The 25 Projects We Need in 2024
2023 was great, don't get us wrong. But there were certainly some missing pieces, so we'll take that left-over wish-casting and place it on a new year, with new promises for new music from some of our favorites.
A$AP Rocky
Re: Last Year’s List: It’s finished, he says. But we’ll believe it when we see it. The always elusive, yet eternally in demand father to Rihanna’s baby has long taken his sweet time orchestrating the experimentally enriched product that make his rare albums mile markers in the direction of hip-hop at large. Per his recent singles and features, it’s bound to be another hard-hitting, lyrically-pervasive collection of hip-hop bliss. And per his every album before it, A$AP Rocky's newest is bound to push the envelope, take some risks, and emerge anthemic with party bangers and immersive alchemy to boot.
Ahmad Anonimis
Even if off the top of your head, you can’t place his name, you’ll be able to place his sound if you’ve ever heard it. Lightning-fast bars, a warped and energetic delivery, and truly immersive lyricism give the Georgia-raised rapper a one-of-a-kind aesthetic. Often framed by a knack for weaving melody into his hooks, his verses themselves are always the show-stopping moments that define his tracks at large. And with his lasty album, Dancing With My Feet Up dropping in 2021, an Ahmad Anonimis project in 2024 would propel his uniqueness into the limelight of a scene perpetually looking for something new, yet tethered to the poetic prowess at the heart of rap’s roots.
ALIAH
Perennially a sleeper on this list, Chicago’s rising soulstress – formerly Aliyah Allah – is about as unpredictable as they come. Truthfully, it may be in vain even writing that we want another project from an independent artist who owes no one anything at all. But since her last collection, FLUX/FLOW 2020, she has kept the hope alive for her particular cut of Chicago soul with scattered singles to fill the void. Here’s to hoping.
Anderson .Paak
Solo, please. Yes, Silk Sonic is still in circulation. Yes, it was a great project. No, we have nothing against Bruno Mars. But we miss Anderson .Paak getting down with his bad self - and all the bad selves that make up the immaculately funky Free Nationals. There’s something timeless about what .Paak has been building from the very onset. And there’s no doubt that his work with Bruno, or his DJ’ing under DJ PeeWee are massive parts of his lore. But the Anderson .Paak that dropped Malibu, Oxnard, and Ventura in succession is due for another anthemic beach town composition for us to laugh to, to cry to, and to groove to.
Clairmont The Second
The man takes his time with albums, and each time it’s worth it. Always bringing a raw creative touch to his experimentally unique sound, Clairmont The Second’s influence on a larger hip-hop scene is one that packs a punch. Producing, writing, rapping, singing, and mixing each of his projects from start to finish, usually with a barrage of accompanying videos in tow, he’s been able to systematically craft every part of his artistry for nearly a decade. And with his latest project, coming in 2021, another delivery from the Toronto alchemist would again prove groundbreaking, and ultimately unique.
Duckwrth
The LA-based rapper, vocalist, and producer has long been one of the more unique sounds anywhere across the mosaic of Sonic landscapes he maneuvers. Crisp lyricism, a delivery wrought with emotion, and the ability to transcend his stylistic span has made him a cornerstone of a post-genre moment. And although last year he padded his stats with the deluxe release of 2022’s Chrome Bull, it’s been two full years since he’s put out a fully unique collection. So, with 2024 shaping up to be another particularly hard to define calendar on which to placard the sounds of so many artist that defy stylistic boundaries, Duckwrth could lead the way.
ELIZA
The British songwriter and vocalist inhabits a mosaic of sonic spaces that traverse the emotively mellow and the soulfully grunge. Her vocals bleed in and out of the downtempo beats and a high relatability emotional spectrum that feels custom fit for dancing alone at home after a long day. And 2022’s A Sky Without Stars put on display an ever-willingness to be experimental, even within the bounds of her already experimental signature. More of where that came from, albeit certainly entirely different at the same time in 2024, please.
Ella Mai
R&B hasn’t been the same since the UK Soulstress hopped in the conversation with her self-titled 2018 debut. In 2022, she added to her lore with the incomprehensible Neo-Soul marathon, aptly named Heart On My Sleeve. And though a two-year turnaround is a lot to ask for, there’s rumblings out there that her third career album is well in the works. If that’s the case, with an already stacked second coming of R&B’s Golden Era lighting up the release radar over the last half-decade, it could be a definitive moment not only for Ella Mai, but for the scene at large.
Goldlink
This already feels like we’re jinxing it just by putting this in the universe, but Goldlink has been uncharacteristically quiet since HARAM! dropped in 2021. The ever-unexpected DMV rapper has proven himself as one of the best in all of music with each consecutive project. Always bringing his quickfire flow, dynamic grip on lyricism, and at-times controversial nature, his is a sound that hip-hop needs to keep all of its edges sharp. And moments of silence from him in the past have tended to signify he’s working on something big.
HXRY
Chicago by way of some sultry, cyber-soul parallel universe, HXRY is a great enigma of musical breadth, writing, vocalizing, and producing his work with a sound that could only come from Chi-Town’s always expanding whirlwind of genre-bending bliss. His 2020 debut EP, Piece Of Mind, and his 2021 debut album, Reflections, teed us all up for a future of R&B guided by his boundary-defying texture. And in the wake of those projects, with a scattering of singles, he’s teased us here and there. But surrounded by a constantly rising, bountifully creative circle of fellow Chicago trailblazers, including ALIAH, Chromonicii, Just Adam, and more, he’s due for something big that would be even bigger for the city at large.
Isaiah Rashad
Again, this is a severe case of wish casting. The reclusive Chattanooga-raised rapper has dropped some of the most important and influential albums not only across hip-hop, but music at large over the course of more than a decade, but he’s done so sparingly. Always taking his time to produce something innovative and immersive, his last project, The House Is Burning, dropped in 2021. And before that, The Sun’s Tirade in 2016 and Cilvia Demo – for which he’s running a decade-long anniversary tour – in 2014. There’s no telling when his next project will come forward, but if it’s this year, 2024 will be better for it.
Jay Prince
A case of prolificity missing in action, London’s Jay Prince was - until his last project, WONDER, in 2019 – one of the most consistent conjurers of a New UK Neo-Soul infused hip-hop route dating back to his debut project in 2015. But since 2019, relative radio silence. There have been scattered features so we know he’s still out there doing his thing, but a new album from Jay Prince would put a spark into a particular sound of which he’s really the trailblazer. Along with a couple other names like Kojey Radical and Mahalia – both also on this list – the UK is poised for an impactful 2024.
Joey Bada$$
2000 came out in 2022, so there’s no guarantee Joey’s gonna have such a tight turnaround, but he has been marked for prolificity in the past. 2000 was a paramount release from one of the rappers that has defined – although at some time been overlooked and underappreciated – the last decade in poetic prowess and dynamic flow. Then again, so has every project he’s put out since his debut 2019 in 2012. And though we aren’t necessarily looking for a 2001 because that might still be eight years out, Joey is good for the game, so whatever he brings is always a welcome reminder that real rap still thrives.
Joyce Wrice
One of the more sought after soulstresses in music today, Joyce may be a little overlooked in the grand scheme of Neo-Soul and R&B from a pop perspective. But from the inside, hers is a sound and a texture at large that defies the boundaries of style or era. She could have thrived in any moment of music, but since she’s here – and since her last collection, Overgrown topped our 2021’s Best Projects List - we’d love to get more from the always emotional and immersive storyteller.
KAYTRANADA
Before anyone starts anything, we have absolutely nothing against Amine or his collaborative album with KAYTRANADA, aptly titled at that. But, KAYTRANADA’s two existing solo albums – if you can call them that, because both boiled over with more immaculate featuring artists than any other producer’s work in history – have been tow of the most influential, post-genre albums, the bleed one stylistic pursuit into a mosaic of others. It’s the Quebecois poroducer as throughline that makes that possible, and we’re just asking him to do it again since BUBBA came out a lifetime ago.
Kojey Radical
Kojey has always been busy. A poet, a rapper, a vocalist, a designer, a fashion icon. Whatever you think is cool, he plays mogul at. And though it’s not been all that long since 2022’s Reason To Smile, or even looking back to his his prior Cashmere Tears from 2019, his prolific pace of creative output makes us think – or at least hope – that he’s got something new and in the works. And the best thing about Kojey is that new something could sound like absolutely anything – take up any stylistic route of his whimsical choice – and it would still be to the level and with the gusto of anyone else out there. He’s just that kind of artist, so we’ll take any kind of project.
Langston Bristol
Michigan’s Langston Bristol is a mastermind of the social media rap era. Pulling himself well beyond the point of relevancy and into legitimate success on the back of Tik-Tok loops and incredibly creative videography, the dude is, at the end of the day, a lights-out lyricist. And with so much emphasis online, and his last traditional-esque collection coming in 2021, he’s poised to make a very legitimate impact not only on his vastly wider-reaching audience than last time he put something together, but on a rap game at large that could learn a lot from an artist that doesn’t sacrifice his chops for his likes.
Little Simz
The UK dynamo of all things poetic, hard-hitting, immersive, and downright danceable, last blessed our ears with the acclaimed 2022 NO THANK YOU. And though it was really only just over a year ago, the world could always use more from the artists that keep it real. And Little Simz keeps it as real – if not realer – than just about anyone else. Hers is a nonchalant genius that has long made her a favorite in the London-centric, and more globally deep-diving hip-hop sphere; but here music and her message is always bound for a wider audience and a more impactful punch.
Mereba
To be fair, Mereba has been busy. Though her last true album, The Jungle Is The Only Way Out, dropped in 2019, the experimental, soft-sung, bass-slinging, genre tightrope walking magnate has been collaborating, releasing, and even releasing an EP – AZEB – in the time since. But, in a world where Soul, Hip-Hop, and R&B are all so beautifully grey area-d and impossible to define, Mereba’s additions to that make her rare releases some of the most transformative listening experiences in the modern cloth.
Poppy Ajudha
Jazz and Soul and the UK once again, Poppy Ajudha has stood for a long while as one of the more uniquely registered, unabashedly jazz-oriented vocalists anywhere across the wide, wide world of Soul. Her 2022 THE POWER IN US stands still as a manifesto to the intensity she summons with every word she propels into a mic. Music needs more of that. More of the effort so intentionally pumped into art. More timelessness. More explosive, glass-rattling focal points on every fleeting moment of a vocal run. More Poppy Ajudha.
Raveena
Raveena has always been one of the more unique artists in a modern Soul and R&B scene that itself is as unique as ever. Between the timelessly reminiscent Lucid from 2019 and the bold, pop-experimental Asha’s Awakaening from 2022, the Brooklyn soulstress has proven her skillset wide, and her sound nearly unpredictable. But what one can predict is the sensitive nature, the emotionally-stirring lyricism, and the soul throughlines that have made her a retrofuturistic pillar in the sonic spaces she inhabits.
Reaux Marquez
There aren’t any names on this list that can do what the Nashville (technically Bordeaux, Tennessee) songwriter, rapper, producer, designer, and all around quietly confident artistic force can do. His debut album, 2021’s NO ROADS has aged in the way that Kendrick’s albums age. It was immersive and dauntingly wide-ranging when it was released, but now, two-and-a-half years later, it was truly ahead of its time. We understand that great things can take great time, so there’s no pressure about his placement on this list, simply hope for more in the near future.
Sampa The Great
The Zambia-born, Botswana-raised powerhouse of lyricism, flow, vocals, and downright energy admittedly dropped last year, but it was a deluxe edition of her 2022 As Above, So Below. Her impact on the wider world of music has been pretty unparalleled in the time since both. Rangy collaborations with artists all over the globe, and a dynamic unpredictability to her own texture, stretched across two discs and an hour plus, it’s clear she’s got plenty more in the tank.
SiR
SiR, SiR, SiR. Does anyone really do it better when it’s all said and done? Does anyone really transport their listeners into love, lust, heartbreak, tragedy, and damn near every emotional space on the spectrum at that, quite like the Inglewood crooner, and Top Dawg veteran does? Does anyone have the canon he does, stretching from Seven Sundays to November to Chasing Summer, without a single skippable track across the lot? And does anyone else seem especially due four years after the release of their last? We say no SiR, may we please have some more?
Snoh Aalegra
There are few artists that seem to be more custom-fit for the limelight, who seem to dodge it simultaneously than the Persian-Swedish soulstress that has given the world nothing but classics in very stretched thin doses over the last few years. We know we can’t convince Snoh to drop something, but her dynamic vocals and immersive poeticism; her collaborative draw and her production range make her one of the more tantalizing vocalists anywhere in the world of music, and 2024 sure would be a lot better of she came through with something for all of us to laugh to, to cry to, and to groove to.
