Here is some rap music from 2012. I think it’s the best rap music from 2012 but you might be inclined to disagree. Especially if you are the sort of person who is wrong.

The laws of the list are the same as they ever were and forever will be, the only new development is that I’ve now parenthesized the track’s producers instead of the record label. There are two reasons for this 1) due to the near death of the independent rap label most of the label listings here would’ve just been (No Label/Mixtape) or (Giant Faceless Conglomerate) and 2) rap producers don’t ever ever ever get enough credit. Anyway, commence your bickering.

1. Kendrick Lamar f/ Gunplay – “Cartoon & Cereal” (THC)
2. Future -”Turn On The Lights” (Mike Will Made It)
3. Chief Keef f/ Lil Reese – “I Don’t Like” (Young Chop)
4. Rich Kidz f/ Waka Flocka Flame – “My Life” (London On The Track)
5. Nicki Minaj – “Come On A Cone” (Hit Boy)
6. Ab-Soul – “The Book Of Soul” (Tommy Black)
7. Meek Mill f/ Drake & Jeremih – “Amen” (Key Wane & Jahlil Beats)
8. Rocko f/ Future – “Squares Out Your Circle” (Ensayne Wayne)
9. Gunplay – “Take This” (Slade Da Monster)
10. Kanye West f/ 2 Chainz & Complex Magazine – “Mercy” (Lifted)
11. Lil Durk – “Ls Anthem” (Paris Bueller)
12. Gucci Mane f/ Waka Flocka Flame – “Walking Lick” (Mike Will Made It)
13. Rick Ross f/ French Montana & Drake – “Stay Schemin” (Beat Bullies)
14. Shy Glizzy – “Busters” (For That Money)
15. Alpoko Don – “All I Know” (N/A)
16. Young Thug – “Keep In Touch” (London On The Track)
17. Earl Sweatshirt – “Chum” (Christian Rich)
18. Schoolboy Q f/ Ab-Soul – “Druggy With Hoes Again” (Nez & Rio)
19. Ty$ & Joe Moses – “Weekend” (DJ Mustard)
20. Fat Trel – “Devil We Like” (Boss Major)
21. Starlito – “Mental Warfare” (DJ Burn One)
22. Chance The Rapper – “Juke Juke” (Caleb James)
23. Aesop Rock – “Racing Stripes” (Aesop Rock)
24. Plies – “Can’t Let ‘Em Bury Me” (Big Herb)
25. King Louie – “Bars” (C-Sick)
26. Ka – “Cold Facts” (Ka)
27. E-40 f/ YG, Problem & Iamsu – “Function” (Trend)
28. Young Scooter – “Colombia” (Lil Lody)
29. Lil Reese – “Haters” (Dibent)
30. Cousin Fik – “Knocka N**** Down” (Thizzy Monster)
31. Odd Future – “Oldie” (Tyler, The Creator)
32. The Underachievers – “Gold Soul Theory” (Rich Flyer)
33. Mystikal – “Hit Me” (KLC)
34. T.I. f/ Andre 3000 – “Sorry” (Jazze Pha)
35. Trina f/ Gunplay and Ice Berg – “Beam” (??)
36. Lil B – “I Own Swag” (David Banner/”Swag“)
37. Metro Zu – “Sell Ma Ho” (Mr. B the Poshtronaut)
38. Yung Gleesh – “Skrong” (Somebody Else’s Instro No Royalties Batch)
39. Killer Mike – “Southern Fried‘” (El-P)
40. Lil Dev – “I’m Perkins” (Dnyc3/”Faded“)
41. Jay Ant & Iamsu – “Stoopid (P-Lo)
42. Cash Out – “Cashin Out” (DJ Spinz)
43. Don Trip f/ Danny Brown & Starlito – “Gold” (The Futuristiks)
44. Armstrong – “645” (Tony Fonzerelli)
45. Tree – “All” (Tree)
46. DJ Drama f/ 2 Chainz, Meek Mill & Jeremih – “My Moment” (T-Minus)
47. Action Bronson f/ Riff Raff – “Bird On A Wire” (Harry Fraud)
48. King of 334 Mobb – “Check On Me” (KE On The Track)
49. Juicy J – “Bands A Make Her Dance” (Mike Will Made It)
50. Macklemore f/ Wanz – “Thrift Shop” (Ryan Lewis)

_{Rules: This is a singles list, it generally focuses on tracks that were either promoted as standalone songs either via video or separate to or in advance of an album, though consideration is also given to lp and mixtape tracks that could or should have received that sort of push. There is a one song per artist rule is in effect and I’m also playing by the year of impact standard. A couple of these songs technically dropped in ’11 but didn’t really break or get a video treatment until this year. Deal with it. [Return to top]}

Best rap: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008; 2009; 2010; 2011.

I am doing this again now. Sometimes. Shouts out to Jimmy Pitchfork and Jaron Lanier.

Joey Badass f/ Ab-Soul – “Enter The Void”

from Waves single (Cinematic, 2012)

I’ve already said my piece about Joey Badass and it’s not the word to play but here his new jack old head style is stripped of its borrowed aesthetic and left butt naked next to the most underrated retired keystyler in the TDE camp. Joey was even kind or foolish enough to let Soul rap first here. And rap he does. It’s always great to hear him spitting about chakras and shamen, especially if you are like me and keep an Abstract Rude poster hidden behind your Gucci Mane poster like that Bo Derek shit concealed by a Rand McNally world map in a 1970s jail cell. (∞ NHJIC) But more than that he just sounds great while saying these words over this sort of low bitrate blaxpo tension that’s somewhere between Product Of The ’80s era Sid Roams and Pilot Talk era Ski Beatz.

I bought this off itunes because I always make a point to support independent music before I bootleg it. Strangely though the file took a good hour to download and for that alone I guess I have to begrudgingly salute Joey Badass’ loyalty to even the dial up modem technology of the days he fetishizes. (Prod. by Lee Bannon)

Don Trip f/ Starlito & Danny Brown – “Gold“

Don Trip – “Hold Back Tears“

from Help Is On The Way (Mixtape, 2012)

Hey three of my favorite rappers, all of whom spent most of 2012 in very different corners of rap game limbo, linking up to make a song that is very 2012 (because it is about GOLD). Danny shouts a lot because that’s what he does now but it provides a nice contrast to Litos increasingly mellow flows. Trip gets sort of murdered on his own shit here because, well, he’s probably the weakest rapper here as far as pure rapping ass rapping goes (and because he also raps last! What are guys thinking these days? There are rules to this shit). That’s not a diss though, Don Trip is very good at rapping, it’s just that Danny and Lito are slightly better. I would not be mad if Danny was introduced as a part or full time hip cousin member on Trip & Lito’s Step Brothers 2. It’s a move that would definitely get them a much deserved bump in blog buzz. Pookies are running this blog rap shit in 2012 except I hope Danny Brown never goes back to his home planet.

And not to detract from Trip at all, “Hold Back Tears” is another standout from his recent tape, finding Trip doing what trip does best – writing brutally honest shit about family business. (prod. by The Futuristiks)

Chief Keef – “Love Sosa”
from Finally Rich (Interscope, Dec, 18)
One of the reasons I kinda pulled out of the Chicago drill scene so much this year when I was in on its earliest incarnation hard last is that, while it first functioned as a mess of bugged and distinct production choices, seemed like everyone was deferring to the old Young Chop formula once Keef hysteria set in. Give it a name and it turns stagnant. So few of these kids are great rappers, but so many of them are good rappers in the right context. But when there’s only one context it just kind of gets boring. So it’s great to hear Keef indulging in this sort of darker and borderline demented aesthetic with “Love Sosa” which in some ways might be a better record than his best record “I Don’t Like.” Of course the fallout has already produced some laughable imitations so I dunno is history repeating itself? And is French Montana the new Soulja Boy?

Cue David Drake arguing with me about nothing for a thousand days and nights in the comments and yes I heard fucking “Haters” and it’s outstanding and no I’m not mad at lost kids who want to name their own lost kids DRILL but I’m a grown ass man and I’m not trying to hear a dozen Lil Mice make the same record over and over again. (Prod. by Young Chop)

Rich Kidz – “Kool On The Low”
from Straight Like That 3 (Mixtape, 2012)
And “Kool On The Low” does roughly the same thing for the Rich Kidz/Travis Porter/Roscoe Dash that “Sosa” is doing for Drill music. I’m sure is at least partially informed by Future but probably by some natural maturity too. (It’s probably worth mentioning that Travie were already headed in this direction with their completely overlooked and awesome “Ain’t My Fault.”) (Prod. by London On The Track)

Roc Marciano – “Deeper“

from Reloaded (Decon, 2012)
When I reviewed Roc Marciano’s Reloaded for The Wire last month I described him as hitting a wall as a rapper while his production expanded but the more time I spend with the record the more its seems like the opposite might be true. The production, while perfectly functional, reveals itself to be thinner and less dynamic on repeat spins but as it does so these bluntly hilarious little rhyme bursts of idea and imagery come out to the surface. Here he says things like “i copped a coat in mongolia” and most viciously “dressed understated at the steakhouse,” things that sound better coming out of his mouth than they do coming out of your brain’s mouth. Style-wise it’s some lightweight MF Doom shit, but in terms of humor it’s almost as if he’s doing a more advanced/successful/straight faced take on the referential absurdism of dudes like Action Bronson and Riff Raff. Of course nobody is going to give a fuck in the cooler corners of the internet because he’s not a not a white guy looks kewl when you reblog his photo and he isn’t tight with select members of Odd Future Wolf Gang Befriend Internet Kewl White Rappers All.

Check out my website about beats for an interview with Roc. (Prod. by Roc Marciano)

akaFrank – “Racist (My Dick Ain’t)”
from The Boycott (Coming Soon, 2012)
When I saw one time Diligentz member akaFrank open up for Iamsu earlier this year I laughed at some length at the ridiculously smart dumb concept behind this song. Then I forgot about it and was deeply confused months later when I found the phrase “Dick Ain’t Racist” as a standalone note in my Iphone (along with the similarly perverted take on Bay Area liberal politics “Occupy The Pussy,” which is forthcoming). Well I’ve since figured it out obviously and it still makes me laugh today. (Prod by Joey Cool)

Z-Ro – “This Ain’t Livin”
New Rother, mayn. He is free from Rap-A-Lot but still eternally sad which is good for us and probably bad for him.

Dyemond Lewis – “Wordz Of The Wize“

Damn I really put two Pro Era records in this post, I’m about to trade in my tattered Air Force Ones for a pencil drawing of a pair of fresh Ones that I reblogged on Tumblr while babysitting my little sister in a pair of Supreme slippers that my mom bought me. Oh fuck now this is going to turn into a fashion blog before the end of the paragraph. Anyway I don’t know who this Dyemond character is or how exactly he fits into the the structure of that crew of young biters but there is something resonant about his particular choice in chew toys. Specifically, he is on some sloppy swing Heiro Emporium dub jazz loop shit instead of some demo tape sent to Stretch & Bob shit (though naturally there was probably a huge overlap in these two demographics). So yeah I am being a hypocritter about all of this but hey I like the way this kid raps on this song. There’s a joy to it that’s absent in a lot of these Tumblr rap records lately. I asked my in-house sample snitch to ID this very familiar and probably quite obvious beat and he said PROLLY THE CRUSADERS. I am not going to listen to a bunch of Crusaders records to find out so yeah sure let’s just call it The Crusaders. You will be hearing from their lawyers, Dyemond. And also from Tajai’s lawyers. And from Lord Finesse’s too, just because. (prod. by Marvel)

Meek Mill f/ 2 Chainz – “Freak Show“

from Dreams & Nightmares (Itunes Deluxe) (MMG/Atlantic, 2012)
Nicki Minaj f/ Tyga & Brinx – “I Endorse These Strippers“

from Roman Reloaded Reloaded The Re-Up Again (Young Money/Universal, 2012)
Here’s to mining superfluous deluxe editions and cash-in reissues for their standout tracks so you don’t have to buy them or spend an afternoon trying to find just the right torrent. “Freak Show” is liver than basically anything on either rapper’s album. The Nicki song is crazy too on some digital blips and boobs boobs boobs moves, even if the world could do without the dudes on there. (Which is true of every song she’s released with dudes this year.) Mostly I just wanted to make that joke about Reloaded Reloaded Reloaded Reloaded. I do not have to make any jokes about a song called “I Endorse These Strippers,” that one writes itself. Love Roman. (“Freak Show” prod. by The Renegades; “Strippers” prod. by Juicy J[!] and Crazy Mike[?])

Mista Cain – “I Try”
from Lou Cain (Cain Music Group, 2012)
Boosie’s still locked up for a little longer at least we have his children – figurative and literal – running around Baton Rouge with something similar to his style. “I Try” is some of that deep dish pain sorry momma rap music that the world always needs more of.

Mouse On The Track f/ Fiend – “Get High, Get Loaded”

from Millionaire Dreamzzz
Also Mouse is still running around BR too. And he rescued Fiend from that resin-crafted prison that Smoke DZA and Young Roddy and all of those other guys who put 420 in their album titles have happily resigned themselves to so he could make some real ass Louisiana funk shit. There is some amazing music on Millionaire Dreamzzz – including a song where Mystikal says “NOT GONNA PAY A LOT FOR THIS MUFFLER” in a strip club – but you guys keep ignoring Mouse in favor of talking about how Trinidad James has next or whatever. *Does Birdman handrub while slowly backing away from the internet.*(via TM)

My new Pitchfork column is up and it’s a classic.

Speak on it here if you must speak on it.

I is alive. This post probably should’ve happened a thousand months ago but it didn’t so it is happening now. If you haven’t noticed Cocaineblunts is all tumbleweeds and dead links to old Trina songs but do not worry because I still make words about rap, I just do so elsewhere. Many elsewheres, actually. As a matter of fact I now have more columns than Zeus:

- HALL OF GAME at Pitchfork is a about rap and rap music.

- HIP HOP PIT STOP (aka CARPETBAGGERS CHOICE dammit) at Red Bull Music Academy looks at the regional rap legends of then and now.

- BEAT CONSTRUCTION at Fader is a series of conversations about beats with the people who make them.

- I also write the hip-hop reviews column in THE WIRE every other month (and occasionally more frequently than that) but you are going to have to leave your house or subscribe if you want to see it.

- Plus I’m still a TUMBLRER when I have time to be and a FREELANCERER when I’m allowed to be and a TWITTERER every waking moment of my godforsaken life.

So yeah there’s all of that and you should be sure to read every word. I’m sorry that this can’t be a regular blog anymore but the internet has changed and I can’t even buy a penny with Adsense nickels these days. What do you think? Will you miss this site? Will you dance on its grave? Where is Maynholup? Who stole the last piece of chicken? SPEAK ON IT!

It seems like the right time to bump this post. Originally posted on June 17th, 2009. There were a whole gang of spin off Slick Pulla/Waka jabs between then and now but I am not trying to listen to all that Slick Pulla in 2012.

Young Jeezy – “Stay Strapped“ (2005)

“Even his own mama know Radric Davis a bitch.”

Gucci Mane – “Round One“ (2005)

“Jeezy couldn’t make a hit with a Louisville Slugger.”

Gucci Mane f/ Black Magik- “Mini 14“ (2005)

“You’s a thug imposter / you deserve an oscar / your album ain’t hot / Def Jam finna drop ya.”

Young Jeezy – “Streets On Lock“ (2005)

“What type of real n***a name himself after a bag?”

Gucci Mane – “745“ (2006)

“I could’ve been dead / but I’m still breathin / do I smell pussy? / naw that’s Jeezy.”

Gucci Mane – “Young Money“ (2007)

“CTE / USDA / You’s a L-A-M / n***a where do you stay?”

Gucci Mane – “Benchwarmers“ (2007)

“What’s up Jeezy and what’s up Kinky? / them weak ass n***as couldn’t hurt my pinky.”

Gucci Mane – “Hurry“ (2009)

“I know you a dick pulla / but can’t fuck ya blood raw”

Gucci Mane – “Check“ (2009)

“I put Jeezy on / Jay-Z tell me where’s my finder’s fee?”

Young Jeezy – “24 23“ (2009)

“Kobe! Lebron! Kobe! Lebron!”

Update: Gucci Mane – “Truth” (2012)

“Go dig your partner up n***a, bet he can’t say shit”

Shout to all my late to the party gossip monger bloggers, this post is strictly in the interest of providing some historical perspective. The chronology could be a little off, correct it if you please.

Related: Gucci calmly brushes off Miss Info’s attempts to fan the flames of a long burnt out fire.

Nas f/ Mary J. Blige – “Reach Out” (Def Jam, 2012)

Life Is Good is definitely a 21st century Nas album. It’s exactly the type of record he has been making since Stillmatic – 12% good enough, 63% whatever, 25% completely embarrassing. And yet it will still get hailed as a classic (because it’s Nas, yo) for three weeks before fans forget it and forever and go back to longing for him to make another album with DJ Premier. [1]

Its saddest funnysad moment comes when Nas half dismissively says my man Dion said Nas overthink the songs he writing on “Back When.” [2] Listen to your friend No ID. He’s a cool dude. He knows what’s best for you, Nas. This is deafeningly apparent elsewhere on the album, on which every Salaam Remi track is like a breakbeat… backed by a symphony… backed by a flugelhorn… with a rasta toasting on top. Then when No ID slips him some shit it’s like “yo here’s a loop, try rapping to that.” See if you can guess which style of beat Nas sounds better on.

“Reach Out” is about as stripped down as Remi gets. Nas raps like Nas and he sounds good – the line about how he used to be known as Olu’s son and now Olu is Nas’ father is such a classically Nasish one. More than that though, the track is an origami duck of hip hop references. The beat flips Issac Hayes’ “Ike’s Mood” [3] and the hook interpolates New Edition, in a combination that nods back to Queensbridge pioneer (and the track’s co-producer) Hot Day’s “Master Mix.” Mary’s involvement (singing about love and you, no less) links it back to her using “Ike’s Mood” as well, on an album [4] inspired by the very sort of R&B blends that guys like Hot Day and, later, Ron G had pioneered. [5] And then all three songs seem loosely indebted to the original and greatest Ike flip, Biz Markie’s “Make The Music,” which of course was produced by another QB great, Marley Marl. So yeah, it’s a rap song borne of a very incestuous family tree. Incest and Nas go together like AZ and Nas.

[1] I’m still unclear as to why dudes aren’t begging for a full reconnection with Large Profesor instead, especially now that it’s been revealed that Extra P was coaching his rhymes on Illmatic.
[2] Well either that or earlier in the song when he brags about his testicular fortitude.
[3] A piano loop so flippable that it’s impossible to find on Youtube, buried by endless clips of a bunch of My First MPC type goons stumbling their way through remixes.
[4] Err… whatever, I linked the Smif N Wessun remix which isn’t actually on the album. Because that’s the superior version. Here is the original album version if you want to be pedantic.
[5] Pour out a little liquor for every time some Girl Talk jocking dipshit writes a history of “The Mash Up” without mentioning a single og hip hop blend dj.

Driicky Graham – “Snapbacks & Tattoos” (Oxford, NC)
This is a pretty awesome advanced Luger beat with that little descending Transformer sound popping off and unfolding into something almost funky but then they had to soil it by putting someone named Driicky With Two I’s who raps like his name is Driicky With Two I’s on it. “Driicky Graham” is like a bad Drake alias as penned by an SNL staff writer for a skit about the Grammy Awards. And check out this backronym: [D]ope [R]apper [I]npsired [I]nto [C]reating [K]rafty [Y]outhfulness. Yo skinny people! Stop it! (Driicky was born in Newark and according to his Facebook bio, he is the little kid in the Lords Of The Underground “Tic Toc” video. Rap is old.)
Added: WZHT Montgomery AL (33); WFXA Augusta, GA (17); WEUP Huntsville, AL (11) +11

Soufside – “Hello” (Columbus, MS)
O hai, Soufside.
KZTS Little Rock, AR (15); KVSP Oklahoma City, OK (14); WJZD Blioxi, MS (12) +5

Fred The Godson – “Monique’s Room” (Bronx, NY)
This is a song that Fred The Godson wrote for the other side of the mirror. I’m not clear on if it’s a formal response to “Marvin’s Room” ala the Roxanne wars (I’m waiting for Honey Cocaine to drop a “Marvin’s Sister”) but yeah Fred The Godson, the guy who looks like a breathing Bug Out Bob really thinks he’s Drake all of the sudden. Also he accuses someone else of being irrelevant. And the saddest/strangest thing is that he’s actually pretty good at being Drake. Like this is not a bad song at all. It’s kind of based actually. Best youtube comment: “looks like u got the gut? and head of an elephant too lol”
WWPR New York, NY (10); WJKS Wilmington, DE (7), WDKX Rochester, NY (0)

Mike Jones – “Leanin On Dat Butter” (Houston, TX)
If you ever wanted to hear Mike Jones say “SWAG” now is your chance. It’s actually nice to know that his original formula of skulking around on really eerie beats is still pretty damn effective. This legitimately bangs.
KBTT Shreveport, LA (12)

Mr. Real Estate – “Columbiana” (?, LA)
A truly great rap name if ever there was one, a truly generic trap rapper if ever there was one. Not a bad one though. Plies-lite raps, T-Pain-lite hook. He sells coke though. And the beat knocks. In a great (if probably accidental) feat of SEO pimping, Mr. Real Estate has managed to slip a press release into the news feeds of countless Real Estate spam websites.
KBTT Shreveport, LA (7)

Cheeta – “Pocket Full Of That”
Oh good, 2 Chainz is influencing people. Beat is kind of insane in the way it deflates into Travis Porter claps. Props to Cheeta for taking a promo shot with an actual cheetah.
Added: KBTT Shreveport, LA (15); WJTT Chattanooga (8); WRBJ Jackson, MS (7)

Boobe – “Don’t Text Me” (Washington, DC)
Very excited to Boobe of the Oy Boyz getting some kind of play somewhere in the South. The guy is a triple veteran of DC trap rap and that’s exactly what this song about not wanting to get texts is. From Boobe’s under-publicized Gangsta Grillz, Boobe Trap.
Added: WEUP Hunstville, AL (8); KBTT Shreveport, LA (6)

V.I.C. – “Twerk It” (Atlanta, GA)
V.I.C. is back and he brought some claps.
WPEG Charlotte, NC (11)

LEP Bogus Boys f/ Freddie Gibbs & Dion Primo – “Kush & Leather” (Chicago, IL)
Another real rap record from real rap dudes. (I’ve always said that LEP is just the Chicago equivalent to the Oy Boyz, except with better management.) There is a Rick Ross remix, so that might be what’s pushing it over but even so this is some classical country rap and it’d be nice to hear it on the radio.
WFXA Augusta, GA (14); KJMM Tulsa, OK (12); WCGI Chicago, IL (7) +2

Stuey Rock – “Leanin” (Atlanta, GA)
Another one of those rap songs from Atlanta that sounds like a rap song from Atlanta.
WHTA Atlanta, GA (12); WJWZ Montgomery, AL (12); WEUP Huntsville, AL (9)

BJ Cash – “Hangtime” (Columbia, SC)
Have you ever thrown a white person at a stripper? It’s just like dunking a basketball.
WHXT Columbia, SC (15)

Youngest 1′s – “Babu”
This is the most blatant abuse of rap portmanteaus since that song above about Columbian Louisiana. Babu, for those who haven’t figured it out from the hook, slyly combines “Baby” and “Boo,” two words that mean the exact same thing, into a new word that means absolutely nothing.
WCCG Fayetteville, NC (18); WJUC Toledo, OH (15); WFXA Augusta, GA (14) +8

PBZ – “Bubblicious” (Memphis, TN)
Remember “Laffy Taffy”? This is basically the same idea except with a different sticky candy. Innovation.
WEUP Huntsville, LA (7)

Scotty Boi f/ French Montana & Rick Ross – “Lawyer Fees”
If Gunplay and the Triple Cs are the second string of MMG, then apparently there is an even lower class occupied by guys named Scotty Boi and, like, Trina’s son. Probably. This sounds like all of the other Maybach Music songs except that the rappers on it are saying the word “lawyer” a lot.
KBTT Shreveport, LA (14)

Twista – “Gucci, Louie, Prada” (Chicago, IL)
This is like the Chicago answer to that dumb “DOKE COPE CRANK SMURF” song from last year. Except with an explicit (unconscious?) Kreayshawn influence. But hey it is good that Twista is still getting on the radio somewhere. Better him than Busta Rhymes. There is also a Tyga remix but I will spare you all.
WGCI Chicago, IL (10)

Big Heavy AKA Doughboy – “Get Up And Go” (Stone Mountain, GA)
Is DJ Khaled a genre?
WJMI Jackson, MS (9); KBBT Shreveport, LA (0) + 2 More

Mykko Montana f/ Kcamp – “Do It” (Atlanta, GA)
Chamillionairic swag rap. Okay okay.
WHXT Columbia, SC (21); WHTA Atlanta, GA (13); KBTT Shreveport, LA (13)

Young Tone f/ Self Paid – “No Cuffin” (Atlanta, GA)
Swaglanta. I don’t know. I’m done.
WLZN Macon, GA (1)

DJ Diamond Kuts – Live On Power 99 04/07/2012
(Pt 1, Pt 2, Pt 3, Pt 4)

In my review of the new Nicki Minaj album I made an aside about how “Stupid Hoe” producer and Philadelphia DJ Diamond Kuts does a good job of connecting the dots of urban music anxiety in her mixshows. Since I know that nobody on the internet has the patience for appointment listening, I decided to rip her Power 99 set from last night and post it illegally here on the rap blog I used to run.

Diamond Kuts is quickly becoming one of my favorite DJs in the country, particularly in terms of taste and defining an aesthetic, which – as we’ve discussed previously – is the true mark of a great DJ. Over the course of 4+ hours she makes a strong case for Meek Mill and Nicki Minaj and Travis Porter and Beyonce and Bmore Club and New Orleans Bounce and Dancehall and Jerk Music and New Jack Swing all existing on the same direct timeline and proves so tasteful that I wasn’t even mad when she dropped LMFAO. It made sense sonically and semi-slept on recent classics like “Wobble” and “Look Back At Me” definitely help to compensate for such missteps.

Here is some crucial, if simple, DJing advice she gives in this all too short Urban Daily interview:

Do your research. Just study music. Don’t be biased. Play all types of music. There [are] so many different genres [of music out here] you don’t want to get stuck just playing Hip-Hop or just Reggae or just R&B. Just play everything, be real diverse. Just do your history and learn about the music that you’re playing and do your history on the crowd that you’re playing for.

Today is a day! It might even be the day. The greatest day in all of hip hop, even. The one in which XXL Magazine and Diet Mountain Dew announce their esteemed annual Freshman cover, highlighting some of the best and brightest rising rap talents. Their selection is as diverse as its ever been this year, too, featuring wide variety of rappers from the ones who are presently signed to Interscope to those who are about to announce their signing to Interscope.

Make no mistake, the XXL Freshmen isn’t about forecasting, or even recommendations. It’s about creating an argument and using that argument to remind us that XXL does still exist. Yes, this post only helps to perpetuate that cycle but whatever, it’s also a good excuse to analyze the careers of a few buzzed about rappers. And several “buzzed about” rappers. Hit the jump for the report cards.

Future
Bio: A walking can of Axe Body Spray.
Hometown:Atlanta, GA
Label: Epic
Past Year’s Parallel: Gorilla Zoe
# of Twitter followers: 117,735
Highest Charting Single: “Tony Montana” (#22 R&B/Hip Hop)
Skills: 6/10 Having trained under the esteemed Dungeon Family crest, Future can actually rap pretty well when he wants to, but that’s besides the point because he’s on some other other shit and is rarely interested in rapping well. Or at all – he’s said that rapping will comprise just 25% of his forthcoming Pluto. The rest will be autotuned spit gurgles. (This whole “skills” category is seeming a irrelevant at this point. Half of the artists on this list are basically mutant R&B singers who rap on the side and the rest are hyper technical showboats who “can rap” but do so in the most hollow sense.)
Creativity: 8/10 Autouned spit gurgles are fucking awesome!
Marketability: 8/10 Autotuned spit gurgles are fucking catchy!
Sustainability: 4/10 Autotuned spit gurgles get boring quickly!

Kid Ink
Bio: All of the worst traits of Tyga and Roscoe Dash combined, and then folded into Chris Brown’s body.
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Label: None? Though I’m going to assume he’s just secretly signed – in LA they pass record contracts to parents while their children are still in the womb.
Past Year’s Parallel: Donnis
# of Twitter followers: 139,228
Highest Charting Single: N/A
Skills: 5/10 When not singing aimlessly, he’s a half decent rapper in that sort of limbless post-Drake style.
Creativity: 1/10 Dude is a creative flatline. There isn’t a single original idea present in his catalog. He probably needs someone else to pick menu items for him at Denny’s.
Marketability: 6/10 Being completely unremarkable can be an asset in today’s complex music marketplace. He’s a blank canvas for the right cosigns and the kewlest sneakers.
Sustainability: 2/10 Best case scenario: he will sell 80k first week out and then everyone on earth will immediately forget he exists.

Danny Brown
Bio: A haircut that you may have read about on a blog.
Hometown: Detroit, MI
Label: Fool’s Gold
Past Year’s Parallel: Lil B
# of Twitter followers: 23,422
Highest Charting Single: N/A
Skills: 7/10 Danny knows how to rap.
Creativity: 9/10 First rapper to make a song about stealing copper.
Marketability: 3/10 Dude is far too sonically abrasive to crossover and probably smart enough to not try. Hipsters like him, but that audience tends to maintain a pretty low investment level when it comes to rappers. (It’s pretty telling that the bald guy’s video album review of XXX has twice as many Youtube hits as any actual Danny Brown music video.)
Sustainability: 7/10 Danny makes smart and emotive album oriented projects. While this is not necessarily the best method for gaining fans it’s a pretty surefire way to make sure the ones you already have are going to stick around.

Machine Gun Kelly
Bio: Like Yelawolf, but with none of the nuance or taste.
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
Label: Bad Boy(lol)/Interscope
Past Year’s Parallel: Yelawolf
# of Twitter followers: 274,968
Highest Charting Single: “Wild Boy” f/ Waka Flocka Flame (#98 Hot 100; #54 R&B/Hip Hop)
Skills: 4/10 I mean, I guess he can rap…
Creativity: 2/10 He seems like the type of guy who could swiftly create a meth lab, though he hasn’t yet figured out how to translate those talents to music.
Marketability: 8/10 He is white.
Sustainability: 7/10 He will still be white tomorrow.

French Montana
Bio: Max B’s Second Life avatar.
Hometown: New York, NY
Label: Bad Boy/Interscope
Past Year’s Parallel: Wiz Khalifa? Idk.
# of Twitter followers: 241,981
Highest Charting Single: “Shot Caller” (#124 Hot 100; #39 R&B/Hip Hop)
Skills: 3/10 French is a pretty sloppy rapper, if self consciously so.
Creativity: 7/10 He possesses a natural hook writing ability and an impeccable ear for beats.
Marketability: 7/10 His inherent goofiness will probably prevent him from breaking out as a national solo star but he could easily become the dominant hook singer of the moment ala T-Pain or Nate Dogg if he keeps knocking out cameos like “Stay Schemin” and “Everything That Glitters.”
Sustainability: 6/10 If that doesn’t work out he can forever live out his days on Koch, earning charity spins off The Funk Flex Red Cafe Mixhour.

Don Trip
Bio: The only traditional street rapper on this list. Or maybe the planet.
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Label: Interscope/Epidemic
Past Year’s Parallel: Meek Mill
# of Twitter followers: 51,047
Highest Charting Single: “Letter To My Son” (#98 R&B/Hip Hop)
Skills: 7/10 Neck and neck with Danny Brown as the best pure rapper on this list.
Creativity: 7/10 Don doesn’t flaunt it, but he’s an incredibly creative rapper with a knack for smart, subtle storytelling.
Marketability: 4/10 For all his talents, there doesn’t seem to be much of a lane in popular music for a rapper like Don Trip at the moment. He’s an old guard anomaly and he sticks out like the good kind of sore thumb in this list full of half retards and white retards. It seems unlikely he that would’ve even made the cut if it weren’t for the Interscope connection.
Sustainability: 7/10 Whatever happens nationally, dude should be golden forever in Memphis.

Iggy Azalea
Bio: A tall jar of Vegemite.
Hometown: A kangaroo’s pouch, Australia
Label: Interscope
Past Year’s Parallel: Prior to Iggy, XXL had never featured a female or an internationally born rapper on a Freshmen list. She is Jackie Robinson.
# of Twitter followers: 44,567
Highest Charting Single: N/A
Skills: 4/10 I mean, I guess she can rap but her delivery is forced and rehearsed to the point of being grating. It’s like skinny elbows flailing. It’s a solid rhythmic performance, she’s obviously studied better rappers and mimicked them to some success but she does it so mechanically that it’s hard to listen to. She’s like one of those kids who spends months learning specific Twista verses on Youtube. In fact I bet you could trace many of her flows directly to other existing rap verses, the weird Kendrick tribute above being the most obvious example. In short, she lacks soul. Because she is white.
Creativity: 1/10 At best she’s a biter, at worst she’s a puppet.
Marketability: 7/10 She is white. And pretty. But there’s a certain runway model coldness to her persona that might be off-putting to a mainstream audience. Her posture frightens me.
Sustainability: 5/10 White girls don’t usually age well.

Macklemore
Bio: A young white male.
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Label: Macklemore (!?)
Past Year’s Parallel: Mac Miller
# of Twitter followers: 44,178
Highest Charting Single: N/A
Skills: 6/10 There’s not a lot of heavy lifting going on in his raps but he’s less likely to pull a muscle that way.
Creativity: 6/10 He’s an idea driven rapper, that’s for sure. Think Slug from Atmosphere (the second most influential white rapper of all time), if he rapped about societal issues instead of sad girls. But with the exact same intensity. Every Youtube of his I watched was cloying serious, tracks about the dangers of syrup abuse, the plight of sneaker capitalism, Irish pride, his hometown rap scene. It’s nice that he has ideas and messages but it’d be nicer if he wasn’t quite so blunt with them. Ultimately though this sort of muted, statement oriented blue collar rap is obviously preferable to MGK’s energy drink music but it’s not for me, you or either of XXL’s regular readers. (I don’t know what the fuck this is but I’m just going to pretend I didn’t click on it.)
Marketability: 6/10 He is white but he is also very serious. That could work to his advantage if he goes full Kid Rock and starts making soundtracks for commercials that prominently feature billowing American flags. Or it could just turn party minded young people off completely.
Sustainability: 9/10 He is white and he is very serious. Whatever YTs he does manage to win over will follow him to his grave.

Hopsin
Bio: Like Tyler, The Creator, but with none of the nuance or taste. And with an added try-hard Tech N9ne edge on his flow.
Hometown: Los Angeles, LA
Label: Funk Volume
Past Year’s Parallel: Cory Gunz
# of Twitter followers: 74,133
Highest Charting Single: N/A
Skills: 6/10 I mean, I guess he can rap…
Creativity: 4/10 Much of Hopsin’s recent success is tied to him positioning himself as a rival and formal alternative to Odd Future. (In fact, I almost feel like his inclusion here is at least partially a response to Tyler turning down last year’s cover.) This is how twisted the rap underground has become – there is now a market for alternatives to the alternative rappers. Anyway, both acts are heavily indebted to Eminem’s style, in terms of both cadence and humor, but they diverge pretty drastically from there. Where OF loosened the flows up and added a layer of absurdism to his referential humor to reflect the Lil B/Adult Swim generation. Hopsin just tightens everything Em did and turns the jokes (which, let’s be real, were never that funny to begin with) self serious. His shit is really grating and over-perfomative in a drama club sense too. If you’re gonna borrow at least do it with a smile and some swag.
Marketability: 3/10 I don’t see his audience extending much further than Juggalos and that handful of kids who think they’re too cool to sit at the Odd Future table but are still interested in cutting themselves.
Sustainability: 8/10 The Juggalos are a loyal people.

Roscoe Dash
Bio: A singing mohawk with a chain wallet.
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Label: Interscope (hmm…)
Past Year’s Parallel: YG
# of Twitter followers: 206,931
Highest Charting Single: “No Hands” w/ Waka Flocka & Wale (#13 Hot 100 / #2 R&B/Hip Hop)
Skills: 7/10 I’ve written about this before but Roscoe absolutely does not get enough credit for his rapping ability. He can effortlessly snap out of his whiney sing song into a very tight double time flow. And, most importantly, he does it in a fluid and engaging manner that a lot of these Hospins and Iggys have almost zero grasp on. He rounds the edges off fast rap. That’s why he’s on the radio and they are inside of the Youtube.
Creativity: 4/10 Ehh… he’s got a nice style but his songs tend not to be about anything at all.
Marketability: 9/10 The go-to XXL safety choice. Between “All The Way Turnt Up” and the dominant “No Hands,” Roscoe is going on his third year as an established hit maker.
Sustainability: 7/10 He’s lasted this long, right?