@Jared Zaben

Discover new music from artists we think you'll like. Refreshed every Friday.

Some rappers are born for the spotlight, but without beatmaking virtuosos like T-Minus those lights wouldn't be nearly as bright. Combining molasses-thick synths with bursts of bass, T-Minus's productions have helped stars like Kendrick Lamar and Drake find their way to the top of the charts.

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.

While Matthew Jehu Samuels got his start making tracks for Toronto's favorite son, he's long since emerged from the shadows to prove that this boy is no one-hit 1da. With a sonically diverse palette, the Jamaican-born, Canadian-bred producer has crafted huge, synth-driven beats for Eminem, JAY Z, ScHoolboy Q, and The Game.

Kendrick Lamar’s music just hits different during a workout—the dramatic builds, the poetic genius, and tempos that match every stage of your training, from slow burns to sprints. This carefully curated playlist draws from all corners of the rapper’s impressive catalog; it includes tracks from his own game-changing albums, as well as songs from the <i>Black Panther</i> soundtrack, for which he served as executive producer. “Kendrick’s lyrics have a raw energy that’s great for helping me navigate a tough day—or a tough workout,” says Apple Fitness+ Cycling trainer Kym Perfetto, who helped put this playlist together. “His ambitious lyrics and unique flow create a sound that always stands out.” These songs have been sequenced to mirror the arc of a workout session—a personal trainer in playlist form. If you hear something you like, add it to your library.

Striking a balance between gloomy and electrifying sounds, RIN has brought an unusually melancholic style to German rap. He’s always been open about his rap and R&B inspirations: Frank Ocean, Dr. Dre, Travis Scott, and Drake. But he's also been shaped by grunge and rock tunes from Nirvana and blink-182.

Perhaps Top Dawg Entertainment's most conventionally charismatic rap star, ScHoolboy Q is a Los Angeles native who helped bring West Coast rap into a new age of sophisticated production and clever, conceptual songwriting. A reformed gangbanger who reinvented gangsta rap motifs on his harrowing autobiographical independent albums, Q has proven equally adept at making accessible hit singles like “Studio” featuring BJ The Chicago Kid and “THat Part” featuring Kanye West.

Druggy, raw, slick, and surreal, Future’s singular sound helped to redefine 2010s street rap as something strange and almost avant-garde. Imagine trap as modern psychedelia, though still naggingly melodic. Future has a way of bending his voice into soulful, often sad shapes that are half-rapped and half-sung—epitomized by his 2017 blockbuster “Mask Off.” His unwavering self-assurance continues to define his work as he settles into middle age. Rather than mellowing with the years, he remains outspoken and unapologetic about his rock-star lifestyle and chemical excesses, as heard on 2022’s “WAIT FOR YOU” alongside Drake and Tems, and 2024’s addled “Like That” with Kendrick Lamar and Metro Boomin. Showing unusual staying power across the shifting sands of smaller trends and wider eras alike, Future has lost none of his heavyweight status in the years since his groggy, grandiose breakthrough—whether he’s casually dropping labyrinthine mixtapes or commanding superstar cameos.