BeatsToRapOn Spotlight — 10 Rising Artists Pushing Hip-Hop, Trap & R&B Forward (Sept 27, 2025)

From Cape Town to Perth and beyond, this week’s Spotlight surfaces ten independent creators shaping the sound: catchy hooks, heavy drill textures, soulful R&B, underground heat, and hard-hitting trap. Discover new favorites, follow their pages, and tap the links to support.

Keywords: BeatsToRapOn, hip hop, trap, R&B, drill type beat, underground hip hop, producer, beatmaker, independent artist, Cape Town rap, Perth hip hop, Christian rap, melodic trap, East Coast hip hop.

Bold Starbeatz
Profile: https://beatstorapon.com/artist/boldstarbeatz

Bio: Upcoming hip-hop & trap artist from Fisantekraal (Cape Town) known for vibrant beats & sticky hooks. 2024 singles include “Made Myself,” “After Yourself,” “Summertime Now,” “Hallelujah,” “Do It.”

Shorty
Profile: https://beatstorapon.com/artist/shorty

Bio: Drill, trap & hip-hop beat maker with razor-edged rhythms and cinematic tension.

K_NEXTDOOR
Profile: https://beatstorapon.com/artist/knextdoor

Bio: Born in Zambia, reppin’ South Africa—authentic voice blending storytelling and R&B textures.

KiD CROOK
Profile: https://beatstorapon.com/artist/therealkidcrook

Bio: Perth-raised, resilience-driven lyricist turning pain into purpose with raw, unapologetic delivery.

Nate Victor REIGHN & The VOICES
Profile: https://beatstorapon.com/artist/natevictorreighnandthevoices

Bio: A collective channeling intense inner narratives—knowledge, growth, and balance through hard-edged rap.

BiG DuBZz
Profile: https://beatstorapon.com/artist/bigdubzz

Bio: DIY powerhouse—produces and records from a closet studio; nine years crafting unapologetic hardcore hip-hop.

Hyeong-G
Profile: https://beatstorapon.com/artist/hyeong-g

Bio: “Rap music is my therapy.” Clean, hook-ready beats and classic hip-hop sensibilities.

Roberto_86
Profile: https://beatstorapon.com/artist/roberto86

Bio: Multi-hyphenate creative and award-winning artist from South Africa, active across music and community projects.

Trigger Bell
Profile: https://beatstorapon.com/artist/trigger-bell1

Bio: Nigerian up-and-coming artist with melodic trap sensibilities and street-level storytelling.

Eric Paddy (EYTP)
Profile: https://beatstorapon.com/artist/ericpaddy

Bio: Afrobeat, hip-hop, R&B and dancehall fusion with emotive vocals and thoughtful lyrics.

We’re building the future—empowering every artist and creator with the tools, beats, and network to share their voice, connect boldly, and leave a mark on the world. 🔗 Visit us at https://beatstorapon.com.

Keep creating. Keep sharing. Keep rising.

Transcript

0:00

Welcome back. So today we've got this really interesting snapshot of the independent music scene. We're digging into the platform Beats to Rap On. Yeah, we have a whole stack of artist profiles here. It gives us a pretty granular look, actually. Exactly. We can see who they are, you know, what roles they're taking on, the genres, sub-genres, and crucially how their tracks are performing based on the metrics provided. And it's truly global. I mean, the reach is impressive. We're seeing creators who are essentially running their own little music businesses. Right. So our mission really is to kind of pull out the DNA of these creators. What does it look like to be making, say, horrorcore or R&B or hardtrap, maybe from your own home studio? We're looking at the hustle, the sounds, the locations, all of it. And one of the first things that jumps out is just how many different hats these artists are wearing. We're talking beatmakers, performers, but also managers, promoters. They're doing it all from South Africa to Australia. Okay, let's unpack this then. Let's start with some of those artists who seem to be juggling multiple roles pretty successfully. Well, take Roberto86. If you look at his creator roles, it's quite a list. Artist, DJ, radio station presenter, and promoter event organizer. Wow. Okay, so that's way beyond just making music. That's a serious admin and business focus. Absolutely. He's building infrastructure. And his bio backs this up, says he's from Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape, South Africa, and he's an established awards winner. Lists MBA, Empty Mom, and Ngomo Awards. Right. And for listeners maybe not familiar with the South African scene, those awards signal like real recognition locally, don't they? He's not just some guy online. He's established. Precisely. He's an industry figure in his region. And his tracks kind of reflect that broad approach too. He's got, you know, that's R&B Soul, but the subgenre is disco, got 1120 views. Disco, okay. But then he also drops That's My Life remake, which is classic East Coast hip hop. That one pulled in 783 views. So quite different sounds. Does that kind of, you know, jumping between genres risk confusing people or is it just versatility? Like is he trying to hit every market? That's always the question, isn't it? For an independent artist managing themselves, maybe he's diversifying his reach. It definitely contrasts with someone like Nextdoor. Okay. What about Nextdoor? His roles are more performance and production focused. Artist, producer, beat maker, live performer, MC. The bio says born in Zambia, now repping South Africa, the rainbow nation flag emoji there. And his sound, more consistent. Oh yeah. Very much so. It's all R&B and Soul. Specifically tracks like Nextdoor, Ready to Shine and Nextdoor Airline are listed as alternative R&B. Then Nextdoor roster is progressive R&B. And the engagement looks pretty solid. Ready to Shine has what, 99 likes and over 1700 views? Exactly. He's picked his lane, alternative progressive R&B, and he's really honing it, getting good traction within that niche. So it seems like there's a choice there for creators, right? Like Roberto86 invests heavily in the business side, the promotion, covering different sounds. Right. While Nextdoor is really zeroing in on the craft, the specific sound, the live aspect. Yeah. It highlights how, yeah, sometimes the non-artistic roles, the management stuff can almost take precedence depending on your strategy. Okay. So we've seen the multi-talented business types. Now let's flip that. What about the artists who are all about a very specific sound, the niche specialists? Yeah. And this is where the production focus gets really interesting. The level of specialization is quite something. Like Shorty, primary roles listed are producer, beat maker, and artist. And the bio is super clue. Beat maker specializing in drill and trap, hip hop. So they're explicitly providing the raw material, the beats, for others. Exactly. And check this out, their biggest track statistically is a beat. Concrete thunder drill type beat all Shorty. It's labeled rap sub-genre horror core. And the BPM is only 75. Wow. 75 BPM. That's slow. Creates a real drag, doesn't it? Perfect for that dark, intense horror core vibe. Totally. And the numbers on this beat are, they're the highest in this whole set we looked at. 4046 views, 172 likes, 43 downloads. That's massive engagement, especially for an instrumental. It really makes you wonder, doesn't it? Could specializing in high quality beats for these really specific sub-genres actually be a faster way to get noticed, maybe even make money on a platform like this compared to pushing full songs? It certainly raises the possibility. Clearly, there's a huge demand for that kind of production ready material. Though Shorty isn't just a one trick pony, they also offer rap chill type beat. That one's freestyle rap, sub-genre battle rap, faster at a 110 BPM. So providing different tools for rappers. Interesting. Okay. Here's where it gets really interesting. When that niche sound collides with a very distinct identity or philosophy. Let's talk about Nate Victor and the Voices. Ah, yes. This isn't just one artist, it's presented as a collective of personas. Nate Victor, Lunatic, Insane, Dammer to Bane. Right. And their bio says the focus is on knowledge, power, and mental wellness, using music as a form of medication. Which is a fascinating mission statement. But then you look at the tracks, Take Your Time and Die Here, Psychopathic Mind, both are tagged as horrorcore. So how does that square? Mental wellness and horrorcore. That genre is usually known for dark, extreme, sometimes violent themes. It's a really striking contrast, isn't it? Yeah. It seems like the idea might be that the medication or therapy comes through exploring that darkness, channeling the pain or the madness into the art form itself. Horrorcore becomes the container. A way to process it creatively? Perhaps. It's a complex relationship. They do have another track, Mama Running Up, which is listed as conscious rap, more about struggle and resilience. But those horrorcore tracks are right there alongside it, getting around a thousand views each. So that duality seems intentional. Maybe the message is that wellness isn't about ignoring the darkness, but confronting it. That's a deep take. Okay, let's move on. What about artists where the personal story, the resilience, the sort of DIY struggle is front and center in their brand? Yeah, this theme comes up quite a bit, where the journey is the art. Like they're real kid crook. His bio kicks off with that line, the dream is free, the hustle is sold separately. Pretty direct. Sets the tone immediately. Born and raised in Perth, Australia. Bio talks about overcoming adversity, turning pain into purpose. Real personal stuff. And you see that reflected in the music. It's rap and hip hop. We've got Still Tipping Remix listed as gangster rap. Then there's Menace, which is underground hip hop. Menace has decent numbers too. 1818 views, 78 likes. Seems like that raw, authentic struggle is connecting with people. It's the core of the brand. And speaking of hustle, we have to talk about Big Dubs. Yes, his roles cover everything. Songwriter, lyricist, producer, beat maker, rapper, artist. The whole package. He's literally a one-person operation. And his bio, it gives us amazing little detail. It mentions his nine-year DIY career and specifically says he produces and records everything from his home studio, which is cleverly constructed within his closet. Wait, seriously. His studio is in a closet. That's what it says. That's incredible. I mean, talk about breaking down the myth that you need some fancy, expensive studio space. That's pure democratization of music making right there. It really is the ultimate hustle is sold separately story, isn't it? Yeah. Just making it work with what you have. And his sound matches that intensity. It's consistently dark trap, hard trap, tracks like FTW, critical. They're aggressive. FTW is at 144 BPM. That's fast. High energy. Yeah, really pushing it. Even the slightly slower critical at 97 BPM has strong engagement, 77 likes, over 1400 views. It feels like he's channeling all that struggle, that closet studio energy directly into this really intense, hard hitting trap sound. That's actually pretty inspiring. Turning limitations into a defined sound. Okay. Before we get to our final thoughts, let's just quickly touch on a few maybe younger or more genre blending voices we saw. Yeah. The global spread just keeps showing up. Absolutely. Triggerball1 says he's 19 years old from Nigeria, loves hip hop. And his focus seems to be trap. Pure trap. Yeah. He's got a track Real G at 144 BPM listed as melodic trap. That's blending the hard beats with more melodic elements. It's got 1800 views. So that youthful energy is definitely getting attention. Nice. And then from Cape Town, South Africa, there's Bold Star Beats. Right. Bio says he's an upcoming hip hop and trap artist known for catchy hooks. And he's got some interesting variety. Like what? Well, he has old school hip hop tracks, but also Christian rap. His track Made of Myself, which is Christian rap, 124 BPM, has over 1400 views. Okay. So blending spiritual themes with throwback sounds, that's another interesting mix. And one more, Eric Patti, also known as EYTP. What stood out here is he's the only one in this whole batch who actually lists music manager, artist manager as one of his roles alongside artist and songwriter. Ah, so explicitly taking on that management function. Interesting. And his sound. He aims to fuse Afro beat, hip hop, R&B, Afro songs, and dance hall. A real fusionist. It's ambitious. Any standout tracks. Well, he's got Mysteries, which is a freestyle rap cypher track, did well with over 2000 views. But then there's this other track, Money. It's listed as underground hip hop, but the description is, it's very specific. It says the track is for scammers, fraud guys, and blood money guys. Okay. Okay. That's provocative. Yeah. Pretty controversial subject matter to put out there. But I guess it fits that raw, unfiltered, independent vibe we're seeing across the board here. No gatekeepers, right? Right. So if we connect this to the bigger picture, what this data really paints is a picture of incredible diversity, geographically, sonically. I mean, we've got everything from horrorcore beats getting huge views to disco R&B, Christian rap, all built on this intense DIY spirit, often literally out of a closet studio. It's fascinating. We've seen thousands of views, lots of likes, plenty of downloads on these tracks, artists from all over making all kinds of music, wearing all sorts of hats. But there's one metric, one stat that is exactly the same for every single track we looked at. From Roberto 86's Disco to Shorty's Drill Beat. Uh-oh. Which one is that? Plays. Every single track in our source data shows plays equal zero. Zero. Zero plays. Across the board. But with thousands of views and hundreds of likes, that doesn't add up. Exactly. So what does this all mean? Well, given that every track shows zero plays, despite having sometimes thousands of views, plus likes and downloads, it forces you to ask a really critical question about what these metrics actually mean on this specific platform. If people are viewing it, liking it, downloading it, why aren't they playing it, according to the counter? Right. What's going on there? It strongly suggests that maybe the main engagement isn't happening through conventional streaming plays on the platform itself. Perhaps the high view counts come from promotional activity, maybe embed somewhere else, or maybe the downloads are key people grabbing the track to listen offline. So for you listening, it's a reminder. You have to be really critical about success metrics in the independent space. High views or downloads might tell a very different story than actual stream counts. What hidden activity are those views really pointing to, if not direct plays? That's something to think about.