Artists like KOTA The Friend

Jayson Andrew "Mick" Jenkins is an American rapper based in Chicago and signed to Cinematic Music Group. His mixtape, The Waters, was released in 2014, followed by the Waves EP in 2015.

Abbas Hamad, known professionally as Bas, is a French-born Sudanese-American rapper. He signed with J. Cole's Dreamville Records, an imprint of Interscope Records to release his debut studio album, Last Winter (2014). It was met with positive critical reception and entered the Billboard 200, along with his second and third albums, Too High to Riot (2016) and Milky Way (2018). His fourth album, We Only Talk About Real Shit When We're Fucked Up (2023) was met with continued praise.

EarthGang is an American hip-hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia, composed of Olu and WowGr8. They are co-founders of the musical collective Spillage Village, with JID, Hollywood JB, JordxnBryant, 6lack, Mereba, and Benji.

Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, known professionally as Joey Badass, is an American rapper and actor. Born in Brooklyn, he formed the regional hip-hop group Pro Era in 2011, with whom he has released three mixtapes and formed the larger collective, Beast Coast the following year.

Marlon Craft is an American rapper and songwriter from Manhattan, New York. He released his debut studio album, Funhouse Mirror, in June 2019. He had also previously released numerous EPs and mixtapes.

Edwin Kenneth Green Jr., professionally known as Kenny Mason, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer, known for his distinctive sound which consists of a fusion between grunge, hip-hop, and elements of shoegaze.

Dreamville Records is an American independent record label founded by rapper J. Cole and his manager Ibrahim Hamad. The label ended its distribution deal with Interscope Records, a unit of Universal Music Group in July 2025. The roster includes Bas, Cozz, Omen, Lute, JID, EarthGang, and Cole himself. Dreamville also houses American record producers Elite, Ron Gilmore, and Cedric Brown.

Cody Rashad Osagie, better known by his stage name Cozz, is an American rapper. He is signed to J. Cole's label Dreamville Records and Interscope Records. His debut studio album Cozz & Effect, was released in October 2014. He has since released other projects, such as his 2016 project Nothin' Personal and in 2018 he released Effected his second Studio Album. He also released his Fortunate EP in 2021.

Isaiah Rashad Joel McClain is an American rapper and singer. He first gained recognition following his performances on the 2012 Smoker's Club Tour alongside rappers Juicy J, Joey Badass and Smoke DZA. He is a founding member of the Chattanooga, Tennessee-based hip-hop collective TheHouse, which he formed with rappers YGTUT, Michael Da Vinci (MikeyD), Chris P, and Brian Brown.

Emekwanem Ogugua Biosah Jr., known professionally as Maxo Kream, is a Nigerian-American rapper. His debut album Punken was released in 2018. His follow-up and major label debut, Brandon Banks, was released in 2019 and peaked at number 68 on the Billboard 200.

Oluwatobi Feyisara Ajibolade, known professionally as Tobi , is a Nigerian-born Canadian singer and rapper signed to RCA Records and Same Plate Entertainment. He released his debut studio album Still in May 2019, his second album Elements Vol. 1 in 2020, his third album PANIC in 2023 and his fourth album Elements Vol.2 in 2025.

D'Anthony William Carlos, better known by his stage name GoldLink, is an American rapper and singer from Washington, D.C. He gained recognition following the release of his critically acclaimed debut mixtape, The God Complex (2014). In 2015, he was chosen as part of the XXL Freshman Class and self-released his second mixtape, And After That, We Didn't Talk, before signing with RCA Records.

Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr., better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Southern California, Rock signed with the Carson-based independent label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005. He secured a major label joint venture deal with Warner Bros. Records and Asylum Records to release his 2008 debut single, "All My Life ". Failing to chart, the mergers fell through and Rock departed from both of the latter labels shortly after. He then signed with Missouri rapper Tech N9ne's label Strange Music in a joint venture deal with TDE in 2011.

La'Reonte Wright, known professionally as Dizzy Wright, is an American rapper and record producer.

Ameer Emmanuel Vann is an American rapper. He is best known for being a member of music collective Brockhampton, until he left Brockhampton in May 2018. After leaving Brockhampton, Vann started his solo career and released his first commercial EP, Emmanuel, in September 2019.

Kyle Thomas Harvey, known mononymously as Kyle and SuperDuperKyle, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor from Ventura, California. He is best known for his 2016 breakout single "iSpy", which peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Signed to Indie-Pop and Atlantic Records, Harvey is also known for his association with the SuperDuperCrew which consists of Brick, Jesus, and Maxx.

Abhi Sridharan Vaidehi, better known by his stage name Abhi the Nomad, is an Indian rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer associated with alternative hip hop music. As of 2023, Vaidehi has released five full-length albums, Marbled, Modern Trash, Abhi vs the Universe, its sequel Abhi vs the Universe II, and Destroyer, as well as six extended plays.