Our first Civil Selects of October kicks off with five new sounds from artists on the rise. Check out these rapper/singer/producers from LA to Belgium. Make sure you add our Civil Selects: October playlist on Apple Music to keep up with all the artists we feature.

Artist: Darrell Cole

Track: Hard Work, No Luck

Hot Take: Hailing from Belgium, Cole blends seamless lyricism and cadence to a thumping track with a classic Hip-Hop sample (‘Back To School’ by Bunny Wailer 1982). Lifted from his ‘Still Loading’ mixtape, we’re excited to see what else Darrell will bring to the game.

Artist: Jean Deaux

Track: Back 2 You

Hot Take: Produced by Phoelix, Jean Deaux shows her bouncy and direct delivery about an unrequited chapter in her life. Deaux shared with Saint Heron that the track was one of her favorites off her upcoming project, “I had come off tour wanting to make something that just felt good and powerful. The words matched, I think.”

Artist: KR

Track: Just Like That

Hot Take: LA-based rapper feverishly rhymes to earn his lady’s heart. ‘Just Like That’ samples Letoya Luckett’s R&B banger ‘Torn’ which shares a similar sentiment in tonality.

Artist: Franky Hill

Track: Lies

Hot Take: New Jersey’s Franky Hill drops off a refreshing jam titled “Lies,” featuring Philadelphia’s Ivy Sole. With feel-good production courtesy of Kam DeLa, Franky battles with being transparent about his emotions, though it certainly seems like he’s in love. 

Artist: Killumantii

Track: Red Down

Hot Take: The 18-year-old Atlanta rapper definitely has the buzz and talent to bang, and with the video, for her latest single “Red Down” it’s clear she has the charisma, energy and skill to back it up. Be on the lookout for her new project Yellow Tape out soon, check out the video here.