It's no secret that The A3C Festival plays a pivotal role in breaking independent artists into household, hip-hop names! We're one of the biggest stages for artist discovery in the south and proud of it. Here are a few of our favorite alumni to date:
J.Cole (Class of 09’)
The young North Carolina native took the A3C stage before even dropping his first album. Since 2009, all four of his albums have went platinum, including two with no features, his record label Dreamville has grown to have 6 artists under their belt and he’s become a household name. It would be an honor to have Cole back on our stage again.
Vic Mensa (Class of 14’)
The Chicago artist has been on a steady rise since the last time we saw him in 2014. Vic’s had tracks with Kanye, signed to Roc Nation, endorsed by Sprite and dropped his first album “There’s A lot Going On.”
(Big K.R.I.T (Class of 11’)
The self proclaimed King of the South has been very consistent since his appearance in 2011. His album Cadillactica received great reviews and K.R.I.T’s “Saturdays=Celebration” was just scored for “The Foreigner," Jackie Chan’s new film. You can hear the song come in at 55 seconds.
Nipsey Hussle (Class of 12’)
While maintaining his underground feel and mixtape success, Nip Hussle garnered the respect of the rap game through not only his raps, but his hustle (pun intended.) He sold his 2013 tape “Crenshaw” for $100 bucks each, which Jay-Z bought 100 of, and has recently just opened his own store in the heart of Crenshaw.
Mac Miller (Class of 10’)
Mac has truly taken off since we last saw him 7 years ago. He’s had his own TV show on MTV, dropped several Billboard number one albums, including “Blue Slide Park” which was independently distributed, founded his own label REMember Music, and executive produced Vince Staples EP “Stolen Youth.” Miller’s latest album “The Divine Feminine”, debuted at #2 on Billboard.
Jacquees (Class of 13’)
Rich Gang signee Jacquees has truly blown up since the last time we saw him in 2013. 2015 “Wanya”. Definitely been a part of the new wave of R&B artists bringing back that R&B sound. With hits like “Come Thru” & “B.E.D” it’s clear to see that Jacquees will be around for the long run. Listen to the remix of “B.E.D” featuring Quavo & fellow A3C alum Ty Dolla $ign.
Schoolboy Q (Class of 13’)
Schoolboy Q has truly found the right formula to take him to the next level. With smash hits like “Studio”, “Collard Greens” featuring Kendrick, and “That Part” featuring Kanye, Groovy Q hasn’t let his foot off the gas yet. His current “Blank Face” Tour has been around the world and finishes up this September in Las Vegas.
EarthGang (Class of 14’)
The Atlanta duo has continued to grow their cult following with their unique sound and distinct voices. Earthgang has vocals for “Jermaine’s Interlude” Dj Khaled’s Major Key and more recently just got off a European tour with Bas.
J.I.D (Class of 14’)
The opportunities seem to just keep coming for J.I.D. Also apart of Spillage Village, the youngest Dreamville signee just dropped his first project under Cole’s label. Find out just how dope he is by streaming “The Never Story."
Ty Dolla $ign (Class of 12’)
Dolla $ign has sung a hook on all your favorite artists’ tracks since 2012. From Rick Ross, Chance The Rapper, 2 Chainz, Big Sean, the list goes on. Ty’s personal albums have also found much success, landing him a few platinum singles.
Which underground rapper do you think has what it takes to make this list in the next 5 years?
