Aminé, Towkio

Twenty-three-year-old Adam Aminé Daniel started his rap career rather innocuously, making diss tracks aimed at rival high schools in the Portland, Ore., area. Son of Eritrean and Ethiopian immigrants, the rapper released two mixtapes, then quickly emerged as a potential star with multi-platinum hit single “Caroline.” The Billboard Hot 100 charter, which peaked at No. 11, remains the highlight of the former Portland State University marketing major’s much-anticipated debut album, Good for You, a relentlessly positive and remarkably honest turn. – Kahron Spearman