99 Neighbors

A communal group without a fixed membership, 99 Neighbors have been compared to other disparate hip-hop groups but have quickly emerged from Vermont with their own identity, showcased first on their self-released Television (2019). They've since signed with the Warner Records-affiliated Nice Work label for a handful of singles. 99 Neighbors took shape in 2018 with central members including rapper/singers Sam Paulino (known as simply Sam) and Hanknative, along with producer Caleb "Somba" Hoh, additional rapper Connor "Swank" Stankevich, and DJ Jared Fier. Some of the members had previously recorded with one another; most notably, Sam and Somba attracted some media coverage as a duo with The South Cove, an EP that featured future production associate Julian "Juju" Segar-Reid on guitar. Working out of a shared Burlington apartment and expanding in size and scope, 99 Neighbors put together Television, their first album, and released it independently on New Year's Day 2019. Its "Champion" made a fan of Chance the Rapper manager Pat Corcoran, who consequently offered a deal with his Warner-supported Nice Work label. Through the rest of 2019, 99 Neighbors -- Nice Work's first signees -- released a handful of tracks, starting with "Fake Ponds" and also including "Thunder" and "19." ~ Andy Kellman