When you think of Philadelphia, you probably think of the Eagles, cheesesteaks, “wooder,” and LOVE Park. However, you really gotta start associating the city with some of the best musicians this world has seen, and many more are on the come-up. Some of the best artists are Philly artists.
The City of Brotherly Love knows how to produce some fire music. Philly natives such as Meek Mill or Lil Uzi Vert have risen to the top of the charts. Here are ten upcoming musicians from the Philadelphia area that you might see next on Billboard’s Top 10.
Gogo Morrow
Gogo Morrow is a young, rising artist who is proudly from Philadelphia. The 25 year-old singer favors the r&b and hip-hop genres, and has worked with artists such as Wiz Khalifa and Lady Gaga. She also has worked alongside mega-producer Harmony Samuels, who has produced artists like Ariana Grande and Usher. Her first manager discovered her through Youtube, and since then she has gone to partner with B.O.E. and sign with Interscope Records (Khalabo Music label). Morrow also received her Bachelor of Arts in Music Business and Performance from Millersville University. Girl knows the definition of hard work!
2Rare
2Rare is a rapper whose name you may recognize from NLE Choppa’s 2023 album, Cottonwood 2. NLE brought 2Rare onto the album to collaborate on the song, “DO IT AGAIN.” He was also featured in fellow Philly native, Lil Uzi Vert’s, “Just Wanna Rock” music video. The 23 year-old rapper and songwriter has at least 575k followers on Instagram and over two million listeners on Spotify. His latest album, “Truth or Rare” was released in late September, and it’s definitely worth a listen.
Toure
This rapper from West Philadelphia was featured with fellow Philly artists on our article, “8 Philly Rappers You Need to Know by the End of This Year,” (https://www.respectmyregion.com/philly-rappers-list-2022/) last year, so if you didn’t listen to him at all in 2022, this is us telling you again you must listen to Toure. He’s dropping hot tracks like crazy, including two albums this year. His latest drop, “Life of the Party,” features hit artists Yung Bleu and Vory.
Huey, the Cosmonaut
Huey, the Cosmonaut is your slower r&b, bedroom pop vibes, and his songs simply do not miss. His vibe is a bit different from the other Philly artists in this list, but he is talented nonetheless, and brings his own style and uniqueness to his tunes. With only 238 monthly listeners, the future is looking up for Huey. His raw vocals combine with his beats to create works of art. A true Philly native, his latest release was a live album named, “Live From Germantown.”
Manny Laurenko
Manny Laurenko is a rap/hip-hop artist from Philly who you may have heard of before. Laurenko has generated 309.7k monthly listeners on Spotify since 2020. His signature lead-in, “Hi, Manny,” is in almost every one of his songs. His leading song on Spotify, “Space Boy,” off of his album, “Storm Coming,” has generated over 10,400,000 streams.
OT7 Quanny
OT7 Quanny is a hardcore rapper who gives off XXXTentacion vibes in his tone of voice. He grew up in North Philadelphia and had to overcome a lot to get to where he is today due to the violence in that area. For those wondering what his name means, “OT” means “overtime” because he’s constantly grinding, and the “7” stands for seven days a week.
Leaf Ward
Leaf Ward hails from West Philly and has done multiple collabs with OT7 Quanny. He’s frequently dropping new music and constantly grinding. He values the art of working hard, as well as his day ones and family. Leaf Ward was also featured on “8 Philly Rappers You Need to Know Before the End of This Year.”
Tierra Whack
Tierra Whack is definitely on the come-up, and a name you don’t want to forget. This Philadelphia native was recently featured on a collaboration on Nija’s song, “MY POWER,” alongside Beyoncé, Busiswa, Yemi Alade, Moonchild Sanelly, and DJ Lag. She has amassed 2.6 million Spotify listeners, and was also featured on “8 Philly Rappers You Need to Know Before the End of This Year.”
Jakk Frost
Jakk Frost sounds straight out of the 90s-2000s rap era. He released multiple tracks in mid-July that he recorded in 2007, and they will immediately transport you back to the prime days of NWA and 50 Cent. When he’s not making music, Jakk Frost is selling Halal food at 5601 Arch Street in Philly.
Davron Mananov
Last up on our list but most certainly not least is electronic music artist and producer, Davron Mananov. This guy knows how to lay down some serious beats. His euphoric melodies and synth patterns need to be heard in as many nightclubs, house parties, and basements as possible.
Whether you’re into rap, EDM, alternative, indie, or any other genre you can think of, you can guarantee Philadelphia has a musician for it. These 10 Philly artists, however, definitely have a successful career in music coming their way.
