We’re halfway through 2026, and Iowans in hip-hop have been killing it. Des Moines bellwether Teller Bank$'s darkly experimental surprise album, 3x6x𐕣 =666, 3x1x𐕣=111 3x7x𐕣 =777,3x5x𐕣=555 3x9x𐕣 =999,3x3x𐕣=333 (or Mathematics), produced by the brilliantly whacked-out beat scientist Six𐕣een, is being praised in the same breath as Madonna. UVT's FlyLife released two projects: the fourth installment of his and Sqvce’s FlySpace quadrilogy and his solo project, The Blueprint, which debuted with a swanky art gallery-slash-listening experience. Outside the state's capital, Waterloo horrorcore hotshot Vitamjn performed raucous sets at two Iowa festivals so far this summer: Chroma63 and Cedarloo Skate's 4th of July Skatepark Show.
There's also a whole new crop of hip-hop artists, aged 23 to 30, gaining purchase in Iowa. Let's celebrate a handful of the new voices that you should know about.
EREN KHAN is a hybrid hip-hop hallucination
EREN KAHN, 23, is a thrilling multidisciplinary artist based in Iowa City whose continuously evolving hip-hop sound is pushing the genre forward. His music, which ranges from rage rap and grunge to earnest ballads set to Looper guitar chords, is a buffet of diverse singles, all adorned with provocative cover imagery: billows of smoke, a burning Confederate flag, even a pack of nationalist furries. KAHN is unafraid to express his politics or deviate from the norm, with a style that’s ever-experimental and always unexpected.
He’s the only rapper in the state flipping samples of Three Days Grace, Rage Against The Machine, GG Allin and Nirvana in his rage-fueled raps. In fact, you wouldn’t be faulted for thinking one of his latest singles, “FATIGUE,” was a Nirvana B-side. Beyond direct homages to his favorite bands, KAHN’s inner emo comes to the fore on songs like “mother earth is crying,” which is a post-punk ballad about climate guilt and the choking of our clouds.
On “I’VE SEEN ICE AROUND,” KAHN grinds RATM’s “Killing in the Name” into a crunchy, speaker-blasting beat that numbs the listener’s body as he goes in on fascists and instigates a mosh pit. The rapper admits that he’s got all the markings of a punk: “anti-authoritarian values” with a sharp focus on human rights and community, packaged into a polarizing performance.
Community, specifically, is how KAHN found his musical footing. His family moved around a lot growing up, planting very shallow roots in cities in Kansas and Des Moines, where he attended Western Hills Elementary from 2nd through 4th grade. He later returned to the state’s capital to study strategic political communication at Drake University. While his home addresses may have changed, music was a constant in his upbringing.
“I grew up in a super musical family,” said KAHN. “I grew up playing guitar, cello, piano — and we would just always sing covers. We'd make our own songs. It was just a big way that we connected with one another.”
Although his heart gravitated towards the saxophone, his school and parents pointed KAHN towards strings for his first instrument. He opted for the cello.
“I love music with a lot of range,” said KAHN. “Just in my personal taste, I’ll go from Rage Against The Machine to Drake in the same day. And I felt the cello encompassed that. It could play crazy highs but it could also fulfill the role of the bass, and it has a really good middle ground as well.”
Music wasn’t necessarily a choice for members of KAHN’s family. For some, like his father, it was a preventative measure.
“My dad was born, from Chicago, to a family of 10. He was alive during Jim Crow, so he didn't have the right to vote. He didn't have the right to go to school as some white people. It was a little bit different in Chicago, but it was pretty much still segregated, and there was just a bunch of crime. So music was a way, not only for them to connect with one another, but it was also a way for people to stay out of trouble.”
KAHN is currently staying out of trouble in Iowa City, where his left-of-center voice is reflective of the college town’s fertile indie, experimental and punk scenes. KAHN’s first live performance put him on stage squarely in front of Iowa City group Dearborn, backed by the wild stylings of drummer Aaron Knight. He also feels kinship with other Iowa City rock bands such as BOOTCAMP and Stelladrone.
Much of KAHN’s visual portfolio is shot in black and white, from the music videos down to the photos from his concerts. He said he’s always had a hand in the editing and directing of his videos, and uses monochrome as a tool to evoke a 1960s Civil Rights Era flavor.
“I HATE THE KKK (PAIN),” which contains elements of “Bite It You Scum” by punk history’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Terrorist GG Allin, blends old with new. He says his goal, visually and musically, is to critique hate, and to do so in new and exciting ways.
“Everyone wants to sound like Playboi Carti,” said KAHN, “Everybody wants to sound like everybody else. I’m just trying to make something new. I think rap is kind of dying — it used to be the top genre. Now we have country music in 2K. Make rap great again.”
Because 'EREN KAHN' is a homophone for his real name, the music he makes under the alias is personal. That’s in stark contrast to where he began, as his high school’s self-admitted “SoundCloud guy.” Barely a teen, he’d edit funny clips set to his own music and submit them to “hundreds of thousands of meme pages,” often doing pretty well on the app as a result.
“It was kind of like UglyGod but if he was more juvenile, kind of rapped like Tay K a bit,” said KAHN of his 14-year-old self’s ingenuity, in spite of his cringiness. Today, with a version of his name on the line, he’s taking things seriously.
“A lot of musicians play characters, or they think of their music as a product. I don't want it to be that way, especially since a lot of these things have to do with personal and political topics, so I think it’s really important to be genuine. There’s definitely a lot of hyperbole and exaggeration, and my intention is just to be able to connect to people.”
EREN KAHN has released six songs so far in 2026, including “LMS” with Bronx rapper YOUNGX777 and “jump” with Des Moines artist 202Tevin. He also opened for Ricky Hilfiger and City Morgue’s SosMula at xBk back in February. KAHN's brand new single “bullet in my head” is streaming now.
Rent Moneyy’s price just went up
Comparisons to the late, great MF DOOM should not be made lightly, if ever. However, that designation may just befit Des Moines-based, Las Vegas-born rapper Rent Moneyy, whose distinguished rasp, high stakes storytelling, self-assuredness and general mystique have captured imaginations near and far.
While Rent Moneyy as we know him is a recent phenomenon, the artist behind the name has been rapping for years. A well-known man about Des Moines, Rent Moneyy came up in the 2010s as the rapper formerly known as H The Prodigy.
“Before I had a studio, I used to record off the T-Pain auto-tune pad,” said Rent Moneyy. “I convinced my mama to pay $5 a month, and you could get little plugins for it. When you would record, the share button said ‘Share through SoundCloud.’ [That] was the only way I could post my songs on Twitter, because they had a partnership. SoundCloud wasn’t even a standalone app at first, when I was using it.”
Being one of the first rappers in the city to figure out SoundCloud in its infancy, the “No Pictures Please” rapper talks and acts like he’s 60 years old. He drives a vintage Mercedes and even has the grizzled voice of a cigar-smoking taxi driver. At 30, he is both a veteran of the block and also remarkably young, helping bridge the gap between the old dogs and the young cats.
Rent Moneyy’s 2025 4-song EP, 5 PIECE, was a departure from the boom bap we’ve grown accustomed to hearing from him, tilting into a much more modern sound. It featured Lil Low on the track “Too Rich” and another Des Moines artist to watch, Faze10, on “Too Clean.”
Iowa’s heaviest hitter in the underground octagon, Teller Bank$, dropped one of the most talked about releases of his over-10-year career in late March of 2026 with Hate Island, which became an instant cult favorite and a Bandcamp bestseller. The album was constructed for Bank$ by NewJersadelphia-area producers q no rap name, Philth Spector, Killer Kane and Ayashi[!] (later joined by Bub.Solutions and siblings Six𐕣een and Chop the Head), under the moniker $$$, or 'Triple Dollar Sign.' Hate Island propelled Bank$ onto tri-state area bills alongside Lord Sko and Fatboi Sharif, and the residual exposure that Rent Moneyy received as the album's only guest vocalist continues to astound him.
“Producers all over the East Coast started sending me [beats],” said Rent Moneyy. “I started sending verses out there. So when they started doing beat sets, doing little shows ... motherf***ers started flexing unreleased Rent Moneyy verses. The homie Chop had hit me up, like, 'Dog, I just went to three shows and watched you get a standing ovation at shows you didn’t even perform at.'"
In Philly and much of the East Coast right now, Rent Moneyy’s name precedes him. Across four of Teller’s latest critically acclaimed albums (Hate Island, its predecessor DRUG$$$, The Wolf & The Walrus and 2023’s White People Stole My House), Rent Moneyy is the lone feature. Rent Moneyy has also been Teller’s go-to wingman for live shows, often brought out to perform a song or two, including their 2022 duet “Pop Star” and his verses on their three “BENNY & WE$” joints. Rent Moneyy has impressed crowds in Brooklyn, Chicago, New Jersey and Philadelphia with his dastardly unc flow. And his joking “I need it by the first of the month!” always kills.
“Teller’s dropped 50 f***in albums, I just so happened to be on six or seven, and s**t’s been looking crazy for the both of us,” said Rent Moneyy of the last year and a half.
Rent Moneyy’s full-length debut album, Rentrification — executive produced by Teller Bank$, with beats from $$$ and a feature from NYC rapper Deem Spencer — is in active production.
CeeRob gets up every time he falls
CeeRob dreamed of seeing his name on the marquee at Lefty’s Live Music. That dream came true twice, but not without a price.
On Dec. 15, 2023, the 27-year-old recording artist, who released his very first song on SoundCloud in 2012, was granted his first ever headlining gig at Lefty’s, a venue he’d frequented for years with wide eyes. The first time he stepped in the door he remembers telling his sister that one day he’d be the reason folks lined up out the door.
At the time, CeeRob was working his warped, aggro dance track, “B2K (BTCH2.),” which brought the bouncing wintertime crowd to a climax. That concert, called "A DECEMBER 2 REMEMBER,” also featured performances from fellow Des Moines artists Colo Chanel, GnarlyJevy and Faze10. It proved to CeeRob that not only could he successfully organize and execute a show, but that he loved it.
“It’s a small venue, but it meant a lot to me,” said CeeRob. “I felt like a movie star, like damn, that’s my name up there. That night it was so small, but you couldn’t tell me I ain’t make it that night.”
Deciding to run it back the following December, CeeRob’s 2024 extravaganza featured the best of 2023’s performers, plus emerging acts like DeVante “‘vante” Witherspoon, Rome Oliver and xco$mox. It did not, however, feature its headliner CeeRob, as the event was cut short due to an escalated scuffle. Security eventually secured the scene, but the clamoring and lingering pepper spray had soured the vibe.
Just two months earlier, at a different show held on Oct. 19, the A-List producer Shondrae Crawford, AKA Bangladesh (Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Beyonce), returned to his hometown of Des Moines for an outdoor, all-ages festival promoting mental health awareness and community. During a nighttime performance by DSM poet and neo-soul singer Appletree, a 46-year-old Des Moines father of six named Michael Carter Jr. was fatally shot. CeeRob, who had performed earlier that day, was selling merch towards the back, right near where the homicide occurred.
Understandably, CeeRob has been enjoying a break from live performance (and the headaches therein) by diving headfirst into songwriting, recording, content creation and fashion. He sells shirts and skateboard decks through his designer label, RSO Streetwear, and has, on many occasions, given away said gear to kids at the park.
Since 2020, the “Cake Up” rapper has released over a dozen singles, spanning trap, dance and R&B, with no plans for an album any time soon. He believes in building his catalogue single by single, attracting a fanbase that wants to listen.
For CeeRob, who spent his childhood bouncing back and forth from Minneapolis to Des Moines, travel isn’t a big deal. So he does it as much as he can, flying to LA to make songs with his favorite producers as many times a year as his pockets will allow. He's been able to work with prominent producers like Bakkwoods (SoFaygo, 645AR) and GENT! (Drake, Lil Yachty).
“If you need a place to live, it’s very feasible,” said CeeRob of his decision to remain in Iowa. “We don’t have anything per se when it comes to food, fashion. If I’m looking for music I’m going to LA; fashion I’m going to New York. If you like slower paced places, this is the place."
Low cost of living and the ability to save up are what keep CeeRob in Des Moines, which is a sentiment echoed by many of his contemporaries. Also, the Lauridsen Skate Park, which provides a second home for CeeRob, who’s been skating just as long as he’s been rapping. He applies the same determination and no-quit attitude to both disciplines.
“Skateboarding means patience,” said CeeRob. “Takes a lot of patience to do that — I’ve never done anything in my life as hard as skateboarding. I guarantee you won’t learn to ollie or kickflip in a day. It’s so corny, but practice makes perfect. You not finna get all these tricks all the time. Same thing happens when you’re in the studio.”
He compared his ill-fated show at Lefty’s to the worst fall he’s ever taken.
“I was trying to frontside 180. I’m not used to landing fakies,” said CeeRob. “I slipped back. All my weight landed on my knee and shin. [My girlfriend] wasn’t even at the park and I was screaming her name.”
To CeeRob, it’s all about getting back up and pursuing that passion. Eventually, he'll return to performing, though not likely in Des Moines, as his eyes are now trained on larger cities with taller stages.
Lately, CeeRob has been developing a more melodic sound and working on his singing. Don’t expect his authoritative baritone to disappear altogether, but do expect the rapper to try something different in the latter half of the year. He’s dropped five self-contained singles so far in 2026, including “ZARDI,” “ZARDI (PHASE II)” featuring Qxeezy*, “Wizard of LA” and more.
The music video for his upcoming single, "G0!," will hit YouTube on July 26.
Lui* and @GUNO’s parents just don't understand
Two of Des Moines’ flashiest young creatives, lui* and @GUNO777, are breaking through with what they call “melodic, religious trap music.” And they’re trying to make it a movement.
Lui* is the alias of Emmanuel Kadjay, a 24-year-old rapper from Des Moines, derived from a passing but memorable glance at a chic French lifestyle magazine called Lui. Kadjay adopted the name in 2023 and, in the intervening years, has churned out nearly 20 singles, 2 EPs and two LPs. You can always tell if lui*’s on a song because he’ll announce himself with the ad lib, “big re,” a nonsense phrase that's come to mean "the meaning of life" to him and his friends. His latest album, inauguration of 200, was one of the first big Iowa hip-hop releases of 2026.
Godson Ugwuanyi is a 23-year-old recording artist and producer whose day job (live event production) puts him in near constant contact with speakers. He describes his own sound as a blend of rap, R&B, neosoul and pop, with a sprinkle of indie, and his music reflects all of those things. His stage name, @GUNO777, is a nod to the rapper Uno The Activist. In 2024, he released his debut album, SEVEN DEADLY SINS, which he's retooling into a new and expanded project set for later this year.
Born in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, @GUNO has called Des Moines home since he was 11. Both he and lui* graduated from Des Moines Public Schools, and their musical journeys became intertwined shortly after that.
“I was in the church playing drums, keys, just dabbling in that. I had told my parents that I want to get studio equipment to make gospel music. Got that … Started rapping automatically,” laughed @GUNO, continuing his origin story. “Then I started engineering other people, just to get into mixing. When I started taking mixing seriously is when I met lui*. Lui* had put me onto some plugins and how to really do this s**t the right way, that’s how we connected.”
Both artists are building their own distinctive brands, but often collaborate under the RareX banner, alongside other Des Moines artists ZZZAY and 202Tevin. @GUNO, lui* and ZZZAY came together in 2024 for the booming EP, XXX, featuring fun, roided-up hyper hip-hop bangers like "SERIOUS," "GEEKED UP" and "ZGL RICH."
@GUNO and lui* consider their music videos just as vital to their storytelling as the songs themselves, using them to double down on the darkness. Partnering with a slew of videographers, including talented central Iowa shooters like Borgology, Traevfx and IA Pioneers, both artists’ glitch-heavy, hyper hip-hop sounds are always complemented by striking visuals. That twisted combination has gained them fans in far away places.
With their cutting sound and carefully manicured social media presence, the pair piqued the interest of Lost Sls, an East Coast music discovery group, which invited @GUNO to perform at their NYC show, headlined by TyFontaine. He joined a stacked bill and hit the stage at one of hip-hop’s holy lands. Sounds of Brazil, or SOBs, is a revered world music and hip-hop venue in downtown Manhattan where Jay-Z, Kanye West and many more have performed. @GUNO brought lui* out with him and even let him perform one of his own songs.
“My parents definitely didn’t support at the start. They ain't really rock with it,” said @GUNO. “But I didn't stop. And they seen that I didn't stop. And now my mom, my parents, they love the music. They see it on TikTok, the shows. It wasn’t until we really started frequently going out of town and the opportunities started actually opening for all of us — they seen that and they were like 'oh, there’s something there.'”
“Not gonna lie, my mom don’t know anything,” laughed lui*. “My mom’s a strict African parent, too. I would tell her I make music and she won’t believe it, she’ll be like, ‘Sing for me.’ My mom’s a little old, so she’s not on the internet much, she really don’t know. She doesn’t even know this exists — I’m being so for real. I try to tell her.”
Lui*’s ultimate dream is to buy his mom a “fat crib” and tell her, “I told you I was making music.”
Lui*’s new EP, DAYSB5DIRTYSWAG, was released last week on streaming, and his biggest album yet, DIRTY SWAGG, is on the way. You can watch the music video for @GUNO's new song, "NEW IA," on YouTube. His upcoming single, "988," is set to drop July 31.
