3 Hot New Hip Hop Stars to Watch This Year
via Social Blackbook
DABABY
Charlotte, North Carolina-based rapper Dababy made headlines in 2017 after videos emerged of him walking around SXSW in nothing but a baby diaper. However, the rapper otherwise known as Jonathon Kirk is no gimmick, he’s serious about making a name for himself in the rap industry. Dababy, formerly known to fans as Baby Jesus, was born in Cleveland but grew up in the rough streets of Charlotte as the youngest of 3 boys, the origin of his stage name. Seemingly new to the rap scene, the 27 year old rapper has actually been putting in work since 2016. After his mixtape “Nonfiction” dropped, Dababy found the spark he was looking for when he dropped his second mixtape of 2016, “Gods Work: Resurrected” featuring the single “Light Show” that hit the charts when Yo Gotti hopped on a remix. The rapper, who has made it clear he is no stranger to the street life, made headlines again in 2018 after shooting a man in self defense in a Walmart parking lot. He told XXL in an interview that he likes to “keep it all about the music rather than the lifestyle I live”, speaking candidly about the struggles he’s faced and how he doesn’t glorify the lifestyle that got him to where he is today. All controversy aside, Dababy inked a deal with Interscope Records at the end of last month, so get familiar with the name.
Watch the music video for “Walker Texas Ranger” by Dababy
KENNY BEATS
Ever run across the name “LOUDPVCK” on festival lineups over the past few years? Half of that EDM duo is Kenneth Blume, the musical chameleon who toured the world with the likes of the Chainsmokers and Borgore; who then quit the dj gig in hopes of working with rappers and returning to his self-professed first true love, Hip-Hop. Now, Kenneth goes by Kenny Beats and his producer tag “Woah, Kenny!” was heard all over the place in 2018, with Kenny producing 80 tracks over the year for rap music heavyweights like Vince Staples, Young Thug, Freddie Gibbs and Key!as well as newcomers like Rico Nasty and JPEG MAFIA, just to name a few. The 27 year old DJ-turned super-producer had quite the year, but he’s not just sending in beats for his artists. Kenny tailors beats to his artists requests, mixes and records the songs, engineers and even sometimes lends a hand in vocal writing. He attributes his ability to cater to the artists vision directly to his time spent in EDM, telling Pitchfork in an interview that when he’s mixing rap, he’s “calling EDM producers to ask about compressors and reverb”. The Connecticut native has his name on over 80 production credits from last year, and he’s just getting started.
Check out some of Kenny Beats latest projects, “Dig It” with Key! and “Feels like Summer” by Vince Staples and Ty Dolla $ign
BASS SANTANA
Let me preface this artists introduction with “you heard it here first.” Broward county native and member of the late XXXTentacion’s group ‘Members Only’, Bass Santana is making himself known on the roster of notable South Florida rappers. Bass Santana was first heard on “Members Only: Vol. 3”, but he set himself apart and with the release of “Before the Mosh”, a 14-track compilation of all self-written, self-produced songs. Not much is known about the rappers background aside from him being close with late rapper XXXTentacion, but expect to hear his name more as the year goes on. Until then, check out this freestyle the rapper killed when Members Only dropped by Real 92.3 studios in LA.
Cardi B’s On Her Way to an Even Bigger 2019
Unless you spent the majority of the past two years living under a rock, it’s safe to say Cardi B has become a household name. It’s been a fast climb but Cardi B may be on her way to an even bigger 2019.
The Bronx rapper stormed onto the scene in 2017, setting herself apart from her time spent on Love & Hip Hop when she dropped her second mixtape, “GBMV2”. A month later, Cardi was signed to Atlantic Records and by June was nominated for 9 BET awards. The same month, Cardi dropped her chart-topping hit “Bodak Yellow”, breaking records and making herself known as a real force in the world of hip-hop. Speculation arose over who actually penned the lyrics to the song, which she later gave credit to another New York native, Pardison Fontaine, for co-writing the hit. Many believed this would be the peak of Cardi B’s 15 minutes of fame, but it was just the beginning for the reality-star-turned-rapper.
By 2018, Cardi B had 5 top 10 singles on the charts, becoming the first woman to do so and beating none other than Beyonce’s previously held record of 4. Her song“Bodak Yellow” was nominated for two Grammys, best rap song and best rap performance. In April, she released her first full length album, Invasion of Privacy, debuting at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 and going on to become a double-platinum LP. She announced her pregnancy with then-husband Offset from the Migos, performed a killer set at Coachella pregnant as hell, and then became the first woman rapper to ever have two singles top the charts with the second single from her album, “I like it” featuring J Balvin and Bad Bunny.
Cardi gave birth to Kulture in July and returned to the spotlight a month later at the VMA’s where she was nominated for a whopping 12 awards, and taking home 3 wins. The rest of her year turned out to be an emotional roller coaster. Many had thought Cardi’s beef with Nicki Minaj had died down when she was involved in an altercation with the other female rapper at a NYFW, where Cardi threw a shoe at Minaj. That same month, her “Bodak Yellow” ghost writer Pardison Fontaine released “Rap Charlemagne (Say What I Want)” over the beat of Nicki Minaj’s “Hard White”, which would be taken down in less than 12 hours due to copyright claims. Cardi then teamed up with Pardison again days after their NYFW altercation for the track “Backin’ it Up”, where she touches on her feud with Nicki with the verse, “Bitches think they fucking with me, must be sick in the head/ Why don’t you chill with the beef and get some chicken instead.” This has all built up anticipation for 2019.
So far she has started off hot. Dropping hints on Instagram Live of an album already in the works, Cardi B plans to secure the throne as best female rapper. Cardi is busy though. She’s currently finishing up a tour in New Zealand, and on February 2nd will be performing at Bud Light’s Super Bowl Music Fest in Atlanta. Her name is on 2019 festival lineups across the globe, from Hangout Festival in Alabama to Primavera in Spain. She also just teamed up with City Girls to release the song and video “Twerk” (below), a booty-filled video that also includes a cameo of Muzik headphones, the up and coming company that just received $70 million in funding from big names like Michael Jordan and Drake. Will Cardi B be teaming up with Beats by Dre’s emerging rival Muzik for those money moves too? Will her beef with Nicki Minaj carry on through the new year? Only time will tell, and we’ve got the whole year ahead of us.
Haley Green 