Hip-Hop is Alive and Well

 

You say Hip Hop is dead? I say you are looking in the wrong places. Forget about BET and the radio; forget about MTV and VH1 you need to find it yourself. The mainstream music industry is a group of pimps and whores. Artists must whore themselves out to the pimps so they will play their music, problem is the majority of the execs are tone deaf and half in the grave. SO… I have gone, out and compiled some of the best Rappers, Emcees and Hip Hop Artist that you may never have heard of. You can hold you applause and thank me later.

 

Machine Gun Kelly:

Young, White, full of energy and often overlooked as a lyricist, MGk is the future of the Rap game.  Most have heard of him but few give him the credit he deserves, so he gets top billing on my list. MGK hails from Cleveland and proudly represents it. He puts on an amazing live show, normally with a full band backing him up. He raps about his life, nothing seems exaggerated, and nothing seems fake or cheesy about him. MGK just enjoys the hip-hop culture and wants everybody to just have a good time when they hear his music. It’s pretty hard to not enjoy his fast paced Midwestern style of rapping and deep thumping beats on songs like “Wild Boy” and “Chip of the Block”. To me, the real gems of music can be found in tracks like “The Pledge” and “The Return” , those songs will make you think twice about saying he isn’t a serious lyricist. MGK is signed to Bad Boy Records and his 1^st major release has tracks featuring Young Jeezy, Bun B, Tech N9ne, Twista and DMX to name a few. MGK’s fans are not your normal run of the mill fans, they are just as full of energy as he is they feed off his hyper activity and have such a deep love for him that it would be hard to say there is another fan base out there that could compete with them.  MGK still has the same circle of friends around him as he did before he was signed and they travel everywhere with him, so I give him big props for keeping his word to them saying where he goes they go.

 

Here are few of his tracks for your enjoyment.

“The Return” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3sMLme1yes

“Edge of Destruction” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV3rHd_9XDw

“Chip of the Block”-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWgr_p0ykwo

“Stereo”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pIZ_0p0y3s

“Invincible” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnFr4MP7Tjo

 

Anilyst:

Unless you are a true rap fan I doubt you have heard of Anilyst, but its ok, because here is your chance to appreciate him. Incredibly sick flow with equally impressive beats, Anilyst is one of my favorite rappers around right now, he embraces the idea of an Emcee and paints a very vivid picture with each track. Although from California I can’t say he has a West Coast flow to him, his music can easily go from a house party to a club to just pounding your ears out while working out. He has the ability to fit a ton of words into a 3 minute track but doesn’t make it seemed rushed or jumbled. I wouldn’t call his style Conscience Rap but he will definitely make you think.  He has a song called “Triple Threat” and he truly is in the way of Writer, Rapper and thought provoker. He is the type of artist that goes way out of the norm and sets the bar higher and higher with each track he puts out. He pretty much goes full throttle on each song and even when he isn’t going hard it’s still pretty damn hard!

 

Here are few of his tracks for your enjoyment.

“Stay the Best”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4GR9dswbRc

“Triple Threat”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjQdaPDdseY

“No Mercy”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmlKBkR2ccU

“About It”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdBQjz2qXMw

“SnapBacks”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wVAN2gmfvs

 

 

Jay Rock:

Watts native from the Nickerson Garden Project, Jay Rock represents the West Coast rap scene like a boss. His raspy and deep vocals remind of many from the West Coast and he continues the legacy of the gangsta rap types. He is no copycat or cookie cutter type of a rapper and he doesn’t hold back and he is not afraid to tell you how good he is. Fact is, he really is that good. Right now there is not another L.A. based artist that can describe the ghetto and the Projects better than Jay Rock. He has surrounded himself with other young, up and coming stars like Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul.

 

Here are few of his tracks for your enjoyment.

“All my life”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9wJuvGqPsM

“Lift me Up” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9wJuvGqPsM

“Hood gone a love it”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPE-eLJS9gY

“Real Bloods” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj1ppVqfwV4

 

 

 

Greydon Square:

You want to talk about thinking way outside the box? Well you need to give Greydon Square a listen. This guy has been through the ringer from a young age, he never really knew his parents and living in foster homes in the Compton, California area where he was often in trouble with the law. Greydon joined the Army and 2 weeks later the attack on the Twin Towers took place, off to War he went. He served a few tours in the Army and once out he went to college in Arizona… here is where the story gets juicy, he was sitting at home with his girlfriend watching Roots and he asked his girlfriend what she thought the world would be like if it the slaves never came to the United States. His girlfriend (A black female) made a comment about how it was good thing they did because they found Christianity through slavery.  That one line changed his life, Greydon really began to question religion and God and from that point on he spoke out on religion and is really the only rapper I know of that talks about atheism. Being a proud and open Atheist myself, I am drawn to his lyrics but it doesn’t stop there. Yes he is a rapper that makes you think, he will make you think more than just about any other artist making songs right now, but his methodical flow traps you in and carries you on his journey, it’s not your journey, it’s his and you are his passenger is how I look at. He is there to teach and you are there to learn and open your mind.

 

 

Here are few of his tracks for your enjoyment.

“Stockholm Syndrome” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjptinXW9zk

“Man Made God”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyAgvZhOosw

“Judge Me”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipXtfD-AnQg

“A Rational Response” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5R8kok_4d4

 

 

Stalley:

Stalley mixes conscience rap with perfectly placed samples and an effortless sounding flow. Yet another rapper that makes me proud to be from Ohio. Stalley is signed to Maybach Music Group, headlined by Rick Ross. He has throwback East Coast style to him, a poet and a story teller; he is not a hardcore, in your face slam it down your throat type of rapper. No he is more along the lines of, sit back, relax, close your eyes and prepare to be amazed.  The more you listen to him the more you will appreciate his art, and that’s what this is, it’s an art form and he is a true Artist. Lyrically, he is one of the most sound writers in the game today, and the awesome thing is he is still growing as an artist. I can’t wait to see where he goes from here, lyrically speaking, because what he has already been able to do is pretty amazing.

 

Here are few of his tracks for your enjoyment.

 

“Pound”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCQylJkMmCM

“Live at Blossom”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IW9pw1MP3o

“Petrin Hill Peonies”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnuH5qvKvAU

“Sound of Silence”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G_eDUYe848

 

Lushlife:

A conductor of an electric symphony, a rapper, a producer, a music historian all wrapped up into one person. A true underground giant, Lushlife has the ability to blend a tranquil atmosphere using samples and self-made beats with a flow that would make even the most seasoned Emcee’s envious. Lushlife may have his golden ticket in the way he uses samples, they are an art form all to their own, it’s a blend of old and new and he takes the art of sampling to new levels. He can go from a Jazz infused beat to a classical masterpiece all while including his own version of Street-Hop. He makes music everybody can enjoy, he doesn’t go in front of the mic to brag or degrade, he goes on the mic to paint a picture, to him its truly just art in lyrics and sound, much like to Picasso paint and canvas was his outlet Lushlife using computer generated sounds and his incredible use of words to make a masterpiece.

 

Here are few of his tracks for your enjoyment.

“The Songbird Athletic” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn–vBCmz9k

“Until the Sun Dies”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvmINxgIYCs

“Magnolia”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFyyQ9GoQC8

“Still I hear the Word Progress”-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0XUk0eOw6A ****THIS TRACK IS INCREADIBLE!!!!

 

You see, Hip-Hop is not dead, it’s hidden, you just need to find it and know where to look. If you think you will find on the radio or watching BET, you may find yourself letdown. Mainstream music isn’t all garbage, just mostly garbage. Hip-Hop is alive and thriving as far as I am concerned. Go on, go listen to all the tracks I have provided, but don’t stop there, go to these artists pages and download their music, support them and help them grow, show them you appreciate great music.