By Colin Joyce, Jaelani Turner-Williams, Brandon Ousley, Vrinda Jagota, Leah Mandel, Kemet High, and Andrew Marcogliese of Third Bridge Creative.

Dee Mula

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 4,897

Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap

Country: U.S.

Off the strength of his latest album, Focus More On Me, rapper Dee Mula puts Memphis rap back on the map with the viral single “Blow My High” (9.9M Spotify streams). While Mula has been active since the late 2010s, releasing trap-oriented albums Caesar, Let Me Get That, Vol. 3, Respect, and I’m Still Here, it’s “Blow My High” that’s buzzing on TikTok for its motivational sound and futuristic swag influence. With 6.1M Spotify streams, Mula’s confrontational 2018 song “Freestyle 8,” but as “Blow My High” continues to reign on editorial playlists ‘Signed XOXO’ and ‘Most Necessary,’ the rapper’s newer songs like “Life of a Thug” (1.2M streams) and Baby (506K streams) are also gaining traction. 

Nick León

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 56,916

Genre: House

Country: U.K.

Nick León has become one of dance music’s most critically beloved producers in recent years. The Miami-based producer’s summery 2024 pop hit with Erika De Casier, “Bikini,” was one of the year’s most celebrated dance tracks, topping lists of the best songs of the year from Resident Advisor and The Fader, and appearing on many others. This set him up well for the release of his debut album A Tropical Entropy, which earned Pitchfork’s coveted Best New Music designation upon its June release. All of this acclaim is starting to translate to a worldwide fanbase as well—he has over 228K monthly listeners on Spotify and appears on tastemaking playlists like ‘POLLEN,’ ‘Late Night Vibes,’ and ‘Club Culture.’ With each bit of editorial support, León inches closer to a full crossover from the club into the mainstream.

Annie Tracy

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 83,638

Genre: R&B/Soul

Country: U.S.

Sporting a stylish, down-to-earth aura with an honest flair to her lyricism that recalls the music of Solange and SZA, Annie Tracy’s velvety-smooth voice has become a favorite among R&B devotees. She first broke out as an indie star in 2023 with top-streamed singles, “Times It By Two,” the jazzy Robin Thicke-assisted ballad, “Close to You,” and the viral favorite “Music Taste.” Now she’s making her Warner Records debut with the June 27 release of her third EP, Scared of Heights. Emotionally rich and wistful, the seven-song offering plays as soulful chapters ripped from Tracy’s diary, boasting buzzy singles like the romantic “To Love and Be Loved” (206K Spotify plays), the self-worth bop “Accessory” (87K), and the Leon Thomas-assisted slow burn, “Catching Feelings” (760K). With her Spotify monthly listeners up by 47% in the last month (totaling 311K) and her music landing on editorial playlists like ‘Soul Coffee,’ ‘Chilled R&B,’ and ‘R&B Rising,’ Tracy’s R&B love spell is poised to grow even more.

Lil M.U.

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 5,240

Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap

Country: U.S.

Lil M.U. already had a significant amount of visibility online before she started releasing music. Her TikTok page is the home to tens of thousands of followers (plus over 1M likes) who engage heavily with videos of the Chicago native lip syncing and dancing. That early support set the runway for her breakthrough song “Top of Cars.” The track is equipped with kinetic lyrics that call for letting loose and having fun, perfect for the summer time. And a shuddering beat that pulls from Chicago’s famed juke culture. In just a few months, the song has surpassed 2.6M streams on Spotify and has moved through the internet as a popular soundbite across TikTok, to the tune of over 60K creates. Lil M.U. housed the song on her debut EP Handful, which dropped in early April. She’s still working the record with an open verse challenge and performing the accompanying footwork at her shows. She’s inching up 460K monthly listeners on Spotify, a feat that shows promise for her so far early but efficient rap career.

Karri

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 6,628

Genre: R&B/Soul

Country: U.S.

21 year-old San Francisco-based artist Karri is redefining the R&B ballad with a slow-burning sound he calls “Lo’ N Slo’.” Melding his Bay Area roots with Toronto’s moody hip-hop-meets-R&B sonics, his smooth 2023 viral single, “3AM in Oakland” marked his breakout. Along with bubbling up on TikTok, where he’s garnered more than 200K followers, “3AM in Oakland” became one of his top-streamed tracks on Spotify and earned him co-signs from Drake, Kehlani, and Lil Baby. His profile grew further in 2024 with the Geffen Records debut EP, Late Nite Slider Music, boasting melodic, yet spare R&B bops like the sequel to his breakout hit, “Oakland Pt. 2” (12M plays) and “Impromptu” (7.9M). In addition to his dreamy new solo single, “slauson ave,” the Isaiah Falls-guested ode to his hometown, “Oakland Baby,” is currently taking off, racking up 699K streams since July 18. Clocking at 1.5M Spotify monthly listeners with spots on several platform playlists like ‘DND.’ and ‘This Is Frequency,’ Karri is poised to grow from a Bay Area cult figure to a chart-topping powerhouse in no time.