This year, 2013, has been full of breakout talent, but these guys have changed the game.
Last year, Hip Hop Vibe did a special article about Nas called “Summer on Smash.” It was dope and the name of Nas’ song, but it was too dope to be a one and done. With that being said, “Summer on Smash” is back and this time it is going to recount five of the biggest breakout artists of the summer of 2013.
Atlanta always does their thing during the summer and Rich Homie Quan and Migos have had their way with the radio this year. On the other side, the internet has been buzzing because of Iamsu!, A$AP Ferg, and Travi$ Scott. Either way, these dudes have been the biggest breakout artists of 2013.
See The Five Biggest Breakout Artists of 2013 below:
Rich Homie Quan
Anybody who follows Hip Hop Vibe knows we have been featuring Rich Homie Quan since last year. He has always been major, but he was stuck in the shadow of his label-mate, Trinidad James. Early this year, Rich Homie Quan released his Still Goin In (Reloaded) mixtape and it included his singles, “Type of Way,” and “Differences.”
In the spring of 2013, Rich Homie Quan took over the internet with his songs and a lot of people began quoting his lyrics and sharing his links online. Fans caught on with him early, but the mainstream caught him this summer. At first, they loved “Differences,” but they later fell for “Type of Way” and they still falling!
The best way to gauge the growth of a rapper is to see the amount of mixtapes they get on. It’s pretty clear to everybody who follows mixtapes that Rich Homie Quan’s breakout year was predetermined. He was on all the hottest mixtapes that came out this year and he is still being added and this is way more than “Type of Way.”
Watch “Type of Way” by Rich Homie Quan below:
Watch “Differences” by Rich Homie Quan below:
A$AP Ferg
It looked like 2013 would be the year of A$AP Rocky, since his debut album didn’t drop until January. Early in the year, A$AP Ferg picked up a lot of popularity and he has not looked back, announcing his Trap Lord project. This week, he released the project, which was his debut album.
What’s funny is how yesterday marked the one year anniversary of A$AP Ferg releasing “Work.” The song really didn’t catch on until this year and earlier in the spring. A$AP Ferg returned with the official remix featuring Trinidad James, French Montana, ScHoolboy Q, and A$AP Rocky and it made it to the BET Awards.
Both “Work” and the “Work” remix led to A$AP Ferg’s buzz becoming bigger than A$AP Rocky’s. That’s crazy because of how far he’s come and it’s really only been since the spring and summer months. Going from unknown to dropping an album in a year says enough.
Watch “Work” by A$AP Ferg below:
Watch “Work (remix)” by A$AP Ferg below:
Travi$ Scott
Bet a lot of people wouldn’t even guess Travi$ Scott is from Houston. Out of all the artists on the list, Travi$ Scott is one with the most backing. Travi$ Scott has T.I. AND Kanye West in his corner, does it get much better than that for a new artist trying to get into the game?
Early this year, Travi$ Scott announced Owl Pharaoh and right before the retail summer season, he dropped it. Travi$ Scott posted one of the biggest viral hits of the spring with “Upper Echelon,” featuring T.I. and 2 Chainz. One hit wasn’t enough for Travi$ Scott, he also had “Quintana” doing well.
In the months since he dropped his music, Travi$ Scott has continued making connections. MTV came out to interview DJ Khaled and he had Travi$ Scott with him and he was giving him props. Travi$ Scott did his thing this summer and looks like he will probably continue to do that.
Watch “Upper Echelon” by Travi$ Scott ft. T.I. and 2 Chainz below:
Watch “Quintana” by Travi$ Scott below:
Migos
The Migos are a hard-working trio out of Atlanta and it’s been great seeing them emerge. When Offset gets out of prison, the hip hop world will finally see what the Migos can do. Even when they were shorthanded, the Migos still put forth the biggest hit of the summer with “Versace,” featuring Drake.
This song became one of the year’s biggest breakout records and came after a strong mixtape run. Earlier this year, Migos dropped their Young Rich Niggas mixtape, which did well. They have since dropped their Streets on Lock tape with Rich The Kid earlier this month.
Migos are connected to all the names in Atlanta and they have songs out with most of them. Gucci Mane is one of the biggest supporters of Migos and right now the trio have a new tape in the works. Their new mixtape with Chill Will is due later this year, called Nawf Pole.
Watch Migos perform “Versace” in New York City below:
Watch “Bando” by Migos below:
Iamsu!
When the year started out, Iamsu! was best-known for being Problem’s sidekick. His relationship with Problem is potentially one of the biggest duos in hip hop, but Iamsu! is now known as the leader of the HBK Gang. A Heartbreak Gang leader, Iamsu! is helping bring Oakland’s hip hop scene back to the forefront of the game.
This summer, Iamsu!’s stock went up when he dropped Kilt II. The mixtape did very well, but Iamsu!’s run started with Million Dolla Afro with Problem. His “Mobbin” single did well and it really began to take off right when the summer was beginning. At the start of the summer, Iamsu! dropped “100 Grand” and it did well.
Iamsu! has a bright future ahead of himself as 2013 begins to enter the final stretch. He is doing things outside of the box and that’s why he’s winning. Making inroads with artists from all over the place, he is definitely the new leader of the Oakland hip hop scene. There is definitely a lot more to Iamsu! and he is just getting started.
Watch “Mobbin” by Iamsu! below:
Watch “100 Grand” by Iamsu! ft. Juvenile, Problem, and Kool John below:
