Noodah05 named Billboard's Hip-Hop Up & Comer for October
Atlanta rapper Noodah05 is Billboard's Hip-Hop Up & Comer for October. The selection was published on 15 October 2026, according to Billboard. It is the latest edition of the publication's monthly spotlight on emerging rap talent.
Noodah05 raps out of Atlanta, in Georgia. The city remains one of the main centres for rap recording, touring and artist development in the United States. For listeners meeting him for the first time, the October pick is a direct introduction.
The story centres on "Around Me," his current single. The track appears on Champion Sound, the mixtape he released as his calling card. For readers new to the format, a mixtape is a shorter collection than an album, often released quickly to test songs with fans before a larger campaign.
The numbers give the context. "Around Me" has peaked at No. 14 on Billboard's Hot Rap Songs chart, the weekly US ranking that orders rap songs by streams, sales and radio airplay, according to Billboard. At the time of the feature, the song sat at No. 22 on that same chart.
That movement is normal. Songs climb and then settle as new releases arrive each Friday, the industry's global release day. Staying inside the top 25 after a peak still means a track is being streamed, bought and played on radio in large numbers.
Noodah05 also shared a personal detail behind his artist name. He said his grandmother gave him the name Noodah. He performs as Noodah05, carrying that family-given name onto streaming pages and chart listings.
Billboard, the American music publication behind the Hot 100 and other weekly charts, runs the Up & Comer series to flag artists who are gaining traction. The tag is a snapshot. It does not predict future sales or chart positions.
For fans, this means a simple next step. Find Champion Sound and hear "Around Me" in its original setting. What makes this stand out is the speed of the move from a mixtape release to national chart recognition. A No. 14 peak puts a new artist in front of programmers, playlist editors and live bookers who follow those positions closely. That is real currency.
