In a crowded Chicago landscape Vic Mensa showed his immense talent with his 2016 There’s Alot Going On. The Roc Nation rapper showcased his lyrical ability and addressed various issues in society at the same time. From the Flint water crisis to police brutality in his hometown, Mensa is fully aware of what’s going on. Adding to the project he also shows he can make hit records like the Ty Dolla $ign-assisted “Liquor Locker” and introspection on the projects title track. Mensa shows that his forthcoming album will be a quality listen.

The SAVEMONEY roster is deep. While attention over the past few years was on Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa, fans of the collective knew that Joey Purp has the ability to be just as strong as his counterparts. Within iiiDrops, Purp does just that, creating a exhibit of who he is and keeping the project very Chicago. Garnering attention across the genre, Joey Purp and his project set himself on the radar of plenty who weren’t previously aware.

An element of mystery was a theme in R&B this year. With H.E.R. we received a talented R&B songstress and in Volume 1, a project that will make you not care of who is behind it because it sounds that good. Signed to RCA, H.E.R. worked on the production and crafted the full experience. Dare you to take a listen and not be obsessed with the sound?

Following up Overgrown, James Blake returned with The Colour In Anything. The Colour in Anything encompasses experiences of Blake showcasing romantic experiences and more. Joining Blake in the project is just Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and some slight assistance from Frank Ocean with his pen. All in a collective that made a great crossover of R&B and pop.

Like H.E.R., dvsn began as a mysterious artist who would only be known by his good music, a symbol and a Drake/OVO cosign. Once SXSW rolled around dvsn was known to be the combination of Daniel Daley and producer Nineteen85. Their album Sept. 5th was ushered in by “Too Deep” a strong introductory single that continued the love of Ginuwine samples from the OVO collective. The rest of the album serves as a complete piece of R&B and arguably the best offering from OVOSound this year.