We’re just two weeks deep in a new year, and there’s a fresh crop of rappers who are ready to take over 2020 and define the sound of the next decade. But as rap continues to get more stylistically diverse, there isn’t a single aesthetic that ties all these new artists together. At the same time that Brooklyn artists like Pop Smoke and Fivio Foreign are carving out a lane for themselves with hard-hitting drill music, rappers like Rod Wave and 2KBABY are thriving with music that sits on the more melodic side of hip-hop. Meanwhile, Kenny Mason, MAVI, and other lyrically minded artists are building loyal followings thanks to their throwback approaches to rap. With so much exciting music coming from so many directions, the Complex Music team has put together a list of rising rappers worth paying attention to. And as you make your way through our selections, it’s important to note: Baby Keem, Don Toliver, Roddy Ricch, and others are also poised to have massive years in 2020, but they don’t appear on this list because they were each named last year among 2019’s Rappers to Watch. These are 25 rappers to watch in 2020.
