10 Artists Leading the Charge in the Bluegrass State

The state of Kentucky doesn’t get much love when it comes to hip hop/R&b, it’s just facts. We’ve been swept under the rug for the longest time simply because we don’t have a huge voice in the music industry due to being secluded from bigger city markets/labels and not having a rich hip-hop influenced culture until recently. Everyone knows Kentucky for their college basketball team, mostly country music, horse racing, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and the good old Kentucky Bourbon that we produce in the state. But what people don’t know is that there are plenty of artists who are making a name for theirselves state-wide and even on a national level. I’ve had a pleasure of watching a lot of the artists in the state grow over the past couple of years and now that summer is almost here, I wanted to shed light on the ones who are making original and genuine music and the people who I really believe in.

The first big name that comes to mind that is obvious is Bryson Tiller, but we are going to leave him out of this list because he’s the OG and that’s just a given. He’s paved the way for a list like this to even happen, so I wanted to give credit to him before we get started. This list is for the up and comers, the ones grinding as we speak trying to make it out of the state and be in a position like Bryson himself.

The criteria for the artists that I chose for this list is based on who I think gets the most engagement with their fans, who is the most consistent and hardest working, who’s performing shows, and who I personally think is making the best music. I’m going to list 3 of my favorite songs by them as well. YES, this list is going to be a little biased. I also don’t even know all of the artists Kentucky has to offer, so I’m hoping you guys can agree on a handful of these artists and then you can tell me who you think should be added to the list so I can keep an eye out on them for the future. This list is not in order and it’s NOT a TOP 10 LIST. It’s simply a list of artists who I think should be put into the spotlight and given credit for putting on for Kentucky.

Here we go!

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1. Jack Harlow

The Louisville legend in the making is an obvious #1. He’s been by far making the most noise not only in Kentucky but nationwide. After signing to DJ Drama/Generation Now and releasing his major label mixtape Loose, his career has been gradually building up at a steady pace. He’s done multiple tours, been booked for every big festival including Rolling Loud and Summer Smash, and it seems like his fanbase is being multiplied day in and day out. His biggest moment (that I’ve noticed from the outside) is headlining the Waterfront Jam Concert Series in Louisville where he performed in front of a sold out crowd and he brought out Bryson Tiller to perform a couple of his hits. His music is genuine and the overall confidence in which he carries himself has taken him so far and I can only imagine what in store for him. He’s got millions of plays on Youtube, Spotify, and Soundcloud so the numbers speak for himself. He hasn’t really “blown up” yet, he still has so much more room to grow, but I really think he can be one of the biggest artists in hip hop in the next 2-3 years. He’s getting ready to release another album this summer and I’m sure he’s getting ready for another tour, so be on the lookout.

My favorite Jack Harlow songs:

1. NUN FREE (feat. 2ForWoyne)
2. 9th Grade
3. Got Me Thinking

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2. BBlasian

BBlasian is another Louisville native who I actually got hip to at a Jack Harlow show. BBlasian opened up for Jack on his “Loose Tour” and I’ve been a fan ever since. BBlasian is a young and raw talent that lets his vocals outshine the competition. He makes a lot of triumphant music about overcoming the pain and struggles that he’s been through. Again, very real and genuine music that listeners can easily relate to. It seems like BBlasian is booked for every big show in Louisville, multiple festivals, and has a huge following in his city. I see him pull up to high schools in Louisville meeting his fans and showing love everywhere he goes. He doesn’t have a ton of music out, but I’m sure he is sitting on a lot of new tunes that are ready to hit the surface this summer.

My favorite BBlasian songs:

1. Sleepless
2. Change
3. Arcades

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3. The Homies

One of the most creative and original collectives coming out of the state is The Homies. There’s a total of 5 artists that make up The Homies: Quiiso, Shloob, Ace Pro, 2forwOyNE and Ronnie Lucciano. They are all also a part of the Private Garden collective which also includes Jack Harlow and photographer Urban Wyatt. They bring a more experimental and versatile sound to the realm of the Bluegrass State and I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them perform live several times when they open up for Jack Harlow. They make very relatable music that almost anyone could enjoy. They have consistently put of creative visuals, great music, and have done multiple shows. The best part about The Homies is that they still are relatively unknown on the grand scheme of things and to me, they are one of the hidden gems of Kentucky hip hop.

My favorite songs from The Homies:

1. On Gawd
2. Leaf Wraps (feat. Jack Harlow)
3. Phone Booth

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4. YNL Capone

Lexington, Kentucky native YNL Capone is one of the most talented artists that I don’t think a lot of people know about outside of his area (I could be wrong, it’s just an observation). He makes very passionate music and lets his vocals standout. From watching him move, it looks like he throws a lot of parties and performs at almost all of them. I love the hustle and he seems to have a lot of people that believe in him and support his music. He gets a lot of engagement and does pretty well as far as streaming numbers for being an independent artist. He’s honestly someone I’d love to book and bring up to Cincinnati and see him perform on a bigger stage. It’s raw talent like him with the confident persona he has to offer that will put Kentucky on the map moving forward.

My favorite YNL Capone songs:

1. Need That
2. Lay Back
3. Bag

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5. Pangeaux

Newport, Kentucky’s leader of this new wave of artists is none other than Pangeaux. If you are a frequent reader of our blog and you follow us on social media, you know that we push Pangeaux’s music heavy. The story of Pangeaux goes like this: he went to college to play basketball on scholarship and developed a love for creating music along the way. In between practices, games, and even class he constantly found himself coming back to his laptop making beats just for the sheer love of it. He eventually started to record his own music in late 2016 and ended up releasing a couple tracks for fun. He then released his official debut single “Ms. Mary Mack” which was in instant hit back in 2017 and it was the song that made him realize he can really do this music thing. After playing a couple seasons of basketball, he decided to drop out and pursue his music career full time. Since then, he’s dropped an EP entitled _AloneInTheHills_, a couple hit singles including “Let U Geaux” and “Old Me”, and has collaborated with up and coming star Lil Loski. He’s performed at the Breakaway Music Festival in Columbus, has performed on a couple Soul Serum shows, he’s been featured on prominent platforms like Lyrical Lemonade and Elevator, and has also gained over 400,000 plays across all platforms. Pangeaux has solidified himself as being a force to be reckoned with not only in Kentucky but nationwide. He’s got a lot more coming this summer, so stay tuned.

My favorite Pangeaux songs:

1. Let U Geaux
2. _4amInTheHills_
3. OLD ME

6. Natalie Graham

The only girl that’s featured on this list and honestly, she’s better than a lot of the artists that we feature on this blog and she goes by the name of Natalie Graham. Natalie is actually from a small town in Indiana across from Louisville, but she makes a lot of moves in the city of Louisville and has a fan base in Kentucky, so for the sake of this list we are going to include her because she deserves it. Natalie stands out and shines every time she releases new music or features on a track with someone. Her personality is infectious and empowering for not only women but for the guys too. She can make that confident, in-you-face pop rap music that will make you bob your head and give the “stank” face, and then she can also make music that more sweet and touching. She’s extremely versatile and goes viral on almost every piece of content she puts out to the world. Her streaming numbers speak for herself, she’s performed at several shows now including our show Area 513, and has gained fans all of the state and the country. Of all the artists on this list to have a breakout year, she might be the one to do it. If you’re not hip yet, I highly advise you do so before it’s too late.

My favorite Natalie Graham songs:

1. I Don’t Care
2. In The Night
3. Stealing Your Heart

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7. WavyTheKing

Another Louisville artist who deserves to be on this list is WavyTheKing. He is basically “Mr. Louisville” himself as he does so much for the city and tries literally every social media tactic and promotional venture to get his name out there, and honestly the formula he’s been using is working. He has this really emphatic and raw sound that really catchy. He’s one of the hardest working rappers in the state and he goes viral with his content all the time. He throws his own shows, pulls up to high schools to give back to his fans, and puts out consistent music for his fans to enjoy. He takes his craft seriously and I can’t ever knock his hustle. I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t had a song to really “blow up” yet with how many times he’s gone viral, but nonetheless I really do think his time to shine is coming. The numbers he puts up are crazy for an independent artist and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him sign to a label within the next year where we will really see him grow and flourish.

My favorite WavyTheKing songs are:

1. Roll Tide
2. Pay Attention (feat. $lowBucks)
3. Cash Cow (feat. Wavid)

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8. EST Gee

Another Louisville-bred artist that I’m going to highlight goes by the name of EST Gee. This is an artist that I recently got hip to a month ago from a Jack Harlow feature, and I’ve got to say his music goes hard! He makes real street music and it’s something that our state needs more of. He’s got a lot of people behind him and supporting him just from watching him move. He’s a voice that really needs to be heard. Jack Harlow brought him out to perform their hit song “Mall Map” at the Waterfront Jam Concert Series in Louisville, and it seems like he’s been gaining a lot of traction ever since. I was hesitant to put him on this list simply because I haven’t been hip for that long, but after listening to his project El Toro, there’s no way I couldn’t put him on here.

My favorite EST Gee songs are:

1. The Bull
2. Mall Map (feat. Jack Harlow)
3. Dead Fresh

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9. E The Profit

Reigning out of Elsmere, Kentucky, E The Profit has been making a name for himself in the Tri-State area. With Soundcloud releases earlier in the year like “Big Talking”, “ELI”, and “Get Ghost”, he has really been thriving on strong bars full of confidence, high energy, and profound lyricism. E The Profit also collaborated with our very own John Buchanan for two music video releases of his hit singles “DANK” and “ELI” which has gathered close to 15K+ views on our Youtube page combined. It seems like he goes somewhat viral with everything he releases and has gained a lot of fans in the past year.

E The Profit has only been taking music seriously for little under a year now, and it’s amazing to see how much talent he really has. When you listen to any of his songs, you immediately feel the high, emphatic energy that he gives off. That’s exactly what Duffy Season is, an EP showcasing the raw talent that E has into 5 songs. My immediate favorites from the tape are “Hot off the Press”, “What???”, and “Duffy Season”. On the EP, we get a feature from E the Profit’s frequent collaborator JDINGERS and they absolutely kill the standout hit of the tape “Duffy Season”. The featured production from the tape comes from Northern Kentucky’s very own ChachBeLurkin who is without a doubt one of the best producers in this area with already making tracks with Pangeaux and E The Profit.

E The Profit has also been highly acclaimed for the energy he brings to every performance. He’s opened up for Lucki, $teven Cannon, and Crash Rarri and will continue to be someone that everyone looks forward to seeing live.

My favorite E The Profit songs are:

1. Big Talking
2. Duffy Season
3. What???

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10. Derek James

The last, but least, artist that I’m going to highlight is Lexington, Kentucky’s very own Derek James. Derek is a part of the 4700 collective which includes artist such as Chuxky, Blade (from Atlanta), OG William (producer), and Derek himself. I know I’m missing a couple more artists in their group (forgive me), but I haven’t been as hip to them yet. Derek is one of the few artists who just have a god given, natural talent to make music. His music is infectious in every sense of the word and you can tell he takes time to perfect his craft before releasing it to the world. The confidence, overall style and charismatic persona Derek has is what’s going to take him far in the music industry. He’s already got a hit song “Fendi” with 4700Blade that’s gained over 30K+ plays on Youtube and Soundcloud alone, and he hasn’t even been making music for more than a year. It’s crazy for people like him that can just hop on the mic and make a hit, but here we are months later where Derek is getting ready to release his debut project Chest Pains. He’s already done a couple shows and has been working nonstop to bring his vision to life. He is definitely on the come up and I highly suggest you all get hip ASAP to not only Derek James, but the rest of the 4700 team.

My favorite Derek James songs:

1. Fendi (with 4700Blade)
2. Like Jordan
3. On Me (feat. E The Profit)

Honorable Mentions:

MB Cobi, Hayes, Domdi, OG, Taylor, 4700Chuxky, Blake D, Wavid, $lowBucks, Toni Bean, Kyle Verdi, $ach, JDINGERS, Young D, Lil Germ, Lavelle, NVRMNDFRVR, Nate Taylor

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What do you guys think? Do you agree or disagree? Please share your thoughts with us and reach out if we missed anyone that you feel like deserves the recognition! We want to be a platform to highlight everyone that is deserving and is making noise. Overall, I think this list is very strong and the future of Kentucky hip hop is in a great place! I’m excited to see where these artists will end up this time next year and hopefully we will have a list of new names. Thank you all for reading!