1. Wale – This DC rapper caught my ear in a BIG way last summer with "W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.," his remix of Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." off his 100 Miles and Running mixtape. His clever wordplay and references (Saved by the Bell, Icky Woods) made him an instant favorite of mine. This year he achieved national popularity with his Seinfeld mixtape The Mixtape About Nothing, which was about everything. He speaks on record sales and fans ("The Perfect Plan"), race ("The Kramer"), and gender ("The Manipulation"). He seems poised for success, having a deal with Mark Ronson's Allido records, appearing in ad campaigns for Levi's and LRG and an upcoming LRG-mixtape with producer 9th Wonder. Download his mixtapes at www.myspace.com/wale202 and hear the latest wale tracks at www.elitaste.com/blog.
Essential tracks: W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E., The Perfect Plan, The Opening Title Sequence
2. Rhymefest – Not really a newbie at all, he IS only one album deep and waiting for his second to drop. A Grammy winner for co-writing Kanye's "Jesus Walks" (he also found the sample), Blue Collar was an amazing debut, with topics ranging from politics to war to sex. It also excelled in simply being fun (see: "Buttercup" with the late ODB) and featured great produced from No I.D., Kanye West, Cool & Dre, and Mark Ronson as well as samples from Harry Nilsson and The Strokes. Another signee of Allido, 'fest dropped a Michael Jackon tribute mixtape in January with Mark Ronson. Featuring Jackson 5/MJ samples and appearances from Talib Kweli and Wale. El Che, his second LP, was supposed to drop this year but seems destined to be released sometime next year (fingers crossed). The songs leaked from his second LP (some can be heard at his myspace) are all solid and it should be a worthy successor to Blue Collar. Download the Man in the Mirror mixtape at www.myspace.com/rhymefest or www.myspace.com/wale202.
Essential Tracks: Bullet, Angry Black Man on an Elevator, Tell A Story
3. Charles Hamilton- The closest thing I can compare this guy to flowwise is Eminem. He's a workhorse, as he's already released FIVE mixtapes this year with another FIVE coming within the next few months as part of his ambitious Hamiltization Process. The H.P. is a virtual tour spread over 8 popular hip-hop websites (including Okayplayer and Onsmash), with each "tour stop" compromising of a brand new mixtape. The Sega/Sonic-loving Hamilton is nothing is nothing if not creative, self producing his music while sampling the Offspring, Sonic the Hedgehog, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Staind, and even the sounds from the Windows operating system (on the song "Windows Media Player"). Though his songs can sometimes shift into corny territory, there is nothing like him out there. Signed to Interscope, Hamliton's debut will be self-produced and should be one of the most interesting albums when it is released next year. Check him out at www.iamnotcharleshamilton.com and http://charleshamilton.blogspot.com.
Essential Tracks: November 10, The Honeymoon's Over, Brooklyn Girls
4. Kid Cudi- Cudi popped up on my radar after I heard a song by him on Mark Ronson's internet podcast. The "day 'n' nite (Crookers Remix)" was simply amazing and addictive. Though he hasn't flooded the net with mixtapes and remixes like others, what I've heard from him is extremely solid. His lone mixtape, Man on the Moon, takes creative leaps and manages to remain grounded in hip-hop. Check him out at www.myspace.com/kidcudi or www.kidcudi.com.
Essential Tracks: "Day n Nite (Crookers Remix)", "Man on the Moon"
5. Kid Sister- This is one of the only female emcees I look forward to hearing new stuff from. She is part of the hipster movement (alongside Wale, Lupe, the Cool Kids, Kidz In the Hall) and her image is more about fun than past female rappers like Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown. Her album, Dream Date, is due November 25 and is said to feature more raw hip-hop songs than the uptempo club songs she has become known for. You can download some of her songs for free at http://www.rcrdlbl.com/artists/Kid_Sister/music and look her up at www.myspace.com/kidsister.
Essential Tracks: Pro Nails (Remix) ft. Kanye West, Family Reunion ft. David Banner
Wale, Kid Sister, & Kid Cudi
