Emo Rap, or Emo Trap, has grown from a buzzing keyword like SoundCloud Rap into its own respected genre, with its own official Spotify playlists for the genre, such as Tear Drop, existing for over a year. Artists such as the late Lil Peep, XXXTentacion, and Juice WRLD catapulted to success with their own unique interpretations of a genre consisting of fusions of rock, hip hop, pop, r&b, and electronic. With the genre continuing to explode, these are 6 artists we expect to see succeed over the next year.
Convolk
Convolk, a Russian-American singer and musician from California, now resides in New York City and attends Bard College. Convok’s name is Alexander Kanevsky. He was born December 14, 1996, in Oakland, California, but his father was born in the Soviet Union. In his free time, he likes making music, thrift shopping, and playing competitive Super Smash Brothers on the Nintendo 64. Convolk’s music is exactly as he describes it – independent and depressed.
93FEETOFSMOKE
Richmond, VA raised and Los Angeles, CA residing artist 93FEETOFSMOKE, born Marciel Bauer, screams in quite possibly the most infectiously aggressive love song of the past year, Lie And Say I Love Her. His work ranges from slower more romantic tracks to his screams on his popular fats’e collaborations I Scraped My Knee on the Drywall and STFUGAFM.
Nick Royal
Nick Royal initially grabbed our attention with his debut solo release, Luxury, from 2018. His second official single, a collaboration with James Colt, Lil Lotus, and Smrtdeath, Vacant, saw nearly 45,000 streams. He began to pick up steam in 2019 with the release of three singles, Trauma, Hangout, and High School Mode, the latter receiving recognition from the Spotify editorial team on their official Tear Drop playlist.
Spell Jordan
DMV Rapper, Lil Xan, Matt Ox, and Squidnice affiliate Spell Jordan took 2018 by storm with a series of singles and albums, notably Models, feat. Lil Xan. Spell Jordan is a twenty-three year-old Washington DC transplant, originally from Philadelphia. As a collaborator of Lil Xan, Matt Ox, GYYPS, and Smokeasac, Spell has created and built a unique following in the DMV area.
James Colt
Twenty-two year old James Colt grew to fame in early 2018 after the rising success of his breakout single, I Can’t Feel, featuring Convolk, a peek into the grungy, emotional music Colt begins to flesh out on his later released Loneson LP. While a relatively new artist in the scheme of things, James has managed to get two hit albums under his belt, 2018’s Loneson, and 2019’s Disaster Boy, thanks to the help of his Timeless Tomorrow collective, brand, and label, featuring his friends Nick Royal and Nick Wise.
Jackie Platinum
Jackie Platinum is a Boston born artist currently living in Los Angeles, CA. Jackie undoubtedly connects with the bop-punk, emo, and pop audiences. However, what separates Jackie from his peers is his carefree attitude, uptempo production, and fast melodies. Jackie’s songs feel like a true mix of a rap and pop-punk. Jackie’s style ranges from pop to rock to emo but all his tracks feature a uniquely bubbly sound.