Jazz Cartier 1,514

Jaye Adams, known as Jazz Cartier (and alternately Jacuzzi La Fleur), is a rapper whose vantage is reflected in song titles like “See You in Hell,” “Never Too Faded,” and “Black and Misguided.” Born in Toronto, Adams had to adapt to numerous environments in his youth. The stepson of a diplomat, he lived in several cities across the U.S., and also spent time in Barbados and Kuwait. He debuted in 2011, as a teenager, with the mixtape Losing Elisabeth. After he settled back into his original hometown, Adams temporarily sold drugs to support himself and took his time with the follow-up, Marauding in Paradise, released in 2015. The patience paid off, as the mixtape was a long-list nominee for that year’s Polaris Music Prize. Despite the exposure, Adams remained independent, without a label. Hotel Paranoia arrived the following year and was received with another Polaris nomination. 2017 heralded the release of the singles “Nobody’s Watching” and “Make a Mess,” which saw Adams teaming up with Atlanta-based producer Mike WiLL Made-It.