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The 7 Rapper Parlay We’re Betting on For the Future of Rap

From Texas Titan rap and ganger trap to Lil Yachty-approved Concrete boys, these rappers are the next-up rookies.

Author

Gabby Sgherri
March 13, 2024

The quintessential next-up and artists-to-watch lists are a cornerstone of music tastemaking, albeit sometimes played out, we promise we’re not rattling off a list of boring and descriptive words, which TLDR means this is good music. 

We don’t need to pitch you on the Future’s and Playboi Carti’s of rap, but once upon a time, those names were relatively unknown, and you may wish you had come across them sooner during their iykyk phase. 

So here’s our promise: These seven rappers have something unique to offer your playlists, and we’ve written just enough for you to judge if they qualify for your fantasy team. If we were doing a parlay, betting on the future of rap, these are the star players we’re counting on to perform—tap in below.

Veeze

Veeze’s fresh take on Detroit rap is nothing like the household names (Eminem, Big Sean) that came before him. His beat selection deserves a callout—atmospheric and vibey. They grab your attention all on their own in the first 10 seconds of his songs (“GOMD” is exemplary of this.)

When he starts rapping, his stream-of-consciousness delivery works in tandem with the beat like a well-executed pick and roll.

Not to be mistaken for lazy mumble rap, Veeze’s bars are sharp and full of hilarious references. He drops outlandish diss lyrics with the same seriousness that makes Vince Staples’ interviews its own form of comedy.

Following a quality-over-quantity release model, Veeze is in demand like he’s the Birkin of trap music. He’s consistently the target of leakers, and if you give his music a chance, you may find yourself scrounging the internet for more unreleased cuts.

Draft Day

Draft Day first made waves for his appearance on Lil Yachty’s “Demon Time.” It was the start of a promising rookie run, consistently putting points on the board for the Concrete Boys crew with his verses full of vivid energy and witty wordplay. 

If Yachty’s Concrete crew were an NBA team, Draft Day would be a power forward picking sonically dynamic beats to go hard in the paint.

His fast cadence sounds effortless, the equivalent of he’s just got it like that game highlights, flipping an iconic DMX lyric into his own and rattling off a Supreme punchline so quickly you gotta run it back.

His unique style extends to his visuals and aesthetic. A quick scroll through his IG and you’ll see fit pics deserving of a tunnel walk. Using every means of creative expression and gearing up for his debut album, he’s a lifestyle rapper on a path to make a mark for more than just music.

Rob49

Rob49’s feature run since 2021 has racked up enough minutes in mainstream rap that his name is becoming inescapable.

If he wasn’t on your timeline when Lil Baby hopped on the “Vulture Island V2” remix, you probably came across him on Lil Durk’s Almost Healed, Travis Scott’s Utopia, or when the “Topia Twins” video dropped.

Holding his own among Travis, 21 Savage, and a yacht full of “twin bitches,” Rob49’s voice commands attention. He has the raw grit of a New Orleans project baby and the bold energy to not just match a trap beat but dominate it.

Paying homage to the New Orleans rap scene he’s reviving, Rob49 started 2024 by adding Lil Wayne to his list of noteworthy collaborators and dropping the song “Wassam Baby.” 

With raps that lend themselves to an NBA player’s pre-game playlist as seamlessly as they do to a Miami strip club or GTA 6, you can expect to see a lot more of him on your timeline.

Homixide Gang

Homixide Meechie and Beno are the black sheep duo of new wave rage rap. Early on, they showed enough promise of becoming punk-influenced rockstars, the aesthetic equivalent of collegiate stats, to be drafted by the Playboi Carti-led Opium team.

Their underground sound—distorted, arrogant, and rowdy—was so compelling that it only took one track (“SSN”) to wow the Opium head honcho who called them “superstars.”

They personify their music in visual stylings like Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz embodies dark vamp vibes in his highly photographed gameday fits.

The beauty behind Homixide Gang's madness is that their music evokes a palpable energy sufficient to be felt in the casualness of headphones but incomparable to the sensory experience of a live show.

The upcoming Opium Antagonist tour is Homixide Gang’s off-the-bench run that will cement their starting five status.

BabyDrill

BabyDrill! The moniker ad-lib, heard on 21 Savage’s latest project American Dream, pays homage to the drill subgenre he innovates. No shortage of life experiences to pull from, BabyDrill has already lived nine lives and put it on wax.

He was sent to bootcamp at age 15 after catching an armed robbery charge and was arrested right as his song “32 Freestyle” was gaining traction and his career was taking off.

The Ja Morant of Atlanta rap, BabyDrill has had setbacks for his off-the-mic antics, but his talent and perseverance prevail.

He dropped his debut project Drill Season, a compilation of booming trap and softer melodies, as he was released on bond and used his time during house arrest to record 900 songs, resulting in his next project, MadMan.

He beat the case and was cleared of all charges, entering 2024 with a new project, ScoreGod, and a growing list of co-signs (Young Nudy, 21 Savage, Latto, G Herbo). His raps display the depth of versatility that budding trap artists often lack, telling tales of Atlanta’s street life in his authentic way.

Karrahbooo

One of the fresh faces signed to Lil Yachty’s Concrete Boys label, Karrahboo, has a tomboy vibe and a nonchalant attitude. She spits lyrics like “I used to scam, I used to trap, I never cuddled much,” which amalgamates as a refreshing style among the female voices of rap. 

What started as an assistant job for Lil Yachty inspired her to try her hand at rapping. Her personality instinctively translated to bars dripping with infectious idgaf confidence.

Her lyrics aren’t overly sexualized, anyone who wants to talk their shit, regardless of gender, can tap in. Her smooth flow doesn’t just compliment her fellow labelmates but stands out in Concrete collab anthems like “Mo Jams” and their On The Radar Cypher.

If don’t run for the bus were a person—it would be Karrahbooo. Her unbothered nature is alluring in her music and interviews alike. She only has a handful of songs out, but it’s enough to back claims like, “It’s Karrahboo, I’m not the two, you gotta know I’m up.”

That Mexican OT

A true multi-hyphenate of culture and sounds, That Mexican OT is the himothy of Texas rap. 

When he was a kid, his father would wake him up to battle rap with his inebriated friends, knowing that OT, at a fraction of the age he is now, would eat up any adult wannabe rapper. 

Forget rapping about guns, OT fires off rounds of syllables with the strength of an assault riffle grounded by a rhythmic excellence that plays double-dutch with the beat.

It’s symbolic that “Johnny Dang” was the song that put him on the map. An ode to the Houston jeweler, legendary among the custom grill scene, OT represents the intersection of his hometown and rap at its strongest point. 

But there is no cultural prerequisite to enjoying OT’s music. If you like fast-paced rapping like the rent’s due—OT is for you.

Refining his sound with each project the way a butcher sharpens knives, Texas Technician is his latest offering, and we’re betting it’ll make an appearance on more than a few “Best of 2024” lists.