Shontelle

Shontelle is a beauty fresh from the island of Barbados who spent some of her life proving to her parents that a career in music isn’t hazardous to her future. 

While attending the University of the West Indies, she penned the Soca hit “Roll” that is most famously sung by Alison Hinds. Writing “Roll” helped her land a deal with SRC, but it was her versatility in singing Urban Pop and Soca that gave her the creative freedom in her music. 

This year she released her first album, Shontelligence, which featured her popular single “T-Shirt.”  Shontelle’s ability to tap into multiple genres as well as penning most of the songs on her album, makes her a viable competitor in the music industry. Hopefully another hit or two from Shontelligence should open doors for songwriting opportunities and possibly duets with some of our favorite artists in the near future.  – Mo’ B

Kevin Rudolf

This year Kevin Rudolf introduced us to his rock/ rap mash up by hooking up with Lil Wayne for his hit single “Let It Rock.” The New York native signed to Cash Money Records/Universal Republic Records and dropped his debut album, In the City.

Though Rudolf may seem new to many, he’s been making moves behind the scenes in the music industry for quite some time. He is a writer/guitarist/producer and has been offering his skills on the guitar to megastars such as Timbaland, Lil Kim and many others. Currently Kevin Rudolf is featured on the single “Shooting Star” by David Rush, also featuring rapper Pitbull. As his name begins to create new waves, expect more hot collaborations and backroom heat from this rising star. From what we saw in 2008, it is almost certain that Kevin Rudolf will have us rockin’ again in 2009. – Isha “Ice” Cole

Jack Splash

With the 2008 release of Time Traveler, Jack Splash and Panda 1 as the funk-filled duo Plantlife, brought our ears back to the ‘70s and early ‘80s when Prince and P-Funk reigned supreme before rock, soul and funk went their separate ways. Splattering yester-years’ grooves into production for John Legend, Alicia Keys, Raheem DeVaughn, Jennifer Hudson and Solange Knowles, Splash slipped Hip-Hop soul under the radar in 2008. Set to collaborate with Missy Elliott, Jamie Foxx and the critically acclaimed pairing with Cee-Lo to name a few, Splash is hailed as the maestro to usher in the next generation of funk, elevating his bold batch of Hip-Hop electronica funk in 2009.

– Brandon M. Dunlap

Kid CuDi

Kid CuDi is definitely an artist to watch in 2009. Aside from recently signing to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music, CuDi has garnered attention on his own through the release of his mixtape A Kid Named CuDi. Working under and using Plain Pat as a mentor can’t hurt, either. CuDi’s currently running off of the steam from 2007’s “Day N’ Nite”. The single is consistently being added and gaining airplay. Jim Jones even helped propel the single by remixing it, even though it was one of the worst remixes ever recorded. Since then, he’s rocked clubs with DJ A-Trak and collaborated with Kanye West on 808s and Heartbreak and the international leg of the Glow in the Dark tour. CuDi’s currently working on his untitled LP, aimed for release this spring. In the meantime, download A Kid Named CuDi from 10DEEP (www.10deep.com/KIDCUDIMIXTAPE) if you haven’t already. Your ears will thank you. – Roshan Bhatt

Mr. Hudson

Having already broken onto the UK scene with his album A Tale Of Two Cities (as Mr. Hudson & The Library), Ben Hudson recently signed to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music label and is set to be the name on everyone’s lips in 2009. Featured on the Louis Vuitton Don’s 808s & Heartbreak, Hudson’s creative love bomb gives reason to believe that an electro ‘80s revival with a Hip-Hop twist could be on the horizon. He’s not exactly the poster boy for Hip-Hop soul, but the Oxford grad white boy from Birmingham, England, has more musical prowess to him than meets the eye. Interested in Kanye’s newest member to the G.O.O.D. squad? Either pick up his album A Tale Of Two Cities or take a peek at his MySpace page, www.myspace.com/mrhudson, and check out his latest track, “There Will Be Tears”, which Zane Lowe, the UK’s equivalent to Funkmaster Flex when it comes to breaking records, is calling the hottest record in the world. – Will “ill Will” Lavin