Welcome to Pad and Pencil, a new monthly feature that will plug you into the latest hip-hop releases. In a competitive scene where rappers and producers drop new projects left and right, this column will help give credence to the worthwhile works while introducing promising acts on the rise. Curated by a pair of hip-hop enthusiasts, New Music editor Melissa Scheinberg and Album Reviews writer Ryo Miyauchi, the first edition of Pad and Pencil lists ten of the most exciting hip-hop artists you should listen to in 2014.
1. Cakes Da Killa
One rapper who boasts bulletproof toughness with finesse is New Jersey’s Cakes Da Killa. Rather than taunting with a poker face, Cakes prefers direct confrontation and getting right down to business. It’s no surprise, then, to find him tell it straight up like a stinging slap in the face: he holds nothing back as he exposes salty haters and flips a raunchy tongue. The rapper also moves swiftly along a high-energy set of club production that never lets down. His latest tape, Hunger Pangs, continues the hot streak from last year’s The Eulogy without a shortage of ambition. His new tracks give off a sense of music as a hustle, and as heard on highlight “Living Gud, Eating Gud”, Cakes’ got that work. - RM
2. Daye Jack
Atlanta may be home to some of the most indulgent hip-hop in the game, but the city that brought us Future, Migos, and Richie Homie Quan also happens to bring us the introspective, recent New York City transplant Daye Jack.
The NYU computer science student (multi-talented doesn’t even begin to describe him) was introduced to the hip-hop world with his aptly titled debut mixtape, Hello World, back in January, which demonstrates the eighteen-year-old’s refusal to be boxed into one hip-hop facet. You’ve got songs like “Weeping Willow” and “Don F’ed Up”, showcasing his rhythmic aggression, songs like “Limousine” and “Lonely Girl”, infusing R&B with his chilled-out hip-hop, the Motown sensibilities of “Son Of Georgia”, and then title track “Hello World” and “Enter My Mind” that blend jazzy hip-hop beats with electronics.
A few months later and we have “Save My Soul” and “Trapped In Love”, Daye Jack’s newest singles. Perfectly channeling the James Blake-Chance The Rapper bromance, these singles have the intimately soulful hooks and layered maximalist production of the former, plus the character and rhythmic sensibilities of the latter. Here, the self-aware young rapper creates a combination that’s both fresh and experimental while maintaining a mainstream accessibility that will hopefully be recognized in the near future. – MS
3. DJ MoonDawg
Over in Chicago, local music keeps on mutating into exciting strains. In particular, rappers have started distorting their voices with auto-tune to create weirder, more emotive raps. They have also taken notes from the more dance-oriented circle, easing their nimble feet into percussive-heavy territory of juke and footwork.
Chicago bop, a rising dance-rap scene, is a product of these new influences in action. Last year saw a big boom in the scene, and it’s a well developed one that already has its own stars and innovators. The genre’s growth seems similar to footwork in that it started with dancers doing the “bop” to popular rap singles, which producers worked with to provide something proper. Usually, the songs run a hyperactive rhythm close to juke and raps saturated with a good dose of auto-tune, ringtone beeps and other shiny additives.
Back in January, mixtape DJ and local radio host DJ MoonDawg released his first We Invented the Bop compilation mixtape to showcase the talents of Chicago bop. Some highlights were singles from the scene’s dancer royalty Lil Kemo, breakout duo Sicko Mobb, and star rapper Lil Chris. The second volume was released in May, and it’s another fresh package full of new music by local musicians. Even without knowing the dance, the tape provides an exciting set of party music full of relentless energy. And for those hungry for drum and bass as with adventurous rap, it’s the best of both worlds. – RM
4. Hurt Everybody
When thinking of Chicago hip-hop, veterans like Kanye West and Common along with new stars Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa probably come to mind. While these artists are some of the best in the game right now, they shouldn’t eclipse the massive up-and-coming Chicago scene that includes Hurt Everybody – a new Wicker Park collective featuring twenty-four year-old rapper/producer Supa Bwe, seventeen year-old rapper Carl, and nineteen year-old producer Mulatto Beats.
This young crew is very hard to pin-down. With bass-heavy ambient production, off-key sing-rapping and screaming, and mystic lyrics pertaining to Japanese anime and magic, Hurt Everybody has managed to surpass traditional hip-hop sub-genres. They create a sound that is truly their own with a plethora of constantly-added songs to Supa Bwe’s SoundCloud and the release of their debut eponymous fourteen-song “EP”. That isn’t to say that they aren’t accessible: the EP’s frequent features from fellow Chicago artists like Mick Jenkins and Alex Wiley help their large body of music stay grounded.
Hurt Everybody is about as unique as they come, with everything from Joanna Newsom sampling (“My Pack”) to Pokémon-referencing song titles (“Infinite Psyduck”). The group is just beginning to create their own niche that will attract a Lil B-like cult following in due time. – MS
5. IshDARR
Thanks to a tip from a friend, IshDARR and his debut tape, The Better Life, recently appeared on my radar. The seventeen-year-old from Milwaukee- the youngest of this bunch- has a rare sort of star quality that will at some point place him alongside Earl Sweatshirt and Joey Bada$$ as the premier youngsters in the game.
His flow and rhythm are nearly impeccable, but IshDARR primarily succeeds as an incredible lyricist, further reinforced by his a writer / please stop saying rapper proclamation at the start of most recent single, “NOTHING”. Even beyond his writing capabilities, the young MC manages to channel that classic 90′s sound while maintaining a sense of accessibility with simple-yet-melodic hooks.
Keep your eyes and ears out, because I’m sure this won’t be the last you hear of IshDARR. - MS
6. Katie Got Bandz
Away from the dance scene, a number of Chicago rappers from the drill circle have released new tapes and projects. XXL Freshmen Lil Durk dropped his follow-up to the great 2013 tape, Signed to the Streets, on the Fourth of July. King Louie also put out a new tape titled Tony on the same weekend. Both turned out good, but Katie Got Bandz and her Drillary Clinton 2 takes the top spot. Granted, Katie doesn’t break out much from the set box she’s been running with, but she intensifies her voice into a much stronger style. Poor mixing job aside, the rapper sounds vicious and bloodthirsty on “Soldier”, especially on the chorus where she beats on the rhyme scheme over and over again. – RM
7. Michael Christmas
While Boston may not be particularly known for their hip-hop right now, things are about to change due to the city’s emerging scene, with many thanks to next-big-thing Michael Christmas.
The twenty year-old MC’s quirk and distinctiveness resides in his goofy humor, lax flow and, most notably, his everyday-guy relatability. Christmas’ lyricism and wordplay are both witty and accessible, as apparent on Is This Art? where he compares himself to Michael Cera (“Michael Cera”) and an overweight Drake (“Overweight Drake”), raps about hot pockets and chicken wings (“Daily”), and even has a song deemed “House Cleaning Music”.
With a stellar debut, a co-sign from Mr. MFN eXquire, and a recent feature amongst Complex’s 25 New Rappers To Watch Out For In 2014, Michael Christmas is surely bound for great things. – MS
8. Open Mike Eagle
In Los Angeles, there resides a more sober conversationalist by the name of Open Mike Eagle. Previously part of Nocando’s Hellfyre Club imprint, the seasoned rapper released his third album, Dark Comedy, through Mello Music Group in June. The title fits Mike’s raps well: he writes bleak reality with clever humor in lean rhyme schemes. The dense discussions go meta on “Qualifiers”, sarcastically spiritual on “Jon Lovitz (Fantasy Booking Yarn)”, and over-the-top on “Information”. But instead of delivering a dry backpacker sermon, he runs through the album like a hip-hop stand-up routine, keeping delivery and hook in the pocket as well as the theme and punchlines. Like his friends Kool A.D. and Hannibal Buress, Mike is naturally full of character and equipped with a wit that goes outside the box. – RM
9. Peewee Longway
For high-energy, aggressive raps, Atlanta never disappoints. The Southern city’s stars hit with an equally brash bark but an incredibly more warped style. A momentous Atlanta release date came early June when 1017 Brick Squad boss Gucci Mane unloaded three projects by his affiliates: The Purple Tape by Young Thug, The Green Album by Migos, and saving the best for last with The White Album by Peewee Longway.
Before dropping his project alongside his partners in crime, Peewee Longway released the 21-song solo mixtape, The Blue M&M. The nasal rapper snaps and slurs like his friends Quavo from Migos and Young Thug, who both appear on the tape, though he also manages to sound distinct. Longway knocks his loose delivery steady while trying out multiple flows from mumble rap to triple-time staccato. Drug talk and playing a sexual “switcheroo” runs heavy in theme, and his surreal dialect makes any dialog an exciting, hallucinatory conversation. – RM
10. Pell
As Acid Rap remains at its peak, it’s easy to compare every left-of-field young rapper to Chance The Rapper. Sure, twenty-one-year-old Pell sounds eerily like Chance at times, but, fortunately for him, he manages to stand on his own through his quirk, storytelling, and melodic sensibilities.
On his aptly titled debut mixtape, Floating While Dreaming, Pell establishes himself at the forefront of The Fader-coined “dream-rap” scene through ambient production, dreamy post-Drake sing-rapping, and ethereal laid-back vibes. You’ve got tracks like “Dollar Store” and the Dent May-featured “Wait On Me” that, while vastly different, are held together by this aura that is becoming unique to Pell.
More than any other genre, hip-hop is very much rooted in geography, and Pell’s music is no different as he re-establishes New Orleans on the hip-hop map through his prominent NOLA pride and emotive storytelling about previous hardships. (Pell had to relocate from Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina.) Not only is his flow impeccable, the young rapper has also proven himself to be a premier lyricist. So while he may not be sampling Nola bounce, Pell is surely making a name for himself, and New Orleans, in the great world of hip-hop. – MS