HipHopDX 2023 Rising Stars Wrap-Up: Ice Spice, Destroy Lonely, GloRilla & More

For the past 12 months, HipHopDX has been keeping tabs on the 10 best new artists picked to be on our 2023 Rising Stars list, which included DD Osama, Redveil, JELEEL!, TiaCorine, Ice Spice, GloRilla, Lola Brooke, Reuben Vincent, Destroy Lonely and Luh Tyler.

In a dynamic year, DX has followed these stars in the making through their highs and lows, as they’ve either continued to grow, plateau, or in a couple of cases, disappoint.

Check out what each of the 2023 Rising Stars got up to this past year below:

DD OSAMA

Despite releasing his debut album, Here 2 Stay, back in May, DD Osama has had a bit of a lackluster year. As sample drill became more mainstream this past year — thanks in part to Evilgiane and Cash Cobain‘s genre-defining production — Osama’s slithering delivery against larger than life, sliding 808s appeared to lose both its bark and its bite.

Struggling to find his place in Hip Hop, casually maneuvering his voice through indistinguishable acoustic guitar loops and the same croons that once defined NBA YoungBoy and Polo G‘s careers, DD Osama sounded a little lost in 2023. With far less variety in his beats and a more casual tonality in his voice, the Harlem rapper struggled to recapture the raw emotionality that made songs “MIA” and “Letter 2 Notti” so gut-wrenching.

Regardless, the New York rapper appears to still have a few tricks up his sleeve. He started his own record label this year, NottiWorldRecords, in honor of Notti Osama, and new collaborations with NLE Choppa and Coi Leray proved that he can still deliver — if the beat is right.

Check out our full sit down interview with DD below:

Destroy Lonely

Even if If Looks Could Kill isn’t your favorite Destroy Lonely project, you can’t deny the splash he made in 2023, taking the mantle as one of the most influential figures in the melodic rap underground. In a turn away from NOSTYLIST and </3², the Director’s Cut to the Playboi Carti signee’s latest project rounds out to a full one hour and 41 minutes, spread across 32 songs.

The project — which hears him swap out his typical bubbly synths and 8-bit sound effects for electric guitar riffs and shoegaze-like distortion — was also the Atlanta rapper’s introduction as the self-ascribed “fashion demon,” confirmed by hordes of fans and peers alike donning Vetements coats, all-black leather jackets, all the while mumbling along to his sedated melodies.

With two features on Ken Carson‘s A Great Chaos, all eyes are firmly on Destroy Lonely and his labelmates as they define (and constantly redefine) rage music.

Glorilla

Even without dropping an album in 2023, GloRilla managed to maintain her position as one of the hottest rappers in Tennessee. In January, she traded bars with Moneybagg Yo on “What U On,” cutting each other off and arguing about their toxic tendencies over a light piano loop and half-time bass drum kicks.

In September, GloRilla appeared on four of the 18 songs on Gangsta Art 2, the collaborative album with CMG The Label. Her offbeat delivery and her insatiable sexual prowess has only made her more popular, even preluding the success of 2023’s breakout star, Sexyy Red.

Big Glo made it clear this year that she’s the connection between old school Southern horrorcore and the modern sounds of Memphis. Her biggest single of the year, “Lick Or Sumn,” flips Three 6 Mafia‘s “Slob On My Knob,” nodding to the late Gangsta Boo as she suggests she’s the south’s female star of the future.

Check out our interview with GloRilla at the BET Hip Hop Awards here:

Ice Spice

At the beginning of the year, it was unclear whether or not Ice Spice would be more than a one-hit wonder after “Munch” became a viral sensation. But it quickly became abundantly clear that the Bronx bombshell is here to stay. In 2023 alone, she managed to share the stage multiple times with Taylor Swift, won Best New Artist at the VMAs, and recently wrapped up an arena tour with Doja Cat.

Whether it’s a guest verse from Nicki Minaj on her first-ever EP, Like..?, her verse on PinkPantheress‘ inescapable ear worm, “Boy’s a liar, Pt. 2,” or her placement on the Barbie soundtrack which landed her yet another collaboration with Nicki, Ice Spice carried the torch for contemporary female empowerment in 2023.

At 23, Ice Spice, who exudes sexual liberation, often flaunting her figure on-stage, has become a symbol of fun, feminism, and the no-frills attitude of girls from the Bronx.

Check out our viral red carpet clip with Ice Spice here:

JELEEL!

Chances are, “JELEEL! YEEAAAAHHHHH!” might still be the only JELEEL! lyric you know. Showing promise at the end of last year, the New England rapper, singer and producer sounds like a manifestation of Juice WRLD over rage beats driven by the crunchy buzz of lead synths.

His debut album, REAL RAW!, solidified the swole rapper’s infectious energy, but it also proved that that’s only enough to get him by. Despite having WORKING ON DYING production credits and guest features from Denzel Curry and Chow Lee, JELEEL!’s shrieks and aboriginal pop punk production sometimes feel more like a gimmick akin to ripping off his tank-top than a cohesive project.

JELEEL!’s potential is still there but he should think about steering clear of Yeat type-beats and his ear-piercing screeches that haven’t changed since his 2021 viral single,“DIVE IN!”

Check out our interview with JELEEL at The 2023 GRAMMYs here:

Lola Brooke

Lola Brooke is one of the toughest drill rappers in Brooklyn right now. After the success of her gritty 2021 single, “Don’t Play With It,” she tapped Latto and City Girls rapper Yung Miami for the remix, bringing the song to club speakers in the south and all across America.

Staying incredibly consistent throughout the rest of the year, she dropped guest verses on a flip of “Shabooya [Roll Call],” the classic school song made famous by Spike Lee‘s 1996 flick Get on the Bus, as well a remix of “Conceited” by Flo Milli, and even dipping into R&B with a guest spot on Ciara‘s “Da Girls (Girls Mix).”

In 2023, Lola Brooke demonstrated how she can rap over practically any beat, reworking Clipse’s “Grindin'” for “Blind ‘Em” and debuting her ambitious first full-length project, Dennis Daughter. Honoring her late father, the 2023 XXL Freshman‘s album exhibits her wide range of emotions, mixing Bryson Tiller, Coi Leray, Nija and French Montana features with a voice that straddles the line of aggravated frustration and restrained sultry.

Luh Tyler

It’s crazy to think that at 17, Luh Tyler had one of the most successful years out of all of DX’s 2023 Rising Stars. He released 17 singles, received a placement on the Fast X soundtrack, and on top of that, he released his debut album, My Vision, as well as its Reloaded deluxe.

Whispering his way through TikTok and various regional scenes, Luh Tyler — who earned a spot in XXL‘s 2023 Freshman class — showed that his nonchalant cadence and slow-burning melodies can fit alongside any rapper of his choosing.

The Tallahassee, Florida rapper spent the year trading bars with everyone from Babytron to Latto and Lil Uzi Vert. In May, he even collaborated with DDG to create one of the songs of the summer — the suave and swinging “I’m Geekin” remix. Luh Tyler is cool, calm and collected, and now he’s on track to becoming one of rap’s youngest superstars.

Check out our interview with Luh Tyler here:

Redveil

Although Redveil only dropped an EP this year, he exhibited how he can hold his own against Hip Hop’s wonkiest production and its weirdest voices. He was the only feature on JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown’s SCARING THE HOES, and received the former’s only feature of 2023 for his single “black enuff,” and he still managed to stay independent.

Redveil’s accolades don’t even stop there. He brought along femdot. and D’mari Harris on his first-ever headlining tour in North America before heading out on a string of shows in Australia and New Zealand — and he did all that having just turned 19 in April.

If anyone has a bright future ahead of them, it’s Redveil. The soul-flipping rapper/producer from the DMV has found success promoting Black empowerment and DIY tactics, all while having ceaseless ambition.

Check out our interview with Redveil here:

Reuben Vincent

After releasing Love Is War last January, Reuben Vincent’s year has been a reflection of the perseverance he’s shown throughout his career. Blending boom bap with nu-soul, the Roc Nation-signee spent the year promoting his new album and working with Tay Keith, Zacari, Guapdad 4000 and more on collaborative project Humble Soles hosted by DJ Clue.

The Charlotte, North Carolina rapper only released two singles last year, providing meditations on spirituality, love, lust and his Liberian roots over lucious samples and laid-back drum kits.

Still working to break into the mainstream, Vincent’s performance at last year’s BET Hip Hop Awards has only brought him closer to being the south’s next master of the pen.

Tia Corine

TiaCorine is still coasting off the success of “FreakyT.” Besides bringing on Latto for the remix, the Winston-Salem rapper didn’t release a solo single for the entirety of 2023, instead opting for a myriad of festival appearances and a handful of shows in L.A. and Atlanta opening for Key Glock.

Corine’s main accomplishment last year was the recognition she received for her debut studio album from 2022, I Can’t Wait. With her album pushing her forward, she made XXL‘s Freshman Class, dropped a shoe collaboration with dybbuk, and even appeared on an episode of The Cave with Kenny Beats towards the end of the year.

2023 may not have been the strongest year for TiaCorine’s music, but every time she’s popped out thus far, her rhyming has only gotten sharper.

Check out last year’s HipHopDX Rising Stars Wrap-Up.

For more year-end content, check out DX‘s 2023 Hip Hop Awards coverage, which spans multiple categories including Best Hip Hop Album, Best Rapper of the Year, and Rookie of the Year, among others.