imminently on May 20. The project was produced by close collaborator Whitearmor and includes a feature from the English experimental group Current 93. The project will follow up Bladee’s 2024’s Cold Visions, which the FADER ranked as our No. 4 album of that year.
The lead single, “Blondie” is out now.
More details at link in bio.
Thank you, Drake, for the spectacle 🧊
In the contemporary streaming era, the standardization of album releases and the general devaluation of music has made everything extremely predictable and terribly dull. Most major artists prefer the nonchalant, subtle rollout of deleting their whole Instagram grid and then perfectly curating what follows; fans don’t just get one album cover anymore, they get 20. Nothing is mysterious, weird, or worth taking a deeper look at.
Drake now might be the exception — and with an album(s) that might not even be very good. The public will be the judge and jury of that. But at least the public is talking for once, together, in one moment, like we used to.
Read more about @eenaffets 's thoughts about Drake's 'Iceman' rollout at the link in bio.
Drake said nobody’s safe 🧊
Last night, @champagnepapi dropped ‘Iceman’ and as expected the record is an onslaught as he directs bars to seemingly everyone he has beef with — and name drops his friends. Kendrick Lamar J. Cole, Jay-Z, and A$AP Rocky were amongst those he had shifty bars for, while BTS and Stephen Curry got shoutouts.
The long-awaited album came with two surprise releases, Habibti,’ and ‘Maid of Honor’— a total of 43 songs.
Which album is your favorite so far?
Drake's highly anticipated ninth studio album, 'Iceman,' is here. As are his tenth and eleventh records. It turns out, after the year of teasing, 'Iceman' is not just one album but three: 'Iceman,' 'Habibti,' and 'Maid of Honor.' Together, the package makes up a gargantuan 43 songs.
The rapper made the surprise announcement Thursday night via an early YouTube stream where he previewed 'Iceman' as well as visual counterparts for each song. The three records include features from Future, 21 Savage, Molly Santana, Stunna Sandy, Sexyy Red, Central Cee, Popcaan, Iconic Savvy, Loe Shimmy, and PARTYNEXTDOOR.
More details about the three new albums at the link in bio.
On the heels of her sixth album, @lykkeli feels ready to hang up the act and explore new beginnings —maybe. Hit the link in bio to read our full profile with the pop iconoclast.
Over the last two decades, @lykkeli has forged quite a career: six albums of potent, melancholic dance pop and a generational, enduring hit in “I Follow Rivers.” On May 8, Li released her sixth studio album, The Afterparty, a project that she’s said will be her last. Read our wide-spanning conversation at the link in bio.
‘Take Care’ ➡️ ‘ICEMAN’
Back in 2011 FADER caught up with Drake(@champagnepapi ) in Brooklyn and he told us about recording ‘Take Care.’ 14 years later, and Drake is the biggest rapper in the world. “I know what it’s like to drive around in Toronto and think about life. I just make music for those kids,” he said. At midnight tonight, the Toronto rapper’s first solo album since “The Heart Part 6” arrives, after fans chipped away at a giant ice structure the rapper left in Toronto.
At Rolling Loud, @sexyyred told us that she “doesn’t know” if she’s on the project, while rumors on the internet have floated @mollysantana and @zukenee as possible features.
What are you expecting from ‘ICEMAN’ tonight?
For everything we know about the album hit the link in bio.
![Quiet Light’s pop songs ebb and flow like life.The Austin, Texas-based musician @quietlight_forever has been balancing her music practice with a full medical school schedule since 2020, and is inspired by the Olympic skier Eileen Gu’s commitment to self-improvement. “[Pro athletes] push themselves so hard,” she says. “I kind of hope to do that.”Mahesh’s hard work is paying dividends as she enters a fertile period in her life. Wrapping up school, she’s releasing her debut mixtape, ‘Blue Angel Sparkling’ Silver 2, on the buzzy indie label True Panther on April 24 — a sequel to a 2023 mixtape that utilizes ambient textures and unwieldy song structures to turn fleeting feelings into entire atmospheres.At the link in bio, we spoke to @quietlight_forever about her love for classical music, resists music industry pressures, and dreaming.The FADER’s longstanding GEN F series profiles the emerging artists you need to know right now. ️: @tobiasfornow : Grace Alexander](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6739721758624867151573_0_8b1410a587bbb52c9fe2e21961e28bba.jpg?o=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&h=19d75dd7fa0d119c14daa80b02cc2ea9)
