R&B/Hip-Hop

Flo Milli is enjoying a breakout year, as the Alabama star stampeded her way to mainstream glory when she doled out the biggest hit of her career to date with “Never Lose Me.” Earlier this year, the song leaped into the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and scored multiple remixes, most notably with SZA and Cardi B. The highly touted sequel lacked the same punch as the original, but that didn’t stifle Flo’s momentum, as she notched the highest debut of her career on the Billboard 200 with the No. 54-bowing Fine Ho, Stay in March. Despite having a sniper’s approach when freestyling over other rappers’ beats, Flo also shines at her sexiest, as proven on Chow Lee’s “Swag It (Remix).” Currently, Flo is on the road with Gunna’s Bittersweet Tour, where she’s serving as the opener. – CARL LAMARRE

Though the future of City Girls remains to be seen, JT is rolling full steam ahead on her solo rap career. “Ridin’ solo and I’m still in a group/ Biggest in my city and I’m still in a coupe,” the Miami MC spits on “Sideways,” a wavy single that offered a laid-back alternative to the club-ready “Okay,” which recently debuted at No. 74 on the Hot 100, marking her first unaccompanied appearance on the chart. 

In the lead-up to “Okay,” JT has been hitting the club circuit as part of her Cinderella Club Tour, connecting with fans across the country through a combination of jam-packed shows, extensive social media engagement and fine-tuning her branding as the “baddie with a stank attitude” who leans into edgy, queer-coded fashion aesthetics. With collabs with Nicki Minaj (“Super Freaky Girl (Queen Mix)”) and Doechii (“Alter Ego”) already under her belt, JT isn’t just cementing herself as City Girls’ strongest rapper, she’s also committing to the unglamorous work of building an unwavering fanbase. It’s no wonder that kind of drive is already turning into career-best returns for her before her debut solo mixtape, City Cinderella, has even arrived.  – KYLE DENIS

“Big Energy”: The title of Latto’s 2021 Hot 100 No. 3 breakthrough also perfectly embodies the Atlantan’s saucy essence and career trajectory. Latto first came to national attention with 2019’s gold-certified declaration “Bitch from da Souf,” followed by the platinum-minted “Muop” featuring Gucci Mane. Gifted with a smooth cadence that pleasingly underscores her penchant for frankness, the artist has logged additional success on her own and as a go-to collaborator. 

Her growing list of accomplishments includes the hit Cardi B collab “Put It on da Floor Again” (following her 2020 cameo in Cardi’s “WAP” video) and a guest verse Jung Kook’s debut solo smash “Seven” (which scored Latto her first Hot 100 No. 1 hit in July), as well as a best new artist Grammy nod last year. After briefly sparring with Ice Spice earlier this year via her single “Sunday Service,” Latto seems poised and ready for her 2024 moment, also issuing a Megan Thee Stallion-stamped remix of the aforementioned record earlier this week. – GAIL MITCHELL 

As the clock continues to tick on Cardi B’s long-awaited sophomore album, the Bronx firecracker is still shaking the room with her charm and fiery features. On Friday (May 31), Mount Cardi erupted when she swiped at Bia on the remix to GloRilla’s and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Wanna Be,” continuing her hellacious run as a top-tier co-star on hip-hop hits. 

Though Cardi’s 2024 solo releases “Like What” and “Enough” haven’t garnered the same chatter as her Hot 100 chart-topping instant-classics “WAP” and “Bodak Yellow,” Cardi remains a highly sought-after name in music and entertainment. She was featured in a Super Bowl commercial earlier this year and remains a household powerhouse on the branding side, with deals with Pepsi, Reebok, and NYX Cosmetics. Though Cardi traditionally towers over the competition and stands alongside Meg and Nicki as the “Big 3” of female rap, the daunting question of album two’s arrival will continue to hover over her career. – C.L.

There was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment when everyone thought it was over for GloRilla. After a frankly insane 2022 run that included “F.N.F. (Let’s Go),” “Big S–t,” “Blessed,” and the pièce de résistance, “Tomorrow 2” with Cardi B, Glo dropped the Anyway, Life’s Great EP, which many felt fell short of expectations. A few months later, she dropped “Cha Cha Cha,” a Fivio Foreign-featuring drill ditty based around an “Oochie Wally” sample, which appeared to be a misstep for the usually surefooted Memphis native. It didn’t help that her peers went from win to win, dropping hits and dominating playlists and social media. 

But just when everyone thought GloRilla would be resigned to the “remember her?” file, she came through with “Yeah Glo!” Sampling Da Banggaz314’s “Run Up Get Dun Up,” “Yeah Glo!” felt like a welcome return to form and made everyone remember why GloRilla was considered a future star in the first place. “Big Glo, where you been at? Mane, everywhere, I’m workin’ hard,” she raps, speaking directly to her detractors and doubters. Then, while she had everyone blurting out “Curban on Curban” she announced that she was going on tour with Megan Thee Stallion. 

And, as if to cement the fact that she’s indeed back on her bully, she dropped “Wanna Be” with Megan Thee Stallion right before they hit the road, giving her two simultaneous hits in the top 50 on the Hot 100. Turns out the reports of her falling off were greatly exaggerated. – DAMIEN SCOTT

Ice Spice emerged as Billboard’s R&B / Hip-Hop Rookie of the Year in 2023, after scoring four Hot 100 top 10 hits – including her “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” Gen-Z it-girl linkup with PinkPantheress, and high-profile collaborations with Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift — that proved her power in the pop and hip-hop worlds. 

In 2024, Ice is erasing any doubt of her individual hit-making capabilities, with her debut album Y2K coming this year. Not only has she already given Sean Paul’s 2002 classic “Gimme the Light” a modern-day flip, but she wreaked havoc with “Think U the Shit (Fart),” which debuted at No. 37 on the Hot 100, becoming her highest-charting unaccompanied solo single. While relishing her solo wins, Ice delivered her best verse to date on the extra slizzy remix of Cash Cobain & Bay Swang’s song of the summer contender “Fisherrr.” – HERAN MAMO

Doja Cat’s pivot back to rap with her 2023 album Scarlet was always a little overstated – even on her supposed pop singles, she was still consistently out-rapping the overwhelming majority of “real” MCs. But she left little doubt with her bars on the acclaimed, top five-charting album — featuring bangers like “Demons,” “F–k the Girls (FTG)” and “Attention” — that she belonged near the top of any best-right-now discussions, and with the crossover smash “Paint the Town Red,” she even managed to end the longest drought for hip-hop atop the Hot 100 in over 20 years. 

She’s kept the momentum from it rolling into 2014, with the deluxe CLAUDE reissue of Scarlet arriving in April a week before her first-ever headlining set at Coachella. Meanwhile, her spellbinding “Agora Hills” continues to hang around the top half of the Hot 100, 35 weeks after its October debut. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

When it comes to stars hailing from the fourth-largest city in the United States, none shine brighter than Ms. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter. But even Cowboy Carter would tip her hat to H-Town’s Head Hottie. She did as much this past October when she invited Meg to perform their 2020 hit “Savage Remix” during the Houston stop of the Renaissance Tour. For most artists, collaborating with Queen Bey on a Hot 100 No. 1 would be the highlight of their career – but for Megan, that wasn’t even the chart peak of her 2020, as the bawdy Cardi B collab “WAP” spent four weeks atop the chart later that year. 

That’s just what Meg does: Make hits. Whether solo or with other A-listers, Meg’s Midas Touch allows her to go up against any rapper, male or female. Just look at her last chart-topper: The major rap headline for 2024 has been the blockbuster beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, which resulted in a torrent of great diss tracks and even a couple chart smashes. But before those two titans started their back-and-forth, Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion kicked off the year with their own tete-a-tete, with the latter dropping “Hiss” – which debuted at No. 1, becoming her first unaccompanied record (and third in total) to reach the top spot. And even though the song didn’t stay there long, it generated enough momentum for Megan to close a deal in February with Warner Music Group to distribute music released through her Hot Girl Productions.

It also came at the perfect time as she was gearing up for her first solo headlining arena tour, the Hot Girl Summer Tour. And that’s just music: We didn’t even get into all the blue-chip endorsement and partnership deals she’s racked up over the past few years with companies like Coach, CashApp, Revlon, and, most recently, Nike. To quote the guy who started the company that now manages Megan, she’s not a businesswoman; she’s a… well, you know the rest. – D.S.

Imagine being able to make bangers and go viral so easily – so much so, that people start to think there must be some kind of conspiracy afoot. They make up excuses for your success, because you’re too charming, your beats are knockin’, and the streets love you. When Sexyy Red’s “Pound Town” live performance first went viral, people thought she was a flash in the pan. They called her ghetto, said she was a bad influence, as if all the ills of the world fell on her shoulders. Her detractors don’t notice her humor and attention to detail, the way her music often calls back to Waka Flocka Flame and Gucci Mane. 

And her outlandish moves benefitted her on the charts, as she’s carved out Hot 100 hits like “Get It Sexxy,” and “SkeeYee.” She’s also social-media savvy, with deep-fried IG pics alongside Lana Del Rey and viral live performances in beauty stores. Now she’s making appearances at NFL games and WWE shows. What’s not to love? Get off your C. Delores Tucker and let Sexyy Red have fun, because the St. Louis rapper is here to stay. — ANGEL DIAZ

If you come for the Queen, you best not miss. Nicki remains at the apex of the rap mountain 15 years after the release of her breakout mixtape, Beam Me Up Scotty. Hip-hop has continued to cycle through rappers looking to knock Minaj off the throne, and they haven’t been able to hang for long in Gag City. 

Nicki turned in another memorable campaign in ‘23, as her potent pen remains as sharp as ever. She co-signed Sexyy Red for her first Hot 100 entry on “Pound Town 2,” which kicked off Red’s ascension to stardom. Minaj then teamed up with Ice Spice for the Barbie movie anthem and Hot 100 top 10 hit “Barbie World,” before capping off the year with the versatile Pink Friday 2, which topped the Billboard 200 (with 228,000 first-week units, along with 14 of its tracks debuting on the Hot 100). The much-anticipated sequel set boasted a range of hits, with something for just about every type of Nicki fan. 

She reaffirmed living legend status since by hitting the road for the Pink Friday 2 World Tour, where she’s reconnected with thousands of loyal Barbz, taking over arenas across the continent for a magenta-splashed victory lap. Within the 34-date North American leg, the trek averaged just under $2 million and 13,000 per night, proving that no matter what’s going on in the world of rap, Nicki remains the genre’s centrifugal female force, and sun that other planets continue to orbit.  – MICHAEL SAPONARA