There was no shortage of good music in 2025. And as much as we love our mainstays, rising artists clearly played a huge part in shaping the year, too. In rap and R&B especially, we watched PLUTO break through with “WHIM WHAMIEE,” saw JayDon earn a major co-sign from Chris Brown, and watched OsamaSon help carry the underground forward.
That still barely covers the amount of talent that showed up and showed out throughout the year. With that in mind, Rap-Up compiled a list of 14 artists worth keeping tabs on as we head into 2026. From Chris Patrick to PARTYOF2, check them out below.
1. PLUTO
“That was my second time recording on the mic,” PLUTO told Billboard about the studio session behind “WHIM WHAMIEE,” her breakout hit and first song to touch the Hot 100. Her come-up is very similar to Sexyy Red’s — who appears on the track's remix and on “Motion” — in the sense that they're simply here to make good music and have fun. PLUTO doubled down on that energy with her sophomore project, PLUTO WORLD, which features YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Hunxho and Rylo Rodriguez, among others. Whim whamiee!
2. DESTIN CONRAD
2025 has been a really exciting year for R&B, especially the progressive side of it. There’s probably no clearer example than the continuous rise of DESTIN CONRAD, who released his debut album, LOVE ON DIGITAL, in April. He’s open to a little PDA on “KISSING IN PUBLIC,” handed the girls their anthem with his Kehlani collab “BAD B**CHES,” and teamed up with fellow queer icon Lil Nas X on “P.B.S.”
All of that, plus the drop of his feature-packed jazz album, wHIMSY, in August, points to an artist who’s willing to step into other genres and bend their rules a bit. CONRAD keeps widening the frame for what R&B can be, so it wouldn’t be surprising at all if LOVE ON DIGITAL took home Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 2026 Grammys.
3. Odeal
To address the elephant in the room: Odeal sounds extremely similar — if not almost identical at times — to Brent Faiyaz at first listen. You’ll notice it almost immediately on tracks like “Blame U” and, for the DMV crowd, Wale’s “City On Fire.” That comparison isn’t a bad one, and we fully believe it’s something the British Nigerian singer will shed as his catalog expands.
If you’re new to Odeal, we'd recommend starting with his Summer Walker-assisted “You’re Stuck” or “Miami” with Leon Thomas, who somehow sounds good next to everybody. He also released The Fall That Saved Us in November, which really sees him coming into his own across tracks like “Pretty Girls” and “Cold World.”
4. JayDon
JayDon has been having the kind of year most artists dream of. He not only signed to Usher and L.A. Reid’s mega imprint but also earned a co-sign from one of the greats: Chris Brown. JD’s sound carries hints of both R&B superstars, with "Boujee Baby" and "Lullaby" being just two records that have taken the internet by storm. The Los Angeles native has been putting in work since his teens, so it’s great to see everything paying off with Me My Songs & I.
5. Chris Patrick
Chances are you’ve seen or heard Chris Patrick by now. If it wasn’t his monster of a freestyle during Kai Cenat’s “Mafiathon 3,” the Nas co-sign that followed or his time supporting JID’s “God Does Like Paradise Tour,” then it was probably the steady stream of music he’s released throughout 2025. He’s dropped tracks like “Ramen Noodles,” “Can You Stand The Rain (Freestyle)” and “Frankenstein.”
“Frankenstein” is arguably some of the best we’ve gotten from Patrick so far, largely due to production from Conductor Williams, who’s worked with heavyweights like J. Cole, Drake and Westside Gunn. That, plus its haunting visual companion.
6. Chxrry
Everything Chxrry does has this star-level magnetism to it. She hasn’t dropped a ton of music in 2025, but the songs she has shared have been special. “Groupie” tapped into that dizzy rush you feel when you first start liking someone, while “Main Character” is all about owning every room you step into. Heading into 2026, expect to see Chxrry joining Mariah the Scientist on the “HEARTS SOLD SEPARATELY TOUR” and gearing up for her debut album.
7. wolfacejoeyy
wolfacejoeyy was one of several artists we had the pleasure of spotlighting in our Quintessential Sexy Drill Songs list back in June. Since then, the story’s been pretty much the same. He’s still one of the most compelling voices in the subgenre, as evidenced by the two projects he dropped this year: cupid and SUMMERSONGS. Both push sexy drill into corners we probably wouldn’t have pictured before pressing play.
8. PARTYOF2
Duos are starting to feel like a lost art in rap. Aside from Clipse’s big return earlier this year and the occasional rapper-producer collabs, there really aren’t many left — especially not co-ed ones. PARTYOF2, who performed at November’s Camp Flog Gnaw, are special for that reason alone.
Formerly known as grouptherapy., Jadagrace and SWIM dropped AMERIKA’s NEXT TOP PARTY! in October. Much like the LP's title suggests, it definitely carries some political weight. On “VANESSA WILLIAMS,” they ask, “Will the real Miss America stand up?” Meanwhile, SWIM boasts about having “more hits than the CIA” on “JUST DANCE 2,” perhaps one of their most recognizable tracks alongside “POSER.” With any luck, PARTYOF2 will be around for a long while.
9. Alex Jean
Christian rap is still rap, even if some people dismiss it as too churchy. That said, the beats and the bars have gotten much better in recent years, especially with artists like Alex Jean. The Orlando native put out THEE AUTHORS BALLAD in July, a nine-track project he produced himself.
From the gospel woven through “Stand Firm, You’ll Win” to the appearances from other familiar faces in the genre like Hulvey and Kijan Boone, it’s a great project to get into. “Promise you God, they not like us like back in the day when I listened to Kendrick,” Jean spits on “When Air Refuses To Answer,” referencing Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” Good lyricism will always go a long way.
10. BunnaB
BunnaB was everywhere this summer. Between her repping for the “itty bitty titty committee” on her YKNIECE-assisted “Innit” and giving the streets another block party favorite with “Bunna Summa,” the East Atlanta rapper is quickly becoming one of the most exciting new faces in rap. She showed up on Cash Cobain’s “H**s Be Mad,” Metro Boomin’s A Futuristic Summa, and PlaqueBoyMax and Rakai’s “TURN UP,” so it's hard to imagine she won't be everywhere in 2026 too.
11. Jae Stephens
We’re always rooting for more Black girls in pop. Jae Stephens, specifically, feels like a genuine superstar on the rise. She dropped TOTAL SELLOUT, a combination of her earlier SELLOUT EP series plus some new material, in November. Across songs like “Afterbody” and “Freakie,” she moves between R&B and dance-pop with zero hesitation. And hey, did we mention she's signed with Issa Rae’s Raedio?
12. OsamaSon
OsamaSon is carrying the torch forward for rage rap, which naturally brings comparisons and plenty of pressure on all sides. The bubbling South Carolina artist released his synth-heavy, distortion-soaked project psykotic in October. With it came tracks like “Habits” and “Addicted,” both of which feel like the world collapsing in audio form. In any case, OsamaSon is set up to be a huge deal in 2026, whether or not he manages to shake the Playboi Carti comparisons.
13. ilham
It takes a lot to live up to the title of “NYC’s sweetheart,” but ilham is making it happen. The R&B multi-hyphenate got people talking with last year’s “uhm…ok?,” her first single after leaving Def Jam Recordings, and she’s managed to stretch that success even further. In September, she dropped her project of the same name, executive produced by Fridayy, who also pops up on the track “for me.” ilham has been rolling out one infectious track after another, and hopefully that streak carries into next year.
14. Stunna Sandy
When Stunna Sandy first popped urp on the timeline, people immediately dubbed her an “Ice Spice 2.0.” She may never chase that title — or care to — but the comparisons are probably here to stay for as long as she's around. Her debut and biggest single so far, “Make It Look Sexy,” basically sounds like Instagram captions rapped over a sexy drill beat (humorously enough, she threatens to turn her opps “to a hashtag” on the track).
That said, it’s tough to deny how good the Ice Spice blueprint sounds on tracks like “No Waist” and “Freakquent,” especially for anyone in the mood for a fun listen. The world can never have too many rap girlies, so fingers crossed Sandy can parlay her 15 seconds of fame into something that lasts.