If You Like Steve Lacy’s Gemini Rights, Listen to These Albums
Fans of Steve Lacy on the search for contemporary R&B or neo-soul will love these music recommendations.
Gemini Rights
by Steve Lacy
Following the success of The Internet’s third studio album, Ego Death, Steve Lacy (the band’s guitarist) struck out on his own as a solo artist. He captured the attention of music journalists and began building a cult following with his 2017 debut EP Steve Lacy’s Demo, a playful collection of soul and funk songs the singer-songwriter created with his iPhone. This year, Lacy released his second studio album, Gemini Rights, which charmed his longtime fans and earned him a whole lot of new ones.
Lacy sounds at home on Gemini Rights, a 10-track album that combines funk, jazz, rock, and neo soul to share the ways the singer put himself back together after a breakup. The lyrics about heartbreak and healing juxtapose those about identity, autonomy, and hedonistic pursuits, mimicking the dual sides of the zodiac sign the album is named after.
After its release, Gemini Rights topped Billboard’s Top Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums charts, and also peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. The album’s second single, “Bad Habit”, became a mainstream breakthrough for Lacy. In addition to dominating TikTok and Instagram with its virality, the track became Lacy’s first song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 and hit No. 1. “Bad Habit”, which was produced and co-written by Lacy, also became the first song to simultaneously top five different Billboard hot songs charts.
Recognition for Gemini Rights has reached a fever pitch. The record was recently nominated for Best Progressive R&B Album at the upcoming 65th Grammy Awards, while “Bad Habit” also received nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance.
If you enjoy Gemini Rights, explore the albums created by Lacy’s influences and collaborators below.
Isolation
by Kali Uchis
Isolation is singer Kali Uchis’ debut album. The record draws on Uchis’ influences — Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Curtis Mayfield, and Celia Cruz — but the album is progressive in its genre-bending approach to production. Isolation is a Latin-tinged contemporary R&B album that employs heavy use of soul and funk styles, mixed with reggaeton and bossa nova. Uchis effortlessly weaves between styles on Isolation, handling funk on “After The Storm” with just as much skill as Latin pop on “Miami”. Steve Lacy fans will enjoy the funk moments on Isolation, as well as his feature on “Just A Stranger” where he harmonizes with Uchis on the song’s catchy chorus.
Scum Fuck Flower Boy
by Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, The Creator’s fourth studio album, Scum Fuck Flower Boy, marked the rapper-producer’s first full-length foray into neo soul and funk. While Tyler’s earlier albums were considered to represent horrorcore, Scum Fuck Flower Boy ushered in a new era for the artist which featured a departure from the shock-value lyrical content of his past and move toward more personal topics, including loneliness, sexuality, and relationships. For this reason, Scum Fuck Flower Boy is Tyler’s most essential album, as well as one of his most critically acclaimed. Fans of Gemini Rights will love this album’s neo-soul style production and will appreciate Steve Lacy’s contributions to “911 / Mr. Lonely” and “Glitter”.
Mama’s Gun
by Erykah Badu
Singer Erykah Badu — known as the queen of neo-soul — released her second studio album, Mama’s Gun, in 2000. The album, which incorporates funk, soul, and jazz styles into its tracks, produced Badu’s first top 10 Billboard single, “Bag Lady,” which peaked at No. 6. Mama’s Gun is a confessional album (its recording took place after the singer’s breakup with André 3000 of OutKast fame) in which Badu dives into themes revolving around personal relationships, insecurities, and societal issues. Steve Lacy fans will hear Badu’s influence on Gemini Rights, especially the maximalist moments on songs like “Penitentiary Philosophy” that complement deeper cuts from Lacy’s work.
Ego Death
by The Internet
The Internet is a contemporary R&B band from Los Angeles. The quintet was originally formed by two members of the Odd Future music collective, singer-songwriter, Syd, and singer-producer, Matt Martians. Steve Lacy served as the band’s guitarist and contributed his songwriting and production chops to the group’s projects. Ego Death is their Grammy-nominated third studio album. It features jazz, funk, and hip hop styles throughout which contribute to its overall experimental R&B sound. Fans of Gemini Rights will love Ego Death — Lacy produced seven of the album’s 12 tracks and his unique songwriting style can be heard throughout the record.
Honeybloom
by Choker
Choker is a singer and producer from Michigan whose sound dips in and out of R&B, electronic, and psychedelic rock styles. Honeybloom, his second full-length album, falls into a gap between pop, indie, and contemporary R&B, and explores themes of love, masculinity, choice, and entitlement. Choker is often compared to Frank Ocean, a comparison he welcomes, but finds greater inspiration in artists such as Feist, Björk, Sufjan Stevens, and The Postal Service. For fans of Gemini Rights attracted to the album’s less radio-friendly moments (“Amber”), Honeybloom provides a chance to dive deeper into the alternative side of contemporary rhythm and blues.
Chasing Summer
by SiR
SiR is a California-born and bred singer who specializes in contemporary R&B music. The Top Dawg Entertainment signee released his third studio album, Chasing Summer, in 2019. While its name implies an album with a sunny disposition, Chasing Summer is decidedly a work of sad R&B that leisurely swims through lyrics about heartbreak, loneliness, missed connections, and life’s fleeting moments. Fans of Gemini Rights will gravitate toward tracks like “John Redcorn” and “Wires in the Way”.
About These Recommendations
The Discogs community is always searching for new music, especially songs that are similar to your favorite artists and albums – which is why Discogs is recommending albums to fans of 2022’s most purchased, most coveted, and most talked-about records.
These recommendations were selected through a unique combination of Discogs data, music charts, streaming numbers, algorithm proposals, and human curation to provide listeners like you with something new to explore.
Popular picks were determined by Discogs Wantlist and Collection additions, as well as commonly connected styles and artists in the Database. Eccentric picks were based on sonic similarity, artistic influences, and other music discovery tools. Select albums also include a personal recommendation from another related artist.