12.06.2023

Keep On Eye On These Artists In 2024

Despite yearly inquiries into the health of the genre, hip-hop continues to produce an astonishing number of talented new artists. It can be challenging to keep up with the new names that sprout up by the day–each one has their own story and vital perspective to offer. We at Audible Treats have long specialized in telling these stories and bringing them to the masses, cultivating their public images and building momentum until they reach a new echelon of success.

Over the past year, we’ve been lucky to work with some of the most promising voices in hip-hop today. Ice Spice parlayed her bubbly pop drill sound into household name status, becoming the first Audible Treats client to earn a Best New Artist nomination at the GRAMMY Awards. Sexyy Red burst onto the scene as her most authentic and unapologetic self, putting her music forward and daring the rest of the game to catch up. Ice and Sexyy are merely the latest artists in whose rise we played a major role, including Lil Durk, Rod Wave, Latto, $NOT, Morray, Victoria Monet, Maxo Kream, and many more.

Our roster is full of spectacular talents, any of whom could follow in the footsteps of Ice Spice or Sexyy Red and become the next big thing. Some of the below artists have already had massively successful years in 2023, but have barely scratched the surface of their potential. Others have flown under the radar, waiting for their moment to pounce. Either way, you’ll hear their names a lot in the coming year.

Take a look below to get familiar with some of the brightest rising stars in the industry today, and why we think they’ll blow up in 2024.

We are very proud of our track record, and have the receipts to back it up! Take a look at how some of last year’s AT Next selections elevated their games over in 2023:

ICE SPICE:

• Four 2024 Grammy Award nominations, including Best New Artist
• Four Billboard Top 10 hits, including collaborations with Nicki Minaj and PinkPantheress, and solo Hot 100 hits like “Deli” & “In Ha Mood”
• Profiled in outlets that ranged from The New York Times to The Cut to DAZED
• She partnered with Dunkin to create her own (very sugary) drink, and starred in a national ad campaign alongside Ben Affleck

LOLA BROOKE:

• Named a 2023 XXL Freshman, and earned raves for her freestyle and cypher
• Scored her first Hot 100 hit with “Don’t Play With It” (Remix) ft. Billy B, Latto & Yung Miami
• Released her debut album, Dennis Daughter, with appearances from Bryson Tiller, French Montana, Rico Nasty & more

DC THE DON:

• Won XXL’s 10th Spot fan vote, earning him a spot on the 2023 XXL Freshman list
• Released his ambitious third album, FUNERAL, which borrowed elements from genres across the spectrum
• Sold out several dates of his headlining “FUNERAL Tour” and performed at Rolling Loud for the first time

And now, some of our clients who could reach another level in 2024…

THAT MEXICAN OT

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Rolling “r’s” with abandon through his diamond-studded grin, That Mexican OT made a major first impression in 2023. The modern day cowboy and Bay City, TX native broke into the mainstream with his massive hit “Johnny Dang,” a barred-out banger that connected him with Houston legend Paul Wall. OT built upon that hit with a singular From The Block (or should we say, From The Ranch) performance, going viral for rhyming his verse with a live chicken under his arm. Spending 12 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 with a #65 peak, “Johnny Dang” was merely the start of an inevitable rise, marked by follow-up singles like the bilingual, Tejano anthem “Barrio” ft. Lefty SM, and the villainesque piano-led romper “Cowboy Killer.” OT collected these songs on his ambitious, critically acclaimed concept album, Lonestar Luchador, which peaked at #59 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album paved the way for the fast-selling “Lonestar Luchador Tour,” selling out dates in markets across the country.

Though That Mexican OT enjoyed success in 2023, it feels like his potential is only beginning to be realized. His sound reflects the cultural melting pot of his home, Texas’s gulf coast, mixing Houston rap with Tejano attitude, cowboy aesthetics, and an infectious joy for making music. Hailing from a historic rap region and with talent to spare, look for That Mexican OT to continue his rise to rap’s A-List next year.

 

 BKTHERULA   

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Whether she’s attacking the mic with hard-nosed rhymes or painting the contours of instrumentals with burbling melodies, Bktherula is as real as it gets. Since her first cult hit in 2019, “Tweakin Together,” she’s blazed her own trail through the Atlanta scene, commanding a cult fanbase with her bite-sized anthems. In 2023, Bk ascended to LVL5, sharing the mixtape LVL5 P1, which Pitchfork called one of the “best under-the-radar rap mixtapes of 2023” and earned coverage in V Magazine, DAZED, and NME, among others. The tape featured collabs with Destroy Lonely and Rico Nasty, and tape highlight “Crazy Girl” earned a remix featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again. As she built buzz with LVL5 P1 and the “LVL5 Tour,” Bk’s older music started to gain traction on TikTok (particularly her song “Uh Huh,” which has over 70k creations), becoming the soundtrack for a “zesty” dance trend that took over high schools and colleges across the nation.

Still only 21-years-old, Bk is primed to expand her cult in the next year. Her bite-sized bangers and brutally honest mini-ballads are perfectly suited to the modern moment, her expressive delivery imparting more emotion in their short run times than many rappers put into an entire full length. Next year, the innovative artist hits the road with a fellow internet-savvy star, PinkPantheress, and prepares to rise even further with LVL5 P2.

OXLADE

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Affectionately known as Lagos’s “Prince of Afropop,” Oxlade already has a global hit to his name. His 2022 song “Ku Lo Sa” enraptured Afrobeats fans across the globe, when he performed the song on COLORS. The “COLORS” version of “Ku Lo Sa” captured the passion and pipes that make Oxlade a special vocalist, becoming a major hit with over 300 million global streams and racking up over 78 million YouTube views.

With “Ku Lo Sa” in his rearview, Oxlade turns his attention toward his forthcoming debut album, Oxlade From Africa. Though he’s been a fixture in the Nigerian scene since releasing 2020’s “Away,” he believes that Oxlade From Africa will be his defining statement. Oxlade started the road toward OFA in 2023, reaching the UK Official Charts with “Intoxycated,” his collaboration with Dave. Most recently, Oxlade showed his range, sharing the confident and gorgeous epic “KATIGORI” and the amapiano-inflected dancefloor banger “Piano.”

With Oxlade From Africa on the way, the golden-voiced artist plans to reach a new echelon of stardom. Sit back and watch his rise.

YTB FATT

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The home of horrocore and thunderous Tennessee trap, Memphis is universally regarded as one of hip-hop’s most vital cities. Located just across the Mississippi, however, is West Memphis, Arkansas, a small exurb in the larger city’s sphere of influence, which is best known for an infamous court case, not for producing famous rap stars. That is, until YTB Fatt started his meteoric rise in 2023.

Fatt started his career as many southern rappers do: building a following on YouTube. Throughout 2022, the rapper who calls himself Fox showcased his breathless flow and sly charisma on a series of local hits, culminating in early 2023 with the release of “Get Back,” his breakthrough hit (25 million streams). “Get Back” drew the attention of Moneybagg Yo, who signed Fatt to his Bread Gang imprint, and featured Fatt on two highlights from his album: “Shot Off Gumbo” (10 million YouTube views) and “Rock Out,” which also features Lil Durk.

This summer, Fatt capitalized on his momentum by releasing Who Is Fatt, his debut mixtape. Who Is Fatt charted on Billboard and Apple Music, reaching #4 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums and charting as high as #12 on Apple Music’s All-Genre Album Chart and at #6 on Apple Music’s Hip-Hop Albums Chart. The mixtape helped him become one of the most in-demand rising artists in the hip-hop industry, leading to features on songs by Trippie Redd, Rob49, Icewear Vezzo, and many more.

With over 80 million streams on his discography to date, Fatt is ready to rise even further. Whatever he has in store–much more music under the brand new Loaf Boyz Ventures, a joint venture between Moneybagg and 10K Projects for w

BYRON MESSIA

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Byron Messia‘s anthem “Talibans” was one of the songs of the summer, taking over New York City for months, climbing Billboard charts, and enlisting Burna Boy for the smash hit remix. In total, the song racked up over 200 million on demand streams and 60 million YouTube views. The song is fierce, but highly melodic, dripping with a sense of pain and vulnerability that does not often make its way into dancehall hits. Such is the unique talent of Byron Messia, the 23-year-old artist from the small Caribbean nation of St. Kitts & Nevis (population: 50,000), who takes pages from dancehall, emotive hip-hop a la Rod Wave, and modern R&B to create a hybrid genre he calls “dance-soul.”

Byron’s raw nerve emotion and smooth, rhythmic singing has converted many fans who discovered him through “Talibans,” leading to follow-up hits like “90’z” and the New York Times-praised “Mad Dawgs,” plus recent high-profile collaborations with Chris Brown, Fridayy, and many others. Influential figures across the culture have taken notice of Byron’s rise. Burna Boy was merely the latest in a line of high-profile artists who co-signed Byron, including Drake, Lil Baby, Dave, Popcaan, Cardi B, Rod Wave, and Swizz Beatz, among many others. The 23-year-old rising star has garnered critical acclaim, earning mention in Billboard, Clash, BET, The FADER, Pitchfork, and Complex, who listed “Talibans II” at #3 on its list of 2023 Songs of the Summer.

Hard at work on his next project, Sad & Famous, due to drop early in 2024, Byron Messia still has much further to rise. He has his sights on becoming the biggest Caribbean crossover artist in years, but the young artist has already won–with “Talibans II,” he became the first-ever artist from St. Kitts & Nevis to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

EEM TRIPLIN

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Philadelphia has become a hotbed of uptempo jams, emerging as a center of the club music boom taking the industry by storm. While most of the young artists in the scene approach these fast-moving instrumentals with equally fast-paced rhymes, one young artist–19-year-old singer, rapper, songwriter, and dancer Lay Bankz–is redefining the role of a vocalist on club instrumentals.

Effortlessly skating over these uptempo instrumentals, often provided to her by her close collaborator JUMBO, Lay demonstrates her facility with melody, applying traditional R&B songwriting chops and grafting them onto the instistent percussion common in club music. On songs like the Pitchfork-acclaimed “In My Bag,” Lay Bankz’s deliberate vocals create a magnetic push-pull with the club beat, her melismatic runs slicing through the negative space while the drums race on like an accelerating heartbeat .On other occasions, Lay Bankz grabs the microphone and chooses violence, unleashing a spitting ability that rivals anyone in her crowded scene. She first revealed her rhyming talent in a performance with On The Radar, and since then has been dazzling with her athletic raps. Her versatile talents led to collaborations with the likes of Ciara and club rap contemporary Bandmanrill.

In 2023, Lay leaned into rapping, sharing the breathless club rap banger “Na Na Na.” Mentioned as a potential Song of the Summer for 2023 by The FADER, “Na Na Na” generated over 20 million streams and went viral on TikTok to the tune of 133k creations. “Na Na Na” appeared on Now You See Me, her debut EP, along with follow-up viral anthem “ICK!” (285k TikTok creations). On the other hand, Now You See Me gives Lay the opportunity to flex her vocal chops, on the trap-style, radio ready “Smackdown,” the slowed-down club of “IDFWU,” and breathtaking closing ballad “Flowers,“ a waltz-time plea for recognition that recalls torch songs by R&B divas past.

With her debut EP under her belt, Lay Bankz looks to follow-up a breakout year by uniting hip-hop, R&B, and club music under one banner. It won’t be long before Lay Bankz is the next face of Philly.

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Blessed with the charisma of a big cat and a rhyming talent fostered in the vibrant Harlem scene, Antha Pantha is up next in NYC. Whether she’s rapping or singing, the first signee to A$AP Ferg’s Sewer Sound label infuses everything she does with Big Cat Energy. Antha Pantha grew up in Scrilla Hill, a neighborhood in Harlem, NY, and while her music has the fashion-forward aesthetic and confrontational attitude of her neighborhood’s scene, Antha’s interests go much deeper: she mixes the aggressive stylings of her hometown with the campy elegance and deep soulfulness of the Blaxploitation era.

In early December, Antha Pantha shared Feline Season, her hard-hitting, outrageous, and addictive debut album. With assistance from producers including frequent collaborator Tweek Tune (Quavo, Lil Tjay & more), Antha switches from style to style.  The new album also introduces the world to Antha’s alter ego, Sexual Vanilla, a blaxploitation-esque throwback character that allows Antha to flex her vocal chops and indulge in her wildest fantasies. Sexual Vanilla’s energy informs some of the finest Feline Season songs, including “Yayo,” the confrontational single with a video that recalls New York’s hedonistic Studio 54 era. Other songs highlight the talents of “Lady Sphinx,” while “Knees & Elbows” finds Antha sparring with her mentor Ferg, and “Brick By Brick” ft. Huntdawgg has become a local hit.

As we enter 2024, Feline Season is in full swing, and Antha Pantha has announced herself as a prodigious talent that deserves attention. Stay tuned…it’s about to be the Year of the Cat.