Lil Wayne is ready to re-up his long-running mixtape series with a sixth installment dropping on Dec. 25. Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for BACARDI hide caption
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Atlantic Records Atlantic Records hide caption
Jidenna performs live at WXPN's Free At Noon concert at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. Emma Silverstone/WXPN hide caption
Jidenna On World Cafe
Reggie "Combat Jack" Ossé attends the Spotify Mogul launch party in May 2017. The hip-hop personality has passed away at the age of 53. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images hide caption
Rapsody released Laila's Wisdom, her sophomore album and first since partnering with Jay-Z's Roc Nation, in September. Roc Nation/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Chance The Rapper and Jeremih's new holiday mixtape Merry Christmas Lil' Mama: Rewrapped is available now. Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images for Showtime hide caption
Eminem performs at the 2017 MTV EMAs. The rapper's ninth studio album, Revival, is out now. Kevin Mazur/WireImage hide caption
Black Thought's latest freestyle reinforces the art of lyrical acrobatics in hip-hop. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images hide caption
Feist's Pleasure was one of Robin Hilton's favorite albums this year. Mary Rozzi /Courtesy of the artist hide caption
G Perico's latest album, 2 Tha Left, is out now. Brandon Espeleta /Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Tyler, The Creator performs a Tiny Desk Concert on Dec. 6, 2017 (Jennifer Kerrigan/NPR). Jennifer Kerrigan/NPR hide caption
Clockwise from upper left: The singer, MILCK at the Women's March on Washington in January, Lorde, Big Thief, SZA, Partner, Moses Sumney Courtesy of the artists hide caption
Genesis Blu calls herself a "raptivist" — a mix of rapper and activist. Tim Clyne/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Meek Mill on September 3, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The rapper was sentenced to prison in early November. Shareif Ziyadat/WireImage hide caption
Chris Dave And The Drumhedz's self-titled record comes out Jan. 26. Dante Marshall/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Ed Sheeran performs onstage during 102.7 KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2017. Spotify reports Sheeran is the most-streamed artist of 2017. Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia hide caption
Kendrick Lamar performing at Coachella on April 23, 2017. Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella hide caption
Kamaiyah in the video for "Playa In Me." YouTube hide caption
Talib Kweli's latest album, Radio Silence, is out Nov. 17. Dorothy Hong/Courtesy of the artist hide caption