With all the talk of up and coming emcees, I decided to throw in a couple pennies and let you know what I think. When reading this, I’m sure some Stans will get all worked up and dish me some hate; try to keep in mind that this entire post is my opinion only. I do not consider myself a professional critic by any means, so take it how you want. Here’s how I’ll break it down:
Delivery: For me, this is probably the most important category. Most of the time, I care more about how an emcee sounds than about what he/she is saying. Inflection, flow, tone, rhyme scheme, and voice all come in to play.
Lyrics: Whether it be some deep shit that makes you sit back and scratch your head, or some mean one-liners that make you crack a smile. If an artist can capture some shit that you’ve been thinking, or think of some shit that you wish you could have, then the lyrics are on point.
Beats: It’s impressive when emcees are also producers, but almost just as good when an artist has an ear for picking out beats that mesh with their style. It’s important to know what you sound good over, and what clashes.
Image: My least favorite category, but it’s part of the game. People want to listen to someone that they can either relate to, or that they wish they could be like. If you have no image, you’re going to blend in with the crowd. This is that “it” factor that you always hear about.
Consistency: Anyone can stumble upon a hit. Few can recreate that magic. Even fewer can come correctly time after time.
Here we go. Click on the “CONTINUE READING” button on the bottom right under the pics.
Wale
Delivery: 10
High energy, loads of inflection, and a great sense of timing. Wale has that adrenaline injected type of flow that can tear shit up during live performances and make your heart beat a little faster.
Lyrics: 8
Wale sprinkles his lyrics with some good punchlines, and he showed on the ironically titled A Mixtape About Nothing that he can touch on some serious subjects and stick to the topic. Too often, however, Wale just boasts about various unrelated things for 3 minutes.
Beats: 9
He’s got a knack for picking the bangers, and those go-go inspired beats give the music that sound unique to him. I don’t think 9th Wonder was the right choice for his last mixtape, but other than that, he’s made great production decisions.
Image: 9
He’s down with the in crowd, he’s always got the newest gear, his shoe game is flawless, and he’s got DC behind him. All good, but if you follow him on Twitter you know he can be pretty obnoxious.
Consistency: 9
A Mixtape About Nothing was great from start to finish. Back To The Feature is spotty. I’m loving his new joints that may/may not be on the album. I know if I see a new Wale track there’s a very good chance I’ll dig it.
Total: 45
KiD CuDi
Delivery: 10
I know people are going to disagree with this, because Cudder doesn’t have that high speed, lyrical prowess that hip-hop purists drool over. But his laid back, half-singing flow is so unique and so clearly spoken, that for me his verses become more catchy than most rappers choruses.
Lyrics: 8
KiD CuDi comes across as a real dude. He isn’t afraid to be a little vulnerable, but at the same time, he’s too cool to be picked on. Very relatable, and good word choice makes you able to listen to songs about being an outcast without feeling like a loser. Just a little too simple to get a 9 or 10.
Beats: 9
I love the beats CuDi chooses. Usually they’ve got that outerspace vibe to them, and unlike some rappers who go in over beats that consist of nothing but claps, air horns, and car alarms, Cudder’s beats always seem to have something called melody. Being friends with Ye (who in my opinion, has a great ear for music) doesn’t hurt either.
Image: 10
He’s got appeal that reaches much farther than the typical hip-hop audience, and he comes across as the type of guy you’d want to have a beer (or a blunt) with.
Consistency: 10
His solo joints are sick, his guest spots are sick, and even his on the spot freestyles get gobbled up faster than most rappers’ new album leaks.
Overall: 47
J.Cole
Delivery: 8
J. Cole also comes with a lot of energy on most tracks, but his classic flow is a little more straightforward and comes across as slightly monotonous on his slower tracks.
Lyrics: 9
On his latest mixtape The Warm Up, J. Cole proves that he can manhandle the English language and he gets his passion across with
a fierceness that lets the listener feel how hungry he is.
Beats: 7
As more doors open for him, he’ll be able to be a little more picky when it comes to production. Up until now, his beat choices have been solid, but nothing outstanding.
Image: 7
Not that he’s got a tarnished image, but he hasn’t built it up enough to let people know what he’s about yet. A little more time mixed with a little bit of marketing and we’ll all (or just me, if you already know) have a better idea of who the man behind the music is.
Consistency: 7
Again, this is a matter of opinion. I know a lot of people put The Warm Up up there with the top mixtapes of the year, but i still find my finger itching to hit the “skip” button on a handful of tracks.
Overall: 38
Frank Ramz
Delivery: 9
Ramz is another emcee with a more laid back flow, but it’s filled with attitude and emphasis at all the right moments. At times, I’d like a little more energy, but to his credit, Ramz sounds better every month.
Lyrics: 10
Real shit. Relatable. Story telling ability. Punch lines and metaphors that could only be born in the brain of Ramz.
Beats: 9
As with J. Cole, Ramz will soon have more options for production. So far, he’s done a hell of a job picking some top notch up and coming producers like Charlie Hilton to get behind him, and his latest mixtape Make The Road By Walking is musically backed entirely by a pre-recorded instrumental album. The results are incredible.
Image: 8
Again, it would be a 10 if more people knew what he’s all about. I’ve gotten to know him and from what I’ve gathered, Ramz is the type of guy that will win you over quickly. He’s a guy that you want to see succeed, and one that you can tell won’t turn into a total asshole when he does.
Consistency: 8
Ramz never puts out garbage, but (at least for me) his projects all have standout tracks that shine a little brighter than the others.
Overall: 44
Charles Hamilton
Delivery: 8
Charles has proven that he can bless the microphone with some greatness. His first couple mixtapes won over a lot of fans (including myself), but his massive output afterwards was spotty. At times it sounds as if he’s lazily thinking out loud over a beat, and his singing can be like listening to a high school talent show. Then again, one listen to the flow on “Brooklyn Girls” and you know why he has (had) the internet on lock.
Lyrics: 8
Great wordplay, sick metaphors and some hilarious one-liners. Charles isn’t afraid to get deep. He’s also not afraid to get raunchy. Sometimes he takes things a little too far, and sometimes his philosophies only make sense to himself. When he’s at his best, he can lyrically fuck with the best of them.
Beats: 8
Again, due to the massive amount of output, sometimes finding a dope beat among Hamilton songs is like digging in a pack of starbursts and only picking out the pink ones. Credit for producing a lot of his own material.
Image: 5
The sonic obsession, the stoner philosophies, and the large doses of pink. After a burst of popularity, Charles seems to be losing fans as quickly as he’s gaining them these days. I’m gonna speak up and let it be known that I still like Charles, and I think he can dig himself out of this, but he’s got some work to do. Right now, it’s all about damage control.
Consistency: 6
It’s hard to be consistent when you’re putting out a mixtape (or two) a week. He’s slowed down (stopped) for now, but when he returns I think he should put a little more work into each song instead of trying to put out every song that pops into his head.
Overall: 35
Charles Hamilton – Brooklyn Girls
Bobby Ray (aka B.o.B.)
Delivery: 10
Bobby Ray can rap his ass off, and even more often lately he’s shown us that he can sing his ass off too. His southern drawl add flavor to his sound and his personality shines whenever he lays down vocals on a track, whether singing or rapping. Andre 3000 comparisons are inevitable.
Lyrics: 9
Another great example of what it means to keep it real. Bobby Ray isn’t always caught up with being that cool motherfucker (although he can be). He also speaks about internal struggles with the way things are, and he isn’t afraid to play the outcast.
Beats: 8
Lots of melody, lots of production that crosses paths with other genres. I need to hear more non-mixtape tracks from Bobby before I really get a feel for what direction he’s going to take.
Image: 10
Bobby Ray is a down to earth (and out in space) guy that seems open minded, humble, and easy to root for. From what I know, he’s matured a lot in the past years, and I think he’ll be accepted with open arms by fans from all the niches of the music world. He’s also funny as hell.
Consistency: 9
I always like what I hear from him, and he’s definitely got a good ear for music. A couple of his mi
xtape tracks are skippable, but for the most part, if it has the name Bobby Ray on it, it’s gonna make it to my iPod.
Overall: 46
Mickey Factz
Delivery: 5
Nothing about Mickey’s flow stands out in my mind. Put him on a track with 10 other dudes and I’d probably have trouble distinguishing.
Lyrics: 6
Some good wordplay, but a lot of played out/slightly altered one liners and nothing that’s ever made me want to press rewind.
Beats: 7
Mickey can boast a diverse set of beats, and he has taken some risks and gone in over some stuff that most rappers wouldn’t dare to touch. Some work. Some don’t. Given his new status as a Roc Nation member (along with J. Cole), I think his musical backings will only get better.
Image: 9
The Bronx native has got style, he’s got connections, he’s got endorsements. Factz has little to worry about in this category.
Consistency: 6
Again, opinion. I think the quality of his output will get dramatically better now that he’ll have a team of musical experts around him, but so far it’s been miss and occasional hit.
Overall: 33
Drake
Delivery: 10
Out of all the up and comers, I would rate Drake the highest in this category. He has a way of putting syllables together that is unmatched. Even in rapid fire mode, his flow is buttery smooth and the man can sing too. Another thing about Drake is he can go from laid back smooth talker to high energy spitter to R&B crooner…all in one song.
Lyrics: 10
Just listen to “Say What’s Real” or “Successful”. Drake is an intelligent guy and he can put his thoughts together well. Even when he’s speaking ignorant shit, he does it with a great choice of words. Too many quotables to even get started.
Beats: 9
One of the things that loved about So Far Gone is that it was cohesive, and it had a feeling to it that was present throughout. A lot of that had to do with the production. Drake sounds great over those clean, minimalistic stylings that sound like they were dipped in white chocolate.
Image: 9
Right now, he’s that dude. He’s got famous friends, he’s got the buzz, ladies love him, he’s got wide appeal. Pretty much the perfect image. 1 point off for being in Degrassi.
Consistency: 9
I fuck with pretty much anything Drake raps on. I pass on a couple of his straight up R&B songs. And sometimes his guest spots are a little questionable.
Overall: 47
Drake – Successful ft. Lil Wayne & Trey Songz
Fuze the MC
Delivery: 9
Another up and comer with a great sense of when to fire things up and when to cool them down. Fuze also has an instantly recognizable voice so even when he switches up the flow from song to song (which he does effortlessly) you know who’s speaking to you.
Lyrics: 9
From his spoken word biography to his reference filled braggadocio, it only takes one listen to realize that Fuze has a lot of brain power and he isn’t afraid to use it. A lot of rappers talk about keeping it real, Fuze actually does it.
Beats: 7
Besides a few standout tracks, Fuze outshines the production on a majority of his material in my opinion. I’m hoping to hear him over some better beats soon.
Image: 8
Another good guy, instantly likeable, but in need of some promotion so people can get to know him. I think Fuze will be straight in this category as long as he gets more heads to pay attention.
Consistency: 8
No trash, but I keep going back to the same songs when I’m in the mood for some Fuze. As with other young up and comers, I think Fuze is getting better with time and still in the early stages of his progression as an artist.
Overall: 41
Izza Kizza
Delivery: 10
Izza Kizza has a flow like no other. With his highly animated delivery, touches of trippy vocal effects, and his thick Southern accent, every line is entertaining.
Lyrics: 9
It’s not so much what he’s saying, but how he chooses to express it. He often fucks with the English language so much that it sounds like he’s inventing his own slang. By the end of most tracks, I couldn’t even tell you what the song was about, but I’m absolutely o
kay with it.
Beats: 9
Bass heavy, Timbaland style synths (he’s worked with Timbo in the past), and sounds that you’d expect to hear in an extra-terrestrial cartoon.
Image: 9
Izza Kizza is just a wild ass dude. The type of dude that you’d expect to jump off a building, land in the middle of a crowd and start beating his chest like an ape. Relatable? Not sure, but very unique.
Consistency: 8
I’ve come to expect stuff so out of this world from Izza that when a track sounds even half way tamed, I’m disappointed.
Overall: 45
Izza Kizza – Connect the Dots ft. Colin Munroe
