The rap game has always been fast-paced when it comes to minting new stars—and the pace is still accelerating. Thanks to the constant churn of YouTube and SoundCloud (or, rather, the voracious and inventive audiences ready and waiting to be tapped into), hip-hop's DNA is mutating faster than ever. There is a plethora of names to keep an eye on, and the path from anonymity to stardom has never been shorter—these are the artists you should be paying attention to. If you're not listening to them yet, now's the time to start.
18 Artists To Watch In 2018
From Rico Nasty to Sheck Wes to Smooky Margielaa to Lil Skies, these are the artists you should be keeping an eye on this year.
Image via Andrew Lipovsky/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
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