Discovery
Rising Artists and Underground Rap
The artists Kazi Magazine is watching before everyone else does. The KAZI Heat chart ranks ten New York hip-hop artists every Monday from dated YouTube and Spotify reads, and our 2027 artists to watch names ten more across the country.
Below that is every rising-artist and underground rap story we have published, newest first.
The chart is updated every Monday. See this week's KAZI Heat or every past edition.
The chart and our picks
- NYC Rappers to Watch: The KAZI Heat Chart, Updated Mondays by Tariq Monroe
Fergie Baby takes No. 1 in this week's KAZI Heat, and Judah Weston climbs to No. 4. The chart ranks ten New York hip-hop artists from KAZI's own dated reads of official YouTube views and Spotify listeners. Updated every Monday.
- KAZI's 2027 Artists to Watch by Odessa Vance
KAZI's own picks for 2027: ten artists across major labels and independents, led by Arlington's Yakiyn and the Third Coast, then out to Mumbai, Calgary, East LA, Dublin and Antioch. The label, the release and why we rate each one.
- Gabe P Turned a Borrowed Room Into Rap's Discovery Engine by Cole Ashby
In 2018 Gabe P started out in a small, borrowed room with one interview a week. On the Radar now has a Hot 100 entry, a self-distributed label, a Forbes 30 Under 30 nod and crews filming from Brooklyn to Brazil. How a radio kid from Long Island built a rap discovery pipeline.
Rising artists and underground rap
- cieratherapper's "Rhinestones and Camo" Brings Grit and Glamour Out of Kentucky by Odessa Vance
cieratherapper's new single "Rhinestones and Camo" is out now, an ode to her Kentucky roots per RCA's release. Where the Morehead rapper's Trappalachia sound comes from, and the hick-hop history it walks into.
- Who Is Kuzi Cee? The Calgary R&B Singer Behind 'Frequency' by Odessa Vance
Kuzi Cee is a Zimbabwe-born, Calgary-based R&B singer-songwriter on Universal Music Canada. His new single "Frequency" follows "Rather Be," which reached #16 at Canadian Top 40 radio, per Universal Music Canada, and a spot on Rolling Stone Canada's Future of Music 2026 list.
- Karrahbooo's NOT DA 2 Fits a Whole Night Out Into 22 Minutes by Odessa Vance
Karrahbooo's NOT DA 2 is 11 songs in under 22 minutes, built for the replay button. Start with Truebeatzz's harder beats, Monaleo's Houston bark on "WYO," and the one-minute "No Hook."
- Natanya Is Building Pop's Most Interesting Project Without Anyone Watching by KAZI Magazine Staff
The North London singer has SZA and Tyler reposting her tracks, nearly 200K Spotify listeners, and a music theory toolkit most pop stars fake. So why does it still feel like a secret?
- 2Slimey Built a Career on Bass and TikTok. That Used to Be Called a Gimmick. by Kazi
459,000 monthly listeners and a Rolling Loud slot does not make you the future of anything. It makes you this year's viral act with next year's problems still unpaid.
- Che Is Making Weird Rap Sound Expensive by Ron
The Atlanta producer-rapper dropped two projects in two months, toured with Monster Energy, and just proved underground doesn't have to mean lo-fi anymore.
- OsamaSon Is Building the Underground the Industry Forgot How to Make by Ron
Four albums in two years. 1.8 million monthly listeners. Zero mainstream co-signs. OsamaSon is proving the algorithm doesn't need the machine anymore.
- Kai Ca$h Is Building Something Better Than Virality by Ron
While everyone chases TikTok moments, the Generation Now signee is stacking tour placements and catalog depth. That matters more than you think.
- fakemink Built a Career on 777 Listeners. Now He Has 8 Million. by Ron
The Essex rapper went from bedroom production to Coachella and Gucci runways in 18 months. His album Terrified dropped May 22, and the momentum still reads bigger than another UK rap success story.
- Rokkstarnova Has the Story. Now She Needs the Sound to Match. by Kazi
Five albums in four years tells you something about work ethic. But 777 monthly listeners after all that output tells you something else entirely about the music.