Across REVOLT’s “Off The Record,” resident music curator and host Elsie has walked us through the history of neo-soul, explored how sampling has evolved in Hip Hop, and so much more. Along with dropping some much-appreciated knowledge on viewers, she’s brought plenty of entertaining guests along for the ride.
Her very first was Rapsody, who opened up about creating Please Don’t Cry and the importance of storytelling in rap. Since then, Elsie’s chatted with Ray Vaughn, Naomi Sharon, DUCKWRTH, and many more. With every new episode, the names — and the conversations — keep getting bigger and better.
With that in mind, here are some of the best guests on “Off The Record,” from Wale to Samara Cyn, and everyone in between!
1. Ray Vaughn
Ray Vaughn sat down with Elsie toward the end of a banner year, during which he became an XXL Freshman and found himself in one of 2025's most talked-about rap feuds with Joey Bada$$. Both topics inevitably came up during their conversation.
Speaking on the XXL moment, the “Ten Toes Down” rapper praised his “twin” Samara Cyn — the two share a birthday — and admitted they were both “irritated” with how the cyphers turned out. “The music was off, and we were just like, ‘We gotta rap on this beat?’” Vaughn said, before emphasizing how much the opportunity still meant to him.
Vaughn also opened up about getting feedback from Kendrick Lamar amid his lyrical back-and-forth with Joey. “Kendrick [was] like, ‘It’s cooked. It’s too many n**gas jumping, too many n**gas having an opinion toward it now,’’ he recalled. “Any man that’s standing on his own against 20 different people, he’s going to look like he’s Superman.”
2. Wale
Elsie’s sit-down with Wale came at a special moment for the DMV stalwart, who just finished celebrating 10 years of his annual WaleMania. “[I’m] just feeling a lot of things. That’s the best way I could describe it,” he shared, sitting across from her on the couch. While the “Bad” rapper admitted he didn’t expect the event to last a full decade, he said it still “hits different” looking back at all the memories he’s made.
Being the legendary artist he is, Wale had plenty to talk about, like signing with Def Jam and infusing Afrobeats into his music. There really isn't a moment here that didn't prove just how ahead of his time he’s always been.
3. Naomi Sharon
Being OVO Sound’s first lady comes with its fair share of pressure, but Naomi Sharon has handled it with grace. During her conversation with Elsie, the “Definition of Love” singer recalled that DM — yes, the one from Drake that ultimately led to her signing — which she received while shopping at Zara, of all places. “I didn’t expect him to actually listen to my music and come back three hours later and be like, ‘We have to talk about this, and I would love to get you on a phone call and tell you what I have in mind,’” she shared.
Sharon also discussed the deep house influences behind her label debut, Obsidian, and how it compared to her follow-up EP, The Only Love We Know. The Rotterdam-born artist admitted performing songs from Obsidian live could be “kind of boring,” which is why the 2025 offering felt much “warmer.” She explained, “It’s also because I’m in a better place.” Before wrapping up, Sharon revealed her dream collaborators (spoiler alert: it’s SZA and Justin Bieber).
4. DUCKWRTH
The second DUCKWRTH appeared shirtless on camera with a “F**k You, You F**kin’ F**k” pin on his blazer, we just knew his “Off The Record” episode was about to be entertaining. And sure enough, it was. The SuperGood creator opened up about stepping into alt-rock, his approach to making music, and, maybe most interestingly, how people “shop through humans as if we’re shopping for a bag” on dating apps.
5. Amindi
Amindi is a Luvr girl through and through, and if her interview with Elsie proved anything, it’s that she’s also a good guest. She spoke about putting together the EP, which housed fan favorites like “Kisses” and “Yes, Indeed,” as well as touring with her “Lockjaw 2” collaborator Amaarae. The two even debated whether Frank Ocean’s channel ORANGE or Blonde is the better album (it’s channel ORANGE all day, at least for Elsie and Amindi), which made for some of the episode’s best moments.
6. Samara Cyn
Samara Cyn is the Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill-approved artist you need to know, something she proved during her conversation with Elsie. After complimenting each other’s grills and tooth gems, the “Chrome” rapper opened up about how a “super wild” experience involving an armed home invasion pushed her to pursue music seriously. She also discussed her early music influences and handling her newfound fame at the time.
Cyn even manifested her Smino collaboration, “brand new teeth,” less than a year before they toured and worked together: “I would love to get one in with Smino. Yeah, he’s so fire.” She also said she’d love to link up with André 3000 — even “if he wants to come play the freaking flute” — as well as Big Boi, Isaiah Rashad, and Tyler, The Creator.
7. Dua Saleh
Whether you were introduced to them through Netflix’s “Sex Education” or singles like “day to day” and “want,” Dua Saleh's talent clearly knows no bounds. Sitting down with Elsie, they chopped it up about acting, breaking barriers in R&B, and what the future might look like.
8. SHERIE
SHERIE has writing credits with some of music’s biggest names, including Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, K-pop group TWICE, and even Ariana Grande, whose song “positions” she broke down working on during “Off The Record.” Originally brought in as a string player, SHERIE saw an opportunity to lay down some vocals, and, as fate would have it, the track became the title song on Grande’s sixth studio album. “That was really cool to experience,” she recalled.
Few people understand the ups and downs of the music business better than songwriters, and SHERIE used her time on the show to offer advice for those looking to find their footing. She also reflected on her own project, YOURS DEEPLY. “It’s me navigating my struggle of dealing with trauma and things of the past that I dealt with,” she told Elsie.