It’s time to tap in with the Arizona hip-hop scene and see who’s worth checking out as we end the year and look to re-vamp our 2022 playlists. Featuring six artists, there’s definitely some we missed this round but keep an eye out for more Arizona features in the future. We based this list off of numbers, local support, and, of course, the vibe and quality of the music.
Check out these six Arizona hip-hop artists/rappers making a name for themselves in their local scenes and beyond. Peep their latest releases below and let us know what you think in the comments.
Who did we miss and what state should we hit next?
6 Arizona Hip-Hop Artists to Put on Your Radar
Santana Block
First up on the list is Santana Block with his Bay Area track/music video “Downtown Bully” that reminds of a fresher take on some of what Berner has done in the past. Not so heavy on the smoking influence, although it does look like the homie partakes, the West Coast energy is strong in this track.
Growing up on a wide range of musical influences from Bob Marley to Nate Dogg, Block views himself as an all around artist. His main gig is cutting hair. In fact, he co-owns a barber shop. He also enjoys painting and drawing. He even used to do tattoos for a bit, but whenever he’s not working he’s recording, even hitting the studio on lunch breaks.
Fanatic
Next up is Fanatic who hits more of those smoke and chill vibes with his track “Danxx and D’Usse” featuring Knotty Kidd, Marshon, and Killa Siah. The track is an easy going vibe and reminds me of NxWorries video for “Lyk Dis” with Anderson .Paak and Knxowledge. Another multi-faceted artist, Fanatic is Co-CEO of BluePrint Records, a 2x award winning Audio Engineer, and manages artists as well.
Killa Siah
Leading us into the halfway point is an artist I just briefly mentioned as a feature in Fanatics track, Killa Siah. Also a Co-CEO of BluePrint Records, Siah had one of my favorite verses on “Danxx and Dusse,” so I decided to check out more. His latest track “Cabaret” was the first thing I clicked on and I was not disappointed. The track starts off immediately with this dope funk wave bounce type beat that gets your head bobbin’ from the jump. The hook is a catchy melody and is balanced out with Siah’s killer instincts on the mic. I guess we know how he got his name.
Ambition
The next artist on our list of Arizona hip-hop artists to have on your radar is Ambition, aka Ambition the Great. I saw her and her latest track “FaceTime” the most frequently in my search for worthy Arizona artists. She reminds me of local star Parisalexa with her soulful energy while still having that ability to spit heat.
She taps Ryli and Kal The Thot Slayer to round out this melancholic heart warmer and seems to have really turned heads in the Arizona hip-hop scene. Living her life by three simple words, therapy, faith, and fun, Ambition brings an open perspective to her music.
TDX IV
Coming up next is TDX IV and his track “Phantom.” He resembles more of the modern wave in hip-hop coming with a sick beat and high energy but not as lyrical as some of the others on this list. TDX IV brings the heat to the Arizona hip-hop scene and proves to be an artist worth keeping an eye on. He recently dropped an album titled Planet IV so check him out and find something for your playlist.
Au
The final artist on this list is Au, who also recently dropped an album titled The Birthday Tape. An active presence on social media, Au is also a sponsored gamer, continuing the trend of multi-faceted artists in Arizona. Au’s music caught my ear with his Miami Vice-esque album art for Vibefather, and to my delight he actually had some good vibes to match so I threw him on as the final artist to cap off this list. Check out the fan favorite track, “Moves,” off his latest album.
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