Colossal is actively searching for America’s Next Top Hitmaker to appear in the pages of Rolling Stone, win $10,000, and perform at Rolling Stone’s Future of Music Showcase in Austin, Texas. This unique opportunity brings together musicians and bands of all genres to compete for a chance to make history.
Exclusive Mentorship from Busta Rhymes
The champion of this year’s competition will be granted a unique opportunity: an exclusive mentoring session with the iconic Busta Rhymes. Topping the hip hop charts with his latest studio album, “Blockbusta,” Busta Rhymes has stood as a legendary figure in the game for decades. His guidance will be bestowed upon America’s Next Top Hitmaker, offering them crucial insights and strategies to navigate and excel in the music industry.Additionally, as a pioneer MusiCares’ Humans of Hip Hop ambassador, Busta’s support for this campaign will help amplify and bolster efforts to expand reach and impact in the hip-hop community.
The Big Break
This distinguished title of America’s Next Top Hitmaker comes with a prestigious prize package, including a $10,000 cash prize. Whether they invest in top-notch instruments or production equipment, create captivating stage setups, or drop eye-catching merchandise, this prize is sure to set the stage for greatness.
The champion will also be recognized in the printed pages of Rolling Stone. With a monthly reach exceeding 60 million people, this is the ultimate platform for America’s Next Top Hitmaker to share their music with the world.
And the defining moment: A live performance at the Future of Music Showcase in Austin, Texas—the heart of the music scene. This annual Rolling Stone event celebrates the artists shaping the future of music. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase talent on a stage that resonates with creativity and innovation.
Taking the title of America’s Next Top Hitmaker isn’t merely about receiving accolades; it’s about unlocking endless opportunities and taking one’s passion for music to the next level.
Industry-Pro Workshops
Competitors will gain access to a series of workshops led by seasoned music industry professionals. These workshops are designed to equip aspiring artists with invaluable tips, tricks, and insider knowledge essential for navigating and thriving in the competitive music landscape. Among the industry pros sharing their expertise are Joseph Wooten from the iconic Steve Miller Band, renowned for his mastery of keys, and Trey Bruce, an Emmy award-winning songwriter and producer celebrated for his exceptional talent and contributions to the music world. These workshops will help catapult careers to new heights with the advice of these esteemed industry veterans.
Colossal x MusiCares
America’s Next Top Hitmaker is a fundraiser that supports MusiCares. Offering preventive, emergency, and recovery programs, MusiCares is a safety net supporting the health and welfare of the music community. In 2023, this organization launched Humans of Hip Hop (H3) to provide resources tailored to the needs of the hip-hop community.
America’s Next Top Hitmaker is operated by Colossal as a fundraiser on behalf of DTCare, a nationally registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Funds raised during the competition go to DTCare, which will subsequently issue a grant to MusiCares after the conclusion of the competition.
Register Now for America’s Next Top Hitmaker
$10,000, an appearance in the pages of Rolling Stone, a performance at Rolling Stone’s Future of Music Showcase, and a mentoring session with the legendary Busta Rhymes are on the line. Register today to be considered for the opportunity of a lifetime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Colossal?
Colossal is a nationally registered professional fundraiser that inspires people to advocate for themselves and those in need. Through online competitions like America’s Next Top Hitmaker, Colossal offers participants the opportunity to make their mark while also making a big impact. Who’s Next?
To learn more, visit colossal.org.
How is the winner selected?
The winner of the competition is determined through public voting.
Where does the competition money go?
The grant to MusiCares will come from “Donation Votes” cast through the competition. 100% of donations go directly to DTCare, which will subsequently grant the donation (minus competition fees/costs) to MusiCares at the end of the competition.
If you have questions, please learn more here.
Christine Wonsley with her husband, Elmore (second from left), attorney Ben Crump (left), and Rev. Al Sharpton (right), during a memorial service for her son Nolan Xavier Wells.Gerald Herbert/AP
Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino stand as Spain celebrates its World Cup victory, on July 19, 2026.
America Got the World Cup It Deserves — Good and Bad
For the past six weeks or so I’ve been having a recurring fight with my friends. The dispute is over whether or not it’s ethical to support the U.S. national team in the World Cup.
To the vast majority of people reading this article, this is an absurd question: of course you can and should support the United States Men’s National Team, you weirdo. And look, I’m with you. But despite the fact that my friends are pompous dorks who are no fun to watch the game with, the question they raise is valid: Are our national teams avatars of the administration in power, or of the people and promise of that country?
If you believe the former, then yeah, it’s pretty fucking weird to support the USMNT. In doing so, by that thinking, you’d be engaging in a sort of athletic nationalism on behalf of a country run by Donald Trump, the most corrupt president in history, who forced the Iranian national team to flee across the border immediately after the final whistle of each of their games, whose federal police have shot numerous civilians dead in the street during a brutal immigration crackdown, who has started a war and supported a genocide while covering up his close personal friendship with the most notorious pedophile in modern history.
I mean just look at him. On Sunday he waddled down onto the field to present Spain with their trophy, lingering on stage with the victorious team as they tried to celebrate. The presence of Mexican President Claudia Steinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney did little to dilute the image of Trump standing next to his crony Gianni Infantino, grinning at all the trappings of their power, hands caressing a trophy they’d done nothing to earn, lingering well past his cue to leave Spain to their glory. This World Cup, literally, had Donald Trump’s fingerprints all over it.
And yet, this was one of the most thrilling, beautiful World Cups in recent memory. That’s America, baby — contradictions abound.
Over the past five weeks of the greatest athletic competition on Earth, we’ve seen games that will literally never leave my memory. The final, which I attended yesterday in New Jersey, was remarkably forgettable — a 0-0 draw until the 106th minute, with Spain dominating every second of play and yet unable to score, undone time and time again by their insistence on tricksy passing and the personal heroics of Argentina’s goalkeeper Emi Martinez. The rest of the tournament, however, delivered. Cabo Verde, refusing to lose until the very last moments of the first knockout round, battling back again and again against both teams that would eventually play in the final. The sheer dominance of France’s Kylian Mbappe in front of goal, scoring at will, rivaled only by the aging GOAT Leo Messi and the Norwegian warlord Erling Haaland. England’s heroic stand at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, 45 minutes in the rain, a man down, holding out for the win and singing “Wonderwall” with what felt like half the stadium when it ended. Off the pitch, too: the Algerian national team being welcomed with open arms by Lawrence, Kansas; Scottish braves drinking Boston dry and partying wildly with Haitian fans that overcame so much just to be at the tournament. In Mexico, of course, the World Cup was everything, and its fans threw joyous South Koreans pumped full of tequila into the air, and celebrated in the streets with opposing fans even after their hard-fought defeat to England.
For the United States, what the 2026 World Cup was — what our team was, what our fans were, what our performance as hosts was — is a reflection of two things at once: what our nation is and what it can be.
Our star striker, Folarin Balogun, was born here by accident, a citizen only because of a birthright system that our president is currently trying to erase. We have Ricardo and Giovanni and Freeman and Zendejas. We have another striker whose name is Haji, for goodness sake. I look at that team and I see the country America can be, one in which any soul born in or living within our arbitrary borders can become part of a great national project that seeks to improve the lives of everyone it can. And yet, I can also look at that team and see a reflection of what the country is, because there is an anchor around its neck. When Balogun was — albeit unjustly — suspended for a crucial match, Trump himself stepped in. Cronyism saved the day and got Balogun reinstated, but ruined the fragile harmony the team had enjoyed. On the pitch against Belgium, they came apart. Temperamental star Christian Pulisic tried to go alone and then quit, aging defender Tim Ream’s legs failed him when he needed them most, a young goalkeeper slipped and fell when he had no good options for support.
What more can you say about a team, about our country? The team is an entity that is capable of more but still has so far to go, that is vulnerable to the same forces of avarice and selfishness and fear that plague our national identity writ large.
It’s possible to end the story there, to say good riddance to another failed year and fractured team. But I think that’s a mistake. I think if you believe that you haven’t really been watching. I think that’s also why it pissed me off so much that some of my friends wouldn’t root for the U.S. Yes, we have flaws, like every country involved in the tournament. Yes, our current team management and political government are filled with morons. But if you won’t put on the shirt you’re essentially opting out of our future. We can’t wait around for a better world, a better team, a better president, before we deign to lend our support. Progress only comes from effort, from caring, from believing in something more.
One of my favorite images of the World Cup was a crowd shot of the opening match against Paraguay in Los Angeles: every race, color and creed of American there is, all covered in red white and blue. It’s corny and trite, sure. But that’s what it’s all about. That’s why we’re here. You have to believe. The U.S. won that game 4-2. In four years, we’ll be even better.