Depending on what artist you’re looking at, there are certain limits or ceilings on some of their careers. While they may start out with endless possibilities, some emcees tend to box themselves into a style that fans truly enjoy, but it limits their ability to branch out and try different things. One musician that I think has done a remarkable job at keeping their options open and delivering a myriad of sounds is YSL’s youngest signee Young Kayo. Kayo has been on my radar for a couple of years now, and as time has gone on, he has stretched into various genres that I never predicted. In fact, there have been a few different occasions where I listened to one of his songs that I really enjoyed, but I had to search on Google to see if this was the same artist or if it was someone else who went by the same name. If that doesn’t spell diverse, then I don’t know what will. Kayo has been making plenty of moves throughout his youth, but in order to celebrate his 19th birthday, he decided to surprise fans with a brand-new EP aptly called Nineteen. Although there are only 7 …

It’s honestly hard to think of an artist who has put in as much work as aldn has this year. Notice how I said “as much”, because I really don’t think that anyone has been able to exceed his output whatsoever. I mean, the 21-year-old has released numerous projects, tons of music videos, and he has been on a few tours including his recent debut headlining tour that sold out in major cities all over the country including New York, Chicago, Washington DC, and Boston, amongst other meccas. With so much going on, I feel like it should be impossible to not only make the amount of music that he has but also ensure that everything is as high quality as it is, so for that and plenty of other things, I give him all the props in the entire world. Earlier this month, the Virginia native dropped yet another EP entitled post spring self destruction that boasts 7 songs running just under 19 minutes, and with features like Tom the Mail Man as well as Riovaz, you already know how impeccable this effort was bound to be. When I saw that he dropped a Tommy Kiljoy-directed visual for the …

Although there are so many artists that I could mention who have made a massive impact on me this year, I think the trophy rightfully goes to Destroy Lonely. I know that he has been making waves in the music business for a few years at this point, but I just got hip to him in 2022, and I’ve been making up for lost time ever since. He just has this extremely unique style that is even more captivating thanks to his out-of-the-box flows and one of a kind voice, but the thing that I appreciate most about him is the fact that he is never afraid to push his limits and experiment with something new. At the same time, even these experiments seem to remain in a similar lane to a sound that he has made his own, so even if they’re different or unpredictable, they seem to make perfect sense with the overall aesthetic that he has built for himself. As big of a fan as I am, I somehow completely overlooked the fact that he dropped a deluxe version of his album NO STYLIST entitled NS+ (Ultra) that contributed another 5 songs and just about 13 minutes …

After quite some time deliberating and keeping fans on the edge of their seats, SoFaygo finally dropped off Pink Heartz, his long-awaited and highly anticipated album. This effort boasts 16 songs, some new and some singles that we’ve had the pleasure of listening to before, but regardless, we have about 53 minutes of new music from the Atlanta by way of Grand Rapids emcee, and I couldn’t be more excited. It has already been out for a few weeks, and while I haven’t necessarily listened to it on repeat, I am undeniably thrilled to have it in our hands and listen at our leisure because Faygo never disappoints whatsoever. Oftentimes when I’m listening to a new album, I enjoy all of the sounds and new content, but I find myself overlooking the main theme of particular tracks because of the entire scope of the surrounding album, so I honestly didn’t quite realize the meaning behind “Goin Back”. Thankfully, my eyes were opened to the song’s narrative after Faygo teamed up with Declan Kyle to shoot a music video for the hit track, and I was actually able to appreciate the narrative that the emcee had in mind while bringing this …

KAI is a young upcoming artist from Chicago whose music I became a fan of a couple of years back when he dropped a record called “Brookfield Zoo”. That song itself and the EP that it was a part of was fantastic, so I’ve kept a close tab on Kai’s music since that point. Just the other day, Kai released a new offering called “Akeelah and The Bee”, and it’s been in heavy rotation on my Spotify since its release. One aspect of Kai’s music that he really excels with is his beat selection, he always seems to have the cleanest + most soothing instrumentals, and this track is a great example of that. Of course, Kai’s rapping ability over these instrumentals is what brings it all together, he provided some great flows with a confident delivery here, making for an all-around great offering.

Southern rap is ruling the airwave in 2022. 17-year-old Big Bratt from Chattanooga, Tennessee is a new face on the block with a tremendous amount of potential to make it far in her career. Influenced by Southern hip-hop legends like Boosie, MJG, and 8Ball, Big Bratt quickly learned how to make beats and began to share her remixes on social media. With the release of her single “Rich Rollxn,” she began to build up more traction for herself. Recently, the rising talent signed to Metro Boomin (Boominati) and 21 Savage (Slaughter Gang). “When God closed one door he opened 2 even bigger ones.” Bratt replied when asked about signing with some of the biggest names in Hip-Hop today. Last week, Big Bratt shared her latest single “Hope.” Directed by Oneshotskott, the up-and-coming artist celebrated her signing alongside Metro Boomin, 21 Savage, family, and friends. Her hard-hitting bars mixed with her signature deep Southern drawl is a recipe for perfection. Big Bratt is a promising artist on the rise who deserves your attention this year. Check out her latest single below.