There was a time when Florida hip-hop was dominated by the sounds of Rick Ross and Ace Hood telling luxurious stories of drugs, warm weather and women. The music was hot, but it wasn't really representing for Miami's youth. Then, in 2011, Carol City up-and-comer Denzel Curry began to infuse the region with a refreshing boost of music that was equal parts youthful, militant and infectious as hell.

As a member of SpaceGhostPurrp's crew, Raider Klan, Zel emerged as a the group's star. In 2013, after parting ways with Raider Klan over creative differences, Denzel emerged with the debut album Nostalgic 64. Now, with two independent albums to his name, another on the way, a spot on the 2016 XXL Freshman roster and a freshly-minted distribution deal, the 21-year-old has officially stepped up from Florida rap's poster child to leader of its next generation. But he's not alone.

Denzel entrusts much of his branding and business to managers Rees Escobar and Mark Maturah. In an effort to showcase that there was more to Miami than what was being presented in music, Maturah managed a crew called Cloud 9. In 2012, with Mark and Rees seeing the potential of Denzel's artistic vision and ability to attract other creatives, they started to cultivate more new acts. This crew of producers, singers and rappers make up the second gen of Cloud 9, C9 for short.

If you're a fan of Denzel Curry already, you might've heard of some of these names; SDot Braddy dropped his debut album Private Sessions with C9 last year, Yoshi Thompkins recently joined Denzel on his Black Metal Terrorist tour while POSHtranaut has been his producer and tour DJ for almost 4 years. But even if you're up on the clique members as they stand, there's always new recruits to get acquainted with.

The future is bright for the Sunshine State's music scene and it's time to put a spotlight on the full C9 roster. Get to know them here.