Over the years, Billboard has unearthed some gems before they became full-fledged diamonds. In 2021, Blxst was also on our coveted list and was named Billboard’s Rookie of the Year in 2022. The following year, we prophesied the success of Tems and Muni Long, who have both become Grammy award winners. The former was a featured artist on Future’s award-winning record “Wait for U,” and enjoyed her biggest solo success yet with the Hot 100 slow-burner “Free Mind.” Long secured a win in the best R&B song category for “HRS & HRS,” and has just caught her second wind with her Hot 100 top 40 record “Made for Me.”
With 2024 underway, Billboard has compiled 15 of the brightest stars around multiple genre sectors, including Hip-Hop, R&B, and Afrobeats. Tyla crashed the mainstream circuit last year with her bubbly banger “Water” while earning a Grammy Award for best African music performance. 4 Batz swept through social media like wildfire with his signature ski masks and love-drunk anthems, sparking bidding wars amongst the top labels. Rob49’s spirited raps and Luh Tyler’s youth movement put them on the brink of stardom on the hip-hop front, while Naomi Sharon, FLO and Chxrry22 have emerged as potential catalysts to move the needle in the R&B circuit.
The genre with a heap of talent and looking to shake the music world is Afrobeats. Billboard is placing their bets on Uncle Waffles, Bloody Civilian and other artists from that space to be the front-facing contenders out to win big this year.
Read below to find out more about the artists who Billboard believes are the ones to watch in 2024.
