JR. RHODES Gets Vulnerable on New EP
“a waiting king.”
Edmonton artist JR. RHODES turns faith, identity, love and resilience into his most personal project yet.
Edmonton’s independent hip-hop scene has another project worth paying attention to.
JR. RHODES has officially released his new six-track EP, a waiting king., marking one of the most personal chapters in the artist’s career so far. The project arrives as RHODES continues to build momentum following his 2026 Western Canadian Music Award nomination for Rap & Hip Hop Artist of the Year.
Leading the EP is “trying.”, the project’s second single and emotional centrepiece. Built around cinematic production and vulnerable songwriting, the track captures the feeling of trying to keep moving forward while navigating faith, growth and everything that comes with finding your identity.
Across a waiting king., RHODES gets introspective without losing the musicality that makes his sound stand out. The Edmonton artist moves between hip-hop, soul and funk, blending rich live instrumentation with theatrical influences to create something that feels both expansive and deeply personal.
“Music has always been how I process faith, identity, and growth.”
— JR. RHODES
The project also pulls from RHODES’ South Asian heritage and nearly a decade of experience as a songwriter and producer. Rather than chasing a single sound, a waiting king. feels intentionally self-contained, with RHODES writing, arranging and producing the project himself.
A small circle of collaborators helped bring “trying.” to life, including Kathryn Johnson on background vocals, Kelvin Puyaoan on additional instrumentation and Jagpreet Singh as assistant mixing engineer.
Influenced by artists including Anderson .Paak, Russ and Drake, JR. RHODES continues to carve out his own lane within Canadian hip-hop one where technical ability meets vulnerability and the production is just as important as the story being told.
With a new EP, a major award nomination and a sound that refuses to stay inside one box, JR. RHODES is making it clear that the next chapter is already underway.
Stream a waiting king. now and tap into “trying.” — the latest from JR. RHODES.
LISTEN TO “TRYING.”
symphony.to/jr-rhodes/trying
LISTEN TO A WAITING KING.
symphony.to/jr-rhodes/a-waiting-king-ep
