Louisiana rapper Boosie Badazz took his raw, uncut style from deep underground circles to mainstream success over the course of a long, winding career arc. After starting out rapping in the '90s as part of a collective called Concentration Camp, he was taken under the wing of Pimp C as a solo artist. Throughout the 2000s and beyond, Boosie's acclaim grew as he moved into the big leagues on major-label-funded albums like 2010's Incarcerated.

Originally known as Lil' Boosie, Boosie Badazz's hard Southern style comes from growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. An appearance on C-Loc's 2000 It's a Gamble, became Boosie's debut. He soon released the full-length CD Youngest of da Camp on his own. His big breakthrough began when he joined Pimp C's Trill Entertainment camp. He was paired with fellow Trill artist Webbie for the 2003 release Ghetto Stories and again for 2004's Gangsta Musik, which featured the first appearance of Webbie's future hit "Give Me That." Trill then worked a deal with the Warner Bros.-associated Asylum, and both Webbie and Boosie were now on a major label.

Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion began gaining attention in 2016, first with a standout verse on various-artists rap showcase The Houston Cypher. Sexually charged lyrics and nonstop confidence defined her style, and she quickly took off locally. Her first official single came with 2016's "Like a Stallion," and her presence on the Houston rap circuit was solidified by decimating all opponents in local freestyle competitions. Sexually explicit lyrics and effortless flows became signatures of her sound, and after the less widely distributed 2016 mixtape Rich Ratchet, in 2017 she released the singles "Pull Up Late" and "Stalli (Freestyle)," the latter of which had an accompanying video that would be viewed millions of times. The seven-track EP Make It Hot arrived that same year and a slowed-down "chopped" remix version of the EP followed the next year. Megan's fame grew quickly, and as she gained more fans and followers, she released her most considerately produced work to date in 2018 with the ten-song Tina Snow. The collection featured a cameo from Memphis rapper Moneybagg Yo and production from Concept P.

International style icon & enigmatic R&B sensation, Brent Faiyaz solidifies himself as an artist for any era. Nearly two-years since his “Lost EP” Faiyaz re-emerges from his hiatus with a fine-tuned grasp on his craft. The unapologetic 10-track “Fuck The World” Seamlessly weaves from rude sex and champagne-soaked nights, to sensitive ideas about legacy, world issues, and the price of fame.