In Rotation: Alemeda

When you grow up in a strict Ethiopian household in Phoenix where secular music is outright banned, the pop-punk you sneak on the Disney Channel doesn't just entertain you—it completely rewires your brain. Alemeda took that suppressed childhood, relocated to Los Angeles, and somehow became Top Dawg Entertainment’s token rock act. If you're wondering why the label that birthed Black Hippy and SZA is pushing guitar-driven anthems, you just need to hear her sing. Moosa Tiffith heard something in her viral 2021 cut "Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows" and brought her into the TDE fold. But the 26-year-old isn't making standard R&B. She’s crafting Y2K-laced alt-rock with a venomous pen. What makes the formula work is the vocal control. Alemeda actually tracked down Willie Norwood—Brandy’s father—on Instagram to teach her how to sing from her diaphragm. You can hear that honeyed vibrato cutting right through the distorted garage-rock guitars on her 2025 EP, But What The Hell Do I Know. TDE stepping out of its traditional hip-hop pocket to sign a pop-punk artist might confuse the purists. Honestly, Alemeda’s raw, unapologetic songwriting proves she carries more authentic rebel ethos than half the rappers currently chasing algorithm spikes. On tracks like the Strokes-inspired "1-800-F**K-YOU" and the Doechii-assisted "Beat A B!tch Up," she channels the righteous frustration of an eldest immigrant daughter who finally gets to scream. The drums crash heavy, the basslines drive hard, and her voice floats right in the pocket. The industry is fully catching on. Her track "The World Keeps Spinning" just crashed Spotify’s RADAR US and POLLEN playlists, while pulling radio adds from Sirius XMU in D.C. This September, she’s taking that energy on the road, supporting labelmate Isaiah Rashad on his Lil Sunny's Awful Road Trip Tour. They're hitting iconic rooms across the midwest and south, from Chicago's Salt Shed down to Nashville's Marathon Music Works. Hit play right below.