The past couple of years, hip-hop has completely reshaped the music landscape in America. Popular music charts that used to be dominated by artists like Ed Sheeran, Beyonce, Coldplay, and Ariana Grande are falling at the wayside. Hip-hop is taking over everything due to its virality in social media culture and hip-hop subgenres that are attracting fans that wouldn't have previously listened to hip-hop. A downside to this phenomenon is that inescapable pop artists aren’t disappearing, they are now taking the form of rappers. Artists like Drake, Migos, and Post Malone are frequently releasing 20-30 song albums to take advantage of how important streaming numbers are in this streaming-age. A downside to this system is that independent and up-and-coming artists have a difficult time finding a platform to stand out. Services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal focus on promoting already popular artists since it helps their bottom line more than a promising artist. That being said, I personally prefer to promote artists who have their foot in the door but haven’t gained mainstream recognition. Here are a few of my favorites.

JPEGMAFIA

JPEGMAFIA came onto the scene in 2016, and since then he has released three full length projects with unique, explosive producers to give him his distinctive style. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, he has seen race relations only worsen throughout time to give him a voice through music to rap about his culture and how our modern day government and police mistreat black America. He has extremely radical opinions which seem harsh on his social media, but translate well into his music. One of his hit songs, I Might Vote 4 Donald Trump, paints a picture of what America has turned into with the rise of Trump and his presidency, along with futuristic, gritty production that leaves you thinking about what our society has turned into.

JPEGMAFIA - I Might Vote 4 Donald Trump

Foggieraw

Out of all of the artists being covered, no one has a more unique sound than Foggieraw. Originally from Ghana, he merges trap hip-hop production with smooth flows of Ghanaian slang accompanied by English lyrics. His production usually contains heavy-hitting bass along with elements of bubblegum pop which only magnifies the fluidity of his voice. Foggieraw is slowly gaining more recognition with the release of his first full-length project Fogtavious Vandross but has yet to break a million streams on a single track. Once wider audiences hear what he has to offer, he will without a doubt attract a larger fan base.

Foggieraw - Look Like Porzingis

Qari

Hovering at around only 25,000 monthly listeners, Qari is a hidden gem within the Chicago rap scene. His music contains chill and melodic vibes, perfect for fans of hip-hop that don’t like the direction that most modern-day hip-hop is going with energetic and explosive production style. You can credit this to his producer, Mulatto, who was the exclusive producer for his first album Space Jam which has since paved the way for his sound. I hope Qari can find his way to collaborate with artists of all types due to the oversaturation of artists in Chicago which may make it more difficult to break out.

Qari - Pants From Japan

Sheck Wes

Recently cosigned to Travis Scott’s label Cactus Jack and Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music, Sheck Wes has made a lot of noise nationwide within a period of four months despite only four single releases. There isn’t an up-and-coming rap artist that has the energy that Sheck Wes does. He is capitalizing on the boombastic direction that hip-hop is going and it’s working very well for him. He has teased future collaborations with Travis Scott, Lil Yachty, and Young Thug that will most definitely get the Sheck Wes name out there. Once his debut album A Mudboy releases, I have no doubt that everyone will know his name.

Sheck Wes - Live SheckWes Die SheckWes

070 Shake

Danielle Balbuena, better known by her stage name 070 Shake, is an American singer and rapper from New Jersey. Her recent feature on Kanye West’s highly anticipated album Ye, got the public interested on who the euphonic voice was that they heard on the track Ghost Town. That was the case for me, as once I heard her voice I was intrigued to hear more. Her album Glitter is full of the catchy hooks that she brought to the table for Kanye, but the production within it is much more catered to her style. Her style resembles artists like M.I.A. or Rihanna, but her hip-hop influence is much more evident compared to other pop singers. 070 Shake has been slept-on for 3 years, but if the past two months are indicative of the future then you will continue to hear her featured on more ground-breaking tracks.

070 Shake - Mirrors