Syd Essentials

Syd Bennett took hip-hop and soul to new dimensions in the 2010s, first as a producer for the explosive Los Angeles hip-hop collective Odd Future and then as the mastermind behind the funk group The Internet and in her own solo work. While Syd’s work with The Internet—where she’s the chief songwriter and a principal vocalist—is a 21st-century blend of Quiet Storm’s stretched-out languor and funk’s exploratory spirit, her solo work takes cues from the chilled-out yet soulful R&B of the late ‘90s, with her silvery voice hovering over skeletal drum machines and wobbly synth bass.