The end of the 2010s saw a musical uprising: our means of listening changed, and as we discarded our libraries of digital downloads, so too went the rules of stardom. In 2019, a new generation of artists asserted themselves. But the changing of the guard has only just begun. It doesn’t take an oracle’s third eye or a critic’s ear to recognize that young phenoms like Post Malone, Billie Eilish, and Bad Bunny will continue to sell out arenas and put their stamp on the charts in the ‘20s. But who else? We looked ahead, and picked out seven artists we think will be huge in the 2020s. (And to keep things interesting, we limited ourselves to artists under 25 who have yet to top the Billboard Album or Songs charts.)
Tierra Whack
With her malleable voice, Tierra Whack can play a variety of characters, rap slow, rap quick, even sing the odd chorus. That’s the technical stuff. But with Whack’s music, there’s also something intangibly visual. She paints in bright hues, inflates sonic bubble letters; her music drips, dribbles, and bends. As in Whack World, her debut project of one-minute long tracks (and accompanying videos), her songs don’t stick together to create a traditional album so much as they cohere within an optical universe. “She’s like the missing link in a weird way,” Flying Lotus told me last year. “It’s like, This sound, oh yeah, we’ve been needing that. We’ve been missing you. It’s almost a Missy Elliott, but an Andre, but a Tyler. It’s, like, just perfect.”
Pop Smoke
If 50 Cent and Skepta had a child, it would be Pop Smoke. The Brooklyn-born drill phenom’s voice is deep and swaggering, like a football coach from hell. He sounds less like a person than a demon designed by heavy minor key melodies. It’s almost inconceivable that a voice like this belongs to a 20-year-old. If things go right, he could be the biggest thing in New York hip-hop since Cardi B. That said, it would be a lot easier to unabashedly love him if he cut the bigoted language out of his repertoire.
Yebba
There’s no one formula for success in the music industry, but here’s a pretty undeniable equation: a powerhouse voice + Mark Ronson in your corner + Ed Sheeran in your corner. Yebba has the sort of sultry, pitch-perfect delivery that you can plug in anywhere—in songs with anyone from Stormzy to Sam Smith. On Ronson’s Late Night Feelings, an album teeming with formidable female vocalists, Yebba was the standout, appearing three times and overshadowing most of her peers (“Don’t Leave Me Lonely” was one of the best songs of the year). There are hints of Adele, whiffs of Amy Winehouse. You might scratch your head at her stage name. But there’s a heart-rending story there—depth in places you might not expect it.
Baby Keem
For the past few years, Baby Keem’s been gradually finding and unveiling himself. The pitch of his delivery has grown higher and brighter, like he’s been soaking it in vinegar. Originally, he concealed his identity, but more recently he’s shown his face in music videos and has talked about his Las Vegas upbringing. His music has bounced all over, tapping sex, relationships, and gang activity (really, sex is the recurring preoccupation, though). He’s an ancestor of Young Thug and a devotee of Kid Cudi, who’s already racked up credits on Black Panther The Album, Jay Rock’s Redemption, and Schoolboy Q’s CrasH Talk. He’s got a knack for cracking wise, and not even 20 yet, his development’s only just begun.
Megan Thee Stallion
Her hashtag game is fire, her selfie game is strong, and her bars are plain nasty (see: “Bitch, I’m a star, got these n—s wishin’ / He say he hungry, this pussy the kitchen”). It’s easy to trace Megan’s rap lineage; it’s also easy to imagine how she could surpass all her forebears. #HotGirlSummer is over, but it seems like a given that Megan will put her stamp on many seasons to come.
Steve Lacy
Steve Lacy has a resume that would make most Ivy League admittances gape. It’s easy to get lost in the accomplishments: He helped the Internet land a Grammy nomination, for 2015’s Ego Death; he contributed to Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN and Solange’s When I Get Home; he put his stamp on the new-look funky-hippie-jam-band version of Vampire Weekend; and his full-length solo debut, Apollo XXI, earned raves from critics. All this before his Jordan year. But it’s also easy to get lost in Lacy’s music, which you can alternatively curl up with or ride out into the clouds.
Dua Lipa
The glossy pop of old may have lost its monolithic grip on the Top 40, but catchy hooks and clean production aren’t going anywhere. With her seductive, gravelly tone, ability to keep stride with a quick beat, and empowering anthems, Dua Lipa is well positioned to join Ariana Grande in taking the pop pop baton from Katy Perry and Taylor Swift.