TBT Top 10 Artists to Watch for 2017
These 10 artists are the ones TBT believes have the potential to burst into the music scene and take that extra step into stardom. Although some of these artists released much anticipated projects or tracks in the latter part of 2016, most stayed relatively quiet. Lists like these are always difficult to put together and predict so if you feel like we missed out on your favourite underground artist, feel free to comment or yell at us on social media.
10. TOBi (Hometown: Brampton, Canada)
The self-described cynical/lyrical-ass rapper, who also employs a great melodic singing voice, really impressed in his debut EP FYi. The Brampton native however is far from finished, releasing more melodic tunes with the track “Libra”.
9. 6LACK (Hometown: Atlanta)
We debated this addition since 6LACK has pretty much been the talk of every music head and blog site for the past 6 months. His banging singles “Prblms” and “Ex Calling” solidified the Atlanta singer as new force in the hip-hop/r&b world. Either way 6LACK’s time to shine is long due and hopefully we get more tunes in 2017.
8. F L A C O (Hometown: Indiana)
The Indiana rapper has been on TBT’s radar for some time. FLACO’s charisma, lyrical talent and overall ‘IT’ factor is tough to miss. His much anticipated project sleepinginjeans is set to release right before the new year.
7. K.i.D (Hometown: Mississauga, Canada)
K.i.D might not be the most familiar name, but the pop-duo hailing from Mississauga, Ontario burst into TBT radar with a killer music video for their infectious single “Errors” . K.i.D standing for Kids In Despair have a sound and vibe that is hard not to love.
6. River Tiber (Hometown: Toronto)
River Tiber is a melodic singer/songwriter and producer whose had his hand in tracks such as Drake’s “No Tellin” and Pusha T’s “CS60″. He just released his debut LP “Indigo” which overall received positive ratings from the likes of PitchFork and HotNewHipHop.
5. Daniel Caesar (Hometown: Toronto)
Daniel Caesar is another Toronto-grown singer/songwriter. His voice is something from above and he’s gained a lot of followers over the past year. His song “Get You” featuring Kali Uchis was a stand out in 2016 and surpassed over a million listens.
4. KAMI (Hometown: Chicago)
You might know Chicago collective SAVEMONEY for artists like Chance, Vic Mensa and Joey Purp, but the crew might have another star on its roster. KAMI almost sounds like a conglomerate of the 3 artists and as long as he stays in that circle, he’s due for success.
3. Sean Leon (Hometown: Toronto)
Sean Leon has everything you need in an up and coming star: lyrics, talent, production, drive and aesthetic. Although this may be a controversial opinion, much of the Toronto sound you’ve heard recently can be directly credited to Sean Leon’s early work. Fans have been patiently waiting for Sean’s much anticipated album “Black Sheep Nirvana” which is set for 2017.
2. NAV (Hometown: Brampton, Canada)
NAV is officially on the Metro Boomin radar. The two are set to release a collab album in the upcoming year. Need we say more?
1. Aminé (Hometown: Portland)
Aminé broke into the scene with a SMASH single ‘Caroline’ which just recently surpassed 60 million views on YouTube. The Portland artist has been quiet since, hopefully meaning he’s busy in the lab creating more hits. Fingers crossed we hear more from the banana bread loving rapper in 2017.
In The Cut: Kweku Collins, Tre Capital, K. Forest, TCVVX
[/mp_span] [/mp_row]