Apr 28

Apr 28 Lily Lazar's 12 Most Anticipated Artists of the 2020s

**Surf Gang** - Image credit: Deshaun A. Craddock, *Rolling Stone*

Based on the three and a half years we’ve had so far, the 2020s are shaping up to be a great decade for music. We’ve had anticipated projects from established artists like Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers and Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s G_d’s Pee AT STATE’s END! , but there are also newcomers with a very promising future, both popularity and sales-wise. This list is going to highlight the artists that I think hold the most potential based on their output so far.

Fontaines D.C.

Fontaines D.C. is an Irish post-punk band who sometimes dips into shoegaze, with 3 great albums under their belt. Their most recent album, Skinty Fia, was one of my favorites of 2022 and stands out as an impressive and unique work in their discography so far. However, don’t sleep on their previous albums. A Hero’s Death is also a great listen, and I fully expect these guys to take over the rest of the 2020s and continue dropping great rock records.

Recommended: I’d recommend starting with Skinty Fia and working backwards from there.

Boldy James

Boldy James was born in Atlanta, but was raised in Detroit and you can hear it in his voice and rapping style. While many of his Motown contemporaries, like Babytron, Rio da Yung OG, and Teejayx6, etc., have been making “scam rap” for the last 5 or so years; Boldy has been dropping consistently great mixtapes that remind me of what Detroit sounded like in the 2000s. He paired up with legendary producer The Alchemist early on in his career, and they’ve produced several incredible albums – especially this decade. Starting off with Price of Tea in China, Boldy spits witty bars and has clever storytelling over great production. But he’s dropped so many incredible albums and mixtapes since then. Manger on McNichols has some of his most heart wrenching tracks and witty wordplay, like “Mommy Dearest;” and Bo Jackson, Killing Nothing, and Super Tecmo Bo stand out as the best work of his entire career. Though he’s been making music for 15 years, his reign of dominance started in 2020. In Griselda-esque style (so it makes perfect sense he’s signed to them now) he’ll likely continue to release great, nostalgic albums for the rest of the decade, as he’s showing no sign of stopping with his newest work.

Recommended: Best place to start is either Manger on McNichols or Bo Jackson.

Slauson Malone

From New York, Slauson Malone is easily the most left-field pick so far, and probably will be for the entire list. A Quiet Farwell, 2016-2018 (Crater Speak) is a masterpiece f sound collage; it takes influences from rap, avant-garde jazz, and some of the weirdest rock you’ll hear. The album is nothing short of a masterpiece, and each listen will reveal new intricacies and moments of genius. His work with his collective, Standing on the Corner, is also incredible. 2017’s Red Burns is an overlooked classic, and his last 2 EPs show that he can continue to innovate even with the incredibly unique work he’s done so far. Although he hasn’t released a lot of music on his own, I fully believe that he will continue to drop masterpieces like what we’ve heard so far.

Recommended: A Quiet Farwell, unquestionably. Slauson Malone’s best project in my eyes, and one of the most jaw-dropping pieces of music I’ve heard in the last 5 years. You will not regret the dive.

Yves Tumor

Yves has been on an absolute rampage since 2018. Although they’ve made great music since as far back as 2015, their 2018 album Safe in the Hands of Love and 2020’s Heaven to a Tortured Mind truly show how far they’ve come as an artist. Their art is an incredibly unique mix of electronic, rap, and incredibly soulful R&B, and maybe the sickest part is that it’s queer as fuck. When I see their name, I immediately think of the infectious riff on “Gospel For a New Century,” and it doesn’t leave my head for a while after that. Their 2021 EP The Asymptotical World was also incredible, as is their brand new album Hot Between Worlds. Ultimately, Yves has an incredible and unique sound that will appeal to those who like R&B and trancelike electronic music.

Recommended: I’d recommend starting with Safe in the Hands of Love, then Heaven to a Tortured Mind; check out their other work if those albums appeal to you.

Smokingskul

I found out about Smokingskul like four months ago, but he’s half of what I’ve been listening to this month. Last December he dropped Pack a Punch, a collaborative EP with Rx Papi, and it’s absolutely incredible. In my opinion, although it might just be because his style is so fresh to me, he outshone Papi with so many absurd and clever punchlines. Never in a million years would I imagine that a Miami rapper would say “I’m lookin’ for beef like I’m Keemstar,” but Smokingskul does it and it’s absolute fire. You can really hear how his sound is constantly evolving, which is why I’m so excited for him in this decade especially. While he sounded a lot like other contemporary Miami rappers in 2020, since late 2021 he’s developed a unique style with an intense voice, super unorthodox flows, and hilarious punchlines. He dropped 16 EPs in 2021 and 2022 alone, and he keeps getting better. One of my favorite Smokingskul projects is Bicephaly, a tape with producer boolymon which is only available on SoundCloud. It features “Walking Black” and “Light 2,” both of which sit in my top 5 favorite songs of his. He also just recently released a new EP, Bready , which is now also one of my favorite projects of his.

Recommended: I’d recommend listening to Nat Cap, Pack a Punch, Bready, and Smoke Carter, then the rest of his stuff from there.

Arca

It’s difficult to say that Arca hasn’t taken over the 2020s already. Near the end of 2021 she dropped the KICK Cycle, which consisted of four albums that sounded completely unique to each other - and each one of them was incredible. She’s also worked with other talented and boundary-pushing artists in the past like Rosalía and FKA twigs, and has produced incredible work both with these artists and on her own. Although her discography stretches as far back as 2012, I’m putting her on this list due to her lingering obscurity despite the quality of her work and the monstrous release of the KICK Cycle. On a personal note, it also makes me very happy to see transfeminine artists like Arca getting more attention while continuing to release great music and express themselves at their fullest artistically.

Recommended: I’d recommend starting with KicK ii or KicK iiiii, and checking out the entire rest of her discography if you like either or both of these albums.

Marjorie W.C. Sinclair

Don’t be fooled by the explicit album covers - Marjorie’s music is great. Originally based in Oakland, he’s been making hazy Detroit Trap for a few years, and has worked with the unique underground clique Reptilian Club Boyz. While I could have given another member of the now-disbanded clique a spot, I see Marjorie W.C. Sinclair as its most interesting contender for the 2020s. Hi-C gave us incredible projects in the late 2010s, but Marjorie’s 22nd Chances has been the best work from the scene in a few years. With several moody film(?) samples, esoteric production, and of course Marjorie’s pronounced voice and smooth flow, that album was one thatI came back to most often last year. If you were in the studio listening to 2019 era ShittyBoyz, but much less polished (which I think makes it sound really interesting), it would sound like 22nd Chances. He also has an obsession with ketamine, which I find inexplicably funny.

Recommended: I’d probably start with 22nd Chances or Marjorie W.C. Sinclair.

Surf Gang

Surf Gang is a producer/rapper collective coming out of New York, continuing to prove how innovative the New York scene is for rap. Evilgiane’s signature style of taking old pop or rock songs and turning them into wonderful, melodic drill beats is incredibly inspiring, and as such many other artists have started rapping over similar beats (for example, Fivio Foreign’s “Paris to Tokyo.”) POLO PERKS <3 <3 <3’s gruff voice, occasionally funny lyrics, smooth flow, and charismatic presence over these types of beats is wonderful to listen to. The extent of their sample work is pretty absurd. PERKS has rapped over drill remixes of Daft Punk’s “One More Time,” Skrillex’s “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites,” Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” and much more. Their collective album SGV1 was very entertaining, and several of the members have started branching out and working with other artists. While their sound lends itself familiar at some point, it never gets stale. As PERKS and Evilgiane continue to release music, I get excited every time. If you like experimental drill music with nostalgic pop samples, Surf Gang is absolutely for you.

Recommended: I’d recommend listening to SGV1 by Surf Gang and i.c.f.m. Pt. 3 / fortheonesilost by POLO PERKS <3 <3 <3

Grip

I discovered Grip through the Dead End Hip Hop YouTube channel when he released his sophomore album Snubnose, which completely blew me away. I’m shocked that more people haven’t talked about Snubnose, because it’s incredible - like the rest of his work. Although he signed a deal with Shady Records, a label which pretty infamously underserves its artists, his music has kept up in quality since then. He proves himself as a quick-witted and quick-spitting lyricist over a unique variety of beats. His flow lends itself well to the styles of boom bap, modern trap, and likely anything else you could throw at him. He also had a song from 2019 with Armani White, so I had a weird moment recognizing his name as the one behind the hit song “BILLIE EILISH” (great song by the way). Given his consistency since his 2017 project Porch, I’m certain the rest of his work will live up to the quality seen on Snubnose and I Died For This!?, my two favorite projects of his.

Recommended: As mentioned above, I’d recommend I Died For This!? and Snubnose, especially the latter album.

Rx Papi

For all my friends that have heard me talk about music, y’all have probably been very annoyed by the frequency at which I talk about RXKNephew and Rx Papi. Although these two are almost always mentioned together, given that they are good friends, a lot of their loose singles are similar; they have a similar sense of humor and absurd rapping style, only Papi is on this list. While I do keep an ear out for new RXKNephew projects, since he’s released some great ones recently (1:33 especially), Papi’s last 4 albums have been some of the most impressive rap albums I’ve heard in a long time. Nephew also has an incredible discography, which I hope to write about another time, but Papi’s current 4-album run is one of the most impressive runs in hip-hop history. I don’t want to be too hasty, but I genuinely think Papi could be up there with mixtape legends like Lil Wayne and Gucci Mane if he continues to drop projects this consistently great. 100 Miles & Walk’in is an incredibly well-produced project with hilarious lyrics, as well as reflective songs like “A Man Apart (Intervention)” and bangers such as “Ya Father”, “Rush Hour”, and honestly most of the album. His collaborative album with Gud, Foreign Exchange, was one of the most acclaimed albums of 2021. I won’t talk about it too much in light of its accolades, as plenty of reviews exist elsewhere, but Gud’s ethereal production and Papi’s emotional resonance throughout the album are both incredible. Although he was in jail for most of 2022, he dropped First Week Out as soon as he was released, featuring 5 songs with RXKNephew at the end of the deluxe version. The album is loaded with back-to-back bangers, solidifying his continued dominance over the decade. While I was writing this article, he dropped Dawg Storm, another solid album.

Recommended: If you want to get into Papi, with his hard-hitting lyrics and incredible bangers, I’d recommend listening to 100 Miles & Walk’in, Foreign Exchange, First Week Out (Deluxe), and the legendary 18-minute song, “Therapy Session.”

Slimesito

Sito is an Atlanta rapper who I’ve been aware of for quite some time now, but it recently clicked with me just how good he is. He has a uniquely smooth and charismatic flow, and he’s always backed by great production. His projects are usually pretty short, as are his individual songs, but they’re still incredible all the way through. His mixtape Scarface Sito features incredible trap cuts like “Revenge,” produced by Pierre Bourne; “Yhap;” and the title track; although the whole EP is great. I can’t pinpoint what exactly makes him unique, but there’s something about his voice and his flow that reminds me of no one else. He’s been by far my most listened to artist this year, and his new album from the tail end of January is one of my favorite projects of the year so far. Given his consistent output thus far, things are only looking up for Slimesito.

Recommended: I’d recommend starting with either Scarface Sito or Paid n Full, and from there, Rich Slime and Dedication 1 are both great projects worth listening to as well.

Weiland

Last but not least, the ex-Slayworld member Weiland makes this list. For those unaware, Slayworld is a collective which started in 2016 and includes KanKan, Summrs, and Autumn!; Weiland, meanwhile, sits among its former members.. Fellow ex-member Yeat was the one who achieved stardom, but the rest of the members should absolutely not be slept on – Weiland least of all. While he started off toying with the “pluggnb” sound, consisting of a production style originating from Atlanta producer duo BeatPluggz and sing-y rap vocals (hence the “nb” at the end), his sound evolved tremendously on his last album Vices. Though Grimey Youth and Weiland were both great projects, his most recent album was a total change in sound and is absolutely incredible. With just the two singles “Heart Stop” and “Blaming Myself,” Weiland had sold me on his new style. This album is very disco-inspired, and is honestly barely rap. There’s even a straight up jungle instrumental on here, with “Broken Ego.” I was interested in Weiland’s sound before, but this new album is nothing short of incredible and easily one of my favorites of last year. Given how quickly he’s been able to change up his style and still have it sound incredible, I’m eagerly anticipating whatever he does next.

Recommended: I’d recommend listening to Grimey Youth and Weiland if you like someone like Yeat or Summrs and you haven’t gotten into Weiland, but Vices is really where it’s at.

As I’ve laid out throughout this list, the 2020s have already been and are shaping up to be a great decade for music, and I wanted to highlight some of the artists who have had a consistently high quality output so far. Naturally, there will always be other up and coming artists that I didn’t know about or haven’t had the chance to investigate; however, based on the music I am interested in, this is my current list of highly-anticipated artists. I hope you all enjoy!