The Internet

Though initially framed as a splinter effort tied to Odd Future, the alternative R&B outfit the Internet carved out a distinct identity with their first album Purple Naked Ladies in 2011, setting themselves apart both from that collective and from prevailing trends in their field. From the outset they steered clear of mainstream commercial R&B formulas, favoring instead a blend of live and electronic instrumentation, restrained vocals, and an array of styles that encompassed upbeat throwback dance numbers, ballads exploring same-sex relationships, and open-ended instrumental passages. With their second album Feel Good in 2013 the group began to prioritize conventional songcraft, then sharpened this focus on Ego Death in 2015, a release that reached the upper tier of the Billboard album chart and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album. Their fourth album Hive Mind in 2018 showcased the band’s bright, retro-modern grooves.

At the core of the Internet stand vocalist, songwriter, and engineer Sydney Bennett, widely recognized as Syd tha Kyd or simply Syd, alongside producer Matthew Martin, better known as Matt Martians. Before the band emerged in 2011, Bennett, who grew up in Los Angeles’ Crenshaw district, had already crafted beats for Hodgy Beats, Domo Genesis, and Mike G. She also handled mixing duties on Tyler, the Creator’s Top Five pop hit Goblin, contributed vocals to several tracks, and released understated solo work. Martin, a native of East Point, Georgia, likewise appeared on OFWGKTA projects and worked within or alongside the Jet Age of Tomorrow and the Super 3.

The group issued their first proper single, the introspective and unconventional ballad “Love Song - 1,” in 2011, a track whose sensibility aligned more closely with Meshell Ndegeocello than with prevailing pop-R&B fare that year. The sparser “They Say,” featuring Tay Walker, surfaced on the 12 Odd Future Songs compilation shortly before Purple Naked Ladies arrived as a digital release in December and on compact disc the following January. Their follow-up Feel Good, propelled by the relaxed disco pulse of “Dontcha,” came out digitally in September 2013 and on CD five months later, adopting a looser, occasionally spontaneous approach.

Ego Death, released in June 2015, highlighted Bennett’s increasingly polished yet candid lyricism, most notably on the lovelorn Kaytranada collaboration “Girl,” while incorporating greater contributions from the now-stable lineup of Patrick Paige II, Steve Lacy, Christopher Allan Smith, and Jameel Bruner. The album entered the Top Ten of Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and reached the upper half of the Billboard 200, confirming the group’s prominent position within Los Angeles’ thriving scene of emerging R&B, rap, jazz, and electronic artists. After pursuing various solo and joint endeavors, the Internet resurfaced in 2018 with the roller-skating track “Burbank Funk (Roll),” leading into the July arrival of Hive Mind.