Kalen Murphy

It’s moments like this past weekend’s “Live in the District” at Nationals Park that further cements Wale’s status as a statesman for the entire DMV. Midway through his supporting tour of recent critically-acclaimed LP everything is a lot, his appearance in DC with Smino during Juneteenth weekend is exactly what the city needed.

When you’re a rising artist like Nali, life never fails to come at you fast. One moment, you’re finding your own rhythm within your career, and then, BOOM: the right moment comes along that propels you into the eyes of many to the beat of its own drum. That’s how the cards played for the Brooklyn-bred singer when a snippet of her breakout single “4 U” began to circulate across social media, receiving co-signs from industry heavy-hitters like Khalid and Ca$h Cobain.

With over two decades in the industry and amidst her second wind within her career, Teedra Moses' explanation for her evolution is simple as this: "I'm grown… When I say grown, I'm not talking about a sound. I'm talking about context." In almost every aspect, her answer in our exclusive EARMILK interview holds weight. She's comfortable in her own skin, sound, and direction.