Out of everything DJBooth did in 2014, I might be the most proud of launching this Top Prospects series. In our first crew alone we had Mick Jenkins, before he even dropped The Water[s], and Janine & The Mixtape, before she signed to Atlantic and dropped that awesome song with Pusha T.

But in the truest spirit of Top Prospects, while we want to see our selections soar to great heights, this isn't about hype or sales or signing to a label, this is about highlighting new and truly extraordinary artists, and I feel like we've done that with each and every selection. These are all artists we genuinely believe are pushing music into new and unexplored areas, and they're doing it at a time in their careers when there's still that thrill of discovery, that charge that shoots through your spine when you hear an amazing new artist for the first time.  

So with that said, it's time to announce our third group of Top Prospects. 

Pros·pect [pros-pekt]
Noun: an apparent probability of advancement. Anticipation; expectation; a looking forward
Verb: to search or explore
More: Click here for more detailed criteria of what makes someone a Top Prospect. 

• Allan Rayman
• Eric Biddines
• Saba
• Duckwrth

Beginning in January of 2015, we'll be unleashing in-depth profiles of each artist, culminating in a Top Prospects EP comprised of exclusive music from each of them. I couldn't be more excited to close out our inaugural year of Top Prospects and I can't wait to share even more awesomeness with DJBooth Nation in the coming months. Music is the greatest. 

[Nathan S. is the managing editor of The DJBooth and a hip-hop writer. He also occasionally talks in podcast form and appears on RevoltTV. His beard is awesome. This is his Twitter.]