"Life's a Dream, but Nothing is a Fairytale"

Having finished off 2019 recapping the artists and sounds which dictated the previous decade, I wanted to start off 2020 looking forward over the next ten years and predict who I feel is set up to take over this new decade.

I took into account a number of factors in considering this, mainly age, output and how versatile I believe the artist can and will be. There are a great number of artist who I think are set for astronomical success over the next ten years. I firmly expect the likes of Da Baby, Roddy Rich, Rapsody, Tierra Whack & Dave to have a huge influence on the state of rap music throughout this decade. However, I’ve singled out YBN Cordae, as the artist who I feel will greatly define rap over the next ten years.

In saying this, I do still expect the current big names such as Drake, Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar and Tory Lanez to continue to have a significant hold upon hip-hop music, especially within the first 5 years of this decade. And if I had any faith that he will consistently release music, I would have probably picked Isaiah Rashad ahead of Cordae, but alas, that’s not the case. Thus, as the more experienced and seasoned veterans begin to transition out of music and the sound begins to change, I do expect that Cordae will have an enormous influence and impact on hip-hop and how it develops.

So, what makes me say this?

As previously stated, a big factor in my decision was age. At 22 years-old having already released a debut album, Cordae has established himself and developed a core fan base and yet still has the time and opportunity to grow greatly as an artist, which should only help to enhance his stature as an artist.

What’s more, he’s an artist who, to my limited knowledge, has no issues with law enforcement. A supremely important quality as we’ve seen how issues with the law can truly derail budding young careers. So Cordae (again to my knowledge) being free of this problem at this age and place in his career can only serve to benefit him.

And then there’s his music, and that debut album. If you haven’t listened to ‘The Lost Boy’, I seriously suggest you check it out. Cordae created a very interesting and compelling album which showed an incredible amount of promise. Cordae displayed great diversity on this album, there were soulful points mixed with hints of R&B, but ultimately this was a very hip-hop album. It was introspective and thoughtful and very easy to digest. One of the things that stood out for me on this album was how similar Cordae is to Early J. Cole. With both artists hailing from North Carolina and J. Cole having producer credits on this album the influence is to be expected. However, there are moments and songs on this album which literally feel like you’re listening to a J. Cole song from the early years of the past decade, whether it be the content, the flow or the extremely diverse range of beats selected on this project the Cole comparisons are so evident. Even still, it's more than just the music. The guy's whole demeanor screams longevity. Even when he was on Complex's Sneaker Shopping and became the first person to give a pair of shoes back, it was a hilarious moment but also one which highlighted his maturity and the type of person he is and showed the type of personality which makes for a lovable superstar.

And that’s why I think Cordae has the ability to stand out ahead of the pack over the next ten years. We all know how amazing J. Cole’s career has panned out since his early beginnings, and I honestly believe Cordae is close to the level J. Cole was at the beginning of the past decade, and as long as he refines his craft and follows the trajectory he has already begun to establish for himself, Cordae is most definitely poised for great success over the next ten years.