YouTube issues grants to 28 global hip-hop artists as part of Fifty Deep campaign

YouTube‘s celebration of hip-hop’s 50th birthday is bringing some rewards to artists big and small. The platform has revealed the musicians who make up the 2024 class of the Fifty Deep grant program.

The members of the Fifty Deep class will get assistance from YouTube through several initiatives. They will receive creative grants to go along with promotional support and an array of channel optimization tools. YouTube also plans to host songwriting sessions for the cohort while also providing them with A&R opportunities and early access to new products and features.

The Fifty Deep class resembles previous cohorts that participated in the #YouTubeBlack initiative, which boosted artists and creators of color in the YouTube community. YouTube has had an active presence in the Black music community since the 2018 hire of Tuma Basa, who left Spotify to become YouTube’s Director of Black Music & Culture.

Basa and his team previously honored rap pioneers by building music video playlists that highlighted the greatest acts from hip-hop’s 50-year history. Now, the Fifty Deep campaign is focusing on the next generation. “From the U.S. to Brazil, to the UK, Nigeria, South Africa and beyond, the Fifty Deep Music Class is a true global cohort that we believe are blazing a new trail for the future of music,” Basa wrote in a blog post

.”We’re on board to support this new generation of Hip Hop from the early stages.”

Despite Basa’s allusions to a “new generation,” the 28-person roster for the Fifty Deep cohort includes some known names, including Chicago’s own Chief Keef and Long Island legends De La Soul. They’ll join some fresh faces who hail from five different continents. “Music is there for you, it’s a jewel to capture and you be like wow, you just get motivated,” De La Soul member Pos told Basa in an interview. “Even us as elders, if we’re willing to realize that we can always remain to be a student, you can learn from some of these young students.”

The Fifty Deep class is one of several YouTube initiatives that will boost Black creators during February. Other Black History Month plans include a takeover on the central YouTube account and a spotlight on drag ballroom culture.