Welcome to the second edition of the "Hip Hop Regional Report." This week, I am continuing to look at the "next" rappers in hip-hop, the artists from various cities, boroughs, ports, and provinces around the county who appear to be on the verge of breaking through to stardom. Last week, the focus was on up-and-coming New York City rappers. This time around the spotlight shines on a region that is an underrated rising power in hip-hop: the Mid-Atlantic states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland (including D.C., of course).
Mid-Atlantic Region.
Primary Challenger - Serius Jones. There really isn't a surefire hit coming out of the region, but there are some terrific sleeper prospects. For the lead position, I'll go with the guy doing his best Saigon impression.
Much like "Sai-gitty" has super producer Just Blaze behind him, Jones is working almost exclusively with Needlz, another red hot producer. Jones, a native of Engelwood, New Jersey, gained some modicum of fame last year when he won the Fight Klub freestyle competition with a devastating assortment of punch lines. He's known for being extremely clever and humorous, but is able to temper that with some strong reality-based songs. He sounds a bit like Mysonne, a flash-in-the-pan who signed with Violator back in the late '90s.
Here's to hoping things work out a little better for Jones. Perhaps a better comparison is to Rhymefest, the Chicago product who manages to mix brag raps, humor, and social consciousness with relative ease. I personally am rooting for J-One-S based solely on the fact he penned a pretty hilarious article for AllHipHop.com titled "The Anatomy of a Sucker Emcee." Plus, he put out one of the better mix tapes in the last few years with King Me.
Listen to: "Up Top," "Serius," "Grind Mode," and "Life in the City."
Secondary Challenger - Bossman. Baltimore still doesn't have a national face in the hip-hop industry, despite the fact the fabulous HBO show The Wire is referenced in just about every other rap song these days. That could change if Bossman is able to carry over the success of his local club hits like "Hand Clap" and "Oh: The B-More Anthem" onto his major label debut with Virgin, which is expected to come out next year.
Article comments
1 - Stone
Good look on the rap report. I think that if Wale gets some serious support then he could blow..."1 Thing About a Playa" is like the "Country Grammar" of the DC Region right now, its just that DC doesnt have the infrastructure in place to promote artists like Baltimore and Philly.
Wiz Khalifa is blowin' up though, I could see him getting a major label deal any minute now.
2 - Barry
Adam, Bossman does have a track that he rhymes over the normal club music spead (130 bpm). It's called Dance my pain away and it will be on his new album. Also they should listen to his joint with No. ID called You're Wrong not to mention Off the Record. He will blow. I think another area he shines in are the feeling type records. Off the Record, i did it, your wrong just to name a few.
3 - Adam Hoff
One thing I failed to mention in the introduction paragraph of both columns is that I'm hoping that this these columns will serve to spearhead reader input and utimately serve as a database of sorts. With that in mind, these were some great comments.
Barry, good info on Bossman, I'm happy to hear it. I am personally 100% on board, but the chief criticism I'd seen was regarding tempo, most of it coming from supporters of Labtekwon and other long-time B-More club artists. So I'm sure there was a slant. Thanks for clearing that up. Good call on "Off the Record." His versatility is what will give him staying power, I think. (By the way, I love "You're Wrong" and pretty much anything that No I.D. produces. He's the silent star of the Chicago hip-hop boom.)
4 - Connie Phillips
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5 - Damani Beckham
i am really interested in participating in this association of yours