TIDAL Unveils 'Artists To Watch In 2022' Playlists

Since their emergence in the mid-2010s, TIDAL has made a big impact on the streaming era and the music industry in general. Last spring, there was the $350 million sale to Jack Dorsey’s Square which ushered in a new era for the streaming service.

Every year, TIDAL’s editorial team makes up a list of Artists To Watch in multiple genres. It’s essentially their prediction of names that will impact music in their genre in the following 12 months and their way of giving them an early push, because fostering talent is a value of theirs.

Kendrick Lamar Shakes Up The Super Bowl With Bold Drake Diss And Surprise Guests

Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl 59 halftime performance was nothing short of legendary, leaving fans buzzing with surprise cameos and bold moments that took his long-running feud with Drake to new heights. Kicking off with an unreleased song snippet and followed by “Squabble Up” from his latest album GNX, Kendrick immediately set the tone for a game-changing performance. Fans eagerly waited to see if Kendrick would play his diss track Not Like Us, especially with Drake's ongoing lawsuit against him and his label for defamation and harassment. Lamar's performance included an unexpected appearance by SZA and a quirky cameo from Serena Williams, along with Samuel L. Jackson’s comedic interruptions, all building the suspense around the Drake drama. In the middle of his performance, Kendrick turned up the heat, looking straight into the camera and directly addressing Drake with his famous lyrics, “I heard you like them young," as fans held their breath. Despite the tension, Kendrick censored himself when it came time to call Drake a "certified lover boy" and avoided saying “pedophile,” which had been widely speculated. Social media lit up with mixed reactions, with some fans mocking the performance as a "mid mashup" and others noting the intense hostility toward Drake. With the hashtag #KendrickBowl trending, it’s clear that Kendrick’s performance was a cultural moment that pushed boundaries—but has he gone too far, or is this just another chapter in hip-hop history? Only time will tell, and Drake has yet to respond.

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This year, there’s an Artists To Watch In 2022 playlist for Hip-Hop, R&B, Pop, Metal, Latin and many other genres. There are even playlists for specific countries like France and Uganda, which is a great idea.

The Hip-Hop playlist features some names that we’re familiar with through a few songs (like Shady Records’ Grip or ‘Who Want Smoke?’ rapper Nardo Wick) and a lot of other names you’ve likely never heard of before. You can check it out below.