The hip-hop industry in Colorado is about to break out in a big, big way — and these artists are the main reason why.

This year promises to be huge for our beloved state, especially when you look at the local talent that could burst on to the national scene soon. And since hip-hop relies heavily on hype, it only takes one artist to start a snowball the others can catch. It's a safe bet that once one artist from Colorado blows up, fans and major labels will inevitably flock to our mountainous state in search of gold — and maybe platinum — once again. It’s best to stay prepared for the invasion, so here's a look at our list of local hip-hop artists who we think will make serious moves before the next calendar year …

Trev Rich

Trev Rich has been feeling all love from the city for a couple of years now, but 2015 looks like it could be the hard working emcee’s year to make a splash in the national pool. Trev put the city on its back when he performed at KS 107.5’s Summer Jam last summer alongside lauded artists such as Tech N9ne and Kendrick Lamar. It’s an accolade we rarely see from regional talent.

Mysterious posts from Trev’s Instagram confirm the rapper was in LA for the Grammys hanging out at various Def Jam parties and he even posted a cryptic message on Facebook that says, “Trev Rich to Def Jam? You'll find out on the next episode.” What does it all mean? Whatever moves Trev Rich is making they seem to be in the right direction. There isn’t any official word on the next project … yet … but we’re sure it will be one that establishes Trev on a national level.

Pries

Pries is ready to takeoff and his new album titled “American Fairytale” — due out February 22nd — may be the turning of the tides. His single “Shake” blew-the-f-up and has received millions of views through its accompanying music video, plays on Spotify, and a viral twerking video on Facebook. Since, he’s released more music videos and more songs, which assert his dominance in the industry. Pries shows versatility, addictive charisma and world class talent as his fan base continues to grow. A relationship with Kid Ink could prove to be a beneficial one, and it appears the entire Squizzy Gang (Trev Rich, Pries, AP, and more) are on to something big.

FL

Young Amsterdam’s inaugural mayor has been quiet since dropping his album dedicated to our “green” state, but that doesn't mean he hasn’t been progressing. The lead single “All Or Nothing” featured on the popular “3hree” album — a collection of songs from scene-leading artists — found a powerful FL on every verse of the track with a catching and supporting hook from Leona Harper. As a Red Bull Signature artist, FL is making a name for himself isolated from his previous group The Foodchain — a local hip-hop outfit that saw success with FL over the past few years. An impressive album from him made for a great 2014, so we hope to see that same level of progression in 2015.

Ray Reed

We’ve seen good things from Ray Reed in the past, but we’ve been waiting on him to establish himself. Though he’s had promising projects and some big name features, his releases have been few and far between. This year, Ray Reed is gearing up to release “Suicide II” — a follow up to his impressive mixtape of the same name. We were also blessed with verses from Ray Reed on the “3hree” album, which showed progression in his ability to captivate any given listener. Ray is an extremely talented lyricist and shouldn't be overlooked. If he can solidify his lane, 2015 will be a big year.

Splyt

Numbers don’t lie, and the numbers are saying that Splyt is going to leave his mark soon. As of now there’s no word on an upcoming project, but the fact we haven’t seen anything other than loosies in a year makes the timing seem right. The year 2014 was full of live shows from Splyt — who performed at Colorado State and Colorado Mesa University — as well as opening for 2 Chainz. We saw serious signs of progression in his musical ability and ear for beats, often creating cohesive and well-rounded music. With a solid team behind him, Splyt has a chance to grow as an artist and take his claim while the taking is good.

Mr. Midas

Mr Midas has remained a relatively busy man since releasing his last project, “Red Cards Green Bottles,” in 2014. The emcee just hosted his Bring Some To Share Tour at the Larimer Lounge — a sold out event that brought together some of the most innovative minds in our local hip-hop scene. We are confident that the music will come for Midas, even if it hasn’t caught on with everyone yet. This is the type of artist — no matter the progression and ability of his musical talent — that will always be making moves. This will be a huge factor for Midas as Colorado is still waiting for someone to jump into the larger national scene.

– by Luca DelPiccolo