King B

King B, the RCA signee born Lawrence Neal Bolden and raised in St. Louis before basing himself in Los Angeles, examines emotional turmoil and the fluctuations of romantic bonds through his work as a rapper, singer, and songwriter. His first full-length effort, HeartBreak Hotel, appeared in 2020.

Church performances marked his introduction to music during early childhood, and his extended family—from a great-grandmother who served as a pastor to his cousins—fostered familiarity with traditional gospel, classic R&B, and modern rap. Visibility as a recording artist increased in the late 2010s once tracks including “Suicidal Baby,” “Licks,” and “No More Crying” reached commercial release. After joining the RCA roster he finished HeartBreak Hotel, which came out in July 2020. The project’s solitary character arose from its complete omission of featured artists, an approach shaped by the aftermath of a toxic relationship during the writing and recording sessions.