Out of every single name on this list, this artist has been all over the news and social media the most by a long way. If you hadn't heard any of her music until now, shame on you, but there's no way that you haven't at least heard her name. In at number 17 is Cardi B with the aptly titled Invasion Of Privacy.

Like most people I'd only really heard about Cardi B musically after her smash "Bodak Yellow" came out. That song is still a hit to this very day and despite how much overplaying it's gone through and how much the radio has tried to make me hate it, it's stood the test of time and still makes me feel just as good as I did listening to it for the first time. The same could be said about this entire album to be honest. It's hands down one of the most popular albums to come out this year and as much as I try to shy away from things with a ridiculous amount of hype surrounding them, I've found myself coming back to this album on so many occasions.

Stand-out tracks for me right now are "Get Up 10", "Bickenhead", "She Bad (feat. YG)", and "I Do (feat. SZA)". I say that those are my favourites for right now because that most definitely was not the case when it first came out. After the first listen I would have told you that "She Bad" should have never even made it onto the final album and "I Like It (feat. Bad Bunny & J Balvin)" would have been my favourite by quite a mile. However, overplaying changed and cemented all of my opinions. I don't see my favourites changing around again for a while but I can safely say that I'll be sitting with this album time and time again in 2019.

There's undoubtedly some controversy surrounding Cardi B, yet also a number of people supporting her as somebody that encourages women celebrate their sexuality and to be themselves completely and unashamedly. Cardi puts so much personality and charisma into her writing that it's hard not to like her, or at the very least admire her honesty. As a debut, she's definitely let the world know who she is and I don't doubt that she'll be keeping us updated.

Dropping in at number 17 last year with this gem right here.

I'd been excited for this show from the minute I booked the ticket. As soon as we got into the venue the vibes were heavy - so many beautiful people, so many great auras. It just felt like we were a huge collective... maybe it's because it was only my second show of the year, or maybe because it had been so long since I went to a show to watch a female lead, but something about the vibe at this show was different.

First up DJ-ing the night was LSDXOXO. I've never been the biggest fan of having DJs as support acts where the main act isn't also a DJ if I'm honest, but like I said, this night was different. The tracks he played slowly started grabbing my attention as people milled about finding their spots, then  I found myself bopping my head, and before long my friends and I were shacking out as he played banger after banger. It wasn't even the kind of set where you could guess the next few tracks just by listening to the bpm - every few songs he was hitting us with the unexpected. One minute we're getting down to Migos then the next we were throwing up arms and belting out Evanescence. Doors opened at 7; Princess Nokia didn't come on until around 9:30 and to be honest the crowd was entertained pretty much the entire time. 100% would love to catch a set again.

When Princess Nokia stepped on stage it seemed like everything just sped up. Before I knew it surprisingly she'd already charged through her biggest hits "Tomboy"and "Kitana" and my friends and I were left trying to recollect and to catch our breath. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't completely caught up but also a little sceptical about what she would now finish with. Silly me I guess - by the time the show was coming to an end she'd already won hearts and minds. Don't be fooled by her small silhouette; Ms Destiny boasts an overwhelming presence, on stage and off. This could've been a living room or an arena and her presence would have filled it all the same. As she made her way through tracks from her most recent release 1992, she managed to bring the crowd further into her world, speaking on her upbringing, heritage and even hair woes, and after talking to some people after the show it was obvious that energies were high all round. Everyone saw something that they could relate to at that show, whether it came from Nokia herself, or just from seeing themselves represented in the crowd at a rap show, everybody felt like they belonged to something even if only for those few hours. A true testament to the way Destiny prides herself on creating safe spaces for her audiences (women and women of colour in particular). I will most definitely be seeing her again in the future I'm sure and needless to say, I'm buzzing for whatever she drops next. It was a real celebration. 

Overall Rating - 8.5/10


Here are some pictures from the night...