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Brent Faiyaz VibeZ

Thirty-three tracks from an artist who turned down major-label money, built his own label, and became one of the most influential voices in R&B anyway.

Brent Faiyaz

Christopher Brent Wood is from Columbia, Maryland, and came to attention through GoldLink's "Crew" in 2017 — a Grammy-nominated record on which his hook does most of the work.

What he did next is the interesting part. Rather than signing the major deal available, he built Lost Kids as his own label and has released independently ever since, retaining ownership and control. He has been explicit that this was the point.

His music is atmospheric, slow, and morally unresolved — songs about infidelity, avoidance and self-interest, sung without apology or framing. That refusal to be likeable is unusual in R&B and is a large part of why younger artists cite him constantly.

What to listen for

"Trust" and "Dead Man Walking" are the two that best demonstrate the method — sparse production, a vocal placed close and dry, and a lyric that declines to make excuses.

"Wasting Time" with Drake and production by The Neptunes is the biggest record and the clearest sign of the company he now keeps.

"Crew" in the remix with Gucci Mane and Shy Glizzy is where most people first heard him, and the original remains a definitive DMV record.

"Found" with Tems is one of the best pairings on either artist's catalogue — two singers who both specialise in sounding slightly withdrawn.

"Show U Off" and "Around Me" are the warmest things here, and "First World Problemz / Nobody Carez" the most self-aware.

"Eden" appears twice, including a version from a Black History project, and is the most politically engaged thing in his catalogue.

"Moment Of Your Life" with Coco Jones is the softest.

Go deeper

Sonder Son (2017) is the debut and the most emotionally direct; Wasteland (2022) is the fullest statement.

Sonder — his group with producers Atu and Dpat — made Into, which is excellent and largely overlooked.

For the DMV scene he comes from: GoldLink, Shy Glizzy, Rico Nasty and IDK. And for the independence argument he is making, Nipsey Hussle and Chance the Rapper are the obvious parallels.

Listening note: Faiyaz mixes his vocals low and lets the space around them carry the mood, which rewards good speakers and punishes a noisy room. Give it quiet and the production reveals a surprising amount of detail hiding under that deliberately hazy surface.

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