Not too long ago, Bartees Leon Cox Jr. held a job at Kramers, Dupont Circle’s cozy bookstore, and caught acts like Beach House at the 9:30 Club, he recently told The Washington Post. This past November, the rising star took the 9:30 Club stage himself, headlining as Bartees Strange. And, well, he kind of sounded like the ethereal Beach House — but he also kind of sounded like hip-hop group Death Grips, scenesters like Fall Out Boy and indie force Phoebe Bridgers. Bartees sits calmly in the eye of this genre storm, cherry-picking elements from emo, country, rap, and rock to create his own sound. It’s resonating: Farm to Table, his second album, is one of the year’s best according to Rolling Stone and the New York Times. Next year, he’ll bring his eccentric taste to Canada’s Sled Island Festival as a curator, and we’ve got our fingers crossed for another hometown show

Rapper from Washington, D.C.