Old heads take note — this crop of talented young artists is redefining the sound of modern hip-hop.
Slick mainstream rap has always found its raw analog in the underground. But in a time when over-the-top melodrama (Drake) and conceptual narratives (Kendrick Lamar) dominate the airwaves, where even recent pioneers like Young Thug have smoothed out any rough edges, perhaps it's no surprise that the new vanguard of rappers have once again upped the ante, offering new sounds, new flows, new moods, new everything.
Many of the rappers listed here favor energy over intricacy, viscerality over logic and flow over lyricism. They are descendants of Chief Keef, Lil Wayne and Lil B, preferring not canonized albums like "The Blueprint" but anomalies like "808s & Heartbreak." Even rap's perpetual claims to authenticity present themselves here in hybrid forms, as influenced by the collective power of Raider Klan and Sad Boys as early-00s emo and obscure 1990s mixtapes.
A bulk of the most visible of these young artists are unfortunately labeled "SoundCloud rappers." While there is truth to this description — many use the streaming technology to reach their audience — it's also true that they still benefit from their location, with cities like Chicago, Atlanta and especially Miami playing crucial roles (This is why the city in which these artists first made their impact is most often listed here, rather than the city they were born in or have since moved to).
But however they're labeled — SoundCloud rap, emo-trap, mumble rap — one thing's for sure: These rappers are forging new paths, once again pushing the boundaries of what rap is, who it's for and how it's distributed. In an era that values SoundCloud play counts, social media communication and the primacy of viral memes, there's nothing stopping the blazing forward-momentum of these 21 rappers under 21.
