Three MCs

To make this list, these MCs had to meet three conditions:
- Has not released a major label album
- Has released new material within the year
- Has not been mentioned in ANDY before

Vince Staples

Despite claiming not to take rap all that seriously, Vince Staples’ guest verse on “Epar,” off of Earl Sweatshirt’s album Earl, was quite well received by the hip-hop scene as a whole. Now that he is taking his rapping more seriously, Staples has joined onto more features, mainly with Odd Future members Mike G and producer Syd tha Kyd. Working with producer Michael Uzowuru, he released Shyne Coldchain Vol. 1 in 2011. Shyne Coldchain Vol. 2 followed in 2013, with production by No I.D. and Evidence. With slick wordplay about his drug dealing father, running from the police, and his time on the streets, Staples’ consistency shines through every verse. His relatively new record deal, with Def Jam Recordings, home of Big Boi, Frank Ocean, and Pusha T, should bring his talents to the forefront.

Kevin Gates

It was not until his eighth mixtape in 2013 that Kevin Gates began to receive legitimate attention. The Luca Brasi Story resulted in a fairly large amount of popularity. He also recorded a feature on Pusha T’s Wrath of Caine, and signed with Atlantic Records, home of B.o.B, Lupe Fiasco, and Flo Rida on the hip-hop scene, and stars such as Coldplay, Bruno Mars, and James Blunt. With Stranger Than Fiction later in 2013 and By Any Means in 2014, his pre-deal pace has persisted. Gates’ style of southern rap, hard-hitting beats remains a catchy, radio-ready total package.

Chance the Rapper

Chance the Rapper’s rise to relative fame has been quite quick, and it is amazing how ANDY has managed to hold off on mentioning him for so long. 10 Day, in 2012, was his first mixtape, but Chance managed to hit instant success opening for Childish Gambino on his tour. His true acceptance into the mainstream came with 2013’s Acid Rap, which had features from Twista, Action Bronson, Childish Gambino, and Ab-Soul. Despite being a free mixtape, it debuted on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart at number 63, just from bootleg downloads. Through new collaborations with Justin Bieber, Skrillex, and James Blake, Chance’s very unique rapping about love and drugs has successfully and quickly become a mainstream success, even though Chance still only has two mixtapes to his name.