What makes a breakout artist

The DC-based singer and producer hit a new high on his Lamont EP, a short but firm four-track outing with tripped-out hometown anthems and lucidly lux house-laced gems. Over the last few years, Dreamcastmoe has been an unsung force of sedative melodies and unshakeable hooks.

Lamont covers a good grip of sonic topography and glimpses a promising trajectory all at once. The Kount had a big year and he will be one of the breakout artists of But thanks to a string of entrancing beatmaking videos that have threaded the whole of pandemic-era interneting, he capped the year at his most visible point yet, flipping his home studio experiments into layered, viral, and Madlib-approved , heat.

And you can expect the credits to pile up in With a heavy pen and a voice that booms not unlike DOOM, the Bronx MC has done some therapy-level mining of sorrow, strife, and trauma, across five acclaimed projects.

In he dug even deeper on Weight of The World, a touching and profoundly inspired tribute to his late mother that demonstrates growth and reckoning almost in real-time. Hues is a tender and sobering track introduction to Fana Hues. Hues is a tender and sobering track introduction to the Pasadena-based singer, drawing on the strength of her family and a voice-snatching bout with scarlet fever for source material.

Namir Blade lived a number of musical lives before settling into his current build. A volatile victory by committee, the track assault is teeming with contributions from fellow boundary-pushers, including Pink Siifu, Liv. And like any producer worth their weight, the Motor City native builds perfectly contained little worlds for each of his guests, amplifying their respective powers with backdrops brimming with jagged glitches and tactful distortions.

Roughly once a month, the Nigerian-American artist would drop a loose track on DSPs with an immersive visual accompaniment, each a bit more refined than the last, glimpsing clear marquee potential. Sometimes it takes more than co-signs from high-profile rappers to step into your own lane as an artist. And nobody understands that better than Stove God Cooks.

After roughly a decade of laboring in the shadows of some prestigious industry circles, Alycia Bella is ready to be one of the breakout artists of After roughly a decade of laboring in the shadows of some prestigious industry circles, Alycia Bella has finally arrived. In , the singer who previously worked with Frank Ocean, Justin Timberlake, and more laid the groundwork for a massive moment with four dreamy standalone singles.

Marcel Allen might not be at the top of your dial just yet, but we think he will be one of the breakout artists Marcel Allen might not be at the top of your dial just yet, but the Long Island artist has been gradually building momentum for the better part of the last two years. There were seemingly musicians coming from out of nowhere to pick up No. In order to celebrate the accomplishments that this year's new talent achieved, we've compiled a list of the top breakout artists of , organized in no particular order.

Aron A. Mitch Findlay. Noah C. Rose Lilah. Not to mention the fact that they were cordially invited to J. These days, The Griselda boys are liable to garner a second look from even casual fans, who might have otherwise turned a blind eye years prior. All signs point to a continued takeover from The Machine and The Butcher come Melly released his first album of the year in January while he was in jail on a minor marijuana charge.

Weeks after it dropped, he became one of the most controversial artists in music, turning himself in for the double murder of his close friends. Before , the artist, whose real name is Jamell Demons, did not ring bells in many circles. Through a combination of his criminal history, his melody-making prowess, his high-pitched vocals and his emotive lyrics about real-life situations, Melly gained notoriety and kept it despite being locked up for the majority of the year.

The release of his Melly Vs. Melvin album in November cemented his status as a breakout star to look out for, moving 45K units in its first week. The most complicated case on this list, Melly is certainly worthy of the title regardless of his past and his future. In a post-A Boogie world, Lil Tecca has emerged as a bonafide hitmaker. He began bubbling in off of the release of a few singles on SoundCloud, along with his ability to stir the Internet's pot.

It did, however, showcase his ability to create infectious bangers. Stretching over seventeen tracks, his auto-tuned vocals amplified his catchy hooks, and his lyrics, although basic, turned into instant quotables for your next Instagram caption.

With an unconventional flow style, social media savviness, troll-like antics, and ties to Birdman and Cash Money West, Blueface definitively took over at the start of The track was so popular and so beloved that it became a given that you would hear it at the club, in your Uber ride home, and literally anywhere else.

Releasing his Dirt Bag project in the summer, some fans expected a bit more from the star. Already though, his persona has grown cold on a number of fans, wishing for more from the year-old. At the top of the year, BF was considered one of the rappers with the most potential to become a star. Based on the way she has acclimated to fame, at times it can seem like she wishes she were still that faceless figure.

In our celebrity-obsessed culture, people yearn to know the artist behind the music, even when nothing about the process of consuming music requires this. Roddy Ricch both started and ended the year on a high note, although the end-of-year found him in a much loftier situation than the onset of TikTok played a major role in that too, which is another facet of this story that is quintessentially However, no one who hacks the algorithm that flawlessly falls off that quickly.