Who Are The Best New Artist Nominees?
The 2024 BET Awards are just days away, as the culture’s biggest night arrives on Sunday (June 30). And while this year’s commemoration has a fully stocked list of categories, the BET Best New Artist category is a sign that the future of Black music is bright. The nominees’ list features a diverse heap of talent with sounds from sultry afrobeats, melodically woozy R&B, and ever-growing Hip-Hop.
It includes award nominations for artists such as 41, 4Batz, Ayra Starr, Bossman Dlow, Fridayy, October London, Tyla, and Sexyy Red. Although some of these names may be familiar to you, there is a good chance that you’ve wondered, “Who are these people?” while reading them. But worry not; VIBE’s got you covered.
Our list will highlight a bit about each artist and the milestones they’ve managed to snag in the past year leading up to their glorious nomination on one of the biggest nights in Black culture. Without further ado, meet the Best New Artist nominees of the 2024 BET Awards.
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41
Image Credit: YouTube Screenshot Age: Kyle Richh (21), Jenn Cartee (21), and Tata (19)
41 comprises of two male rappers and one femle rapper: Kyle Richh, TaTa, and Jenn Cartee. While the artists had bubbling solo careers in New York City from 2021-2022, the trio had their breakthrough moment in 2023. 41’s TikTok viral track, “Bent,” amassed 1 million video creations and secured them their first Billboard charting single.
Milestone: 2.7 monthly Spotify listeners, “Bent” peaking at No. 37 on the Billboard Hot R&B/HipHop chart, and named BET’s Amplified Artist of the Month.
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4Batz
Image Credit: Williams/WireImage Age: 20
4Batz is a Dallas-born artist who dabbles in the more melodic side of Hip-Hop, which is juxtaposed with grimy aesthetics more recently associated with the drill movement. He began making music in 2023, which just so happened to be the musician’s biggest year. The Texas native achieved viral success with his debut single, “Act I: Stickerz 99.” More success followed as his subsequent track, “Act II: Date @ 8,” made its first appearance on the Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and peaking at No. 59. These two tracks[GU1] would lead to an EP, U Made Me a St4r, and collaborations with Kanye West and Drake. 4Batz would then ink a deal with Drizzy’s OVO Sound to release the aforementioned debut project.
Milestones: Named Apple Music’s Up Next, embarked on first tour, the Thank U, Jada Tour, inked a deal with OVO Sound[GU3] in 2024, has garnered 3.6 million monthly Spotify streams to date, and was featured in XXL’s 2024 Freshman Class.
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Ayra Starr
Image Credit: Harrison/Getty Images) Age: 22
Ayra has consistently self-described her sound as “afrosoul” with the Gen-Z talent finding inspiration in Rihanna and Wande Coal. Starr released her first LP, 19 & Dangerous, in 2021, earning her critical acclaim in her homeland, Nigeria. She would soon taste international success with her 2022 single, “Rush,” which found chart success in Switzerland, the United States, and more. The track catapulted her to the top of many “artists to watch” lists by the end of the year and earn a Grammy nomination, her first, in 2024.
Milestones: 31 million Spotify monthly listeners, one Grammy nomination, a Future Awards Africa nomination, and has hit No. 1 on Nigeria’s music industry standard TurnTable chart with three different records.
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Bossman Dlow
Image Credit: Griffin/Getty Images Age: 25
Bossman Dlow, or maybe you know him as “Mr. Pot Scraper,” first hit the scene in 2019. While incarcerated, he began rapping that year and quickly turned that passion into tangible momentum upon his release. The Florida native’s grind led him to a deal with Alamo Records and shortly a viral record with, “Get in With Me,” amassing over 42 million plays on Spotify. “Get in With Me” would mark Bossman’s debut on the Billboard Hot 100, where the song would stay for five consecutive weeks before peaking at No. 49.
Milestones: 4.7 million monthly Spotify listens, featured in XXL’s 2024 Freshmen Class, Billboard chart presence and TikTok virality with the song becoming the soundtrack of over 300,000 videos on the platform.
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Fridayy
Image Credit: Harrison/Getty Images Age: 27
Hailing from Philadelphia, Fridayy is a producer, singer, and songwriter. Fans may recognize his name from DJ Khaled’s 2022 standout track, “GOD DID,” where he appeared alongside John Legend, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, and Rick Ross. That same year, he appeared on Lil Baby’s “Forever” and inked a deal with Def Jam Records. In 2023, he then stepped on the scene as a solo artist and made his debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with his song “When It Comes To You.” The track peaked at No. 97 and was certified gold by the RIAA.
Milestones: 4.9 million monthly Spotify listeners, presence on the Billboard Hot 100, RIAA-Gold certified track, and signed a deal with Def Jam Records in 2022.
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October London
Image Credit: YouTube Screenshot Age: 37
October London‘s inclusion on this list of nominees may shock some, seeing as though this artist is as seasoned as they come. London has been active in the game since 2014, writing and producing behind the scenes. But the Indiana native would finally get noticed as a rising star in 2016 when Snoop Dogg signed him to his revamped Death Row Records. He would follow up with a string of projects over the years before finally cracking the code in 2023 with The Rebirth Of Marvin, an LP dedicated entirely to the late Marvin Gaye. The album spawned his massively successful joint, “Back To Your Place,” which landed atop Billboard‘s Adult R&B Songs chart. The track would also land him three Soul Train Award nominations, with one additional nomination for Best R&B/Soul Artist.
Milestones: 1.7 monthly Spotify listeners, four Soul Train Award nominations, a No. 1 record on Billboard‘s Adult R&B Songs chart, inked deal with Death Row Records, and landed placement on The Color Purple Soundtrack with the song, “Eternity.”
Include the song’s name here.
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Sexyy Red
Image Credit: Griffin/Getty Images Age: 26
St. Louis’ “Ghetto Superstar” began rapping to create a diss track aimed at an ex-boyfriend that cheated on her. That would lead Red to drop her first track, “Ah Thousand Jugs,” in 2018, but things would change for the rapper in 2023. January of that year saw Red’s meteoric rise to mainstream fame after releasing “Pound Town”which later went viral across social media. Sexyy then issued “Pound Town 2,” with Nicki Minaj on the song, sending it straight to the Billboard Hot 100, where it became Red’s first charting single, peaking at No. 66. Later that year, “SkeeYee” would have a similar success story. The track checked off every box on the “go viral” game plan and landed her back on the Billboard Hot 100, this time peaking at No. 62. Drake then tapped her to join him on his It’s All A Blur Tour, before being featured on his track “Rich Baby Daddy” alongside SZA released that October. Hood Hottest Princess, her sophomore mixtape responsible for both of her charted hits, would find success on the Billboard 200, where it peaked No. 62.
Milestones: 18.8 million monthly Spotify listeners, Billboard chart presence, an RIAA certified platinum record (“Rich Baby Daddy”) and being a featured as guest on Drake’s tour.
Note the song in these parentheses.
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Tyla
Image Credit: Dipasupil/Getty Images Age: 22
South Africa’s own Tyla had a stellar 2023 and it all began when she rose to international fame with her single, “Water.” The song almost immediately became a viral earworm, taking over radio, YouTube, and TikTok alike. In fact, the song garnered her first top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and even landed in the top ten in over sixteen countries, including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Australia. “Water” has since become her most-played song on Spotify, with approximately 600 million listens logged on the record. Additionally, the record was RIAA-certified two times platinum, and she earned a Grammy award for Best African Performance, becoming the youngest African artist to win a Grammy. “Water” would become the lead single for her self-titled album, which was released to critical acclaim this year.
Milestones: 28 million monthly Spotify listeners, featured as a guest on Chris Brown’s Under the Influence Tour, a Grammy Award, named Spotify’s R&B Rising Artists to Watch, named to Apple Music’s 24 Artists to Watch in ’24, already dubbed the “Queen of Popiano,” and snagged a top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
