5. billi0n
Best bar: “I’m in the corner having late, night / talks with my kiiidney”
It’s not what billi0n is saying, but how he says it — his voice is like a cross between Nino Paid and the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes. His yelped delivery pushes “ØWay Cypher” into high gear from the very first verse.
4. EA TJ
Best Bar: “Smash the Benz’, had to switch the tag, got bitches stalkin’ me / Big dog, n***a, I got steppers all the way in Albany”
EA TJ only raps four bars on this song but the way he says “Al-ba-ny” has been rattling around my head for a full week. It’s a testament to the quality of his micro verse, which feels exciting and not just tacked on.
3. Yung Fazo
Best bar: “I knew would do it / I knew I would get to the top, I been touchin’ the stars, gon’ be the influence”
Yung Fazo is ØWay’s other intergenerational recruit, probably better known for his pre-pandemic successes than anything he’s released since. He seems acutely aware of his profile, turning in a fluid melodic verse that switches his flow up beautifully halfway through. In interviews, Tezzus has called Fazo “cooler than NAV,” which, depending on your tastes, is maybe a low bar to clear. But it’s entirely possible 2026 could be his biggest year yet.
2. Tezzus
Best bar: “N***as gettin’ robbed on eBay, in my last life, I caught bodies, bitch / Me and this ho had a e-date, it was just a glass of wine and narcotics, bitch”
Tezzus’s first verse on this song is kind of bad. The hyperaggressive beat pushes him into an aggressive flow, but it’s all bark no bite, despite him claiming he’ll “have a Blood kill a Blood, a Crip kill Crip.” He redeems himself on the song’s third movement, where a more melodic approach emphasizes Thug’s influence, and Tezzus’s typically brash vocals melt into Auto-Tune currents.
1. Pz’
Best bar: “Lil’ baby, I’m goin’ ballistic, the fabrics on me is Celine / I wine and dine with Spanish fine lil’ shawty, she work for Celine”
Of the extended ØWay roster, Pz’ seems most likely to break out next (a cosign by Playboi Carti’s YVL camp can’t hurt). His flow is delicate even as it feels intricate. “Hermes bag cost a wallet, and that bitch might cost a chain / We might bust you in your brain, Man, Lil Pz’, you goin’ insane,” he coos midway through. It’s a breezy verse that indicates a star in the making.
