Breakout Artists Of 2018

The beautiful thing about hip-hop’s growth in the 40 plus years since its inception is the genre’s evolution. It’s grown from an underground movement in the Bronx to the largest genre in the world. This year, hip-hop has dominated the Billboard Hot 100, reflecting America’s mass consumption of the genre. Hip-hop is easily the most accessible genre, to not only consume but to create. Kids can create a hit record in the comfort of their bedrooms, and simply upload it onto Soundcloud with the press of a button. If you’re a young artist, it’s a great way to get your music out, but, still, it has to be able to stand out in such a highly saturated market of artists.

With each year that passes, new rappers emerge. Some of them spearhead a new movement in hip-hop while others innovate what’s already been done. In 2018, a slew of new artists broke out who’ve not only won over hip-hop heads but America as a whole. From Young Thug’s descendants like Gunna and Lil Baby, to the aggressive sounds of 6ix9ine, these newcomers made major breakthroughs. 2018 was a wild time in hip-hop filled with many ups-and-downs, and in the process, some incredible new artists have made their name known this year.

Lil Baby’s come-up is as hip-hop as you could get. After spending a few years behind bars, he was released and dove right into the rap game. The rapper’s career only began in 2017, but within the span of 12 months, he released four mixtapes. The prolific run was clearly a set-up for something bigger. Between the six months between his third solo mixtape, Too Hard and his major label debut, Harder Than Ever, Baby became one of the most talked about up-and-comers. “My Dawg” took over the streets in the summer of 2017 and got an extra boost when the remix with Kodak Black, Moneybagg Yo and Quavo dropped last December.

2018 was Lil Baby’s year. The buzz he gained in the streets translated into commercial success, landing him two top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. The release of “Yes Indeed” with Drake propelled him towards stardom and helped Harder Than Ever debut at #3 on the Billboard 200. Following the release of Harder Than Ever, Baby and his musical partner-in-crime, Gunna, began the campaign to release their highly-anticipated joint project, Drip Harder, which also proved to be another commercial success.

Baby might’ve been doubted earlier this year, but as we prepare to enter 2019, the rapper has washed away any doubt, while he aims to become the next star out of Atlanta.

Gunna is another one of Young Thug’s descendants that gained the praise of the rap game this year. Gunna’s Drip Season series helped the rapper gain the traction in the streets, but Drip Season 3 is what really helped his career breakout beyond the streets this year. With Metro Boomin’ serving as the project’s executive producer and features from Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Durk and more, Gunna got the push he needed to become one of the most sought-after featured artists in the game. He received co-signs from Gucci Mane, who tried to publicly buy Gunna’s contract from Young Thug but ultimately failed, and collaborated with a seemingly never-ending list of names that included Mariah Carey, Usher, and Zaytoven. Gunna proved that he’s not only speaking for the young generation but appealing to the old heads at the same time.

Although he’s yet to receive the same type of mainstream success as his Drip Harder partner, Lil Baby, it’s only a matter of time until he reaches his commercial peak. Gunna landed his first top 10 single as a lead artist on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Drip Too Hard,” but he’s had several entries as a featured artist. Everything Gunna’s touched this year has been fire.

Who would’ve thought a rainbow-headed rapper with 69’s tattooed all over his body would dominate the rap game? Tekashi 6ix9ine has one of the most polarizing come-ups in recent times. The controversy surrounding his child sex case only made him that much more of a visible figure in headlines. His fast rise to the top was sided with a litany of trolls, detractors and the like -- sometimes for good reason, too. The strength of 2017’s “GUMMO” turned him into a meme, but he managed to finesse his Internet notoriety into Billboard Hot 100 hits, all while beefing with rappers such as The Game and YG. With each track he released, he’d hop on Instagram, flex his latest Billboard Hot 100 entry and self-proclaim his title as the “King Of NY.”

6ix9ine’s short run has turned him into an Internet legend of sorts. His debut mixtape, Day69 hit #4 on the Billboard 200, but his follow-up proved that he dominated 2018. After his recent arrest on racketeering and firearms charges, his debut album, DUMMY BOY -- which features Kanye West and Nicki Minaj -- was pushed back and subsequently leaked. In the wake of the leak, Tekashi decided to upload it to streaming services on a Tuesday, giving the rapper just three days of streaming traction. Despite the short amount of time, his album debuted at #2 officially (although, a reported mistake from Nielsen might mean his album is actually number one in the country).

“Mo Bamba” was a slow burner, but in a short amount of time, Sheck Wes became a household name. The viral single dominated the second half of the year which ultimately scored him his first top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100. Over the past six months, Sheck Wes’ 2017 single finally made its impact. Along with “Live SheckWes Die SheckWes,” the Harlem rapper finally picked up steam from his Soundcloud origins to certified mosh-pit anthems.

In the span of four months, Sheck Wes released his debut album, MUDBOY via G.O.O.D Music and Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack label, performed alongside Drake in Toronto and got a shout out by the Canadian rapper on the chart-topping “SICKO MODE”, and toured with Pusha T. If he keeps the momentum going, 2019 could be an even bigger year.

It’s been quite a year for the G.O.O.D Music roster. Among the many moves the imprint made in 2018, arguably the best decisionwas signing Chicago innovator Valee. The release of the “Miami (Remix)” featuring Pusha T -- who was also responsible for signing Valee to G.O.O.D -- was just the beginning, and indeed, it dropped to little fanfare at the time.. Since then, 6ix9ine, Nicki Minaj, Lil Pump and Tyler, The Creator, are among the high-profile rappers who’ve taken a stab at the Chicago native’s flow. GOOD Job, You Found Me was the perfect debut for Valee’s new venture with G.O.O.D Music. The EP was quietly championed across the internet, putting the unaware on notice.

Juice WRLD breakout came as a surprise to some, while the niche Soundcloud market he initially catered to expected it. Interscope announced they signed the Internet sensation at the top of the year and within a few weeks, Juice WRLD’s official run began. “Lucid Dreams” and “All Girls Are The Same” have been inescapable since the spring. The former -- which peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 -- has been in heavy rotation on both pop stations and rap stations, alike. G Herbo claimed that Juice WRLD would be the next Michael Jackson, a bold claim, but the newcomer’s ability to appeal to a wide audience foreshadows what he’s capable of doing in the future. The wide appeal comes from Juice WRLD’s infectious melodies, but he’s proven on numerous occasions that he can ap -- in fact, he can rap better than the majority of his contemporaries that thrive off of melodic delivery. Within the span of a year, Juice WRLD’s gone from Soundcloud sensation to a superstar. He released his major label debut, Good Riddance & Goodbye, and followed it up with his joint project with Future, War On Drugs -- a life-long accomplishment for the Chicago rapper. Juice WRLD has a long way to go, but he’s setting himself up to become the next big thing out in the music industry.

Despite the setbacks, Trippie Redd made his mark this year with the release of his debut album, Life’s A Trip and the third installment of A Love Letter To You series. As “Dark Knight Gummo” with Travis Scott picked up traction towards the end of 2017, he solidified himself among the other young Soundcloud rapper’s who’ve turned Internet buzz into an full-blown career. Trippie’s court issues stemming from an alleged assault on a woman in May prevented him from talking to press, so he told 6ix9ine. Despite the lack of promotion, the Canton, OH rapper landed his first album in the top 10 on the Billboard charts and garnered 100M streams within the first day of its release.

With two top 10 albums under his belt, Trippie Redd is already blazing his own trail in the rap game. His off-kilter but melodic delivery has solidified his place as a leader of the young generation. We’ll have to see what he has up his sleeve in 2019.

Ella Mai has solidified herself as one of the brightest young R&B stars to emerge this year. Under DJ Mustard’s wing, the anthemic “Boo’d Up” began to pick up steam. By the summer, it was damn near impossible to go anywhere without hearing the track. Mai ended up breaking the record for most weeks at #1 for any song by a woman on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. “Boo’d Up” along with “Trip” put a spotlight on Ella Mai and the release of her self-titled debut album, which featured Chris Brown, John Legend and H.E.R, proved that she has more substance than the two hit records she released.

The U.K. songstress has been working for years, but in 2018, she took over the globe, touring with Bruno Mars and performing on Saturday Night Live as the musical guest. Ella Mai is bringing a nostalgic 90’s R&B vibe while positioning herself as a new face of the genre.

J. Cole has a knack for finding talent. The Dreamville roster is a testament to that. The enigmatic J.I.D has recently become one of the most talked about rappers to emerge over the past few years, resulting in high expectations for his sophomore album. In an era where the majority of popular hip-hop music is driven more by melodies, J.I.D still exists in not only the South, but in hip-hop. J.I.D showed signs of promise on The Never Story, but his sophomore project, DiCaprio 2 solidified him as an artist to look-out for-- and not just that, as hard competition too. He hasn’t compromised his lyricism or artistry in any way, much like his label-head, J. Cole. J.I.D already was already positioned for success in 2018, but with his sophomore release, he further cemented himself as the face of lyricism among the new generations of rappers.

With a 15-minute multimedia project, Tierra Whack proved why she’s gunning for GOAT status. The Philly spitter already received praise at 16-years-old (when she went as Dizzle Dizz) from A$AP Rocky, who said she had a “Kendrick flow,” after she rapped an a capella verse for him at a radio station in 2012. An accomplished spoken word poet, Tierra Whack blended every bit of her talent -- from melodies to lyricism -- and bundled it up into her debut album, Whack World. The album’s contract was unorthodox -- fifteen, one-minute long songs that were each accompanied with their own set of visuals. With the backing of Interscope, she used the major label resources to make an impact, not claim a chart position. Tierra Whack might not be making headlines due to social media antics like some other artists in this list, but the strength of her skills has already won over the masses. Meek Mill not only has unreleased music with Tierra Whack, but also recently dubbed her as his favorite new artist. She’s been in the studio with Childish Gambino and received massive praise from the likes of Vince Staples and Solange. Whack has a long way ahead of her, but she’s a force that’s here to stay.