Last year, Complex debated about who was really running rap right now, Atlanta or Los Angeles? The debate didn't provide a definitive answer (despite arguing for L.A., I can see the case for Atlanta) but a lot has changed since then. By the end of 2014, L.A.'s DJ Mustard went from being on everyone's radar to being one of the most ubiquitous forces in rap. But the same can be said for Atlanta's Young Thug. As the debate rages on, one thing is clear: L.A. still has more fresh young talent to offer.
Case in point: Wil$on and his video for "93." The 20-year-old native of South Central, Los Angeles born Demarkus Wilson is far from a finished product as his songwriting needs some work. But he raps with charisma and dexterity over a beat obviously taking notes from the minimalist thump of songs like Pusha T's "Numbers On The Boards." The song is produced by Aaron and Eric Dorsey, a Compton duo known as The Cords whom Wil$on has been working with for five years. Wil$on is also signed to The Cords' label, Busy Sounds which is distributed by Universal. "I ain't from Compton, I ain't from Long Beach," he raps on the song. "But it's the West-turn like the street that raised me."
One rapper that does hail from Long Beach, however, is Vince Staples. Staples has been on the scene for a few years (he first made noise working with Odd Future) but last year he really started hitting his stride releasing his Shyne Coldchain Vol. 2 mixtape, along with one of the best songs of 2014, "Hands Up," and one of the best albums of 2014, Hell Can Wait EP. Just like Staples, Dreamville's Cozz, who also hails from South Central, released one of last year's best albums, Cozz & Effect. Wil$on has yet to release to a full length project quite on the scale of Hell Can Wait or Cozz & Effect, but there's definitely talent there and we're curious to see what he can do next. Either way, the future for L.A. looks bright.
To hear more of Wil$on's music check out his SoundCloud page right here.
