TheBasement LA Returned With Baby Tate, Maeta, And More

TheBasement returned to LA on Wednesday (February 22) with a stacked lineup including a surprise appearance by Atlanta rap standout Baby Tate and the return of burgeoning R&B star Maeta, who last performed at TheBasement in 2018.

The live showcase has been a premiere destination for some of hip-hop and R&B’s breakout artists; in November, Brooklyn native Lola Brooke brought her viral hit “Don’t Play With It” to the West Coast ahead of her ongoing world takeover, while a prior show featured GoGo Morrow and KenTheMan, both breakout stars in their own rights.

Get to know the show’s most recent performers, including Dylan Sinclar, Lil Vada, and Shady Blu, below.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Baby Tate

Baby Tate has been an Uproxx cover artist and a fixture on soundtracks from some of your favorite shows including Insecure. She recently teamed up with Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds on his 2022 album Girls’ Night Out, joining him on The Tonight Show to perform their collaboration, “Don’t Even Think About It.” Tate’s latest mixtape, Mani/Pedi, dropped in September featuring records like “Slut Him Out” and “Ain’t No Love.”

Dylan Sinclair

Canadian singer-songwriter Dylan Sinclair was nominated for a Juno Award for his debut album Proverb in 2021. He’s a soulful presence in the vein of countryman Daniel Caesar, with a smooth vocal delivery and emotive, plainspoken lyrics that clearly evoke the wealth of feelings that pervade modern relationships. His most recent EP, No Longer In The Suburbs, is out now. “I’ve just started performing live shows and I’m enjoying this stage in my career,” he says. “Hope you do too.”

Lil Vada

Pronounced “Vay-dah,” this LA native has a gift for producing some of his hometown’s finest ratchet anthems. He’s been picking up steam over the past month or so as his high-energy reimaginings of 2000s club favorites have gained traction in the streets. He’s got a deceptively straightforward delivery that slots easily into the well-worn swing pocket favored by LA’s current crop of post-gangsta rappers and a sense of playfulness about his menacing boasts. “I want people to understand that my energy is different and my passion for music comes from hunger and the need to make my dad proud,” he says.

Maeta

Returning to TheBasement for the first time since 2018, Maeta wants listeners “to feel unapologetic about their sexuality, mistakes, and feel comforted through the uncertainty of life and love.” Since her last appearance at TheBasement when she was 17 (her first performance ever), she says she’s a “whole new girl” — and her resume since then can back that up. In just the past month, she’s appeared on Vic Mensa’s new single “Strawberry Louis Vuitton” after collaborating with the likes of Ambré, Beam, Buddy, Kaytranada, and more.

Shady Blu

Shady Blu is a walking testament to the power of shooting your shot. A cold email to famed TDE engineer MixedByAli led to a deal with his label getting advice from LA’s rap uncle Snoop Dogg, and a steadily rising presence in the rap game. Her unconventional style will certainly be a draw for fans of TDE’s woozy backpack rap influenced style but she’s also doing her own thing. She wants listeners “to really give the music a chance and listen openly” because “I may say something you feel too.”

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Via Dennis Larance
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Via Dennis Larance
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Via Dennis Larance
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Via Dennis Larance
crowd shot the basement
Dennis Larance

TheBasement Series In Los Angeles Is Where You Can See Tomorrow’s Stars Before They Blow Up

Music discovery is at an all-time high. With algorithms, blogs, social media, and direct marketing by artists and their reps, it seems like every day is a chance to find yourself falling in love with a new artist’s music. But the downside is that there are so many that it can be hard to keep track of them all, let alone figure out which ones are fly-by-night flashes in the pan and which are the real deal.

That’s why live shows are still the best form of music discovery, even with all the newfangled technology throwing new rappers and singers onto our radars all the time. There’s an opportunity to connect with what makes each artist special, their unique energy, charisma, and how they engage with a live audience — that’s what separates the one-hit-wonders from the rising stars and the superstars in the making.

In Los Angeles, the live showcase that best displays the next generation of stars before they gain national attention is TheBasement Series. A monthly industry showcase, TheBasement Series highlights some of the hottest emerging talents from across the country. This week, the show featured rising stars Dub Aura, GoGo Morrow, Inayah, Josh Levi, and KenTheMan, who electrified the stage at Break Room 86 in downtown LA. Each artist also told us which song of theirs fans should check out first. You can get to know each from the quotes and photos below.

Dub Aura

“A song that represents and speaks to who I am right now the most would be ‘New Ways.’ It’s a pretty solid depiction of who I am. There’s many dynamics to the record for me – there’s the lyrical aspect, a tone of vulnerability, and also the wittiness of growing up in New York City, specifically Harlem which makes up who I am and what I represent.”

GoGo Morrow

“As an artist on the rise, I think the best song for fans to listen to from me, to get to know me, would be ‘In The Way.’ A lot of people have been through the same situation that I sing about, but it’s the perspective that truly identifies me as a woman and as an artist. In the song, I sing about deserving to be loved properly and if he can’t, that’s ok, because there’s someone else out there who will. In real life, I’m a soft girl, but I’m dominant as well. ‘In The Way’ is just that; vulnerable and cutthroat all at the same time. And that’s truly who I am… that’s GoGo.”

Inayah

“They should definitely tune into ‘Always Something.’ It’s one of those records that just resonates so deeply with many people’s realities with a message that’ll forever be relevant. “

Josh Levi

“if you listened to ‘NASA’ you’d get a super quick look into the world I live in sonically, a combination of the past and the future. ‘VICES’ would give you a picture of where my head has been at mentally and spiritually, making decisions that are healthy and good for the mind, body, and soul.”

KenTheMan

“I would say ‘Love Yourself’ expresses a lot of me but as a KenTheMan supporter you can’t limit yourself to just one of my tracks. There is so much diversity in my music that exudes self-love, women empowerment, and being in control; you find pieces of me in my entire catalog.”

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Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.