@Taleya Autery

Drake officially became the voice of a generation with 2011’s sumptuous <i>Take Care</i>, a career-defining magnum opus that earned a prized slot in Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums list. Was he an R&B singer who rapped or a rapper who sang? Was he really that sad, or just exploiting a cultural preference for male vulnerability? Adding to the slipperiness of it all, any given Drake project might incorporate dreamy house and club music into his comfort zone of rap, pop, and R&B with equal conviction. Even after cementing his prowess as an MC many times over, Drake still retains the capacity to surprise. His 2015 earworm “Hotline Bling” radiated universal cool without breaking a sweat, while 2024’s “Push Ups” arrived during his fleeting beef with Kendrick Lamar yet applies lasting heat to its minimalistic prowl. Drake is now such a part of the firmament that his slightest move can trigger aftershocks far beyond his immediate reach.

Anonymous DJ/producer Marshmello got his start with an unlikely fusion of tough-as-nails trap and candied EDM. As early fans debated his identity, a co-sign from Skrillex gave singles like 2016’s trance-laced “Find Me” a viral boost. On Marshmello’s debut album, 2016’s <i>Joytime</i>, his signature qualities began to come into focus—the playful melodies of “Blocks,” the chilled-out cool of “Keep It Mello”—but it was the nostalgic “Alone,” with its twin nods to 2000s emo and ’80s electropop, that solidified his persona. Since then, Marshmello has gone from an EDM curiosity to a ubiquitous fixture in pop, using collaborations with artists like Selena Gomez and Logic to advance his singular brand of fun. And he’s branched out even further, teaming up with Latin stars on 2023’s reggaetón- and trap-inspired <i>Sugar Papi</i> and country singer Kane Brown on “One Thing Right” and “Miles on It.”