'22 iHeartRadio Music Awards: Meet The Best New Hip-Hop/R&B Artist Nominees

The iHeartRadio Music Awards are going down live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles this month and we're celebrating everything the fans have been listening to this year from the most-played artists to the top songs on iHeartRadio stations and the iHeartRadio app.

The past year has given us so many talented Hip-Hop and R&B acts from all around the world. Plenty of skilled MC's have broken through the mold of the average rapper in 2022, but only one can be chosen as this year's Best New Artist. The Best New Hip-Hop Artist and the Best New R&B Artist presented by Stifel, a nod to “the journey to success,” includes several up-and-coming nominees you should be familiar with including BIA, Lil Tjay, Coi Leray, Yung Bleu, Pooh Shiesty, Chloe, Giveon, VanJess, Vedo, and Tone Stith.

Don't miss the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Tuesday, March 22nd on FOX from 8pm-10pm ET (PT tape-delayed). The show will also be broadcast on iHeartMedia radio stations across the country and on the iHeartRadio app.

Before the show kicks off, meet each of the nominees below. Check out all the artists nominated at the iHeartRadio Music Awards here.

BIA

BIA’s fierce presence in the rap game is hard to ignore. She’s been turning heads with her slick bars since 2012. Once Fam-Lay introduced her to Pharrell, the super producer began working with her and signed her to his label in 2014. She hit the ground running when she dropped projects like #CholaSeason and her EP Nice Girls Finish Last: Cuidado. BIA began to build even more of a global buzz after she rocked stages around the world as an opener for Ariana Grande in 2018. Since then the Perico Princess has dominated the charts with bangers like “Best On Earth” with Russ and “Whole Lotta Money,” which got the remix treatment from the queen herself Nicki Minaj. 

Coi Leray

Coi Leray may have been born into the rap game as the daughter of Benzino, but she managed to rise to the top of the ranks without relying on her father’s name. Born in Boston, Mass. and raised in Hackensack, NJ, Leray began making music with her brother, Tahj, in 2011. Fast forward to 2018, the budding rapper dropped her debut song “G.A.N.,” which was a response to A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s “DTB.” Following the release of her notable hit “Huddy,” Leray broadened her horizons by working with Ski Mask The Slump God, Jacquees, Fetty Wap, Trippie Redd and Keke Palmer. At the top of 2021, the Republic Records signee dropped her banger “No More Parties.” The song would go on to become her first Billboard Hot 100 entry at No. 26. Her career continued to blow up after she delivered fire bars on songs like "Big Purr (Prrdd)" with Pooh Shiesty, “Options (Remix)” with EarthGang and “Twinnem” featuring DaBaby.  

Lil Tjay

Lil Tjay has spent the past four years making a name for himself in New York City, and the rest of the world. The Bronx native started making music at the age of 16. Two years later in 2018, Columbia signed him and released his debut EP No Comparison. The following year, Lil Tjay appeared on Polo G’s “Pop Out,” which nearly broke the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, Tjay dropped his single “F.N” off his second EP with the same name in 2019. Tjay’s debut album True 2 Myself, which features Lil Wayne, Lil Durk, Jay Critch, Lil Baby and Riley Lanezz, debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified Platinum nearly a year later. In 2021, Tjay released his highest-charting hit to date, “Calling My Phone” featuring 6lack, which appears on his second album Destined 2 Win featuring Offset, Moneybagg Yo, Polo G, Fivio Foreign, Saweetie and Tyga. 

Pooh Shiesty

Pooh Shiesty had the rap game in the palm of his hand during his reign on the airwaves. The Memphis, Tenn. native dropped his debut song “Hell Night” with BIG30 in 2019 and nothing was the same. Once 2020 hit, Shiesty was already a hot commodity in the South. Soon enough, Shiesty’s music caught the attention of Gucci Mane, who ended up signing him to 1017 and Atlantic Records in April 2020. After appearing on Gucci’s compilation album So Icy Summer, Shiesty dropped his breakthrough single “Back In Blood” with Lil Durk. It was Shiesty’s first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaked at no. 13 and remains his highest-charting song to date. In 2021, Shiesty dropped his debut project Shiesty Season, which features Lil Durk, Gucci Mane, Big30, 21 Savage, Tay Keith and more. 

Yung Bleu

Yung Bleu has grown to become one of the most versatile acts in the rap game. The Mobile, Ala. native began his career nearly a decade ago in 2013. Once he signed to Boosie Badazz’s Bad Azz imprint via Columbia Records, Bleu continued to feed the streets by releasing new installments of his Investments mixtape series as well as his breakthrough EP Bleu Vandross. In 2020, Bleu left Bad Azz and signed a distribution deal with Empire and a management deal with Meek Mill’s Dreamchasers imprint. Later that year, Bleu dropped his notable track “You’re Mines Still” and followed up with the remix featuring Drake. Bleu took off from there and went on work with Coi Leray, Big Sean, Chris Brown, 2 Chainz, Gunna, Kodak Black, Kehlani, H.E.R., Moneybagg Yo and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie for his Moon Boy album, which peaked at no. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart last year.


Best New R&B Artist

Chlöe

Chlöe Bailey broke out on to the scene as one half of Chlöe X Halle, who have been signed to Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment since 2015. Although she’s earned five Grammy nominations with her sister, Chlöe has proven time and again that she’s more than able to attain her own success in music and in film. In August 2021, she stunned the industry when she dropped her debut solo track “Have Mercy” produced by Murda Beatz. At that time, Chlöe told Billboard that her debut solo album was “90% done” so hopefully fans will get to hear it very soon. “I’m wrapping it up with such bad-b***h energy,” she said.

Giveon

Long Beach County’s own Giveon has only been active in the music industry for the past four years. Yet, in that short time, the 27-year-old has made big waves in the R&B realm. Discovered by Canadian producer Sevn Thomas, Giveon dropped his first song “Garden Kisses” in 2018 and followed up with “Like I Want You” a year later. Giveon got his big break when he appeared on Drake’s “Chicago Freestyle” in 2020. A month later, Giveon dropped his debut EP Take Time, which holds his 3x Platinum track “Heartbreak Anniversary.” He went on to obtain more fame by hopping on Justin Bieber's “Peaches” last year.

Tone Stith

Singer Tone Stith has been steadily rising in the ranks of R&B royal for quite some time now. The New Jersey native had always had a knack for singing from a very young age. As a teenager, he got his start in a group called S3J, who was noticed by Jas Prince. Once Prince convinced him to go solo, Stith was signed to Prince’s Young Empire Music Group. The singer-songwriter got his claim-to-fame by co-writing Chris Brown’s “Make Love” and “Liquor” in 2014. Three years later, Stith dropped his debut project Can We Talk. Since then, he’s released other collaborations with 2 Chainz, Quavo, Swae Lee and Ty Dolla $ign. Last year, Stith followed up with his FWM album featuring H.E.R., Lonr, and Kiana Lede.   

VanJess

Ivana and Jessica Nwokike a.k.a. VanJess have only put out a couple of projects but the two sisters have managed to keep their fans coming back for more. Since rereleasing their debut EP 00 till Escape in 2015, the Nigerian-born duo has captivated audiences across the world with songs like “Addicted” and “Control Me.” Over the years, they’ve collaborated with the likes of Masego, Goldlink, KAYTRANADA, Saba and more for unique records that are too cool for the mainstream. VanJess dropped their debut album Silk Canvas in 2019. Last year, the girls released their newest album Homegrown, which boasts features from Lucky Daye, TOKiMONSTA, Phony Ppl and more.

Vedo

Vedo has come a long way since his days on NBC’s The Voice. After spending the latter years of the 2010s dropping projects, Vedo has expanded his network by collaborating with a wide variety of musicians from Money Man, Yung Bleu, Benny Benassi and the late Young Dolph. Around the time when his 2020 project For You dropped, Vedo was brought out of a dark place in his life triggered by the death of his mother in 2013. He credits his recovery to the birth of his daughter “I still was feeling a little bit of PTSD from that traumatic event that happened but having her kind of lifted that burden,” he told Essence last year. “I felt needed; I felt loved, an unconditional love.” It truly was the boost he needed. Vedo rocked the industry with his newest album 1320 featuring heavy-hitters like Eirc Bellinger, Lloyd, Jacquees, Ari Lennox, and Eric Banks.