Regions around the country to watch for new hip-hop, R&B talent
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As hip-hop continues to grow into one of the most popular music genres and inspire new sub-genres, more cities across the U.S. have become hubs for up-and-coming rap and R&B stars. Many new or underrated rappers hail from different areas, drawing attention to those cities as petri dishes for fresh talent.
New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and countless others have already cemented themselves as breeding grounds for musical talents, but others are now pushing out immense ability in rap and R&B. A certain few stand out above the rest, holding the potential to blow up as the next huge sector for music.
Orlando, Florida
Florida has always been a major hub for rap, but most of the big names grew up in the southern region of the state. North Florida is experiencing a recent surge in talent, with Orlando generating lots of mainstream buzz.
Following collaborations with the likes of Future, 42 Dugg and other stars, Hotboii became a name to watch in melodic rap. Currently signed to Interscope Records, Hotboii became one of the first rappers to generate mainstream attention out of Orlando, with his 2020 single “Don’t Need Time” gathering 80 million views on YouTube and spawning a remix with Atlanta rapper Lil Baby.
Hotboii’s 2020 album “Kut Da Fan On” drew even more interest on the new face of Florida’s melodic rap stage. His single “Nobody Special” featuring Future was a huge hit after his debut project, hitting over 30 million plays on Spotify and attracting the attention of other southern rappers.
After dropping his 2019 album “Heart Full of Rage,” Tyla Yaweh became another name to watch in the growing North Florida market. Yaweh’s breakout single “Tommy Lee,” featuring megastar Post Malone, sent the rapper to new heights, amassing over 180 million Spotify streams and peaking at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 Rap/R&B Charts.
Yaweh’s more recent work has featured Gunna, Wiz Khalifa and Trippie Redd, and he continues to make a name for himself in a very competitive melodic rap market.
Upstate and Central New York (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, etc.)
Upstate and central New York rap has flown under the radar for years, with three creative geniuses out of Buffalo creating the most noise in the more underground game.
Westside Gunn, his cousin Benny the Butcher and his brother Conway — known as the leaders of the independent record label Griselda — have been holding down the fort for Buffalo rap. Gunn’s squeaky vocals mixed with Conway and Benny’s deep, husky tones set them apart from many other independent artists.
Westside Gunn is a name that’s been in the game for almost two decades. His first ever mixtape dropped in 2005, but he didn’t see real success until he released his first major album, “Flygod,” in 2016. Conway and Benny have been along for the ride with Westside Gunn, all collaborating on different projects and developing Griselda.
Recently, Benny the Butcher has seen more streams and overall success, with songs like “Johnny P’s Caddy” featuring J. Cole and “One Way Flight” featuring Freddie Gibbs elevating his resume.
Newburgh, New York rapper and Grammy award-winning songwriter Pardison Fontaine, saw immediate success after his single “Backin’ It Up” with Cardi B peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Following this chart topper, Fontaine helped co-write Kanye West’s 2018 album “ye,” and other hits such as Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” and “Savage,” by Megan Thee Stallion, his current girlfriend.
Syracuse artist Scorey blew up in 2020 following the release of his single “Moods.: The success drew attention from Chicago’s Polo G, who asked the Syracuse phenom to join his label Only Dreamers Achieve. Since the signing, Scorey’s 2021 EP “Catch Me If You Can” saw three songs reach over 10 million plays on Spotify. He also had an appearance on Polo G’s last project.
Mobile, Alabama
Within the past two years, Mobile, Alabama has become a hotbed for some of the biggest up-and-coming artists in rap and R&B.
In the R&B spotlight, Bleu has become a major rising star, all kicking off with his remix of “You’re Mines Still” with hip-hop icon Drake, peaking at 18 on the Hot 100 and earning RIAA double platinum certifications.
Bleu’s powerful, emotionally-driven voice made him a mainstay in the R&B community, as his most recent project “Moon Boy” drew features from huge names such as John Legend, Chris Brown and international talent Davido.
Known for having impeccable wordplay and hidden references in tracks across his catalog, NoCap remains as one of the most interesting members to come out of this Mobile, Alabama rap class.
His 2020 album “Steel Human” had fans diving throughout the project looking for secret messages, with pop culture hints scattered in many of the songs. On “By Tonight,” he name drops two NFL players, Eric Reid and Robert Griffin III, in the same line, stating “I’m like Eric, I don’t do too much a talking, it be hard for you to read me, so these glocks ain’t got no safety, I watched a ton like RG3.”
This clever wordplay was what led NoCap to sign to NBA Youngboy’s label Never Broke Again, distributed by Universal Music, and Atlantic Records, something that has helped the wordsmith up his talent and experience.
As a member of Lil Baby’s 4 Pockets Full (4PF), Rylo Rodriguez is yet another Mobile artist shedding light to the growing Alabama music scene.
Rodriguez has always had an ear for sounds and sample loops, with that being a big reason why he blew up in the first place, flipping guitar and R&B samples into instrumentals. After coming up in the industry with NoCap, Rodriguez signed to 4PF in 2020, where he immediately started to make hits with Lil Baby in “Forget That” and “Walk,” which came off of his first studio album “G.I.H.F.”
Louisville, Kentucky
Besides popular rapper/songwriter Static Major and the breakout of Bryson Tiller, Louisville had not been thought of as a spot for growing artists, but that has slowly changed.
Now one of the most popular names in mainstream hip-hop, Jack Harlow’s early work did not seem to gain national attention outside of his market until his 2018 album “Loose” and 2019’s “Confetti,” which saw Harlow link up with other Louisville musicians like Tiller and EST Gee. But radio hit “What’s Poppin” blew the rapper over the top, becoming one of the biggest songs of 2020 and pioneering a remix with Tory Lanez, DaBaby and Lil Wayne.
Showcasing the skillset EST Gee brewed from before the spotlight, his 2020 album “I Still Don’t Feel Nun,” introduced a new raspy, menacing style to trap music.
The rapper was shot four times in 2019 and had to deal with the losses of his mother and brother the following year, and he uses those experiences to discuss life-and-death experiences in his music.
His October 2022 project “I Never Felt Nun,” debuted at number one on the Billboard top rap albums charts, sparking the start of an even brighter future for the Louisville superstar.
