Santogold

Most of the initial hype around Santogold pegged her as the next M.I.A. — a genre-mashing hipster diva with fly production and an '80s-casualty fashion sense. But whereas M.I.A. largely appeared out of nowhere, Santi White cut her teeth as a producer and a punk-rock front woman with the Philadelphia band Stiffed. Her breakthrough self-titled album arrived in her 31st year, reflecting three decades' worth of influences spanning rock, reggae, electro, dancehall and '80s pop. The remarkable breadth of material on the album reflects the talents of her live band and a Fader-approved lineup of gnarly producers: Diplo, Freq Nasty and Spank Rock. Live, she brings Public Enemy-themed female backup dancers who'd make Haddaway shit his parachute pants.