From 6LACK's "PRBLMS" to Shah's "Pay Day 71," catch these sleeper hits of 2016 before everyone else does.
Ye Ali – "Fiji Dasani"
Indiana native Ye Ali is one of the most compelling artists on this list and has been boldly popularizing the genre of “trap R&B.” The LA-based singer released the sultry song "Fiji Dasani" as a Hot New Hip-Hop exclusive in April. While it attracted a wave of new underground fans, "Fiji Dasani" did not reel in broader mainstream attention and radio still appears to be sleeping on the talented artist.
While his climb appears to be slow, Ye Ali is consistently collaborating with other emerging artists, such as Kirko Bangz, K Camp, and Jazz Cartier, and is rumored to be working on a project with PartyNextDoor. "Fiji Dasani" stands out as a Ye Ali track that still may attain heavy radio rotation as a sexy "bedroom" song, similar to some of The Weeknd’s early work.
Shah - "Pay Day 71"
Similar to Dae Dae, Toronto rapper Shah and his most recent release "Pay Day 71" have been embraced by the Atlanta DJs and tastemakers who helped launch the careers of artists like Future, Migos and Rae Sremmurd. Beyond Atlanta, "Pay Day 71" has flourished in New York, where the song led to rap blogs describing Shah as "New York’s favorite Toronto rapper." However, "Pay Day 71" has not yet attracted the national audience many expected after Shah emerged as one of 2016’s most buzzed about new rappers following Atlanta’s A3C hip-hop festival.
This is likely related to the independent rapper’s rejecting major label support, but may also be tied to Shah’s involvement with anti-discriminatory social causes, typically avoided by mainstream rappers. The "71," for example, is a reference to the gender wage gap. The video for "Pay Day 71" — part of his ongoing Day of Shah series — has also been lauded in artistic circles extending beyond rap. While the video’s YouTube numbers are impressive for a new independent artist, they similarly have yet to reach the potential many in the industry are expecting for Shah. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if Shah remains exclusively independent or if he ultimately accepts the major label backing designed to bring tracks like "Pay Day 71" to the national forefront.
