8. THE WEEKND

From anonymous online albums to main stage festival gigs in a year, The Weeknd is so hype, he repackage all his free shit into a three-CD box — and people paid for it! Maybe it’s because his excellent live band gave full form to the previously mysterious MP3s. Or maybe it’s the contemporary current of mutant R&B, from Frank Ocean to Miguel, that’s cresting right now. But for URB readers, The Weeknd made the biggest splash.