Thurz
Former U.N.I. rapper Thurz is an LA rapper who was featured on Kendrick Lamar's O.D. This year he released a concept album LA Riot which received very good reviews. His range, story telling ability, fig. language usage and flow all put him well above the bar of average.
Thurz and Ro Blvd - Great Going Good
ScienZe
Here we have Brooklyn emcee ScienZe. When my cousin told me about him in late winter of this year, I wasn't sure what to expect. Now I know when I see ScienZe on a project, that project will be top quality. I've only heard Hall Pass from him, but I know he dropped a new project recently. He's an artist that delves into many facets of spoken word and hip hop performance/music.
ScienZe - Drama (Gepetto) - Hall Pass
Rapsody
Straight from NC, Rapsody is a member of hip hop group Kooley High and one of the staple emcees on 9th Wonder's JAMLA label. With variety in flows, utilization of cacophony, consonance, and assonance, and clever lines, Rapsody is an amazing artist. With more than two projects out now (Return of the B-Girl, Thank H.E.R. Now, & For Everything) Rapsody has a solid library of music to be explored. NC stand up!
Rapsody - A Crush Groove - For Everythingi
I just plugged his latest project yesterday, but I can't get enough of Fresh Daily. Solid lyricism, an "realness" makes him one impeccable artist. People always claim that "conscious" hip hop is dead in NY, but Fresh Daily and ScienZe maintain the spirit of hip hop that allows people to make the "conscious" label stick. With concepts that can be maintained through his albums/mixtapes, and unpretentious explorations of life, Fresh is the kind of artist we need in this new decade. This facet of hip hop needs to stay represented, and Fresh Daily is one of the people that can do it.
People I didn't listen to soon enough...
Co$$
LA rapper Co$$ has really come out of nowhere for me. The first time I heard about him was when he released the song Angels Sing with J.Nolan and Thurz. Then I copped his new project Instrument of Emotion, listened to it on my flight back home to Miami. It definitely caught my attention. One of the highlights of my 2011 is being exposed to some great artists from LA (Kahlee of the Seed, Thurz, Kendrick Lamar, the rest of Black Hippie, Bambu...etc.) Looking forward to more releases from Co$$
Co$$ - Spaceman - Before I Woke
R.O.E.
First took a listen to R.O.E. on his DJ Booth Freestyle, but it wasn't until he got featured on KevinNottingham that I really stepped back and took a look at his whole philosophy as an artist/his approach to music. With a live band accompanying him on most of his recent releases, R.O.E. hopes to capture pure communication between crowd and performers in a way that a live band can really assist. The nicest thing is that he's a dope rapper as well. The future looks bright for R.O.E., hopefully we'll see more of him in 2012.
Phil Adé
Phil Adé is becoming a flag post in the independent hip hop scene, and sadly I didn't hear him rap until about three weeks ago on Toca Tuesdays. That freestyle was probably one of the best introductions to an artist that I've ever had, Adé destroyed the beat and just kept on spitting. I have yet to check out his projects, but I'm about fully committed to the idea that Phil Adé is a monster and shouldn't be slept on. Check him out, you won't be disappointed.
Phil Ade - Toca Tuesdays Freestyle
Termanology
1982 (Termanology + Statik Selektah) - "82-92" ft. Mac Miller
And that's all folks. Next time around I'll try to thoroughly digest each artist. With more posts and time I'm sure to be able to nail this thing. The most important thing is getting the music to any one who might not find it otherwise. Have a happy new year in two days. 2012 is going to be a hot year for hip hop. much love.



























