Bossman hails from Northeast "Bodymore, Murderland" and is one of the rare emcees who can change his style for virtually any beat (although Baltimore club music purists might argue Bossman's slowed-down tracks are cheating a bit on that front). Don't be surprised if Bossman becomes a huge star. Of course, don't be surprised if he disappears into obscurity (like fellow Baltimore rappers Comp and B. Rich) either. It's not easy trying to put an entire city on the map. (See: just about everyone on this list.)
Listen to: "Hand Clap," "A-Yo," "Feet," and "Oh."
Darkhorse - Wiz Khalifa. Bossman and Wiz Khalifa are really pretty interchangeable, but we'll call Khalifa the darkhorse of the two because he's from Pittsburgh, which is an even more remote hip-hop outpost than Baltimore.
If anyone emerges out of the Steel City to become a national force in hip-hop, that will probably rank as a major upset. That said, this guy just oozes talent. Only 18-years old, he already has the right moniker ("Prince of the City"), the proper nickname for his home state ("Pistolvania"), and one of the better mixtapes to come out in the last two years (appropriately combining the two in the title, Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania).
He sounds a little like Cam'ron but with more bite and already comes across as a polished rapper with years of experience. He has a real knack for rhyming multiple words in the same bar and is one of the best I've heard at the sharp, staccato style of rhyming in complex bursts ("I got a hot rhyme, yours cool, not mine, 1-900 only time he got a hot line"). Throw in some of the talented producers coming out of Pittsburgh right now (DJ Huggy, Juliano, and Nicolay) and the pieces might be in place for a star to emerge from a previously untapped landscape.
Listen to: "Lay Em Down," "Damn Thing," "Thrown," and "Pittsburgh Sound."
Others to Watch - Nickelus F, G.A.G.E., Tabi Bonney, and Wale!. In my opinion, the Mid-Atlantic area of the country is producing some of the most talented artists out there -- it is just a matter of whether they get the right platform to make people take notice. Hopefully, the fact that Jive is finally releasing The Clipse's (hailing from Virginia Beach) second album, Hall Hath No Fury, will generate some buzz for the entire region.
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