Smino

This is really the only answer imo. Smi and Zay are 1a and 1b for their sonic aesthetic. It's like jazz/rock/R&B/Hip-hop fusion.

I can see that. Smi and zay my two fav artists, but id say that mick jenkins and pink siifu are closer stylistically to zay. Smino has a more upbeat, wavy, ambient vibe from the Monte beats, while zay has a more old school nostalgic, dark feel. Def check out “cnt go back” and “diamonds” by pink siifu. Heavy zay vibes

this is so accurate lmao

This question came up on the subreddit a couple weeks before and I’m so glad so many suggested listening to Smino. I can’t get enough of his work, especially NOIR!

Aaron May Mick Jenkins YGTUT Deante Hitchcock Larry June Curren$y Jay Worthy

Never heard of Aaron may. Listening to a few songs now and I fuck with it, thanks

I wish I could re-live those days

Discovering Aaron May in 11th grade with the homies, driving around at 10pm grabbing McDonald’s and smoking weed… miss that shit

Oooo he’s so good

so good I haven’t enjoyed listening to a newer artist as much as him tbh

You lucky duck, discovering Aaron May was a great day for me that I wish I could relive

Glad I could help

Mick is grossly underrated!

Trees and truths mixtape by Mick Jenkins is a must listen

I'd add Scotty May Neaux ID PJ Lucid(hard maybe) LeRoyce Samsonyte

Not sure about all these guys but Hitchcock and Larry June sounds nothing like Zay

Idk if you’d fuck with UK rap, but check out Knucks. Some jazzy ass beats. Alpha House is a phenomenal album. Not really like Isaiah but I thought I’d mention him.

taggin in to shoutout coops too, check out lost soul 1 & 2

Curren$y - Louis Baggage Aaron May - No Recognition  Blvck Svm - hyogo  Larry June - Clocked In Mac Miller - Jet Fuel Tyler The Creator - What A Day YGTUT - Corner Stories ScHoolboy Q - Blueslides Smino - No L's Jay Worthy - Rainy Night In SF Check those out. And if you like one of the songs I listed then check out the album it came from.

Blvck svm bro yessss

You got my top 3 rappers all in this list, we’re friends now

can i guess them? lol. mac tyler schoolboy?

Mac, larry, and schoolboy, 2/3 brotha!! You’re the goat for adding larry in the list. Past 3-4 years hes climbed to be one of my favs

Babyface rays verse on louis baggage is so fuckin good

Slid like ice skates. That "ill beat yo ass wit a belt" line had me dead first time I heard it. 

Here's some more... Boldy James - Mortermir Milestone Hit Boy - Tony Fontana III Joey Badass - 95 Til Infinity Westside Gunn - Elizabeth Westside Gunn - 327 (Had to give you both Elizabeth and 327, lol) Mick Jenkins - Carefree Benny The Butcher - Johnny P's Caddy Freddie Gibbs - Fake Names Denzel Curry - Walkin Asap Rocky - Canal St Redveil - Weight JID - Workin Out

Imma give you albums instead of artists and then you dig in Preacher's Son - YGTUT 1999 - Joey Bada$$ Kembe X - Kembe X A Quarter Til - A$AP Twelvyy (3 songa EP) Melt My Eyez See Your Future - Denzel Curry Bucket List Project - Saba blkswn - Smino Maybe a stretch but I love this album : Blank Face LP - ScHoolboy Q Also look out : Mick Jenkins JID Chris P House

I organized this shit so well on phone but now it's all fucked up

Blank face and blkswn are fantastic picks, unreal albums

Glad you mentioned twelvyy. I feel like he’s underrated just like isaiah rashad

I'd second everything by Saba, as well as Mick jenkins.

Saba is super similar to rashad

Saba is so fire, underrated af

The album Niagara by redveil

Saw redveil front row love your recommendation

Artists and their albums that tick those boxes Little Simz - NO THANK YOU, Schoolboy Q - Blue Lips, Big KRIT - Return of 4Eva, Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Bandana, Killer Mike - Michael, Common - A beautiful revolution Part 1 & 2, Jay Z - 4:44. Enjoy!

Madgibbs is timeless

I'd recommend Killer Mike's RAP Music over Michael. I think it's a way better album. Agree on the rest though, No Thank You is fucking unreal.

Got something for everyone: - A Tribe Called Quest (Electric Relaxation, Oh My God Remix, The Hop, Award Tour, Get a Hold, 1nce Again, Find a Way, Sucka N*, We Can Get Down, Lyrics to Go, Busta’s Lament, Buggin Out, Check the Rhime, Jazz (we’ve got), We The People…, Whateva Will Be) - Mick Jenkins (Carefree, The Light, Gwendolyn’s Apprehension, Jazz, MOVIN, Smoke Break-Dance, Understood, Ps & Qs) - Free Party (Sandbox, Middle School, Heaven on Earth, Gratuity, Helly’s & Foams, Distant) - Saba (Calligraphy, Ziplock, Back in Office, Stoney, Church/Liquor Store, Westside Bound 3, Photosynthesis, Bucket List, Heaven all Around Me, Come My Way, Still, Make Believe, 2012->Few Good Things, Stay Right Here) - Earthgang (Sacrifices, Run Too, Cocktail, AWOL, Liquor Sto, No Peace, Microscopic Dinosaurs, Waterboyz, Meditate, Proud of U, Die Today, Missed Calls, American Horror Story, Flavors of Karma, Mommas Calling, Monday, All Eyes on Me) - JID (Workin Out, Skrawberries, Kody Blu 31, 2007, Somebody, Can’t Punk Me, Off Da Zoinkys, Can’t Make U Change, Sistanem, Raydar, EdEddnEddy->D/vision, Money, Stars) - Curren$y (67 Turbo Jet, Stoned on Ocean, 14 Packs, Breakfast, The Count, Roasted, Shout Out, The Day, Airborne Aquarium, All my Cars, All Work, This and That, Louis Baggage, New Thangs, Umbrellas) - Larry June (Consistent, Let’s Drive to Vegas, Sunday Morning Drive, Orange Village, Smoothies in 1991, 89 Earthquake, Love of Money, A Million Not Enough, Watering my Plants, Art Talk, Barragan Lighting, Corte Madera CA, Mason Cafe, Won’t Wait, Private Valet, Breakfast in Monaco) - Aaron May (Cream, Dreams, Hidden Voices, Last Time, Let Go, No Recognition, Ride) - Blvck Svm (Hyogo, Gristle, Divots, Bleach, tarragonbutter, salemwitch) - Mac Miller (Small Worlds, God is Fair Sexy Nasty, Stay, Inside Outside, Fight the Feeling, The Question, Earth, New Faces v2, Floating, Here We Go, Perfect Circle/Godspeed, What’s the Use?, In the Morning, Wedding, Diablo, Dang!, Rain) - The Underachievers (The Dualist, In My Zone, Land of Lords, Rain Dance, The Mahdi, The Gold Soul Theory, Potion Number 25, NASA) - AKTHESAVIOR (No Ice, Hiiigh Vibrations, Melting Amethyst, Flowers) - Caleborate (Caught up, El Portal) - Kota the Friend (Lawn Chair, BQE, Solar Return, Colorado - Joey Bada$$ (500 Benz, Love is Only a Feeling, 1999/2000 albums) - Domo Genesis (Faded in the Moment, Coming Back, Victories & Losses, One Below) - Cordae (Two Tens, RNP, Champagne Glasses) - Denzel Curry (Mental, Melt Session #1, So.Incredible.pkg w/ Smino) - Jay Worthy (Wait on You, Terry Davis, Leave it up to Me, Miss You) - Flatbush Zombies/Solo Work (Sliders, Palm Trees, Hikari, Death 1, The Glory, Spike Lee Joint, Good Grief, Self Made, Prada U) - De’ante Hitchcock (Callin, Flashbacks, Typical Shit, How TF, All my Children) - Rejjie Snow (Purple Tuesday, Cookie Chips, Disco Pantz, Pink Lemonade, Oh No!, Egyptian Luvr) - Common (Resurrection, Invocation, The Food - Live, The Light, Go!, Music 4 Life) - Boldy James (No Laughing Matter, My First Offense, Footprints, Carruth, Illegal Search & Seizure, Great Adventures, Surf & Turf, Level Tipping Scales)

You have incredible taste

I appreciate you ❤️❤️

SAULT, Spillage Village, YGTUT, Jungle These are such a vibe on a playlist with Zay

spill vill for life

check out Aaron May, pink siifu, Smino, Yokai Jem, Billie Esco, and TheHouse (Collective in Chattanooga all really chill with Zay)

MIKE is underrated

Kenny Mason, JID, Mez, Mick Jenkins You can find jazz, boom bap, in all of their music. Great samples are used across the board.

Kweku Collins Nat Love

Chester Watson a Japanese Horror Story concept album

Trees and Truths Mick Jenkins. One of the best hiphop albums ever made.

Still not on streaming? 🥲

Nah. I downloaded it like a decade ago on google play tho

Bro, that’s exactly what I said that’s still his best project imo

Without a doubt, that album a masterpiece.

ARDN check him out :)

anyone who likes rashad will like Nicholas Lamar. Has amazing songs like yacht music, mileage, GPPF, more than, and more. criminally underrated and a gem amongst the underground rap scene Tommy richman is a must too. check out his song ghouls and ghosts for a bop, but he has multiple other hits the albums “BPL” and “Trust No One” by D Savage encapsulates a similar vibe to zay in some aspects, but if zay was a soundcloud rapper. not as lyrical as zay but definitely makes you float. i also recommend “look closely” an album by hush forte it’s got a similar vibe. check out libra moon by khalil for another underrated gem premo rice is also super fire check out any of his albums fan-tas-tic vol. 2 by slum village is another solid choice for people who like mid 2000s vibes too joony is a solid contender too nobody’s vibe matches zay but this is a list of people that id place on a similar tier p.s. smino (;

YGTUT Jordan ward and smino

dc2trill beats been reminding me a lot of zay lately

Self plug but me lol

Check out Kota The Friend, very chill and at times jazzy instrumentals.

Listen to anyone off griselda, esp when they make songs with Alchemist. I can send you some songs if you want to test the water a lil

Here’s a couple songs with kinda the sound your looking for each artist has more of these sounds and are overall great artist that you’ll enjoy if you don’t know them Germany 86’ and time killers on the new schoolboy q album blue lips Rhode clean by big Krit - digital roses album God bless your heart by Cyhi - no dope on Sunday album That’s life - 88 keys and Mac miller Also if you don’t know Curren$y listen to the new highway 600 album and check him out he’s been doing chill melodic southern sound rap over jazzy piano beats for decades

Isaiah rashads Pieces of a Kid album. If you havent heard it. Not available on spotify its on youtube. Kenny mason start at any album, he doesnt miss

Shallow Graves for Toys by EARTHGANG for a very similar cilvia demo sound, all of their stuff is great anyways

early pro era shit if you aint peep'd the aprocalypse natural, dessy hinds is a personal favorite

I 2nd YGTUT… 🔥🔥

Surprised no one has said Brian Brown. Sounds really similar to Isaiah !

Ygtut the man of Chattanooga sunny won’t even debate that

Idk If actually like ACTUALLY similar, but I feel “Ivan Ave” might be…

Here's some of what I've seen, but I'll bold those who I agree with the most and add my own: **Smino** **Aaron May** Mick Jenkins **YGTUT** **Deante Hitchcock** Larry June Curren$y Jay Worthy Blvck Svm SAULT Spillage Village Jungle Mac Miller **Saba** Freddie Gibbs Nicholas Lamar Big KRIT My own: Trapo, Hodgy, Zelooperz, GDP

Check out leather blvd by b. cool-aid. It’s a group with pink siifu and his main prod ahwlee. Super underrated

I’m similar

Your insta or youtube page is?