1. MURS

Like so many of his peers, Cali rapper Murs has ridden the fine line between indie and accessible hip-hop for well over a decade. Picked up by a major label at the very end their monolithic reign, the dreaded rapper has truly found his function in the second act of his DIY career. From albums funded by Kickstarter (Yumiko: Curse of the Merch Girl) to his long-running Paid Dues festival, Murs has become a cottage industry all to himself. So while no single song or event put placed him at the top our the URB readers list, it’s the classic case of slow and steady winning the race. Bravo.