17 Artists to Watch in 2017

She’s already helped write big hits like Rihanna’s “Needed Me,” Kevin Gates’ “Two Phones,” Travis Scott and Young Thug's "Pick Up The Phone," and Drake’s “Fake Love." Now, Starrah is poised to break out as a successful artist in her own right. Some may remember her voice from Jeremih’s 2016 hit “Pass Dat,” or caught solo tracks like “Rush” and “Dirty Diana.” The talent is clearly there, she just needs to get a full-length project out this year. —Chris Mench

Dae Dae attracted major attention last year with his popular single “Wat U Mean? (Aye Ay Aye).” He’s since linked up with other major Atlantans like Lil Yachty, 2 Chainz, and Young Thug, and produced other minor hits like “Spend It” and “Dej Loaf.” He certainly has a big opportunity to capitalize on buzz in the upcoming months. The biggest question mark is whether his rather straightforward rap style will be enough to stand out in an already-crowded Atlanta trap market. —Chris Mench

When it comes to new rappers coming out of New York, you can almost always expect a handful of them to be traditionalists. Some manage to not sound dated. Westside Gunn and Conway harken back to the days of Mobb Deep and CNN, but are unmistakably making music for a new generation. The tough-minded rappers from Buffalo have quietly become the underground favorites thanks to projects like FLYGOD and Hitler Wears Hermes IV which don’t slouch in their use of dusty soul loops and feature fellow intricate New York MCs Roc Marciano and Action Bronson. The self-proclaimed fashion rebels have promised at least four projects in 2017—two of them with legendary producers Just Blaze and Alchemist. The Griselda Gang plans to re-up with new wave NYC street raps by any means necessary in 2017. —Eric Diep

Loso spent 2016 linking up with new-school artists like Lil Yachty, 21 Savage, Metro Boomin, and PnB Rock, and it paid off. He scored minor hits with “Loso Boat” and “Extortion,” both of which are slated to appear on his upcoming mixtape Bomb First. If the mixtape pops off like it has the potential to, then Loso could be looking at a breakout year. —Chris Mench

When TDE’s CEO Top Dawg revealed that the label had quietly signed an artist last year who had already put out a project, most fingers pointed Sir’s way. Although nothing is officially confirmed, his appearances on Jay Rock and Isaiah Rashad’s albums—as well as several of the label’s artists plugging his music—seem to indicate he may be the mystery artist. With his solid Her EP already out there and the considerable weight of TDE behind him, Sir has big potential headed into the new year. —Chris Mench

The internet’s love of weirdo rappers has helped launch the careers of a number of artists, and Indonesian teenager Rich Chigga has managed to capitalize on this in a big way. His song “Dat $tick” went viral after a number of rappers were filmed reacting to its music video. He managed to flip this moment of virality into a Ghostface Killah feature on the “Dat $tick” remix, and continues to capture web chatter with every release. He’s got talent, but now he needs to prove that he’s more than just a viral moment. —Chris Mench

Many of the names on this list enjoyed acclaim in 2016, but A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie received perhaps the biggest co-sign. He dropped his Artist mixtape and TBA EP last year, spawning successful songs like “My Shit” and “Jungle,” but those moments paled in comparison to the national attention he caught when Drake brought him on stage during the Summer Sixteen Tour. (A collaboration between the two is on the way. With more eyes on him than ever, A Boogie has to keep delivering the fun, clever, and melodic rap tracks he’s broken out with. —Chris Mench

Jahkoy has spent the last couple years reinventing himself. Trading in his MC ambitions, released under the name Raheem, for a more soulful sound, Jahkoy has been productive since transitioning to R&B and leaving his hometown of Toronto for L.A. He’s an advocate for love on warm tracks, especially on his last record, Foreign Waters, which features his love letter to Cali, “California Heaven” with ScHoolboy Q, and the tropical “1000 Times.” Now, the 22-year-old Def Jam artist has his debut album, Glory Child, on the way, which could very well cement his place as one of R&B’s new innovators. —Eric Diep

Surely to the chagrin of rap conservatives everywhere, Lil Yachty's Sailing Team members are starting to break out as well. Chief among them is Kodie Shane, an 18-year-old singer and rapper from Atlanta. Shane’s 2016 EP Zero Gravity put her own spin on the Sailing Team’s bubblegum trap style, with tracks like “Drip In My Walk” and the Yachty collab “Sad” proving that she has the chops. She hasn’t had a major breakout moment yet, but all the pieces are there for her to put together. —Chris Mench

On the season finale of Saturday Night Live, Chance the Rapper surprised the audience by bringing out out Noname to perform “Finish Line/Drown.” The 25-year-old Chicago native has been linked with Chance ever since they worked on “Lost” on Acid Rap back in 2013, and—after a long hiatus—she's back to building a career of her own, armer with her one-of-a-kind delivery and expressive language. Her debut, Telefone, was one of last year's strongest projects, and enlisted friends like Raury, Saba, and Smino to paint colorful narratives about her hometown. In the coming year, this poet will be our sunny escape when things get too dark. —Eric Diep

6lack (pronounced “black”) was once an mysterious artist from Atlanta who intrigued listeners because of his ties to Raury’s creative agency, LoveRenaissance. His music was undeniably infectious—a rework of Future’s “Perkys Calling” into “Ex Calling” and his break-up anthem “PRBLMS” were both streamed over a million times, indicating a real following, an audience hungry for luscious R&B and emotional hip-hop. 6lack’s mystique drew more listeners to his Free 6lack project, a balance of smooth vocals and wavy production, and set him up for an incredible 2017 if he chooses to embrace the spotlight. —Eric Diep

In the years since the rise of the Weeknd and Drake, Toronto continues to steer the course of hip-hop and R&B. Nav, a producer/rapper from Rexdale, Toronto, who allegedly has ties with the Weeknd’s XO crew, has been predictably cagey when it comes to details about his life. Instead Nav is letting his music tell his story. (For the best introduction, check out Travis Scott’s “biebs in the trap.”) A look at his SoundCloud shows that all of his self-produced, melodic songs have millions of plays—including Kylie Jenner’s favorite, “Myself.” As he builds his momentum with an upcoming collaborative project with Metro Boomin,’ and a performance at Coachella, Nav is scooping 2017 into the palm of his hand. —Eric Diep

It’s not every day that André 3000 personally endorses your music. A co-sign from the legendary ATLien should be more than enough to keep eyes on the group, which is made up of Silk Money, Cyrax, Lord Linco, and ICYTWAT. After catching the ear of L.A. Reid, the crew was signed to Epic Records in 2016. December’s Council World was a compilation project designed to introduce new listeners, but it’s their attention to details in their visuals (like the 3 Stacks-directed “Decemba (Remix)”) that could take them far. —Eric Diep

In 2016, "mumble rap" became the popular (and dismissive) way to describe rappers like Lil Yachty, Lil Uzi Vert, and Desiigner. Nick Grant is a few years older than those artists, and more than a few pegs removed from their sound. The South Carolina native, who has been mentored by Grand Hustle’s Jason Geter and Ludacris’ former manager Chaka Zulu, delivered one of the year’s stronger traditional rap tapes with 88. It's the pregame before his debut album, Return of the Cool, which promises the kind of wordplay and beats that many feel the game is missing. —Eric Diep

Peaking at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 with your debut single is quite a way to start an artist’s career. With the wild success of “Caroline,” Aminé is poised to break out in a major way. The Republic-backed rapper from Portland, Oregon found huge success with the bouncy, utterly unique single, and is looking to follow it up with a debut album. Will he be able to top his breakout hit? Time will tell, but he’s already got some solid name recognition from it, and a recent TV appearance suggesting he's more than a one-hit wonder. —Chris Mench

Khalid is a fresh-faced 18 years old who just graduated from high school in El Paso, Texas, and he's new to music. (He only started recording seriously in 2015.) Essentially: This guy is precocious. “Location,” the song that got him Snapchat plugs from Kylie Jenner and Rita Ora, is a tender ode to courtship for the millennial generation, and “Hopeless” showcases his husky voice. —Eric Diep

In December 2015, Dreamville announced the addition of Washington D.C.-based singer/songwriter Ari Lennox to its roster. (Carolina rapper Lute was signed at the time as well). Since then, Lennox has generated a ton of excitement surrounding the release of her EP, PHO, a reference to the hearty Vietnamese noodle soup. Often compared to Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill, Lennox has a sound that built on her sultry vocals and jazz grooves. Songs like “Yuengling” and “Backseat” demonstrate her range and abilities. —Eric Diep