If you're familiar with R&B and hip-hop artists Pouya, DRAM, Cedric Brazle, and Zya, you should also know Justin Wiggins, who has manned the boards to produce some of their signature sounds. Most recently, Wiggins teamed with Twelve'len and Denzel Curry to produce their single, "Lady Draco" with a moody, shape-shifting beat. Wiggins — who is inspired by Brandy, Justin Timberlake, Destiny's Child, and Donell Jones — is orchestrating a contemporary spin on early 2000s R&B and hip hop. His growing roster of hits signals that his vision for R&B is taking root. "I want to make an impact on R&B, especially being from Florida and Miami," Wiggins says.

Inspired by alternative Latin scenes they discovered in metropolises in Central and South America, Miami natives Golden Flora and Darwin Figueroa are on a mission to show that Latin music expands beyond reggaeton. Performing as Oro Fresco, the duo mixes electronic music, hip-hop, and comedy to create a sound that's unique yet not too discordant to dissuade anyone from the dance floor. This year saw the release of Oro Fresco (Remixes), a collection of four tracks reinterpreted by other artists messing around with the band's Spanish-language tracks in praise of marijuana and in dread of the climate crisis.

It's been a couple of years since Ginga Soul dropped her EP On My Mind. For anyone concerned that the Miami-based artist might've lost her way, the release of her new single "Karmic" this past spring put all doubts to rest. In a collaboration with rapper A'Sean, the song pairs Ginga Soul's sultry vocals with laidback beats reminiscent of the neo-soul of Erykah Badu with a tinge of Janet Jackson's coffee shop R&B. Just like the six-song EP that preceded it, "Karmic" showcases a new and emerging voice that continues to hit all the right notes.

Trapland Pat was raised in Deerfield Beach but he embodies his Haitian descent, neighborhood, and upbringing with sprouting bonks, flashing diamond grills, and an animated persona. He entered the scene full-time in 2018 after a drug charge led the loss of his football scholarship at a small Indiana college where he'd played wide receiver. Since then, he has released a handful of mixtapes and singles, including his 2020 breakout banger, "Big Business," which was remixed by Rick Ross. On his latest mixtape, Trapnificent, Trapland Pat joined forces with fellow Broward County producer Pepperjack Zoe and Baton Rouge rapper Fredo Bang. The results are versatile tracks that bridge regional sounds with piano-heavy trap beats and introspective verses on money, street life, and women. The catchy, melodic tracks are vaguely reminiscent of Kodak Black but his breezy cadence and straightforward delivery are all his own.

Local venues where rock bands can play might come and go (sadly, it has been mostly the latter), but the highly adaptable Palomino Blond have continued to find places to play their dreamy feedback-laden rock since 2018. Comprising singers and guitarists Carli Acosta and Kyle Fink, drummer Emma Arevalo, and bassist Peter Allen, this Kendall shoegaze outfit has meshed the quiet with the loud reminiscent of a next-gen Smashing Pumpkins or My Bloody Valentine. In 2021, Palomino Blond's debut album, ontheinside, captured the band's grungy blissful aesthetic in seven songs that left you longing for an eighth. Don't worry — the band never goes more than a couple of months without announcing a new local show.

Formed in 2015, Jah Steve & the Counteract Crew crisscross the Sunshine State for their bread-and-butter shows, including regular gigs at the Original Fat Cats in Fort Lauderdale and Ginger Bay Cafe in Hollywood. But touring with legend Lee "Scratch" Perry solidified this South Florida band's bona fides as a top-tier roots reggae ensemble. The band's vibes are reminiscent of Bob Marley, Augustus Pablo, Peter Tosh, Tenor Saw, and other reggae icons. Frontman and bassist Steve McGowan leads the five-member group that also includes brothers Doron and Jadon Clarence, guitarist Bennie Jackson, and drummer Basil "Benbow" Creary, who has appeared on more than 50 studio albums for artists such as Yabby You, Dennis Brown, and The Skatalites.

Ever since Vanesa Perez was little, she enjoyed playing piano and writing. Nearly two decades later, the Cuban-American artist has become a one-woman show performing in local venues. The singer-songwriter wears many genre caps, and her sound exists somewhere in the middle of the indie pop, alternative rock, house, and soul Venn Diagram. Her lyrics lean on vulnerability, and often touch upon themes of changing identity, rejection, and staying true to one's true self. She's already released several singles — "Wake Up and Find Peace" and "VIP VIA" — but has announced that she's putting together her first EP.

Whether with his four-man-band Juke or solo as Uncle Scotchy, Eric Garcia is a seasoned performer and no stranger to the stage. But The Blues Opera presented a new challenge. With the help of the Juggernaut Theatre Company, Garcia invited audience members into a facsimile of a Little Havana home, where he performed songs that recounted the emotional turbulence he endured when he served as the caregiver to his aging parents until they died. It was a tightrope-walk of a show that aimed to touch hearts and entertain ears. File this one under "Mission Accomplished" — the show's closing date kept getting pushed back in response to popular demand.

Cedric Brazle is bringing begging back to R&B. We're not referring to the panhandling kind; we mean the "on bended knee" strain of R&B pleading that used to spark romance between potential lovers or revive a relationship. A Jacksonville native, Brazle grew up in a musical family — his uncle was a Calypso singer — and decided to pursue music full-time while attending Florida Atlantic University. After years of cutting his teeth in the local R&B scene, the budding artist recently released a six-song EP, ...What I Know Now, as an extension of his 2020 EP If I Knew Then.... With feathery harmonies, vulnerable lyricism, and seductive crooning, Brazle's new tracks feature all the trademarks of traditional R&B, as he confesses his romantic pitfalls on "Product of Love," assumes responsibility on "My Fault," and sings with a flirtatious falsetto on "Sexy Lady." "Everything I've done has been off the backs of artists who are in Miami," Brazle says. "Whether it was a concert piece or performance, I've always collaborated with people who live here. I wouldn't be able to build anything if it wasn't for the talent that's here."

Hit 'em deep in the heart and keep 'em moving: That's the name of Nii Tei's game. The Ghana-born DJ moved to Miami a decade ago, but his inspiration from home never faded. Merging electronic music with Afro influences, Nii Tei produces a sound that adds oomph to any set. Tei's hypnotic sets sucker-punch the crowds at Club Space, Floyd, Eagle Room, and the local party series Coconut Groove. His modus operandi is one part homage to dance culture and one part devotion to the sounds of his youth. The new father took a short break but he's back and he's not hard to miss: round eyeglasses, a big smile, and a head that bops up and down to the music he spins oh, so well.