This article previously appeared on Audiomack World.

FNF Chop

Hometown: Richmond, VA

Virginia’s FNF Chop saw his career take off while he was incarcerated. His 2019 single “Walk Down” gained viral momentum in 2021, leading to a re-shot video in the rapper’s absence. But, after being released from jail at the end of 2021, he hit the ground running, signing to RCA Records and collaborating with artists like YungManny and Fivio Foreign. His most recent single “Yea Yea Yea” is built around a minimal bassline, leaving Chop’s deep voice plenty of room to make the skeletal production his own.

skaiwater

Hometown: Nottingham, UK

After making waves in the underground with his melodic sound over the last few years, UK artist skaiwater earned his breakout moment with “miles,” a bright pop-rap song that plays on the recent Jersey club influence in both regional and online rap spaces. Who better, then, to guest on the more uptempo remix to the track than Lil Uzi Vert, who himself has adopted his hometown’s club-rap sound on recent single “Just Wanna Rock.” The new version of “miles” trades the original’s sparse approach for dance floor-ready bass and energy.

22gfay

Hometown: San Diego, CA

West Coast rap has a long history of thugged-out singers, dating back to the late Nate Dogg. But in recent years, this mantle has been taken up by a new generation with artists like Yhung T.O. and Kalan Fr.Fr adopting a melodic approach to West Coast street rap. San Diego’s 22gfay is an artist in this same lineage, using modern West Coast production to sing about the trials and tribulations of life in the street as he does on his new project, Stay For A Lil. On “Sippin N Swervin,” he brings LA artist Bravo The Bagchaser into his world as the two trade verses in between 22gfay’s catchy hook.

BabyDrill

Hometown: Atlanta, GA

“Bitch, I pull up on my opps more than my fuckin’ pops,” BabyDrill raps on the opening line of “Imposters,” setting the tone for the sinister song. BabyDrill is of 21 Savage’s stoic reality raps’ lineage. Coming out of Young Nudy’s PDE camp, Drill deals in unremorseful menace but not without his own stylistic flourishes. On the second verse of “Imposters,” a standout from his recent Drill Season project, he raps, “Put down the Glock, pick up the mic, show ‘em I got bars / Pick up the Glock before I leave, show ‘em I’m a shooting star.”

PME JayBee

Hometown: Little Rock, AR

Arkansas rapper PME JayBee starts off his recent song “Coach Carter” with a Robert Johnson-esque anecdote about meeting the devil at the crossroads. What follows is a bluesy track on which JayBee reflects on his relationship with his father and repeatedly doubles down on his solitary ways. His gravelly baritone works well over the guitar licks and bassline, and his lyrics give off the impression of a wayward young rapper dealing with newfound success and past trauma simultaneously.

21 Lil Harold

Hometown: Atlanta, GA

21 Lil Harold is a fast-rising rapper from 21 Savage’s Slaughter Gang camp who often seems to opt for sample-based production. The latest reference he’s rapping over is “Misdemeanor”—a 1973 track by child soul star Foster Sylvers—and the track provides a cinematic backdrop for his hard-hitting “Robbin Season.” Over the catchy vocal chop, Harold recounts his history of taking other people’s stuff, at one point rapping, “First gun that I tote, it was a 30-round / First rhyme that I wrote, I made a hundred thou’.”

MAC CRITTER

Hometown: Memphis, TN

MAC CRITTER’s “Dig Dat” opens with a vocal sample from Project Pat’s “Gorilla Pimp,” just one of the tracks from the Memphis rapper’s recent CRITTERCAL CONDITION project to reference the hometown legend. The recent signee to Gucci Mane’s 1017 label takes a conversational approach on “Dig Dat,” delivering clever one-liners in between the beat’s wandering bassline. On recent singles and collaborations, like the recent “Act Up” with Lil Double 0, Critter opts for a more contemporary uptempo Memphis sound but the skeletal beat and laid-back flow on “Dig Dat” make the song an immediate standout in his growing catalog.

CLIP

Hometown: New York, NY

New York’s CLIP has been making underground waves both in her hometown and online for the past few years, finding an audience for her avant-garde raps and the cloudy beats she chooses. Her debut EP, September’s PERCEPTION, shows the full range of her sound, drawing on moody R&B, drum and bass, and more to create a unique palette. “Villain,” a short but sweet highlight from the project, finds CLIP describing her own inclination towards escapism over a haunting, ethereal beat.

BigXthaPlug

Hometown: Dallas, TX

Dallas’ BigXthaPlug has established himself as one of the preeminent voices coming out of Texas over the last year. On his recent single “I Know,” he teams up with Texas legend Sauce Walka for a high-energy affair. BigX’s booming voice is an excellent foil for Sauce Walka’s uncontained, animated delivery, as the two trade verses over a sturdy piano line.

Gloss Up

Hometown: Memphis, TN

GloRilla may be the biggest success story out of Memphis this year, but collaborator Gloss Up, who recently signed to the illustrious Quality Control label, has been making a mark of her own. On “Alone,” her recently released single on the label, she asserts her independence, making it clear she doesn’t need anyone else but herself. “I’ll thug alone before I hang around a fraud / I’m always by myself, bitch, I never need a broad,” she repeats on the song’s hook. 

By Ben Dandridge-Lemco for Audiomack