As the holiday season winds down and the promise of a new year looms, the Billboard Hot 100 readies itself for another 52 weeks of new hits and new hitmakers. As 2018's lingering singles steadily drop down the chart or otherwise cycle out, fresher entrants stand to benefit from their departures. Demonstrated by the tremendous Hot 100 wins afforded to rappers this year, no genre seems better equipped to dominate in 2019 like hip-hop, the opening wintry months all but assured to warrant the necessary heat.
In fact, we've already seen the first winter contender break through the noise and onto the Hot 100. Thanks to social media picking up on Chicago rapper Calboy's sung/rapped single "Envy Me" for the latest online dance challenge, the track debuts at No. 91 this week. With that memeified success story front of mind, here are another five likely songs to keep an eye out for this winter on the Billboard Hot 100.
Coca Vango, "Sauce All On Me"
As proven by 2018's surprise nationwide radio hit "That's On Me" by the previously unknown Yella Beezy, rap radio still matters in a big way in the digital age. Hitco, the same record label that utilized the airplay-first strategy to send him to the Hot 100, appears to have taken a similar tack with elevating this Decatur, GA native. Having first come to the attention of trap mixtape devotees back in 2016, Coca Vango signed this year to the big upstart indie helmed by industry vet L.A. Reid. In just the past eight weeks his boastful and bouncy "Sauce All On Me" made major moves on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, reaching a new peak this week at No. 17. This past Friday, Hitco dropped his latest tape Jugg Baby, with the single prominently featured among its dozen cuts.
DaniLeigh, "Lil Bebe"
Not to be confused with the similarly named country singer from the late 1990s, DaniLeigh took an unlikely path towards rap recognition. Tapped by none other than Prince himself to direct and star in a music video for his 2013 single "Breakfast Can Wait," the then-teenaged Danielle Curiel couldn't have known she'd be one of Def Jam's most promising prospects five years later. Recorded under the DaniLeigh moniker, "Lil Bebe" plays to her strengths both as a singer and a rapper, coming off not unlike Drake in places. When her new project The Plan dropped late last month, it included both the original and a fitting remix version with a feature by 2018's Hot 100 standout Lil Baby. It claims a new peak this week at No. 27 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Lil Tjay, "Brothers"
A SoundCloud favorite from the South Bronx, Lil Tjay has seen quite a few of his songs log millions of plays at the streaming platform. That's the sort of thing that gets a rapper noticed, and Columbia Records did him one better and signed him to the label, where the first move was to give this doleful track an official re-release across all digital platforms. While the label just did the same thing with another previously available cut called "Goat," the focus likely remains on "Brothers" as it contends on the SoundCloud charts while generating nearly 900,000 weekly domestic plays. The single's original music video sports 17 million YouTube views since its July debut, though Columbia may opt to shoot a new one to bolster its prospects.
Young Dolph feat. Key Glock, "Major"
After a tumultuous 2017 that included an apparent attempt on his life, Memphis rapper Young Dolph wrapped up 2018 triumphant. Fiercely independent for pretty much his whole rap career, he announced that he had signed a partnership deal with EMPIRE this fall for his Paper Route Empire label. The first album to come from that arrangement, Role Model yielded his highest ever placement on the Billboard 200. Its main single, "Major" tags in P.R.E. signee Key Glock, a combo that could likely to give the two-time Hot 100 artist his first placement there in a lead rather than featured role.
Yung Bleu, "Ice On My Baby"
Already familiar to fans of Louisiana legend Boosie Badazz, this Alabama rapper has been dropping polished project after polished project for a few years now, demonstrating a clear knack for radio-ready hip-hop. A highlight off this past February's Investments 5 tape, "Ice On My Baby" recalls recent hits by others like YFN Lucci's "Everyday We Lit" with its piano-driven trap beat and sung Autotune hook. Rightly so, the single continues to gain momentum at terrestrial radio; on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay it reaches a No. 29 peak in its eleventh charting week. Released this fall, a remix featuring Kevin Gates bestows additional clout on the track.
