The most exciting artists rarely fit into pre-defined categories. When making music, they don’t think about which box it fits into. Instead, they push boundaries and smash together disparate genres, influences and sounds to make something new. Their creative work has a massive cultural impact outside of the mainstream, and they’re continuing to crush it on SoundCloud.
Here are some artists who we think deserve their flowers for their creative work in 2025, and the completely not-made-up categories that they should be recognized in.
So, without further ceremony, let’s get into it.
Best Ratio of Hits on an Album: Playboi Carti
When it comes to pure banger density, nobody did it like Playboi Carti this past year. ‘MUSIC’, his massive kaiju of an album featuring Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd and Travis Scott, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, going on to become the first rap album of 2025 to sell over a million units. Across its extensive tracklist, nearly all of them hit. Carti remains one of the top streaming artists in the US on SoundCloud, with “RATHER LIE” and “LIKE WEEZY” continuing to be on heavy rotation.
Back in 2018, Carti was dropping private tracks on SoundCloud, building his cult following one leak at a time. 2025’s ‘MUSIC’ marked a dramatic shift from his signature high-pitched voice to something deeper and grittier (see “POP OUT”), further showcasing you can evolve your sound without losing your day ones.
Most Mysterious: EsDeeKid
We don’t know whether he’d win a beauty contest; the Liverpool rapper has been masked since day one. But the mystique is the point. His Scouse accent is so thick there are YouTube translators for his bars, and his combination of anonymity and aggressive delivery has made him one of 2025’s most fascinating new talents.
His track “Phantom” has been unavoidable in the UK, he’s a Top 10 artist in the UK on SoundCloud and his debut album ‘Rebel’ cracked the Billboard 200. The mystery of his identity sparked an internet conspiracy that he was secretly Timothée Chalamet — so persistent they eventually appeared together in a video for track “4 Raws” to squash it. In 2025, he reigned as one of the biggest UK artists on SoundCloud, and while his appearance may remain strategically unknown, we’re locked in and ready to see where his career takes him next.
Best Artist to Outgrow the Lab: Mariah The Scientist
Atlanta-born singer-songwriter Mariah Buckles was studying biology at college when friends convinced her to upload two songs to SoundCloud in 2018. Her streams grew fast, and RCA signed her within months. Mariah The Scientist was born, her artist moniker a nod to the pre-med path she’d left behind.
Remaining steadfast ever since, Mariah has continued to evolve her sound and release new music on SoundCloud. In 2025, her fourth studio album ‘HEARTS SOLD SEPARATELY’ delivered “Burning Blue”, which went on to become one of the platform’s top streamed tracks of the year. It also became her first Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a gold certification, reaffirming that hard work and perseverance pay off when you trust in your path.
Realest New Voice in UK Pop: Skye Newman
South London singer Skye Newman is anything but shiny pop. Her combination of ruthlessly real lyrics and distinctive husky vocals propelled her to being one of the most streamed artists in the UK last year, on SoundCloud and beyond.
In 2025, she released her debut single, “Hairdresser,” and quickly followed up with “FU & UF” and “Family Matters,” leading her to become the first UK female solo artist since 2014 to land her first two singles in the Top 20 on the Official UK Singles Chart. Her track “Family Matters” hit No. 5 and was certified gold. Often compared to Adele and Amy Winehouse, she’s gone on to support Lewis Capaldi on arena tours and performed with Ed Sheeran at his stadium show.
Released in October 2025, Skye’s debut EP, ‘SE9 Part 1,’ named after her childhood postcode, is a statement of South East London origins. This shout-out is for pop stardom built on truth-telling.
Best Reincarnated Demo: Ravyn Lenae
Ravyn Lenae’s 2025 mainstream breakthrough was a decade in the making, in more ways than one. The Chicago native uploaded her first tracks to SoundCloud in 2016 as a high school student, spending $300 on a studio session with “no intentions of being famous.” The following year, she went on to join SZA on tour as a supporting act, continuing to grow her audience and lay the groundwork for what was to come, including the release of her debut album, 2022’s ‘HYPNOS.’
In early 2025, her career hit the next level when her track “Love Me Not” — originally a previously-unheard demo written by Anderson .Paak that was reworked and revived for her 2024 album, ‘Bird’s Eye’ — went viral. Further establishing herself as a respected name on the alternative R&B scene, the track taking on a life of its own led her to major festival performances at Coachella and Lollapalooza, as well as kicking off her own headline tour. From bedroom uploads to global recognition, Ravyn Lenae’s slow-burn success is sweeter for the wait.
Most Multi-Faceted: BigXthaPlug
BigXthaPlug truly defies neat categorization. To date, he’s the only artist to ever to land No. 1 singles in both the Billboard country and hip-hop charts. The song that earned him that accolade, “All the Way” (with ascendant country singer Bailey Zimmerman) hit the Top 20 on SoundCloud on its release back in April 2025. The Dallas rapper uploaded his first tracks to SoundCloud in 2019, but his progression from hip-hop to country began in 2022 with his breakout hit “Texas.” The track incorporated slide guitar, quickly making him country music’s favorite rapper. According to BigX, Luke Combs told him so face-to-face. His 2025 album ‘I Hope You’re Happy’ sees BigXthaPlug going all-in with his take on what a country-rap crossover sounds like. It suits him; his Southern lilt fits perfectly with his guitar-infused production.
Center of the Nextgen: xaviersobased
How many producers can claim to have inspired a “type-beat” trend? That’s the reality for artist-producer xaviersobased. The New York experimenter has been instrumental in reinvigorating jerk, the hip-hop subgenre, and founded the influential collective 1c34 in 2021, pioneering an internet microgenre that blends Cloud rap, digicore and more.
Now a graduate of his own collective, it’s hard to overstate his influence on other artists enjoying the spotlight right now. He is also a welcome collaborator, joining forces with fakemink (2024’s “Shih Tzu”), Nettspend (2025’s “IMPACT”) and OsamaSon (“Uncomfy”), to name a few. Critically, his sound permeates the wider UK underground. Despite not hitting mainstream charts, xaviersobased commands a loyal fanbase, especially on SoundCloud. He’s on his own path entirely and deserves recognition for his originality, impact and based-ness.
No Album, No Problem: Snow Strippers
How do you become one of electronic music’s most sought-after acts while releasing zero new music? Ask Tatiana Schwaninger and Graham Perez, the singer and producer behind indie-sleaze revivalists Snow Strippers.
While they haven’t dropped new material since May 2024, their SoundCloud streams experienced a significant spike in 2025. Their 2023 track, “Under Your Spell” was just certified gold. They’re currently on a sold-out tour run across North America, and are set to perform at this year’s Ultra Festival, Gov Ball and Bonnaroo.
Their music is reminiscent of the 2010s indie sleaze sound and often draws comparisons to Crystal Castles. One core ingredient for finding new fans is their deep connection with hip-hop artists: Lil Uzi Vert featured on their 2023 track “It’s A Dream”, and they’re signed to Surf Gang records, the same label as xaviersobased.
Best Doof: Hannah Laing
“Doof” is both a sound and a feeling: that low, chest-pounding bass that hits you at a rave. For Dundee-born DJ and producer Hannah Laing, it’s also a brand, a label, a festival, and now a community studio.
In her recent Sound Advice episode, the Ascending alum reflected on her relationship with the word “doof” and how its multiple meanings have been a throughline. “Growing up, my gran — and people from Scotland — would call banging fast hard music ‘doof doof,’ because of the sound of the beat, saying ‘turn that doof doof music down,’” she says. “In Australia, ‘doof’ is referred to as parties; it’s got multiple meanings to it. For me, when I started the label, there was only one thing it was going to be called, and I really think it’s resonated so much.”
In 2025, Hannah had a banner year, from becoming one of the top streaming UK artists on SoundCloud to launching her own festival. In July 2025, she launched the aptly-named Doof in the Park event, featuring 15,000 ravers in her hometown and selling out the event in a week, with trance legend Armin van Buuren headlining. She landed a Hï Ibiza residency and was celebrated with BBC Radio 1’s “Hottest Record” accolade three years running. Then in December, she opened doof studios with Scottish charity Turn The Tables, providing free DJ lessons to young people facing homelessness. From dental nurse to dance music empire-builder, Hannah has built an entire ecosystem. Doof for life.