It’s harder than ever to become a star on Soundcloud. At this very moment if you look at the top of the Soundcloud charts the names you’ll see are artists who weren’t necessarily birthed on the platform (Drake, Pusha T, Rich the Kid, Famous Dex and Youngboy Never Broke Again). Soundcloud has become a platform for rap in general to thrive and as the top 50 begins to mirror the Billboard charts it has become more difficult to truly breakthrough on the site.
There are number of key factors that go into determining if someone on Soundcloud has crossover star potential. The first being their appeal beyond Soundcloud: do their numbers only exist on the platform or can they match them on YouTube and Spotify? Secondly, a defined style or gimmick always helps. And, third, if word of mouth— good or bad— is floating around. This essentially equates to virality in our current format. All these factors tie into separating yourself and standing out amongst the (Soundcloud) competition.
The 10 artists we list here have ensured their Soundcloud accounts are a must-follow, to varying degrees. While a few of these artists are further along than others, each is someone worth paying attention too, or you may soon be "late" to the party.
Hate or love him, Juice WRLD is the new king of Soundcloud. Sometimes it feels like Juice was created in a Soundcloud lab because it’s not everyday you come across an artist with the pop appeal of Post Malone and the perfected simplicity of Lil Skies. His two singles “All Girls Are The Same” and “Lucid Dreams” have become unstoppable phenomenons on Soundcloud, spending much of the last couple of weeks trading the top spots on the Soundcloud charts. And while it has yet to translate into major chart success, it’s a near guarantee that by the time the next school year rolls around Juice will be a household name. This is perhaps the most obvious, and sure-fire contender of the next break-out Soundcloud star...In fact it already seems to be underway.
Moses
Pennsylvania rapper Moses is somewhat of a mystery at the moment. He only has a couple of songs that are easily accessible, paired with some videos that have garnered an impressive amount of traction on Youtube. But other than that there doesn’t seem to be much known about him personally. Despite his relatively low profile and lack of music, his audience only continues to grow— he’s already got the sought after side by side photo with Rick Rubin. Moses is going to be a star, and soon. Now it’s just a matter of figuring out if it’s one of the few songs he has available on his Soundcloud or something we have yet to hear that will take him there.
10cellphones
Next up in the long line of artists who have hit their stride by taking the Chief Keef blueprint and putting their own spin on it is 10cellphones. The North Carolina rapper has been making noise on Soundcloud for a minute now, but in recent months the music has considerably improved and in turn, that has lead to increased buzz and growing numbers. Along the way, he's professed an infatuation with guns so deep that only Tay-K can compete.
YBN Cordae
So far, the general public is only aware of two YBN Cordae songs, the first being an Eminem “My Name Is Remix” and the second a J Cole response titled “Old Niggas (1985 response),” subsequently leading to a reasonable amount of skepticism about his actual song-making ability. But Cordae is walking into a Soundcloud community that is desperately craving something they can call “real rap shit” and the ongoing Drake and Pusha T beef has only increased the thirst for some fresh lyrical storytelling. Cordae is less than likely to fail as he also has one of Soundcloud’s premier stars (YBN Nahmir) in his corner.
Shoreline Mafia
The west coast has been pretty much left out of the Soundcloud rap conversation, as many of the platforms stars have come cities scattered throughout the East Coast and midwest. Here to change that is Los Angeles-based rap group Shoreline Mafia. Their impressive tape ShoreLineDoThatShit encompasses the the signature west coast production and meshes it with lazy-drugged out flows perfect for the times. They're helping to define a movement that already includes 03 Greedo and Stinc Team.
Lil West
One of the platforms most versatile rising stars is Lil West. Whether it’s auto-tuned crooning, emo ballads or punk anthems, Lil West can do it all. He continues to push envelope with experimental tracks that have only gotten better thanks to improved working relationships with some of the platforms best producers: Distance Decay, Dylan Brady and nothing, nowhere; as well as collaborating with artists like Nessly. Lil West’s diligence is paying off as his reach is beginning to stretch outside of Soundcloud, receiving a profile in Noisey just last month. This 19-year old is ready to put Delaware on the map.
Comethazine
Much like Smokepurpp before him, Comethazine has cracked the formula. He realizes most fans just want catchy bangers with hooks they can show to their friends and memorize within a couple of minutes. It’s a strategy that will no doubt lead to criticism, but has proven to be the fastest path towards stardom.
Hella Sketchy
Initially making a name for himself on Soundcloud as a "type beat" producer, Hella Sketchy is a rapper now and his buzz is growing behind his melodic approach. The music itself isn’t groundbreaking, his autotuned flow is trendy, but not everything has to be. Hella Sketchy has already worked with some of the producers of the moment, such as Nick Mira and Sidepce who have only elevated his catchy tunes. And if it came down to it he can always turn to his own production, which is arguably his strongest talent. I’m not sure what the ceiling is for Hella Sketchy but for now he will continue to make waves on Soundcloud and beyond, as star-making platforms like No Jumper take notice.
Stacy Money
On Soundcloud, R&B is floundering. However the sensual and raunchy love ballads of Stacy Money offer an avenue for the genre. Stacy has committed to mastering the love anthem and it has transformed into the unique song-making asset that will take him to the next level. In April Stacy caught some eyes/ears by releasing an impactful mixtape titled LaLaLand on the platform. Hopefully, Stacy can take advantage of this attention and fully breakthrough before someone comes along with a watered down version of his sound.
KiD Trunks
First it was XXXTentacion. Then it was Ski Mask The Slump God. Now, the next rapper affiliated with the Member’s Only crew to breakthrough is KiD Trunks. The second you first hear Trunks you’ll find a mountain of similarities to both X and Ski, as he has adopted X’s ad libs and Ski’s flow. But despite the similarities Trunks has a lane wide open for him which he feels he has already captured calling himself “The best Asian rapper alive.” Although he doesn’t have X’s versatility or Ski’s ability to rap on every and anything, he’s become a solid in-between for rap fans who love both of his influences.