33) Kodie Shane

Lil Yachty’s Sailing Team collective took in Kodie Shane sometime in 2016, allowing her to enjoy an active year with songs like “Sad” and “Hold Up” receiving critical and mainstream attention. The Atlanta-based rapper/singer specializes in sugary-sweet melodic trap that isn’t out of line with Yachty’s sound, though she can absolutely sing better — and as she’s worked on her craft, can construct better hooks, evidenced by the recent breakup anthem “Flex On Me”. She hasn’t racked up the view counts of her 2016 singles as of late, but solid new material and a sizeable fanbase can keep her in steady relevancy.

I got players on my line now, uh

I can’t lie I want you right now

Pop a perc and she can feel my vibe now

Light the flame and do not let it die out — “Flex On Me”

34) Insomniac Lamb$

SoundCloud hidden boss Lamb$ might never receive the attention he deserves. The Cincinnati-born emcee is an Internet rap veteran with a long list of similarly-guided peers — Maxo Kream (“Clientele”), Lil Uzi Vert (“Nauseous”), and Playboi Carti (“2 Door”) among othes. Lamb$’ material ranges from vibe-centric drug mantras to lyrical, dark trap meditations, bringing to mind a gloomier Future who actually sips lean. But Future is also both internationally famous and a notorious workhorse — and while Lamb$ is an excellent artist with great potential, his lack of consistent material and mainstream appeal will hinder a real breakthrough in popularity.

Ancient steel, hermit AK-47 slingin’

I’ma cut my migo for the month, we still leaning

Speedin’ down Melrose, speedin’ down Fairfax

Up right now and still I take off with a nigga pack —

35) Gnar

Atlanta skater-turned-rapper Gnar has an admirable history in regards to his brand, hustle, and DIY prowess. After G*59’s Germ educated him on merch sales around 2014, a 17-year-old Gnar pushed his own skate-centric brand — GNARCOTIC — through Twitter, quickly networking with artists that he’d go on to work with, including Robb Bank$ (“I’m That Nigga”) and Shakewell (“Beatin Down Yo Block”). Since then, he’s become a SoundCloud trap mainstay and frequent Lil Skies collaborator, with songs like “Grave” and “Drop Top Benz” breaking millions of views. More of a brand than a uniquely-visioned artist, Gnar may be enjoying the highest point of his popularity thus far.

VV’s shining, and they looking like some sun rays

Slap a pussy nigga if he start talkin’ craz

Slap a lil nigga if he start talkin’ braz

Collect the pain while I’m going through these changes — “Grave”

36) Lil Gotit

It isn’t incredibly difficult to guess where Lil Gotit is from or what he’s about, but depending on your preferences (and I know a lot of you align with ‘Thugger Slime 4L [SLATTTT]🐍🐍’ as your preferred genre), that isn’t a bad thing. The Atlanta-based YSL affiliate sounds a lot like his leader , most evidently on his bigger singles like “Never Met” and the above-embedded “Da Real Hoodbabies”. All respect to a young artist with a strong and efficient workflow — but I believe what’s most impressive here is how deeply influential Young Thug has been on Atlanta’s up-and-comers.

I’m on low-key, I live my best life, feel like it chose me

All the doors start opening, in a dark room, walls closing

I’m getting big enough, my pockets fully stuffed

I ain’t a local joker, go giving your life to Poker — “Hercules”

37) Lil Keed

I…could probably use the above writeup for Lil Keed too, given the fact that I’m not examining the nuances of each artist — from far away, they sound very similar. But that speaks more to Thugger’s influence than anything else. In any case, Lil Keed is already a 10-million-view breaker (“Nameless”) with some appreciable showmanship, bouncy flows, and a somewhat distinct cadence (“It’s Up Freestyle”), with songs playing all across Atlanta’s strip clubs. He’s absolutely killing it. Again, the influence is palpable — but that’s not always, and is not often, a bad thing.

Choppa will blast that, I got all this fuckin’ paper on me, I don’t even cash app

Wearin’ all that out of date jewelry, need to trash that

Yeah you hear them pipes on that fuckin’ Hellcat, young nigga shit

Ridin’ round with a fuckin’ gat, you ain’t killin’ shit — “Balenciaga”

38) Lil Mosey

What can I say? I love “Noticed”. Lil Mosey has an incredible command of flow and cadence, to the point where he can say whatever the fuck he wants and I’ll nod my head to it. Watching a 17 year old flex harder with substances he can’t legally purchase for years is a funny concept, but there’s no immaturity in the way Seattle’s Lil Mosey moves — he’s been crafting solid, anthemic melodic trap since he was 15. There’s an element to his music that could come off as sterile to some, but I hear ‘professional’, because that’s what he is: an honest-to-god natural at what he does. With “Kamikaze” nearing 50 million views and “Burberry Headband” nearing 3 million in two weeks, there’s a good chance Mosey could be a classmate — if he even needs it, that is.

Bandkids love to ball’ we always cash out

And I just faced a ‘Wood, I’m ‘bouta pass out

And I just seen a lick, we bout to max out

Since a youngin’, started flexing, find the cash route — “Boof Pack”

39) Lil Tjay

Speaking of young artists destroying the game, the Bronx’s Lil Tjay consistently releases 10million+ viewcount hits and turned 18 this year. Vocally and melodically in a similar camp as artists like NBA YoungBoy and Quando Rondo, there’s a mildly-NY element of storytelling present that makes for intriguing, melodically-driven trap rap. With hip-hop’s landscape changing as quickly as it does, it’s often hard to place an artist in regards to their popularity — but turnover rates aside, going from independent to rapping alongside French Montana and Blueface (“Slide”) is a definite sign of upward momentum.

So much pain, no gain, feel like music all I got

Feel like I let broski down if we don’t make it to the top

Nigga run up, I don’t know him, swear to God I’m sendin’ shots

I was posted on the corner tryna sell shit like the ahks — “Long Time”

40) Lil West

Lil West reps Delaware, like, by himself. Emerging from a tiny town with no local scene or influences, he’s created an online network of producers and collaborators and developed a style devoid of much, if any, regional influence. This unique environment gives way to complete abstraction, a sound forged by bits and pieces of West’s adolescence on the Internet. The result isn’t surprising: emo-laced vocals, crestfallen lyricism, a variety of samples from an infinitely-expanding landscape, and eclectic, often despondent instrumentals. The sadness comes in pairs at times, as collabs with Night Lovell (“Fukk!!CodeREDD”) and nothing,nowhere (“O.K”) exemplify — unsurprisingly, miles apart, similarly isolated. Though Lil West isn’t exploding on the viewcount front, he’s one of my favorite finds on this list, and would be for his story alone if I didn’t enjoy his music as well.