The debates about SoundCloud rap have been boring for most of the past year. The discussions have begun to all sound the same: âDoes SoundCloud have enough money to survive?,â âIs Lil Peep rap?,â âShould we take Lil Pump seriously?,â âWhy is Kodie Shane not popping?" (OK, I might be the only asking that last one). Finally, though, the current class of rappers (Smokepurrp, XXXTentacion, Ski Mask the Slumpgod, etc.) are ready to graduate from the loose associations that make up SoundCloud Rap, and make their bids for mainstream successâsome have already made that jump. Which leads us to the exciting part.
The next SoundCloud class is already here and, similar to their immediate predecessors, these rising (potential) stars have been building fan bases while they wait for the spotlight to pan in their direction. Theyâre talented, more polished, and less polarizing than the class that has been dominating Rap Twitter conversations for the past year, a result of the record labels digging deeper through the platform after the post-Yachty and -Uzi boom.
The scene still has its problems, but letâs hope that this new generation gets a chance to unlock their eccentricities and we donât end up following the television and film blueprint of, âremember that thing people moderately liked? Letâs bring it back with a new faceâ (although I am admittedly in for Donnis 2.0).
With some artists in this generation already making waves such as Trippie Redd, Rico Nasty and Tay-K, we took a look at the buzzing rappers on the platform ready for their chance to become the next topic of conversation.