IANN DIOR

BY: Alexis Eichelberger

You heard it from us: iann dior is the next star of the sad boy hip-hop scene. 

From its inception on SoundCloud to its popularization in recent years by phenoms like Juice WRLD, Lil Peep and XXXTentacion, the emo rap genre is growing all the time. Though it’s been plagued by tragedy, the scene continues to grow as young artists fuse modern hip-hop with the punk pop of their preteen years to create a newly vibrant and emotional kind of music.

iann dior is our new favorite artist creating those fresh sounds. Born Michael Ian Olmo in Puerto Rico, the 21-year old got his own start on SoundCloud when his breakout single “Emotions” racked up hundreds of plays in its first weeks on the platform. The track is the kind of sorrowful break-up song played over a soft techno beat and heavy bassline that’s become standard for Olmo and his contemporaries.

After his talent was discovered, Olmo was quickly signed to Internet Money Records by producers Nick Mira and Taz Taylor. Mira is the mastermind behind Juice WRLD’s smash hit “Lucid Dreams,” and Taylor has worked with a number of high-profile rappers like XXXTentacion, Big Sean, Rich the Kid and Lil Tecca.

Nothing’s Ever Good Enough, Olmo’s first EP, was released in May 2019. The tracklist included one of his most popular songs to date, “gone girl.” The hip-hop ballad has more than 104 million plays on Spotify and features a verse from the prolific young rapper Trippie Redd. His debut album Industry Plant dropped just months later in November 2019 and peaked at number 44 on the Billboard 200.

So far this year, Olmo’s already had another big hit. “Sick and Tired,” a collaboration with Machine Gun Kelly and Travis Barker, reached number 3 on the Hot Rock Songs chart earlier this month. He also had big plans to tour North American and the UK before the coronavirus pandemic forced organizers to cancel the shows.

Although the future is uncertain for performers everywhere, we predict Olmo will continue to climb the industry ladder and become the next prominent figure representing the rise of the emo rap genre.