A few years ago no one wanted to be called a “SoundCloud rapper.” The free platform for streaming and uploading music was associated with broke-ass rappers with dreams of hip-hop stardom. But with its low barrier to entry, more and more unsigned artists took to SoundCloud, where they didn’t need a record label or distributor to be heard like they did on major streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify. This up-and-coming generation also rejected the mixtape hosting powerhouses of the early 2000s, like DatPiff and LiveMixtapes, that refused to adapt their one-song-at-a-time release preferences. An emerging class of artists reacting to a changing music industry, these artists took control of their own destinies, releasing their own music on SoundCloud, succeeding at a pace that the traditional music industry couldn’t keep up with.

Tracklist: 

Don't by Bryson Tiller

The Race by Tay K