Keep On Eye On These Artists In 2024

Rolling “r’s” with abandon through his diamond-studded grin, That Mexican OT made a major first impression in 2023. The modern day cowboy and Bay City, TX native broke into the mainstream with his massive hit “Johnny Dang,” a barred-out banger that connected him with Houston legend Paul Wall. OT built upon that hit with a singular From The Block (or should we say, From The Ranch) performance, going viral for rhyming his verse with a live chicken under his arm. Spending 12 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 with a #65 peak, “Johnny Dang” was merely the start of an inevitable rise, marked by follow-up singles like the bilingual, Tejano anthem “Barrio” ft. Lefty SM, and the villainesque piano-led romper “Cowboy Killer.” OT collected these songs on his ambitious, critically acclaimed concept album, Lonestar Luchador, which peaked at #59 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album paved the way for the fast-selling “Lonestar Luchador Tour,” selling out dates in markets across the country.

Though That Mexican OT enjoyed success in 2023, it feels like his potential is only beginning to be realized. His sound reflects the cultural melting pot of his home, Texas’s gulf coast, mixing Houston rap with Tejano attitude, cowboy aesthetics, and an infectious joy for making music. Hailing from a historic rap region and with talent to spare, look for That Mexican OT to continue his rise to rap’s A-List next year.

Affectionately known as Lagos’s “Prince of Afropop,” Oxlade already has a global hit to his name. His 2022 song “Ku Lo Sa” enraptured Afrobeats fans across the globe, when he performed the song on COLORS. The “COLORS” version of “Ku Lo Sa” captured the passion and pipes that make Oxlade a special vocalist, becoming a major hit with over 300 million global streams and racking up over 78 million YouTube views.

With “Ku Lo Sa” in his rearview, Oxlade turns his attention toward his forthcoming debut album, Oxlade From Africa. Though he’s been a fixture in the Nigerian scene since releasing 2020’s “Away,” he believes that Oxlade From Africa will be his defining statement. Oxlade started the road toward OFA in 2023, reaching the UK Official Charts with “Intoxycated,” his collaboration with Dave. Most recently, Oxlade showed his range, sharing the confident and gorgeous epic “KATIGORI” and the amapiano-inflected dancefloor banger “Piano.”

With Oxlade From Africa on the way, the golden-voiced artist plans to reach a new echelon of stardom. Sit back and watch his rise.

The home of horrocore and thunderous Tennessee trap, Memphis is universally regarded as one of hip-hop’s most vital cities. Located just across the Mississippi, however, is West Memphis, Arkansas, a small exurb in the larger city’s sphere of influence, which is best known for an infamous court case, not for producing famous rap stars. That is, until YTB Fatt started his meteoric rise in 2023.

Fatt started his career as many southern rappers do: building a following on YouTube. Throughout 2022, the rapper who calls himself Fox showcased his breathless flow and sly charisma on a series of local hits, culminating in early 2023 with the release of “Get Back,” his breakthrough hit (25 million streams). “Get Back” drew the attention of Moneybagg Yo, who signed Fatt to his Bread Gang imprint, and featured Fatt on two highlights from his album: “Shot Off Gumbo” (10 million YouTube views) and “Rock Out,” which also features Lil Durk.

This summer, Fatt capitalized on his momentum by releasing Who Is Fatt, his debut mixtape. Who Is Fatt charted on Billboard and Apple Music, reaching #4 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums and charting as high as #12 on Apple Music’s All-Genre Album Chart and at #6 on Apple Music’s Hip-Hop Albums Chart. The mixtape helped him become one of the most in-demand rising artists in the hip-hop industry, leading to features on songs by Trippie Redd, Rob49, Icewear Vezzo, and many more.

With over 80 million streams on his discography to date, Fatt is ready to rise even further. Whatever he has in store–much more music under the brand new Loaf Boyz Ventures, a joint venture between Moneybagg and 10K Projects for which Fatt is the first signee–he’s already made West Memphis proud.