The duo have developed as artists and grown into their own as young women, which is evident in the evolution in their sound and overall artistic direction.

Body is London singer Sinéad Harnett’s first release of 2018 since her Chapter One mixtape last year. She stated the song was “inspired by finding myself in a situation I wasn’t ready to leave, but that had to end.

With writing credits from Chris Brown to John Legend, the Cincinnati native has definitely been able to observe and absorb a lot from the industry and artists around him, and put that knowledge and energy into his debut album Platinum Fire.

Pronounced “neigh-oh,” the former backup singer became one of the exciting singers to come out of London as she made her way on the scene a full 2 years ago with her 2016 debut studio album For All We Know.

This is probably my favorite Smino song to date, and it comes compliments of Sango Beats and his new album In the Comfort Of. The St. Louis rapper and Seattle producer are a match made in heaven.

The young artist from Kingston has been recording music since he was 18, and has recently been steadily seeing success with the assistance of breakout hits like No Worries.

Houston’s own Megan thee Stallion popped up repeatedly on my timeline with her viral Stalli Freestyle video, but I clicked and re-watched it every single time. Her confident delivery, provocative lyrics and effortless flow gave off an energy that was infectious.

Skooly is an Atlanta-based rapper and one of the founding members of Rich Kidz. He branced out to pursue a solo career, with releases such as Blacc Jon Gotti, BAcCWArdFeELiNgS and now Don’t You Ever Forget Me 2.

Young Thug protégé Gunna’s first release of 2018, Drip Season 3, is full of big name features and production as the Atlanta rapper continues to ride the wave of the Drip series.

The British-Nigerian artist has come into his own throughout the years as he explored and found his sound, starting off as a Christian rapper who now is making music that embraces his heritage as he adds to the beautiful diverse world of Afropop.

Rocky B is an up-and-coming rapper from my hometown, Detroit, and has had a spike in attention since dropping her Molly Brazy diss Vindictive, a song that displayed just how raw and talented she really is.

Sonny is clearly multitalented and seems to actually enjoy rapping, so I would love to see a full project in the near future to hear even more since I’ve had this song in rotation for a minute now.​​​​​​​

Singer/songwriter April and producer mattVISTA make up this experimental R&B dynamic duo. Their balancing use of futuristic soundscapes with April’s sonically piercing, yet soothing vocals make for a magical listening experience.

Summer Camp is a beautiful coming-of-age project that nudges you to be just as honest with yourself as he is through the 11-track mixtape filled with sonic exploration and emotional introspection.

Her vocals are haunting in the most beautiful way, and I personally felt that the most on Fool For You, possibly because of the vulnerability in the lyrics paired with her soulful unfiltered tone. 

Catching Villains is actually from the Cartoon Network show Teen Titans Go!, “performed” by Beast Boy. The song gained so much attention and popularity online that he decided to release it as a single under his own name.

Ibeyi, French-Cuban twins Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi Díaz, use their confidently angelic voices to reflect, pray, meditate and resist all while honoring their Yoruba culture as they seamlessly merge those sounds with a handful of other genres.

The 20-year-old seems to have a personality just as laid back as her soothing vocals that are influenced from everything from jazz to classical, and makes it a point to never rush for anything.

Premo Rice hails from PG County Maryland and has embraced a style and sound that subtly incorporates cues from the Blaxploitation pimp era in his music.

The newest release from the Spillage Village collective members, and is another example of their ability to bring a light-hearted fun energy to their art while always pushing boundaries way outside of the box.