Robert Glasper

Robert Glasper is the leader of a new sonic paradigm. With five Grammy wins across fifteen nominations spanning nine categories, an Emmy Award for 13th alongside Common and Karriem Riggins, and a Peabody Award for Mr. Soul!, the Houston-born pianist and producer has assembled one of the most formidable résumés in contemporary music, one that refuses to sit neatly in any single genre.

Glasper’s 2012 album Black Radio changed the face of the genre, fusing live jazz improvisation with the rhythmic architecture of hip-hop and R&B in a way the industry had never heard. That boundary-dissolving instinct carried him into the studio with Kendrick Lamar, where his keys became a foundation of To Pimp a Butterfly, and into a new chapter with Apple Music, with three albums released in rapid succession: In December, Let Go, and Code Derivation, the latter earning a 2025 Grammy nomination.

Beyond the studio, Glasper has built an ecosystem around his vision. He hosts Black Radio Backstage for Tidal League. He curates the Black Radio Experience festival in Napa Valley, now in its third year. And his legendary Robtober residency at Blue Note NYC enters its sixth season, a month-long takeover that has become one of the most coveted tickets in New York jazz.

In 2023 he released Black Radio III, extending the legacy of the series that redefined an era. Whether commanding a solo piano or orchestrating a room full of collaborators, Glasper remains the gravitational center of a movement that continues to reshape what modern Black music sounds like.