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Breaking through with the viral platinum hit "Rubbin Off the Paint" (2017) when he was just 17, YBN Nahmir went from being an online gamer to a rap star virtually overnight. Along with friends Cordae and YBN Almighty Jay, YBN Nahmir made up the core membership of the YBN collective, with all three of the main players rising to enormous success around the same time. Singles and videos streamed in the millions and hit the Billboard charts, as did YBN: The Mixtape (2018), an album-length release that collected the crew's brightest output up to that point, such as Nahmir's second big hit as a headliner, "Bounce Out with That." Nahmir has since released the solo album Visionland (2021), containing third platinum single "Opp Stoppa," and has joined the roster of Def Jam, announcing his signing to the pioneering rap label with "Bows" (2022).

Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, YBN Nahmir (Nicholas Alexander Simmons) founded the YBN crew in 2014. Nahmir's own music and the YBN collective both grew out of a community of teenaged online gamers, and his fan base initially formed around his presence as a gamer that sometimes included him freestyling during games of Grand Theft Auto. Eventually, he developed his exuberant and combative style -- one inspired by major Bay Area figures such as E-40 and Mozzy -- and started uploading tracks to social media platforms. Things broke wide open for Nahmir with his 2017 single "Rubbin Off the Paint." In less than a month, the song's video had been viewed over 20 million times, and by the end of the year it had hit the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number 46. Vince Staples issued his own remix version, furthering Nahmir's already viral visibility. New singles followed quickly, with tracks like "I Got a Stick," "No Hook," and "Bail Out" all doing numbers, but the brief and confrontational "Bounce Out with That" was the strongest follow-up to his initial hit, reaching the Billboard charts and being streamed hundreds of millions of times. It and "Rubbin Off the Paint" would eventually earn Nahmir his first two platinum certifications.

In April 2018, he inked a deal with Atlantic Records and in the fall of that year released YBN: The Mixtape with the other members of the collective. The album proved as successful as their respective singles and included guest spots from Wiz Khalifa, Chris Brown, Cuban Doll, and other established stars. He continued to issue singles into the next two years, including "Baby 8," "Opp Stoppa," and "Fuck It Up" (with City Girls and Tyga) in 2019, and "Talkin,'" "2 Seater" (featuring G-Eazy and Offset), and "Wake Up" in 2020. "Opp Stoppa" eventually went viral on TikTok and became Nahmir's second Hot 100 hit with help from a remix featuring 21 Savage. The track peaked at 78 in March 2021 and heralded the release of Nahmir's debut album, Visionland. In addition to both the solo and 21 Savage-assisted versions of "Opp Stoppa," the full-length featured some of the other preceding singles and "Ca$hland," a collaboration with Too $hort and E-40. "Opp Stoppa" was certified platinum in early 2022. That July, Nahmir returned with "Bows," his first single as a Def Jam signee. ~ Andy Kellman & Fred Thomas

American rapper and singer Joseph Black's emotionally charged mix of hip-hop and pop first found an audience in 2020 with the release of the massive single "(I hope you) miss me," before he delivered his debut album, 2021's Untold Stories: Love & Addiction.

Hailing from Minnesota, Black had a chaotic upbringing, first living in rural Minnesota before moving to Duluth with his mother when he was young. A self-confessed child tearaway, Black found solace in music through his older brother, particularly connecting to rap via Eminem and Lil Wayne. After dropping out of high school, Black turned to hustling while attempting to pursue a career in rap, but a move to Los Angeles meant he could truly focus on his music career and in 2020 he dropped his debut single "(I hope you) miss me." The emotionally charged mix of hip-hop and pop found an audience instantly, with the track racking up millions of streams. Black continued to work on more material, which saw him dealing with his upbringing, relationships, addiction, and sobriety, before issuing Untold Stories: Love & Addiction in late 2021. ~ Rich Wilson