Austin, TX

With South By South West’s 2018 music festival rapidly approaching this week, figuring out which of the many up and coming talents you watch is overwhelming. As you consume tacos and beer, making your way through the chaos of 6th Street, it is never easy to remember which artists you promised to yourself that you were going to try and see perform. At DGB we’re proud of our ability to find the hidden talent buzzing throughout the streets of the South, and this year there are five artists that we wouldn’t want you to leave Austin before you catch them perform live.

OMB Peezy – Mobile, AL

OMB Peezy is a 20-year-old rapper from the port town of Mobile, AL. His debut project Humble Beginnings, produced executively by Cardo Got Wings, has been covered by XXL, FADER; and his single Doin Bad ft. NBA YoungBoy was exclusively premiered by WorldStarHipHop and has been featured in the popular Spotify playlist Most Necessary.

“Sometimes all it takes is the right look, the right voice, or even the right beat to make an artist pop. With OMB Peezy, there’s a blend of all three.” – Pigeons and Planes

Twitter – Instagram 

Sherwood Marty – Baton Rouge, LA

Sherwood Marty is a 21-year-old rapper from Baton Rouge who currently has the streets of Louisiana on fire. The southern native released Sherwood Baby in July of 2017 and as the hottest song in the streets of his home town, the rest of the world began to pay attention to the young MC. His ability to portray the reality of his upbringing and lifestyle through catchy hooks and hard hitting verses lead to a record deal with 300 Entertainment, and his collaborative mixtape Young and Reckless with Alabama’s OMB Peezy has been one of the best southern collab tapes this year.

“Sherwood Marty is the most promising artist to rise from Baton Rouge since NBA YoungBoy one year ago” – Complex

Twitter – Instagram

JayDaYoungan – Bogalusa, LA: 

Making his national breakthrough in the beginning of 2017 with his mixtape Ruffwayy, JayDaYoungan has been making major waves throughout the South in the last year. With his visuals racking up over 30 million views across YouTube, his melancholy reflection of the realities of his life in the streets have been grabbing the nations attention.

“The sung-rapped “Interstate” offers a glimpse of the possibilities for JayDaYoungan’s melodic future, but for now he’s a promising talent still firmly entrenched in hip-hop.” – XXL

Twitter – Instagram

Quin NFN – Austin, TX: 

While the Lone Star state’s capital may be nationally known for it’s bustling night life and abundance of tacos, there is a rapper by the name of Quin NFN who is taking the city by storm. If beginning to catch not only the city, but also the entire state’s attention in the end of last year is not enough, Quin was selected by South By South West after the festival’s application process closed giving us reason to believe that his name is in the mouths of more than Texas artists and  fans alike

“With the exception of Houston, the rap scene in Texas is criminally overlooked and at 17 years-old, Quin NFN may be what his city needs to bring Austin into the spotlight.” – Elevator

Twitter – Instagram 

Juan Mone – Dallas, TX 

Over the last two years, Juan has been putting in serious ground work in Texas as a member of the Plug Brothaz. Their debut single Too Eazy, was a North Texas college party anthem that was virtually unescapable from the speakers of any apartment party past 1 am. Now Juan is releasing his music as a solo artist, and his debut mixtape Juanito is one of the most solid bodies of work that has come from an undiscovered college artists out of Texas this year.

“There’s many good rappers but there’s always those that exceed that and Juan Mone‘s really made that kind of impression on me with his new song “Back At It”. He’s got all the tools to be great and he definitely sounds like a major label A&Rs dream.” – Fashionably Early 

Twitter – Instagram 

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