KenTheMan releasing her *Kinda Famous* on March 4, 2025, was both a cheeky allusion to her signature calculator-speak branding—type in 304 and turn it upside down—and a guarantee that fans would get the same bossed-up baddie they enjoyed across projects like 2020’s *4 da 304’s* and 2023’s *Back to 304’n*. Whether you claim the 304 title or not though, *Kinda Famous* is packed with enough H-Town-originating slick talk to motivate anyone looking to supercharge their swagger. Across it, Ken is a “Big Sh\*T Talker” who always puts herself “First” and who will remain “Cocky” until the day she decides to lay down her microphone. That day isn’t coming anytime soon though, so you’d be wise to buy in now while she’s only *Kinda Famous*, because if a song like “Gimme More” is any indication, the woman we know as TheMan is coming for everything due to her.
More than a decade into the Latin rap game, Puerto Rico’s own Joyce Santana rightfully perseveres. Having endured wave upon wave and dodged fad after fad, his very presence at this stage in his career makes him a rare artist in a fickle music industry. Judging by the quality and potency of *Nada Personal*, with its sleek yet streetwise sound and an impressive guest list featuring Álvaro Diaz and Yandel, the Rimas Entertainment signee clearly has what it takes to last. From the hometown-honoring opener “El Gigante de Carolina” to the rugged send-off of the title track, he centers himself as a rapper with an undeniably lyrical craft. Even relatively lighter fare like “Tu Ciudvd,” a provocative plea to an elusive part-time lover, benefits from his overall approach, raising the pressure along with the tempo on its back half. As has been the case throughout his discography, he remains a stellar collaborator, whether with Feid on the thumping “Ferxxoko” or with Tainy on the maximalist “Omerta.”
Guaynaa broke out with 2018’s “Rebota,” its thumping rhythm and mischievous lyrics making him a fresh-faced star and subsequent collaborator with the likes of Becky G, Nicky Jam, and Sech. Despite building his reputation off of a novel perreo jam, the Puerto Rican artist takes a decidedly different approach to *Cumbia y Amor*. As the title suggests, this isn’t at all a reggaetón affair, something made abundantly clear more or less from the start, as “QNPLC” provides a heartfelt history of the genre through a pan-Latin lens. With his pure intentions made clear, he proceeds through a number of songs driven by romance and woe, from the impassioned pleas of “Me Aleje Con Ella” to the devastations of “Funeral.” His admiration for his predecessors comes through on “Si A Todo” and the more energetically paced “El Miron.” One of the project’s handful of collaborations, “Cala En El Alma” pairs him with Texan norteño act Duelo for heartbreak in a distinct música mexicana style.
Co-signed by everyone from Kevin Gates to YTB Fatt, rising Mexican American rapper Deebaby traffics in a particularly irresistible blend of soulful and trap-adjacent Texas hip-hop. After indulging in and honoring Houston’s hometown history of double-cup diatribes on prior efforts like *Junkie Mode*, he carries on with his most complete and consistent album to date with *Ms. Salazar*, its title a respectful and reverent tribute to the woman who raised him. Accented by the evident sound of swirling ice and dirty soda slurps, his drawl adds to the Southern authenticity behind his lyrics on singles “Half a Ticket” and “Private Planes.” Launching off a novel premise between lovers, “Don’t Go Back” opens up a dialogue about the lure of the streets and its surrounding vices. The catchiness of his hooks and half-sung bars is countered by the gravity of his emotional subject matter on cuts like “Feel Like Givin Up” and “Make Me Feel Better.”
Dei V made the most of his 2024, collaborating with everyone from Feid and Omar Courtz to Anuel AA and Ozuna in addition to dropping his proper full-length debut. Following a standout appearance on Bad Bunny’s 2025 album *DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS*, the Puerto Rican rising star returns with an EP-length effort to satisfy his expanding fanbase. Befitting its title, *LOS FLAVORZ* provides a sampler of styles that the agile artist outperforms over. From the tech-house thump of “Sirena” to the shimmering dancehall reggae of “Toa” with De La Rose, he crosses genres while keeping the project remarkably cohesive. The dance floor-centric “Quiere” presents no fewer than three different rhythmic change-ups in its roughly two-and-a-half-minute runtime. The aforementioned Courtz keeps up his side of their growing joint catalog on the Ty$-esque “Amber,” while an emerging Clarent makes a meaningful impression on the similarly popping “Lollipop.”
“It’s like a thank-you note,” Jay Wheeler tells Apple Music about *GIRASOLES*. “It’s like a letter saying I’m here for these people.” By “these people,” the Puerto Rican singer is referring specifically to his family, paying tribute to both his wife Zhamira Zambrano and their young daughter throughout this, his most personal project yet. Making the transition from R&B singing reggaetonero to full-fledged Latin pop star all but official here, he largely eschews the genre styles prevalent on his prior albums to push forward a more mature sound to match his grown-up lyricism. Indeed, apart from “Nota” with Omar Courtz and “Verte Por Ahí,” Wheeler prefers a more balladic approach across these 15 tracks. Though hip-hop has long been part of his formula, the way he repurposes its rhythms and flows for “Dañao Pa Siempre” and “Roma” feels noticeably different from, say, 2023’s *TRAPPii*. Inspired by a car accident he survived, “Abrázame Fuerte” gets boosted by a spiritual element that corresponds with its melancholy, off-kilter synths. “In that moment, I only wanted a hug from God,” he says. “I only wanted to know that He come down and be like, ‘Everything is good, you are going to be fine.’” While several of the themes here tend towards the universal, Wheeler’s familial dedications give *GIRASOLES* some of its most powerful peaks. Written prior to his daughter’s birth, “Aiunii” bursts with paternal hope towards what fatherhood could entail. “What I sang in the song, there are things missing, things I haven’t experienced in that song, but I know I’m going to experience them with her,” he says. “Now that I have her in my arms, it’s everything I sang, and even better, and there’s still more to come.”
“We move not backwards, only forward/From West Ham to Norwood,” says Greentea Peng, paying tribute to some of London’s most vibrant communities on “TARDIS (hardest).” And the South London-born purveyor of psychedelic soul is definitely moving things forward on the follow-up to her 2021 debut *MAN MADE*, taking in reggae, dub, and trip-hop for *TELL DEM IT’S SUNNY*. Her lyrics are uncompromising as she admits vulnerability, the need to heal, and the determination to keep putting one foot in front of the other, no matter what the outside world throws at her. Meanwhile, the hazy beats offer the perfect backdrop for her confessions. “That’s how we solve business when shedding one’s skin,” she says, as she reflects on “Green.” But if this album’s anything to go by, growth and emotional reflection are on the menu. From the nostalgic honesty of “Raw” to the playful, party-ready anthem “Watcha Mean,” Peng nails a whole lot of emotion in the 14 tracks.
Despite a breakthrough mixtape in 2024’s *DO NOT DISTURB* under his belt, Nemzzz still has to sweat the little things on its follow-up, 2025’s *RENT’S DUE*. Central Cee and Kyle Richh of 41 both come through for guest verses, but Nemzzz, who’s originally from Manchester, manages to approach the project with a humility that’s infectious: He’s playing big shows and moving tons of units, but he’s still got plenty more to prove. With his signature, UK drill-inspired flow, Nemzzz takes us deep into his psyche. Over stomping percussion, rubbery 808s, and a retro horn melody on “COLD,” he raps, “Apart from bro, when I ain’t have bread, me, I didn’t hear from no one.” He sums it up nicely during the next verse when he adds, “Mumsy didn’t expect this life for me when I was an infant.” On *RENT’S DUE*, Nemzzz makes it clear he’s still growing into his status as a superstar, but he’s getting a bit more comfortable with each chart-topper.
