Adrian Marcel - Gmfu (2017)

Adrian Marcel's first memory is of singing Ginuwine's "Pony" -- and then Frankie Lymon's "Goody, Goody" -- at the age of eight. The R&B singer, a native of East Oakland, attended Oakland School for the Arts and earned early support from Bay Area music giant Raphael Saadiq, who presented his first mixtape, 7 Days of Weak. A 15-track version was made available for free in April 2013, while major label Universal Republic knocked it down to seven cuts (with Wale on an alternate version of "Waiting") for official release a month later. The majority of the songs were written and arranged by Marcel with Jane Handcock. Their work was produced by the likes of the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Beatroc, Scorp Dezel, JR Beats, and St. Nick, among others, with 8Ball a guest on the Club Nouveau/Luniz-referencing "Killa." In February 2014, Marcel released the relaxed single "2AM," with a guest verse from Sage the Gemini. ~ Andy Kellman.