Over the next few days, Twaan and I will be breaking it down, showing you (in no particular order) which artists you should keep your eye on. These are dudes we believe are poised to make big moves in the coming months, guys who will go from insignificant to unavoidable, indie to major, under-the-radar to buzzing. To quote Jermaine Cole, it's all about "getting up off the sideline". Our 12 are about to do it.
You can either listen to a list put together by an irrelevant magazine, a list full of artists that had their labels buy their spot, or you can rock with us. Fuck XXL.
We get it popping, after the jump.
Artist: Rittz
Hails From: Gwinnett County, Georgia
Twitter: @therealRITTZ
Essential Listening: Rittz - White Jesus
Get Familiar: "High Five"
Why watch Rittz in 2012? How about for his talent, a talent that runs the spectrum from being able to kick an absurdly fast double-time flow, to delivering catchy hooks, to writing cohesive, meaningful songs that deal with a wide variety of issues and emotions. Watch him because of the Yelawolf co-sign, or because he won me over, and I hate fast rap. Watch him because he dropped one of the best projects of 2011, a mixtape that featured K.R.I.T, 8Ball and Yela, and ended up on some very notable year end lists.
Rittz has found his lane, kicking fast raps and sweet melodies over trunk-rattling, deep-fried bangers. With Yela riding shotgun, the fact that being white seems to be hot in rap right now, and a unique, magnetic persona, Rittz is about to make some major noise in 2012. When White Jesus: Revival drops on March 8th, get out a 40, drop the top on your old Caddy, and tell your friends about this rapper you've been listening to "since like, forever".
Artist: Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire
Hails from: Brooklyn, New York
Twitter: @eXquomaniaRules
Essential Listening: Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire - Lost in Translation
.jpg)
For a minute, it seemed like eXquire was about to have a huge 2011. There was the typical "New York rap savior" buzz, he was weird enough to capture the Odd Future/Danny Brown hipster audience, and he even had that '90's rap stamp of approval. Somehow, it all fell apart. A$AP came through and took rap by storm, Danny Brown blew up, and eXquire never quite got to where he was destined. But fuck it, 2011 is behind us, and lest we forget, it was very good to the orthodontist-requiring man pictured above. 2012 looks like it'll be even better.
As I mentioned, the hipsters are on board (I didn't care for the Das Racist cameos, but they love that shit), as are those who fondly remember the Golden Age. It's a strange, but powerful combination, the result of mixing attention-grabbing character tics (like his terrifying dependency on alcohol), obscure culture references (*ahem* Michael Dudikoff), and his lo-fi sound with that griminess the backpackers adore. Just how grimy does it get? Listen to his voice, a deep, mesmerizing growl that glows with hints of rage and danger, check out the cover of his last mixtape, or watch his videos, where pornstars strut around, twerking their asses in Henny showers. It's a fine line folks, and Mr. Muthafuckin' toes it nicely.
eXquire may not have "saved" New York rap in 2011, but neither did a Moroccan coke-rapper, or a Harlem-obsessed pretty motherfucker. There might be one too many obscenities in his moniker for mainstream acceptance this year, but with the rare hybridity eXquire brings to the table, look for him to kick in the door in 2012. With a pair of musty Timbs, no less.
Reps that: DIEMON crew
Twitter: @iMakeClassics
Essential Listening: Russ - Apollo 13
Get Familiar: "Bailey's Dogma"
I'm gonna go on record and say that the mysterious DIEMON crew is going to have a 2012 similar to the 2011 enjoyed by Odd Future. Now, because we know that other sites
Where does Russ stand in the DIEMON crew? Who the fuck knows. I haven't seen official pictures of him, and little has been offered in terms of explaining the inner-workings of the group. I'm sure they prefer the shrouded-in-secrecy approach (at least for now) and that's fine with me. It reminds us that it should always be about the music, first and foremost.
And let me assure you, you will find the music most excellent. The project, Apollo 13, sounds the way the cover art looks, if big structures of ice, swaddled by stormy gloom, look like spacey, atmospheric soundbeds, potent raps, and indie-rock-like hooks. It's a different style, it won't be what you're used to, but it's undeniably beautiful. Russ, with a great flow that some members of Odd Future could take notes on, kicks out bars about the struggles of his young life, including an errant brother, and failed love, but more importantly, makes songs. It's an art a lot of rappers aren't too familiar with these days, sadly.
Stanning on Odd Future was a trend last year, a way of showing your hipster-superiority, which is stupid, and leads to mass shifts in fan support. But still, you can grab Russ' tape because you want to jump on the next bandwagon en route to coolness, or you can just do it because you want something fresh, and different. My old basketball coach told me that "being unique is half the battle in rap today", and it's very true. If you're sick of the same-old, same-old, do yourself a favor and in 2012, keep your eye on Russ.
Leave a comment in the comment section below. It's as easy as putting in an email, and picking a name for yourself. Any discussion is appreciated. Share it on Twitter & Facebook. Also check out my other work under the "SeriouslyTS" tab at the top.
No comments:
Post a Comment