Four Rappers to Watch in 2019
As 2019 begins to unfold, rappers are hitting streaming platforms with new sounds and rhymes everyday. While some itch to cut their way through the clutter, others are utilizing hip-hop in a refreshing, feminine way.
In an era of female emancipation, women in rap are beginning to become the new normal. While artists like Queen Latifah, Missy Elliot, Trina, Foxy Brown, Remy Ma, and Lil’ Kim have conquered the hip-hop/rap scene in the past, female energy is overflowing in the present.
Here are four up-and-coming and established rappers to keep an eye on in 2019:
4. Junglepussy
After a two year hiatus, Junglepussy returned in 2018 with Jp3, uttering explicit punch lines, killer cadences, and seductive flows. To compare her to another rapper is tricky, but her style of rap cleverly resembles early ‘00s rapper Ms. Jade, with a more sexually charged flavor.
At times, when rappers focus on sex, they exploit it to a point where it becomes unrealistic. JP brings sex to the table and makes it fun and empowering for women. On her song “I Just Want It,” she rhymes about how she desires no type of relationship from a significant other, instead, she strictly wants fellatio.
The status of JP releasing another project this year is still up in the air, but JP3 can be streamed on all available platforms.
3. LightSkinKeisha
LightSkinKeisha’s videos are popular on Instagram, but she’s a rapper, too.
The “Queen of Atlanta” released her first album That’s Just the Bottom Line in December 2018, but she initially introduced the world to her rap skills with singles “Cash Sh*t” and “Weather” in 2017.
Keisha offers a different style of assertive independence in her vibrant and catchy tunes. One of her most popular singles is “Believe Dat,” where she takes New Orleans legend Juvenile’s classic “Back That A** Up” and flips it with an enriching flow which is cocky and enticing.
That’s Just the Bottom Line expands her sound and showcases her versatility; as she delivers bars on tracks like “Act Up” and “Big Bank Beisha,” while merging her persuasively seductive rhymes on “Ride Good.”
With 2019 just getting started, Keisha’s plans for when it comes to new music or videos from her debut album are not clear, but she’s sure to bring something new before the year is out – it’s just the Atlanta Way.
2. Rapsody
While some rappers utilize their flows to talk about overpowering men sexually, others spit about their experiences of love, tribulations, and their lives before their careers took off.
Rapsody is one of those artists. Her raping style evokes nostalgia, as she rhymes about being in a situation-ship with a significant other on “A Roller-Coaster Jam Called Love.”
To give you proper love I gotta love myself some / You gotta find yourself something, get you a hobby or something / During grey spaces we existing in / When we ain’t quite a couple but we more than friends / I think about coexisting and how to succeed at it
“A Roller-coaster Jam Called Love”
She’s also able to rap about her experience with insecurities on a raw and understandable level on her hot track called “Black & Ugly”
So concerned wit my weight I’m mo’ Chucky than I am chubby / Confidence of a porn star the day I cut the horns off / Took all my demons threw ’em downhill in a buggy / Then I stood on top the hill and did the Milly Rock and Dougie
“Black & Ugly”
1. Megan Thee Stallion
Although she hails from Houston, TX – the hometown to some of the greatest in music to ever live – where DJ Screw, Paul Wall, and Beyoncé are from, Megan Thee Stallion brings something new to the table.
She’s been known by several aliases, including the H-Town Hottie, Hot Girl Meg, the Stalli, and her more recent moniker, Tina Snow. Before 2018 came to a close, Megan gained major traction with her 10-track mixtape Tina Snow, and things haven’t been the same since.
She carefully crafts her lyricism to be empowering but sexy; raunchy but fun; while exuding sheer confidence. When she was younger, she spent days penning her life away, but wasn’t able to put those words to use until 2016, when she appeared in “The Houston Cypher,” which features artists from all areas of Houston.
Since then, she’s released three mixtapes and hit the Billboard charts with “Big Ole Freak.” The track debuted at #40 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart and #42 on the R&B/Hip-Hop airplay chart.
Look for her new mixtape, “Fever,” in 2019.