Best Flow 2024 | She Who Won't Be Named | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Flow

She Who Won't Be Named

She Who Won't Be Named is the MC of the Beats Bodega hip-hop event at River Bar. And it's impossible to forget her after you hear her quick and witty flow. While it's always a wild time at Beats Bodega, the artist gets reflective on her 2023 EP, Time to Change (released on Bandcamp). We hear her look back on her Southern roots in "Flower Child From Memphis" and witness her charismatic drive in "Light Shines ft J.Seuss"; she's intimate and encouraging on "Sweetly," sharing how creativity and a positive, open attitude can take you far. A lot of rappers have a tight flow, but when it's paired with lyrical talent, that takes it to the next level. She Who Won't Be Named has that and more.

shewhowontbenamed,bandcamp.com

Best Hip-Hop Collab Music Video

"PLZ"
DNA Picasso and Malcolm Whyz3

As if the song "PLZ," a collaboration between rappers DNA Picasso and Malcolm Whyz3, didn't already pop off enough, the accompanying music video, with its high quality and visual variety, takes this creative collaboration even further. Malcolm Whyz3 entered the Denver hip-hop scene in 2019 with an emotional song about his grandmother's passing, making Westword's list of ten rappers to watch in 2023. DNA Picasso is also a mainstay in the city's rap scene, and we're hoping for more collaborations in the future between these two innovative musicians.

Best R&B Singles

Danae Simone

There's nothing like kicking back and putting on some R&B — and next time you do, be sure to add Danae Simone to your playlist. The singer-songwriter puts on a captivating live performance that includes both originals and covers, with vocals that will have you feeling like you're floating in the clouds. The romantic lyrics on her 2023 singles "Is This Love" and "Got Me" are completely relatable, and the songs wrap around listeners like a warm embrace. They're also both total earworms that will be playing in your head for days, begging you to press "play" once again.

danaesimonemusic.com

Best R&B Album

a fools tale.
Spinks

Spinks is a longstanding artist in the Mile High music scene, and her album a fools tale. has been a go-to listen since it dropped last April. Evocative of such artists as Lauryn Hill, Spinks's vocals make listeners melt with a steady vibe that enlightens and intoxicates. Standouts from the album include "last call" and "lights on," which both indicate that this is the perfect album for...we'll say "making love." Aside from the R&B, Spinks is a badass rapper, too: "This That New Flava in Ya Ear," from Above Average, is one of our favorites. Spinks will be dropping singles consistently this year, so save her on your streaming platforms ASAP.

@spinksmusic

Best Hip-Hop Label

Authentic 100 Entertainment

Authentic 100 Entertainment does it all, from recording, producing, mixing and mastering to promotion, merch and videography. A100 stands out for its roster of hip-hop releases as well as its BoxedIn TV series on YouTube, which interviews such artists as local rapper ReSrface, along with the concerts it produces around town at such venues as the Black Buzzard and the Rickhouse. The studio has another incentive: It just partnered with Native Roots, a move that should take your session to new heights.

@a100_recordingstudios

Best Hard Rock Label

Sailor Records

Oscar Russ founded Sailor Records in 2011 to release the debut album of his band Lords of Fuzz, but as his studio began to help out other bands, he realized he was on to something (as well as a tax write-off). Now the label lists fifteen bands that it represents, and locals know it's a big deal to be signed. With the tagline "Music We Believe In and Live By," Sailor Records focuses on quality over quantity, only signing bands that put in serious effort. For proof, take a listen to the release from local band Ipecac that the label put out last year.

sailorrecords.com

Best New Label

Mean World Records

An example of how the city's tight-knit music scene only begets more creativity, Mean World Records launched in September 2023 after Hunter Bates moved to Denver and joined the band Magnolia Grove, where he met his fellow label co-founders, Jason Kaplan and Jake DeMarco. The three created the label in 2023, and it now represents Shady Oaks, the Losers Club, In Plain Air, the Study Abroad, Death Rali, Tarantula Bill and more. Mean World Records is committed to serving the DIY community, and we see that community growing with its help.

meanworldrecords.com

Best Punk Label

Convulse Records

Convulse Records has grown a lot in just a little over five years. Founder Adam Croft began the label in 2018 when he was living in Laramie, Wyoming, as a way to help fellow musicians and friends there. After he moved to Denver the next year, the music community readily welcomed him into the fold, and Convulse now has 26 bands on its roster from Denver and beyond. Convulse makes vinyls, cassettes and T-shirts, too, reflecting the DIY culture it helps to foster.

convulserecords.com

Best DIY Label

Unit-E Records

We chose Unit-E Records, champions of the growing art community, as Denver's Best DIY Venue back in 2012, when it was just a rented-out space in the Art District on Santa Fe. It was the best place to go during First Friday Art Walks, because you always knew there would be art worth seeing and music worth hearing. Now, over a decade later, that DIY ethos is being channeled into a record label designed to provide opportunities for local artists and encourage supporters through its record subscription program. The label might be relatively new, but it's already started bolstering its roster with rising stars such as Cherokee Social and Machete Mouth alongside Denver mainstays RAREBYRD$ and Wheelchair Sports Camp, among others.

unitedenver.org

Best Debut Album

Okay Grandma, Your Turn
May Be Fern

May Be Fern has been rocking Denver since 2022, but the band really captured our attention this year. With a unique, intentional and well-curated sound, the four-piece describes its music as "queer funk rock," and yes, that's just as amazing as it seems. Take a listen to the group's debut album, Okay Grandma, Your Turn, which showcases May Be Fern's breadth of talent, from funky licks on each instrument to clever lyricism delivered through powerful, melodic vocals. We only anticipate more greatness to come from Kate Fern (vocals/bass), Hannah May (vocals/keys), Madi Spillman (guitar) and Evan Jeffers (drums/vocals).

maybefernband.co

Best Of Denver®

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