"Who's number one?" Slayr asks almost immediately after learning he's No. 2 on our Best Rappers in Their Teens list.

"Aight for sure. I mean that ain't bad. The n***a younger than me," he says, referring to BabyChiefDoIt , who topped this year's list. Before declaring that he actually deserves the top top spot.

Slayr’s confidence isn’t misplaced.

Since the list was published, readers have reranked him No. 1. And the music backs it up. On his breakout album Half Blood , he pushes rage beyond its usual boundaries, blending melodic, upbeat chord progressions, rock-inspired drum interludes, and hardcore EDM breakdowns into something that sounds less like a collage than a blueprint.

But there’s more to Slayr than his ability to blend genres. Where some of his contemporaries are still finding their footing, the Philadelphia rapper has a clear sense of his artistic identity.…