For Minnesota Music Month, The Current polled the local music industry for April’s edition of The Scouting Report. More than 90 people filled out this year’s Minnesota Music Month Scouting Report ballot, and 253 unique artists were chosen overall. The top 10 artists — well, 11 because of a tie — who received the most support include Riotgrrrldarko.

Rising star of the local scene Bray’Jana Coleman, who performs as Riotgrrrldarko, does it all. She’s a rapper, a rocker, a trendsetter, a mosher, and a genre creator. Anything she wants to do she does with a casual air that most people spend their whole lives striving to attain.  

Riotgrrrldarko has grown a devoted following and left mosh pits in her wake ever since she started putting music on Soundcloud in 2019. “I had no intention of being a rapper,” Riotgrrrldarko said in a 2022 interview with Carbon Sound. “I was just f***ing around, I used to have videos of me freestyling on my old Facebook page, it was just fun.” 

Her most recent EP, KISS THE RING, came out in the final hours of 2023. It drives her music into a new sphere of sound, shifting slightly from her trademark “grime-core” era into an aesthetic she has coined as “b!tch-kore.” The gritty, rock-infused, hyper-pop-inspired rap songs on the EP feature frequent references to early 2000s mall culture, clubbing, and her unquestionable swag. 

Throughout KISS THE RING, Riotgrrrldarko isn’t afraid to display her impressive range. “Live Laugh Love” is a nod to the heavier beats she has worked with historically, paired with acidic undertones and her trademark ruthless lyricism. “wtvr i want” shows up towards the end of the EP and features local digital angel k3ko. The song sounds like the opening track for an early-aughts movie and touches more into the pop-rock sounds she’s been experimenting with. 

Her change in aesthetic a testimony to her adaptability, Riotgrrldarko’s lyrics still ring very much so true to her character — fearless, unbothered by the haters, and in a lane of her own making. “I wanna be my own inspiration,” she said in 2022. “It’s like when you’re putting together a puzzle. You get frustrated, have to put it back together, and come back to it later. That’s literally my life when it comes to music.” 

Her presence in the scene is a vital and undeniable one. Although Riotgrrrldarko has been on many lineups — often with artists who complement her sound or delve more deeply into one of the genres she’s incorporated into her work — the fact remains that no one makes music right now that sounds like her.  

This multifaceted artist holds many other titles: mother of two, doula, graphic designer, piercing apprentice, jewelry maker, and chef. She has made it abundantly clear that anything she wants to do is within reach — it just depends on what she wants to hold onto for the day. 

Riotgrrrldarko has already hinted on her social media about getting back into the booth for new work and has featured on lineups of prominent local artists’ shows around the Twin Cities. Most recently, she opened for Vial at their album release show and North American tour kick-off at the Whole Music Club on April 6. 

There’s no telling what she’ll do next, but if you follow the scent of Juicy Couture to the nearest mosh, there’s a good chance Riotgrrrldarko will be in the center of it. 

Related:      Minnesota Music Month Scouting Report 2024: The top 11 new local artists

Minnesota Music Month Scouting Report 2024: The complete ballots