By Leah Mandel, Jaelani Turner-Williams, Brandon Ousley, Michelle Hyun Kim, and Colin Joyce of Third Bridge Creative

KNEECAP

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 23,856
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Country: Ireland

Belfast rap trio KNEECAP are heading for a U.S. crossover. The political Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Provaí, whose lyrics are mainly in Gaelic with a smattering of English, sold out almost every show on their recent American tour. In January, they’ll release a film that chronicles their formation — and also stars Michael Fassbender — in the first-ever Irish-language movie to debut at Sundance. Language is key to the political nature of their music. Their most popular song, “C.E.A.R.T.A.,” refers to a slogan equating linguistic rights with human rights (although it is also about partying). KNEECAP’s only full-length album, 3CAG, is from 2018, but they’ve been dropping singles recently, like February’s “Sick in the Head,” and “Fine Art” in late March. Their forthcoming record is due this June.

J.P.

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 4,670
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Country: U.S.

An early contender for the song of the summer comes from J.P., a Milwaukee-born rapper dedicated to making party anthems. He’s gained traction since the February release of his viral single “Bad Bitty” (4.9 million Spotify streams), due to being featured on Kai Cenat’s Twitch livestream and a comedic From the Block performance (2.7 million YouTube views). Following the sing-songy legacy paved by Midwest rap progenitors Nelly and Chingy, J.P. regularly hits his signature shimmy on TikTok (683k followers) to promo his recent singles “She Took” and “Freak Girl.” Growing his Spotify monthly listeners to 587k in the last month (a 437k overall increase), J.P. brings the fun back to the oft-machismo side of hip-hop.

JANE HANDCOCK

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 22,027
Genre: R&B/Soul
Country: U.S.

The first woman signee on Snoop Dogg’s newly acquired Death Row Records, Oakland-born singer-songwriter JANE HANDCOCK is adept at capturing raw emotions with her lustrous voice and lyricism. After becoming a sought-after collaborator for heavyweights like Raphael Saadiq, Kelly Rowland, and Big K.R.I.T., she’s forged a solo path that is equally as impressive. Fresh off the success of World of Women, her first mixtape since being signed last year, HANDCOCK turns to blissful romance on her latest single, “Southside Love.” The breezy R&B single has received 50k Spotify streams, bringing her to a total of 142k Spotify monthly listeners alongside support from editorial playlists like Fresh Finds R&B, Lowkey, and R&B Weekly.   

Cassyette

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 22,446
Genre: Rock
Country: U.K.

With powerhouse vocals and a high-octane blend of pop-punk and electronic music, Cassyette is emerging as a new alt-rock icon. The U.K. singer-songwriter started gaining attention this year after co-writing Ireland’s 2024 nu-metal Eurovision entry “Doomsday Blue” and opening for Bring Me the Horizon on tour in January. Now, she’s gearing up to release her album The World Fucking Sucks, out August 23, whose early singles have led her to gain 168k new Spotify monthly listeners in the past three months, a 67% increase. Along with a U.K./Europe tour slated for this spring and a recent Lana Del Rey cover for BBC Radio 1 that’s getting buzz, she’ll no doubt keep connecting with new fans throughout the year. 

Certified Trapper

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 28,894
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Country: U.S.

The Milwaukee rap scene has generated a lot of critical conversation over the last few years, and few artists in that world have received as much attention as Certified Trapper, who was praised by Pitchfork for his “unhinged tracks,” “randomness,” and “unpredictability.” These are exciting characteristics in a rising rapper, but not usually an easy recipe for hits. Still, Certified Trapper has found just that with “Oi (Beat Da Koto Nai).” Thanks in part to a viral dance, the song has gotten huge on shortform video platforms (it’s been used in 328k TikTok videos) and it’s making appearances on editorial playlists too, including Internet People. He currently has over 581k monthly listeners on Spotify — a stunning number for a genuine oddball. 

Visualizations by Nicki Camberg and cover image by Crasianne Tirado; data as of April 12, 2024.

Portions of this are included in Sound Signal, a bi-weekly newsletter from Third Bridge Creative. Sign up here.