The 2022 Honorary Awards by Blue Rhymez Entertainment

Our third year ends with a bang for we have had more music than ever, more readers than ever, and more expansion than ever. Below we’re proudly announcing the top 20 best artists who’ve made a lifetime impression on us. We also want to thank all of the music fans sharing the songs they discover on our platform as well as a big salute to the blogs keenly attuned to our various articles. Every share and every like is a step forward in getting us and the artists we feature in front of a larger well-deserved audience. Cheers to the new music era led by independent artists!

1. ARTIST OF THE YEAR: HUNTER ROOT

Hunter Root has seen tremendous growth this year and proved himself to be an indie act not only worth following but also savvy when it comes to media, marketing, and producing. From Indie Rock, Folk, Acoustic Pop to Americana and Country, the artist from Lancaster, Pennsylvania is someone we are betting our money and reputation on. Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.

2. BEST BALLAD: UNBREAKABLE BY CHADWICK JOHNSON

From Los Angeles, California, Chadwick Johnson is actively reviving the Pop Ballad genre of the late ’90s – early 2000s pretty much single-handedly. With a grandiose voice, substantial lyrics, and a music video to be admired, Unbreakable won us over without much ado or second thoughts. For music fans who seek quality over quantity, Chadwick Johnson is your artist. Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.

3. BEST EDM COMPOSITION: GIVE ME YOUR LOVE BY BORIS AYSON

Ridiculously young and equally talented, Boris Ayson made waves with his collaborative effort titled Give Me Your Love. From Hague, Netherlands, the artist seems to be at master level when it comes to creating lavish EDM renditions giving off ‘I’m here to conquer vibes. Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.

4. BEST R&B SONG: BREAKTHROUGH BY GABOU

Gabou’s smooth BREAKTHROUGH was so good from the first listen that we knew months back that the artist from Paris, France, is the prime contender for the Best R&B Song Of The Year. The song is multilateral in meaning and godly in production. There’s not a single thing that could have been done better. Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.

5. BEST COMMERCIAL GOSPEL SONG: AROUNDABOUT BY RAY CURENTON

Aroundabout by Ray Curenton stood out months back and it stands out now. There are very few Gospel songs around that are centered around feeling good and empowering one’s faith without weighing heavily on the mood of the listener. The record impressed us so much that we had to change the usual title from Best Gospel Song to Best Commercial Gospel Song. Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.

6. BEST COUNTRY SONG: PRETEND BY LEIF SHIVELY BAND

While we didn’t think a song could sound dense and gracious at the same time, Leif Shively and his band took us by absolute surprise with Pretend. Inspired by a heartbreaking real love story, the song cuts deep and dazzles leaving the listener in flabbergasting awe. What makes the whole ordeal fabulous is the Grunge-Rock approach the singer adopts when performing. Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.

7. BEST POP SONG: SUMMER HIGH BY JORDYN SUGAR

Jordyn Sugar’s Summer High is the golden middle between retro and modern. The young artist seems to have been born singing Pop music instead of crying. The only thing separating Jordyn from the likes of Dua Lipa and Charlie XCX are the visuals and funds subsequently but the talent and great music are there. Summer High becomes an inescapable earworm rather immediately! Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.

8. BEST FUTURISTIC SONG: EVOLUTION OF THE MIND BY DARIEN MARTUS

Atypical for the likes of 2022 when most are focused on the grim and dark, Darien Martus went where nobody else had the courage to: in the future. Abiding by a conversational progression of the song’s message, Evolution Of The Mind ponders on heavy, existential matters while suavely and breezily hinting upon probable outcomes if only we got our sh*t together as humans. Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.

9. BEST RAP SONG: APE SH*T BY GEEK

If one was to transpose a 2000’s Rap banger to today’s times with updated production, better flow, and livelier energy, you get Ape Sh*t by Geek. An entertaining balance of foundational Hip Hop pillars adjusted to current taste and sonic preferences, the earworm gets a hold of your senses, possibly your body too, and doesn’t let go until you add it to your playlist. Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.

10. MOST INNOVATIVE ROCK SONG: SHAKE ON THE FLOOR BY LUCIFERS BEARD

A song of epic proportions from an epic artist. Shake On The Floor by Lucifers Beard is as much Rock as it is Pop, Funk, Punk, and Psychedelic. The welding of the many genres resulted in a spectacular piece that will get your behind up from your seat and into a frenzy of hair whipping and head bobbing. Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.

11. BEST NEO-SOUL SONG: HOW YOU FEEL BY HENRY ABERSON

How do you know someone only cares about the music and not much, if at all, about social media? Has 32k listeners on Spotify and only 500 something on IG. The Neo-Soul composition is flawless; from the shy guitar to the endearing lyrics and large-sounding drums, all come in perfect harmony to confer the best organic piece you’ve heard in a while. Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.

12. BEST DARK POP RECORD: WISH YOU WELL BY FELICIA LU

Wish You Well by Felicia Lu from Vienna, Austria, is one entertaining Dark Pop showpiece that viciously arrests the listener’s attention time and time again for various different reasons be it the singer’s ethereal voice, the instrumental’s harsh electric base, or the movie-like delicious visual. Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.

13. BEST FULL-LENGTH ALBUM: ROOTS BY THE NON TALKERS

The full-length album released by the Non Talkers, the Pop-Folk duo from Portugal, is a project consolidated by the acoustically organic core of the couple paired with diary-like lyrical progressions. Preponderantly Folk-Rock music, warm vocals, soulful narratives, and the offered seat at the table of the Brantner family, make The Roots land the current title. Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.

14. BEST DOWNTEMPO SONG: I DWELL BY SHILPA ANANTH AND ALEKSANDRA DENDA

The international voices and independent marvels of the music industry named Shilpa Ananth and Aleksandra Denda, have crafted an absorbing Downtempo jewel accompanied by a brilliant, sophisticated, lo-fi music video named i Dwell. The record resupplies the inherent human need of connecting with things deeper than the surface through both its orientally-infused music and the beckoning, legendary voices of the two singers. Follow the artists on Instagram HERE and HERE.

15. BEST NEW AGE SONG: WAIT FOR YOU TO COME BACK BY DAFNEY

Wait For You To Come Back is a heart-warmer and a New-Age ear-pleaser for the mesmerizing Dafney turns out to be a magical singer with surreal vocals able to hold down entire choruses by herself by giving life to phonetic pairings. Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.

16. BEST DISCO SONG: GOOD NIGHT BY JOSHUA FLORES

The seemingly unbounded appeal of the ’80s records has made its way onto Joshua Flores’s catalog. Good Night transforms the public’s outlook on Joshua Flores from a modern hybrid R&B singer to a universal talent who can challenge any genre and make it his own. Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.

17. BEST FOLK SONG: GOOD FRIENDS AND GOOD TIMES BY BEAU LUCAS

The lively and profoundly organic-sounding Folk-Rock release would be considered an acoustic apogee in any artist’s repertoire. Good Friends and Good Times reveals itself to be an instrument of projecting happiness onto the audience subsequently cementing the name of Beau Lucas in the mind of the listener. Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.

18. BEST EURO-POP SONG: NEVER STOP DREAMING BY SIMONE EVERSDIJK

A vigorous Pop record meant to place a spiritual message in a most commercial format. Ladies and gents, the positively contagious, exhilarating, and uplifting personality of Simone Eversdijk shines, gleams, and invites from start to end on her song Never Stop Dreaming. If all Dance songs included a meaningful message with them, the world would be a better place. Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.

19. BEST ALT-POP SONG: MOMMY BY BLAKSWAN

From Columbus, Ohio, BLAKSWAN manufactured a fiercely vivid Alt-Pop single that resolutely dives into the rather taboo topic of society, the dynamic between the dominant feminine and the submissive masculine. With hot lyrics, cold fury, and a most pleasing instrumental, MOMMY is the type of Avant-Pop song to dazzle any and everyone daring to hear it out and haunt them a good while after too. Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.

20. BEST VISIONARY RECORD: INNER I BY ALEKSANDRA DENDA

When you pair the sensitive yet complex performing style of the artist with the illusionistic visuals of INNER I, you obtain a beautifully executed tune of majestic proportions. Remember Enigma? The 3-time Grammy-nominated New Age group from Europe that sold over 70 million album copies worldwide? Well, Aleksandra Denda is carrying the same torch of world influences and enhanced focus on the overall rendition and end result rather than herself. This a very rare thing in a me-me-me industry. Follow the artist on Instagram HERE.