1. Abhi The Nomad

Well-traveled and rhymes on point, Abhi is one of the brighter lights emerging from the underrated Austin hip-hop scene. His lyrical flows are stimulating while his mellow vibes keep his addictive music on a palatable frequency.

2. Magna Carda

Megz Kelli and Dougie Do have been on a mission in Austin to drop invigorating tracks that continue to evolve and progress. Ingenious beats with enviable flows, Magna Carda needs to be witnessed live.

3. Riders Against the Storm

This wife and husband hip-hop duo continue to fuse funk, hip-hop and R&B into inventive and catchy tracks. Politics, race, and activism is on the menu as these two continue to tap into higher consciousness with earworm beats and hook-filled flows.

4. Blackillac

Zeale, Phranchyze, and Gary Clark Jr have created a super group that is straight out of Austin and no gimmicks. The all-star lineup doesn't disappoint with rapid fire bars and hard-hitting beats.

https://www.facebook.com/blackillac/

5. Blastfamous USA

Austin's own response to Run The Jewels,Blastfamous USA is a collaboration between Zeale and the production duo NGHT HCKLRS. While they might not be an official SXSW artist, they more than deserve your audience since their aggressive rhymes and beats are bound to turn heads in 2018.

Trouble In The Streets - Shot out of a cannon into the Austin music scene, this eclectic electronic trio has already played with esteemed artists like George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, the Rebirth Brass Band, and Grupo Fantasma. Lead singer, Nnedi Nebula Agbaroji, is a force of nature as a front woman and her vocal talent and charisma make Trouble In The Streets a band to watch in 2018.

Billy King and the Bad Bad Bad - William Reynolds and Cam Wren are two friends who played music together for years until they finally formed Billy King and the Bad Bad Bad in 2017 and knocked audiences off their feet with fast, theatrical hits like "Werewolf of Love" and "Night Terror." Playing bigger shows and fine-tuning an already electric live shows, Billy King and the Bad Bad Bad have a promising 2018 ahead of them.

Annabelle Chairlegs - A menacing and insane aura emanates from this psych-rock quartet that features a fiery front woman, Lindsey Mackin. Their music is entrancing and the band's mystique only serves to heighten the undeniable allure of such a delightful throwback sound. Their trajectory should keep them aimed for an exciting 2018.

Los Coast - Soulful vocals, intricate instrumentation, and a symbiosis of good vibes has made Los Coast a favorite in the Austin live-music circuit. A residency at C-boys nightclub and a slew of festival bookings elevated their profile and a new record deal is making this band's 2018 look brighter and brighter.

Magna Carda - Sprung from the college campus of St Edwards, this hip-hop trio is bringing a focus to the tragically neglected Austin rap scene. Beats and clever lyrics collide with MC, Megz Kelli, and the beat maker, Dougie Do, as they continue to impress with highly addictive and stylized songs that can only grow stronger in this new year.

 Aptly described as 'Austin's answer to the Roots', Magna Carda refuses to back down from their lyrical conviction and inventive beats. MC/producer duo, Megz Kelli and Dougie Do, have a knack for Southern-styled ambient beats in which they drop effortless flows that are equally provocative as they are amusing.  Sprung from the campus of St. Edwards in 2012, the duo has continued to evolve and progress as they ascend to sharing the stage with the likes of the Pharcyde, Joey Badas$$, and Chali 2na.  Having recently released the album CirQlation in 2016, Magna Carda is riding some strong momentum from their live-wire performances and growing national recognition.  While Magna Carda is the Deli Austin's 'Best Emerging Soul/Hip-Hop act of 2016', it can't be denied that their ability to shine on the national stage will be evidenced in 2017.

-Lee Ackerley

Unless I'm entirely mistaken in my drunk memories of seeing bands in Austin when I wasn't really plannin' on it (you know that happens a lot in this town), I first heard Austin hip-hop group Magna Carda when I was vending used books at the now-defunct but formerly-the-shit goods market the Wonder Sale back in early 2014. I was stashed in a corner of a backyard off Cesar Chavez amongst a fuckton of real ATX folks vending real ATX-made objects right by the table where the sponsored and free Shiner was kept (of three types, though one was that not that great non-bock plain Shiner shit you see here and there). Regardless of my own band-hearin' experiences and whether they are real or entirely dreamed up on 10+ Shiners worth of imagination, Magna Carda is definitely a crew I've seen live at some point, and they're also defintely one that kills it straight dead from the hip-hop perspective. In fact, they just picked up a residency at the sadly soon-to-be-defunct Holy Mountain (Remember when Beauty Bar closing was a bad sign? Yeah, shit is worse now.). They've been releasin' some damn fine hip-hop lately too, like the coolness defining "Banger Jones" that takes some diamond-sharp rapping to instrumentals that kinda sound like somethin' you'd hear in one of those lava-and-ghost Mario levels in a way that is solid all the way from one piece of the production through to the whole rest of the track. Go see a live-produced Austin hip-hop group that's as killer and grassroots as it gets July 9, 16, 23 and 30 at Holy Mountain, a bar that's going the way of the buffalo on October 1, before Austin music just gives the fuck up and moves to California in retaliation.

Part of what makes Austin’s music scene special is that every genre of music is not only represented but there is true talent across the board. Magna Carda is no exception and quickly rising to the top of the ATX’s Hip-Hop scene. The master duo behind The Shoe String Theory, their latest album, is Megz Kelli (rapper) and Dougie Do (producer). Megz’ intelligent lyrics and energy will hypnotize while the backing live band lays down a beat that will get help you to unlock your body and move. They’ve released a video for their single, "Inviting You", that is a must see complete with a surprise ending. --Written by Courtney Pierce

**This artist's work was reviewed because they submit their music online to our site directly. If you would like your music to be considered, click here.**