Between crisp hi-hats and hazy, hypnotic flows, Artyom Nikitin—aka MAYOT—fuses smooth vocal effects with crystalline beats. The trap artist from Tyumen’s first foray into music saw him learn to play rock riffs on guitar, but he soon found rap and cut his teeth alongside his creative colleagues in hip-hop collective Melon Music. In 2019, he won plaudits with fellow artist SEEMEE with their album Scum Off the Pot. He followed it up solo in 2020 with GHETTO GARDEN, transforming minimalist trap motifs into a shimmering soundscape of dexterous vox and sumptuous R&B-tinged melodies along the way.