“Let’z” single, Sugg Savage — Half of the freaky-cool duo Akoko, Sugg Savage no longer calls Maryland home. The emcee from Fort Washington recently swapped coasts to soak up sunbeams in Los Angeles. So maybe it’s the spike in Vitamin D that’s fueling her artistic growth spurt. As a solo artist, Savage has embraced a hip-hop/club hybrid that would sound right at home on Azealia Banks’ Broke With Expensive Taste. Her skittering new single “Let’z” finds her vaulting — with Bilesian finesse — from speedy rhymes to fluid vocals. “You know everybody don’t move like this,” goes the bridge, sounding both slyly boastful and 100 percent factual. (Listen to “Let’z” in our playlist, below.) — Ally Schweitzer

Spirit Plots, Spirit Plots — The D.C. trio has been building to this self-titled LP for a couple of years, and anyone who embraced the 2014 EP or the 2015 single will find a plethora of similar guitar-bass-drum vibes within. Don’t be intimidated by the 15-track inventory — most songs come in below 2:00, focusing on hooks where other D.C. bands with similarly precise sonics might choose to dwell too long in a postpunk groove. Obligatory comparison to a ’90s hero: Every corner of Spirit Plots abounds with hints of the wound-up intelligence found in Ted Leo’s peak work. — Joe Warminsky

Romantic Comedies, Foozle — The D.C. trio’s 11-song second LP captures part of the Gen-Y zeitgeist with its self-aware, post-teen angst and a conspicuous use of emoticons — “¯\_(ツ)_/¯” is the title of the closing track. The retro, lo-fi production never feels gimmicky, and the simple lyrics stay just clear of twee. The album cover depicts a half-unpacked apartment; the songs inside reflect this half-opened, half-boxed-up feeling. It’s ultimately an album about the need for — and fear of — emotional intimacy. (Listen to a song in our playlist, below.) — MacKenzie Reagan

“Wait Up” single, Prinze George — What would a montage of the most significant moments of your life feel like? The Maryland group goes there on “Wait Up.” It’s not just the lyrics, though they certainly help (“now we’ve allowed time and space to build a wall and break us”). It’s more so the ephemeral synths, overlayed with vocals that fall somewhere between Phantogram, Adele and Monsters of Men. A subtle beat and reverbed snapping carries you through a tortuous auditory expression of the “what could have been” — all coalescing in the single frozen moment right after you witness a car wreck and realize you’re still alive. Did I mention the song is good? (Listen to “Wait Up” in our playlist, below.) — Courtney Sexton

Young Jefe 2, Shy Glizzy — The Southeast D.C. rapper with close to 800,000 Instagram followers continues to earn praise for his melodic MC style, with Pitchfork calling him “simply a joy to listen to, one of the most distinctive and technically adventurous rappers working today.” Young Jefe 2 smartly plays up his verbal stylings, couching his sing-songy, introspective street tales within spacious beats. He’s due for a pop breakout at some point, but even if one never comes, he’s permanently solidified his position as one of D.C.’s distinct musical voices. (Listen to a song in our playlist, below.) — Joe Warminsky

Citadel, Dagger Moon — Dagger Moon effortlessly blends the pummeling, heavily distorted riffs of a sludge band with the gritty production and intense atmosphere of early black-metal bands. With the shortest track on Citadel coming in at just over six minutes, it’s an album that relies on a gradually increasing sense of anxiety, pushing and pulling the listener through its apocalyptic soundscapes. It’s gloomy, frightening and absolutely fantastic. — Keith Mathias

“Paused Parade” single, Young Summer — “Paused Parade” reminds listeners that the sunniest season brings a lot of rain, too. Gentle, sparse piano and whispers of percussion are paired with Young Summer’s hypnotic vocals to create a cocoon of serenity. The song ultimately builds a cool hideaway for self-reflection. When she sings, “Are you with me? Or are you with me?” … we’re definitely with her. “Paused Parade” will be part of an upcoming EP. (Listen to “Paused Parade” in our playlist, below.) — Teta Alim

“Blood In the Water” single, Prowess The Testament — Tia Abner, a.k.a. Prowess the Testament, grabbed attention earlier this year with the Air.Human|Breath.Divine EP, which instantly established the short-statured MC as a fierce, intelligent voice. She continues to rain down lyrical lightning bolts on her new single “Blood In the Water” (which also appears on the Right Where I Left It EP). Prowess wields Thor’s hammer and anvil, grinds gods into granules and annihilates the false authenticity of D.C. transplants and other pretend veterans, none of whom could walk a mile in her gladiator sandals. Producer P-Tech Santiago’s boom-bap beat frames it all with the excitement of a classic superhero comic. (Listen to “Blood In the Water” in our playlist, below.)— Justyn Withay

Any Day Now, Lee Mitty — What do you get when you take a slight savior complex and mix it with the realism of Baltimore’s woes? You get Any Day Now. The album, which focuses on the duality of vices — in Mitty’s case, the desire to break free of a tough system that also inspires her — is a complex listen. That’s because it also captures the duality and strife within the city itself. On tracks such as “Bang,” “Leave Me Alone” and “Muses,” Mitty puts her realistic, relatable lyricism over beats that are introspective without being heavy-handed. (Listen to a song in our playlist, below.) — Johnthan Speed

Wanted Man, Wanted Man — Forget vaporous subgenre designations and convoluted classifications — the full-length debut by Wanted Man is a rock album, the kind that showcases stellar musicianship and oozes with cool. Bassist John Scoops and drummer Rick Irby anchor each track with airtight rhythms, backing up Kenny Pirog’s guitar and vocals across 11 tunes that touch on everything from punk to surf. — Keith Mathias

Messix EP, Ocobaya — From Mike Petillo and Aaron Leitko, the two D.C. beat-heads behind Protect-U, comes a side project that’s less heavy on the math and more heavy on the psych. Numbers do still matter to them, of course — namely 4/4, as in the root time signature of classic techno and house. Overall, the Messix EP confidently expands the dance-music conversation happening at 1432 R, the D.C. label known so far for its Ethiopian connections. (Listen to a song in our playlist, below.) — Joe Warminsky

“Mrs. Jones” single, Neffy — The wrenching song from Arlington native Mecca Russell, a.k.a. Neffy, was featured on the “New School Free Press Live” series. Give the song a minute. Literally. The first 60 seconds are a slow, sleepy build to a moment of deep, pointed heartache that comes when Neffy hits the first note in the chorus — and it’s pure soul, killing you softly till the end. The video is great exposure, but doesn’t do the song, or the voice, justice. Neffy’s new EP is scheduled to drop in late 2016 or early 2017. — Courtney Sexton

Mirror Image/Mirage, Big Hoax — Hey, really, why shouldn’t a group from Baltimore take a shot at making an Epic American Rock Album? Vocalist and bandleader Luke Alexander likes to take his voice from a whisper to a yelp, and almost all the tunes build from nearly nothing to totally something (with help from banjo, cello and so on). That dynamic befits a band that calls itself Big Hoax and an album title that refers to a mirror and a mirage. The point here is actually realness, and it’s hard to argue that Alexander doesn’t find some at whatever folk-rock crossroads he’s picturing in his mind. — Joe Warminsky

“Summer” single, Innanet James The Maryland rapper’s most recent track belongs in crowded basements and open rooftops, as long as the heat wave rolls on and there’s enough humidity to make skin shine with constant sweat. Repping MoCo, Innanet James brings just enough charm with his flow so that his lyrical foreplay doesn’t cross over the line from teasing to sleazy. “Summer” is meant to be fleeting — a burst of bright, body-rolling fun that shouldn’t last too long. About his upcoming debut EP, James told Pitchfork in an interview: “I want you want to be like, ‘Oh, that’s witty as s–t.’ I want you to see the words.” (Listen to “Summer” in our playlist, below.)— Teta Alim

“Appalachian Motel” video, Greenland — A moody track from the D.C. rock band’s otherwise lively S***ty Fiction album gets an animated treatment that initially seems like a cryptic but largely two-dimensional commentary on notions of romantic and familial relationships. But then it gets really weird. What’s up with all of those long, pointy noses? No face is safe. — Joe Warminsky

“I feel like [music and masonry] go hand in hand,” writes K.A.A.N — real name Brandon Perry — in an email. “They both teach you a lot about work ethic.”

It must have required a remarkable work ethic for K.A.A.N. to become the emcee he is now: The Columbia, Maryland, rapper has a flow that’s blindingly fast with an equally quick wit. The level of detail in his rhymes can require multiple listens to absorb everything he’s thrown out there.

Influenced by artists such as Tupac, Big Pun, Kurt Cobain, Nas and Kehlani, K.A.A.N. likes to rhyme over ‘90s instrumentals — including TLC, Craig Mack and Lauryn Hill, though he’s also rapped over Drake — and he says he doesn’t relate to party music.

“Songs that artists make for clubs, or to party to, just isn’t for me,” he writes. “I’m not out at clubs… I spend all my free time writing and recording.” Meanwhile, he calls his creative process “extremely vague.”

“I know the vision I have for something when I create,” the rapper writes. “A lot of times, I can’t articulate that to others. It’s, like, sounds, or certain cadences that I’ll have in my head… I have to write it out, and go over it.”

K.A.A.N. doesn’t like to make creative compromises. While making his aptly named Abstract Art project, he decided he didn’t love it, so he threw out four months of work and started again. (He’s since followed up with 1/12/199?).

“I don’t ever want to get too caught up, or stuck on [one] project,” K.A.A.N. writes. But he doesn’t want to rush things, either. He’s more focused on craft. “I’m trying to find a sound,” he adds.

The brickmason’s latest track, “Feels,” sounds unfussed-over. Instead, it’s more of a stream-of-consciousness monologue about his opinions on various topics — mostly his current place in life. Over a series of rapid, complex bars, he channels the style and introspection of Kendrick Lamar.

But while the verses sound dense and cerebral, K.A.A.N. says his lyrics come from the heart.

“On these songs,” the rapper writes, “I’m just talking about my life, past and present; my outlook on things and my emotions.”

That would explain the eclecticism on the Maryland artist’s recent EP, Lovers Rock.

“I was challenged [by my team] to look at love from different angles,” Renee says. Instead of relying on traditional love tropes — i.e. “Oh baby, I love you” songs — she channels anger, sensuality, contemplativeness and straight-up funk on the release, seeking to make an atypical record about love.

She borrows ideas from Pharrell, Scott and Brown, but that’s not it: Sade plays a lead role. Lovers Rock cribs its title from the English R&B artist’s fifth album.

“Sade was a huge influence for me on this album. She’s so at peace, laid back… and relaxed,” Renee says.

The performer also took cues from Sade’s penchant for playing with genre. Take the song “Guess Again,” which Renee says was originally intended for a “Blink-182-like rock band.” She took it and made it her own. Elsewhere, intro track “Reminder” finds the vocalist floating over an atmospheric production one minute, and spitting rapid-fire lines the next.

In the wind-down stage of her “Lovers Rock” tour, Renee is playing the homecoming festivities at Morgan State University in Baltimore, North Carolina A&T State University and Winston-Salem State University. After that, she plans to step off the road for a bit and use her extensive musical vocabulary to begin work on a followup to Lovers Rock.

This time, though, Renee is setting her eye on another one of her spirit guides.

“I’m coming after Pharrell,” she says.

Warning: Explicit lyrics.

The native Floridian, 31, has taken her roots, chopped and mixed them and given back to her adopted community of Baltimore, Maryland, through music. In the meantime, she’s started a new chapter of her life.

“I had a very strict, religious upbringing and no secular music was allowed to be played in my home,” writes TT the Artist — real name Tedra Wilson — via email. The church she grew up in “was very cultlike and corrupt,” she adds.

Wilson and her mother left that church when the teenager was about 14 years old. After they did, Wilson delved into the secular — mostly through hyperspeed, often X-rated Miami Bass music.

Citing a desire to “command respect with her voice” from her male peers, Wilson continued to engage in the arts, especially rap, from her high school years onward. Over time, she began to figure out who she was.

“I joined the band and danced. I met friends who [also] rapped. I just felt free,” Wilson writes. “I was starting to live the purpose that God had intended me to live, despite what the religion tried to restrict me from doing.”

When Wilson first stepped foot into Baltimore — in 2002, to attend the Maryland Institute College of Art — she knew that she stumbled onto something special. She found that her purpose would evolve, along with her sound.

“I heard Baltimore Club music for the first time and it reminded me of [my roots],” Wilson writes, referring to the city’s signature breakbeat sound. “Naturally, I adapted… and began to make my own club music.”

Warning: Some of these videos contain explicit lyrics.

But it’s not all about the music. As her profile grows — driven by her energetic recordings and videos — Wilson wants to enrich people around her. She’s performed at benefit events, including a recent fundraiser for the Monument Quilt, which raises awareness of sexual assault. She’s also breathed life into Baltimore’s club-music scene, using her music as a launching pad for other artists, and she makes time to pass down the lessons she’s learned.

“I’m all about sharing knowledge. That is why I feel so blessed to have all the opportunities that come my way,” Wilson writes. “I am a vehicle and I want to uplift those who may need guidance or just feedback.”

Once an outsider in the scene, Wilson has spent her time in Baltimore and the D.C. area boning up. Now she’s a regional fixture, rapidly becoming a national name. This weekend, she plays Baltimore’s Bombadillo festival, sharing a bill with New Orleans bounce queen Big Freedia, techno pioneer Kevin Saunderson and Baltimore art-poppers Lower Dens. Her most recent EPs, Art Royalty and Gimme Yo Love, got national attention, and her fall tour will take her as far as Australia.

For Wilson, staying busy is important for one reason in particular.

“It keeps me inspired to develop new ideas,” she writes.

TT the Artist plays the Bombadillo festival in Baltimore Sept. 26.

Maryland artist Nature Boi lost his mother last year, and music has been curative for him as he’s gone through the grieving process. But sometimes it’s produced unexpected results. Take “Uhh” (listen below), his latest release.

“I made the beat July 25th, 2014, the day before my mother passed,” writes the 28-year-old — real name Antonio Ervin — in an email. “At the time, I hadn’t recorded in a while.” He had been spending time with his mother in the hospital.

One year after his mother’s death, Nature Boi got back into the booth, put his soul out there and delivered a tribute for Mother Nature. But it’s not exactly “Candle in the Wind.” “Uhh” is equal parts turn-up and realism, addressing Nature’s survival instincts and somewhat volatile emotions.

“It may sound like a regular trap song, but everything I said in [it] was reality. I was under the influence [and] I was angry and violent,” Nature Boi writes.

His feelings ooze out of the track, just as they would from a Kanye West or a Teddy Riley, two innovative artists he cites as influences. He thinks it would impress his mother, whom he calls his biggest supporter. That’s key, he points out, because her approval eluded him at first.

Nature Boi’s mom wanted him to pursue a different career. “She wanted me to be an electrical engineer because of the money, and because it seemed like more of a sure path,” he writes. He gave it a shot at Frostburg University, enrolling in the classes he’d need to take to enter the field, but he left school the following year to commit himself to music.

Nature Boi had to win his mother over “more than a stranger,” he writes. When she finally gave him her blessing, she became his No. 1 fan. That meant “everything” to him.

Beyond “Uhh,” Nature Boi finds himself wearing a variety of hats, musically. He has production credits on Elevator Music, a project he worked on with fellow Marylander Brain Rapp; he DJs; and he has his own batch of songs, Super Natural, slated for release later this year. There’s just one problem with wanting to cover so many creative bases.

“My biggest issue is being a perfectionist,” Nature Boi writes.

On the other hand, he’s a rising artist without a big fanbase yet. That low profile can be an asset, he says. “Because nobody is really checking for me, it’s no pressure.”

Warning: Explicit lyrics.

A highlight from Khepri’s recent Lottery Pick mixtape, “Jurassic” finds the MC taking cues from Eminem, Lil Wayne and Big Sean as she playfully — but ferociously — boasts about her growing claims to fame. That same boastfulness earned the native of Fort Washington, Maryland, a certain reputation during high school.

“I thought freestyling was [just] battle rap,” Khepri, 22, says in a phone call. “So it always sounded like I was coming for somebody. I [once] snatched someone’s bandana off in the middle of one of my lines.”

Eventually, Khepri learned freestyling wasn’t just battling. From there, she began to make songs “more about everything,” catching the eye of manager Lady Redz.

But Lottery Pick, released in July, isn’t Khepri’s only dinosaur-sized enterprise. Now a resident of Atlanta, she’s also venturing into acting, appearing in a suggestive Mountain Dew commercial that a Georgia-based director submitted to the brand’s creative director.

You’d think that between Lottery Pick, modeling and acting, Khepri would have her hands full. But the rapper/actor already has more projects in the works: an upcoming tour, plus her own racing-game app — which she hopes to eventually push to all mobile platforms.