Image via Complex Original
The Los Angeles rap scene is in flux. Take a look at some of the most promising young acts in hip-hop today—Kendrick Lamar and the TDE Camp, Dom Kennedy’s OPM, Tyler, The Creator and his Odd Future crew—and you’ll realize that they’re all from L.A.
With the terrible “New West” tagline finally laid to rest, hip-hop fans nationwide are slowly learning that the West Coast isn’t beholden to the traditional “gangsta rap” aesthetic or “g-funk.” There’s always been an eclectic L.A. rap scene, but fans are only now starting to gravitate towards it.
So come to sunny California where innovation is the trend du jour and genre-bending reigns supreme. You’ll find defiant kids who treat the arts district of Fairfax as their own personal playground while serving as stewards to the rising culture among L.A. youths. But you’ll still find kids running the streets of Compton and Inglewood who are permanently on “grind mode” even if they aren’t the most “banged out” kid on the block.
With such a wide array of new talent hitting the scene, we took it upon ourselves to help sort it out by putting together this list of 10 New L.A. Rappers to Watch Out For in 2012 (listed alphabetically)...
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Written by Brooklyne Gipson (@Brooklyne)
Alexander Spit
Alexander Spit
Twitter: @AlexanderSpit
Pros: Also a dope producer
Cons: Has yet to find a way to get the attention he deserves
Essential Listening: These Long Strange Nights
Okay, okay Alexander Spit isn’t technically from L.A. but as an L.A.-based artist with his caliber of talent it’s only inevitable that Angelenos will try to stake a claim on this San Francisco transplant.
Equally adept behind the mic as he is behind the boards (check out Mansions, a haunting mixtape of instrumentals he describes as “a wide array of drugged-out 4 a.m. vibes to sample-heavy neck crampers”), Spit relocated to Los Angeles to get his voice heard beyond the Golden Gate bridge and he’s finally seeing that goal accomplished since the release of his These Long Strange Nights mixtape. The Hundreds-backed artist who works on Rosewood and had his debut at SXSW and Murs’ Paid Dues festival this year, is well on his way.
Buddy
Buddy
Twitter: @MeItsLOVEbuddy
Pros: Has high-profile co-signs and more personality than most
Cons: We haven’t seen a full body of work yet.
Essential Listening: Upcoming mixtape Idle Time
Since being spotted in the studio with Snoop Dogg and Pharrell, word around town is that Buddy is next up. Although there’s still not much material available from the 18-year-old Compton rapper outside of his Neptunes-produced singles “Awesome, Awesome” and “Staircases” featuring Kendrick Lamar, there’s not much else that needs to be said. Those co-signs alone speak volumes.
Originally discovered by Scott Vener (former music director of Entourage), who put Pharrell on, Buddy is one of the few MCs signed to the Neptunes’ frontman’s i am Other label. His debut project Idle Time, will be the first time the world gets a taste of a full body of his work. However, it’s clear that this young rhymer is being primed for the big leagues. Let’s hope he doesn’t disappoint.
Joe Moses
Joe Moses
Twitter: @JoeMosesBSM
Pros: He makes club-ready music
Cons: Already on the verge of becoming a one-hit wonder, his song sounds way too much like “Rack City”
Essential Listening: From Nothin’ 2 Somethin
With “Ratchets,” his ode to round-the-way women who aren’t shy about busting it open, Joe Moses has a hit on his hands. “Ratchets” is the latest single from the Brick Squad Monopoly-affiliate and All Out Bosses CEO. The song is in heavy rotation in L.A. clubs and has broken onto local radio station Power 106. Veteran rappers Snoop Dogg and Game have even jumped on the remix.
Now that ears are perked, Moses has the opportunity to turn people on to his catalog of music that he’s been working on the past few years, starting with his most recent mixtape From Nothin’ 2 Somethin.
Kid Ink
Kid Ink
Twitter: @Kid_Ink
Pros: Has lots of commercial potential and a radio-friendly style
Cons: Be wary of Autotune-induced headaches
Essential Listening: Roll Up
With more than 25 million views on YouTube and enough tatts to give Wiz a run for his money, Kid Ink is an immediately recognizable L.A. rapper with the commercial appeal to match. The 24 year-old producer-turned-rapper is gearing up to released his debut album Up & Away, which features his current radio hit “Time of Your Life.” If the stars continue to align the way they’re supposed to for the 2012 XXL Freshman, this year might just turn out to be one for the record books.
King Fantastic
King Fantastic
Twitter: @kingfantastic
Pros: Their fluid brand of gangsta rap/synth music is a refreshing break from the norm. Plus their video for “Why? What? Where?” has a lot of nudity.
Cons: They’re known for starving their fans of new material, they're style can be a bit off-putting
Essential Listening: Finger Snaps and Gun Claps
Comprised of rapper Killer Reese One and DJ/producer Trouble Maker, the rap duo King Fantastic’s personal description of their debut album Finger Snaps and Gun Claps as “a concise study in Westcoastsynthesizerbeachbumgangstermusic,” gives you a little insight into what they’re about. They’re a little bit of the good life veiled behind gritty street rhymes and aggressive beats. Although unusual, this description is very fitting for two dudes who rep Venice Beach, a city known more for its consistently idyllic weather and ocean front boardwalk than its crime rate.
Nevertheless, the pair have etched out an interesting new lane that has allowed them to take their act to So-Cal’s electro-inspired Audiotistic festival and secure a spot on Murs’ straight hip-hop Paid Dues festival without raising any eyebrows. Marked by heavy drums and bass and punctuated by lyrics that hit like a barrage of bullets, the duo have exhibited a special skill for merging the electro sound with the streets without sounding lame or forced.
They’ve even demonstrated an ability to do this with the most alternative music, making artists like Johnny Cash and Nina Simone sound G, and not even in the Jay-Z and Linkin Park mashup kind of way (check their remixes of Bassnectar’s “Bass Head” and Linkin Park’s “The Catalyst”). They also just released their SocioPoliticalPimpTalk EP.
Overdoz
Overdoz
Twitter: @Overdoz
Pros: Unique sound defined by ethereal, trippy grooves that were made to get the girls going and the blunts rolling.
Cons: Their motley crew antics and conflicting aesthetics can be off-putting.
Essential Listening: Live For, Die For
Taking no cues from what anyone else out West is doing right now, the four-member rap crew Overdoz mixes hip-hop with ‘90s style R&B vocals provided by frontman Kent Jamz with the occasional assist from OD-affiliate, Iman Omari. Sleezy and Good Joon (alias Tube) alongside the aforementioned Kent, provide the lyrical backbone for the crew while odd man out Creamie (who sticks to the script of his character so closely that we’re about 95 percent sure it’s not an act at all) offers up the comic relief you never knew you wanted from a rap group.
Their viral success can be attributed to amazing visuals like the mini-movie for the song “Come First” and word-of-mouth referrals from patrons of their lively stage shows—which in the past have included a life size dumpster as a stage entrance and various off-beat costumes like the Donnie Darko bunny suit rocked by Joon.
Live For, Die For, their most recent and most popular mixtape to date, takes the listener to Blunnitville an imagined state of being ruled by the “dest”—a catchall phrase used in various forms by the group and followers of the OD lifestyle. Heighten your digestibility by starting with Live For, Die For which is best experienced from start to finish, preferably while putting one in the air.
Problem
Problem
Twitter: @Itsaproblem
Pros: A quick fix when in need of the turn up, raps better than most in his lane.
Cons: Hasn’t quite figured out how to leverage his big ticket features, his rap name has terrible SEO
Essential Listening: Welcome to Mollywood
Few up-and-coming, unsigned local artists have managed to secure as many spins on the notoriously impenetrable fortress of L.A. radio as Problem has. Starting with the success of his single “I’m Fucked Up”—a 2008 club banger reminiscent of the sideshow-ready tracks that proliferated during the heyday of the Bay Area’s hyphy movement—this Compton rapper has managed to become a DJ favorite in the City of Angels.
At it’s peak, “I’m Fucked Up” earned Problem a two single deal with Universal Records. Since splitting with the label, he’s regrouped with Diamond Lane Music alongside fellow Comp-town spitter Badd Lucc and continued his independent work with veteran artists like Daz, Kurupt, Snoop Dogg, DJ Quik, Lil Wayne, and Cool and Dre.
Right now, “Function,” an E-40 song that Problem’s featured on with YG, has been hitting the radio hard. Problem’s latest single “T.O.” featuring Skeme off his Welcome to Mollywood mixtape, is holding it’s own on the stations as well, while the video for the Diamond Lane single “Last Love” debuted on BET’s 106 and Park this past March.
Skeme
Skeme
Twitter: @Skeme
Pros: He can make both upbeat club bangers and make straight hip-hop tracks
Cons: Seems to be better at guest verses than full songs
Essential Listening: Pistols and Palm Trees
Skeme is a testament to diversity in L.A.’s sound. With his raspy voice, marked by a slight southern drawl hidden under a distinctly West Coast dialect, the Inglewood rapper spits with the passion of 2Pac and the wit of Lil Wayne over relentlessly hard-hitting beats. However, he’s not one to pander to expectations or fit cleanly into categories. So don’t be confused when his club bangers give way to introspective street anthems. For an artist aiming to make the kind of music that the hood can relate to, they’re one in the same.
Pistols and Palm Trees, his 2010 mixtape, was the first to really put him on the radar. As the title suggests, the 14-track project takes you into the deceivingly picturesque streets of L.A. and includes singles like “Til I’m Gone” featuring Kendrick Lamar, “L.A. Nights” featuring Dom Kennedy, the Ty$-assisted “Bad,” and the Hit Boy-produced “What I Deserve.” His latest, Before My Next Statement continues on familiar themes but does so in a more evolved way. He’ll follow up with Alive and Living this summer.
Thurzday
Thurzday
Twitter: @Thurzday
Pros: Has a built-in fanbase thanks to his work with U-N-I
Cons: Is his voice distinct enough to stand out in a crowd?
Essential Listening: L.A. Riot
Thurzday is not a new face to those who were fans of the now-defunct west coast rap group U-N-I. As one half of the former duo, Thurz was known for his lyricism and demonstrated reverence for hip-hop’s roots.
His solo debut L.A. Riot was a thematic concept album that explored the 1991 beating of Rodney King by the LAPD and the events that lead up to the six-day-long civil unrest in Los Angeles in 1992 following the officers’ acquittal. Now that he’s striking out on his own, he’s hoping that fans will provide him with a second, individual listen. Something L.A. Riot definitely deserves.
YG
YG
Twitter: @YG
Pros: Has proven he can make hits—just ask Bay Area’s LoveRance who earned his first hit with the YG-assisted “Up.”
Cons: His raps are mostly about nothing
Essential Listening: 4 Hunnid Degreez
As the first west coast act added to the Def Jam roster since Warren G in 1994, Compton rapper YG is the definition of a grassroots, street rap success. He might have graced XXL's Freshman List last year, but he's yet to live up to his full potential. With a musical style that caters to aficionados of all things “ratchet,” YG makes the brand of heavy-handed and unabashedly street music you’d be embarrassed to play within earshot of your mom.
Anything the Pu$haz Ink rep touches turns into a hit, so even big name stars like E-40 have enlisted him for songs like “Function.” Be on the lookout for him to step it up and drop his debut album soon.