Last year’s Class of 2025 beamed bright when it was time to deliver. Spanning multiple genres, a plethora of artists climbed — including Billboard Rookie of the Year winners G3LO and Odeal — with the former nailing a top 30 hit during the early stages of the calendar year.

The Sunshine State birthed two new stars beginning with Sailorr and Isaiah Falls. Sailorr’s sparkling project, From Florida With Love, was an ode to personal growth and resilience, which spawned her breakout single “Pookie’s Requiem,” and a starry remix with Summer Walker. Falls bloomed into one of the genre’s self-assuring lotharios, using his wit and charisma to guide his listeners towards unrequited love.

On the rap side, Samara Cyn and Zeddy Will surged into Rookie of the Year contenders. With an agile flow and penchant for steely wordplay, Cyn held her own against the likes of Smino and Ray Vaughn, while piecing together an ambitious project with backroads. New York’s Zeddy Will breathed life into the city with his magnetic energy. Zeddy’s lust-for-life mentality thrived on party-starters like “Cha Cha” and “Twerking With Ya Friends.”

This year’s class brings a similar dose of firepower, potential, and moxie across hip-hop, R&B, and Caribbean sounds. Vulnerability is a common thread, embedded through the DNA of Girlfriend and Alicia Creti. Riddims and vibes aren’t just seasonal — Ayetian makes that clear. With artists like EsDeeKid, JayDon and Skippa already smoldering in their respective lanes, 2026 is shaping up to be a true year of breakouts. When rage rap, R&B truths and island vibes collide, if feels like this class’s emotional language.

Check out Billboard’s 2026 artists to watch list below.

As an unforgiving blizzard pummels the Northeast, hip-hop and R&B gave us plenty of music and headlines to pass the time.

Baby Keem kicked off the weekend (Feb. 20) with the release of Ca$ino, his first studio album since 2021’s The Melodic Blue. Assisted by Kendrick Lamar, Momo Boyd, Too $hort and Che Ecru, the new project features a few potential spring and summer smashes, as well as production contributions from eyebrow-raising names like Grown-ish actress Yara Shahidi (“Birds & the Bees”).

Jay-Z got a head start on the 30th-anniversary celebrations for his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, with the streaming release of the original version of his classic “Dead Presidents” single. With Reasonable Doubt-related posters popping up across Jiggaman’s hometown of Brooklyn, New York, even greater surprises could be in store as we draw closer to June 25.

In heavier news, the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Lil Poppa’s death a suicide, via a gunshot wound to the head. The Jacksonville rapper (born Janarious Mykel Wheeler) died on Wednesday at age 25.

Finally, Jamaican reggae star Keznamdi followed up his first career Grammy win — he took home best reggae album earlier this month for Blxxd & Fyah (Feb. 1) — with the reveal of a pair of U.S. shows in New York and Los Angeles, exclusively announced by Billboard on Monday (Feb. 23).

With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from a seductive Kem single to a high-octane collaboration between Dess Dior and Belly Gang Kushington. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.