Javaly................5 Rappers U Slept On

By Matt Javaly

A lot of shade has been thrown on 2014 with respect to the quality (and quantity) of music output, and most of 2015’s hype has surrounded big-name artists who sat out 2014 in hopes of blowing up this year. But what about those who weren’t on the bench last year? Out of respect for the come-up, here’s a short list of rappers you’ve probably been sleeping on.

ISAIAH RASHAD Age: 23 / Origin: Chattanooga, TN Label: TDE / Best Tracks: “West Savannah,” “Banana”

Believe it or not, 2014 actually looked salvagable when Cilvia Demo dropped in late January. Despite the label of “EP,” the tape has more insight and better flows than most of the other major-label releases in recent memory. The combination of Rashad’s confidence and relaxed demeanor allow him to deliver personal couplets like, “And if I give my story to the world / I wonder if they book me for a show” in a conversational tone (“Heavenly Father”). His success is in part due to the label itself; Top Dawg Entertainment boasts one of hip hop’s deepest rosters, and what’s more, they’re independent, which prevents much of the bureaucratic interference with the creative process. Talking to Complex last month about ScHoolboy Q’s effect on his music, Rashad remarked, “[H]e showed me that it is more about the showman than the sounds behind it. He showed me how to be an entertainer.” Let’s see if he can’t make 2015 a bit more entertaining… and wake you up in the process.

VINCE STAPLES Age: 21 / Origin: Long Beach, CA Label: Def Jam / Best Tracks: “Blue Suede,” “Nate”

“With so much drama in the L-B-C, it’s kinda hard bein’ Snoop D-O-double-G” - Snoop Doggy Dogg, “Gin and Juice” (1993). And over twenty years later, the drama in Long Beach ensues. In the face of such adversity, Snoop Dogg had the advantage of a honey-dipped voice capable of rap in double and triple-time without stopping for breath, and ballet-dancing around Dr. Dre’s G-funk beats was the ideal distraction from the glaring social issues plaguing Southern California. Fortunately for music fans, Vince Staples does not have such a luxury. His voice is not smooth, and he lacks the carefree charm of Doggystyle-era Snoop. The leadoff track on 2014’s Hell Can Wait EP, “Fire”, makes clear that he will not attempt to glorify his life: “Believe that, we was thuggin’ on the back streets / Catchin’ cases, probably finna go to Hell anyway,” he groans, while the 808 kicks. His scope is wide enough to cover police racism (“Hands Up”) and doomed relationships (“Limos”), but he never loses himself and his bitterly sarcastic attitude. Additionally, the dark, bass-heavy sound in Staples’ music is representative of an important shift in the hip hop landscape. 2014’s most critically acclaimed rap album, Run The Jewels 2, was a massive political statement with much disdain and little approval. So get your hand off the snooze button?

MICK JENKINS Age: 23 / Origin: Chicago, IL Label: Cinematic Music Group / Best Tracks: “Jazz,” “514”

Chicago’s hip-hop scene is amorphous, to say the least. While Vic Mensa and Chance The Rapper persuade you to Save Money, Chief Keef tries to physically count the amount of automatic guns he owns, and Kanye West has made the conscious decision to raise his family in Los Angeles, CA (“last winter she got so cold on me”…okay, I’ll stop). So Mick Jenkins’ decision to sign with the New York-based Cinematic Music Group should be seen as less of a departure from his roots and more of a diversification of his

palette. His 2014 project, The Water[s], immediately became the label’s best output in over a year, and did a number on DatPiff’s bandwith as well (what’s 50,000 downloads to a rapper with little to no hype?). The mixtape contains innumerable references to water, within which Jenkins finds much stimuli. In “Comfortable” he floats in it (“Got your joint, it’s in rotation, check the syncopation / Deep off in these waters never needing no flotation”), but in “Drink More Water” he just sips it (“Will these niggas let me sip my ginger ale? You can tell that I’m parched / On point like a dart / Or a pen with a ball, don’t start / I can tell that you aren’t“). What’s impressive here is his ability to create a liquid world where he can really thrive, and spit quality bars in his clean baritone. A microcosm of this ability to simultaneously create and adapt is mixtape stunner “Jazz,” which finds Jenkins making various allusions to famous jazz musicians (“Makeovers help niggas make money / But I’mma always just talk that James Moody / Most rappers these days is actors and I can’t keep watching the same movie”) while comparing the advice he receives to the truth. He explodes at the fakers, and then collects himself to talk his own jazz. Too bad you were napping.

RICH HOMIE QUAN Age: 25 / Origin: Atlanta, GA Label: T.I.G. Entertainment / Best Tracks: “I Know It,” “Type of Way”

The ironic part about this entry is that Rich Homie Quan’s only 2014 output came with Rich Gang alongside rapper Young Thug and Birdman, and he recently announced that he was leaving the group. The character of the group’s 2014 mixtape, Rich Gang: Tha Tour Part 1, is much defined by Young Thug, but his irreverent yawps and nonsequiturs are grounded by Rich Homie’s verses and hooks. Thug says, “Baby girl spoiled and she spoilder than milk / And I’mma keep her on my side like a fuckin’ hip,” but RHQ says “Somethin’ about lil shawty that I can’t put my finger on / It’s somethin’ about lil shawty, she rather text, she don’t be on phones” (“Tell Em [Lies]”). He uses this ability not only to make the most ridiculous lines relatable, but also to make the most rough subject matter sound so smooth: “Me when I’m coming full speed, that V12 runnin’ / And I’mma jump the fence if I see 12 comin’ / Even if I were blind I could still smell money” (“Walk Thru”). This is also an example of Rich Homie’s advantage of being able to both sing and rap in several flows, as he will often croon at the end of a line for emphasis. This recalls a (failed) attempt by another Birdman protege to begin a singing career, which is not to compare Rich Homie Quan to Lil Wayne in his prime but rather to see his potential in its entirety. Birdman has nothing if not his eye for talent, and he seems to believe in Rich Homie Quan, even if he won’t be joining Cash Money. The future is bright for the Atlanta upstart, and your new alarm clock plays “Type of Way.”

LIL WAYNE Age: 32 / Origin: New Orleans, LA Label: Cash Money / Best Tracks: “Believe Me,” “D’usse”

Lil Wayne shouldn’t be on this list, but not for the reason you’re thinking. He spent 2014 promoting an album his label won’t release, which is why, of all the up-and-coming, low-hype spitters on this list, Weezy is the most likely to sign elsewhere in 2015. That will have to wait until after his $8M lawsuit against Cash Money, a debacle which all but swallowed the media coverage of Tha Carter V’s promotional singles. Don’t get confused though; you’re not sleeping on Wayne because of marketing issues…you’re sleeping on Wayne because it’s the easy fucking thing to do. After a few years of sloppy output followed by an even sloppier fallout with Cash Money, counting him out seems logical. It’s true that the quality of his music declined heavily between 2009 and 2013, but mid-2014 found immense promise for Weezy. Rapping with a newfound intensity and a familiar charisma, the twenty-three-year (signed to Cash Money at age nine) veteran released several tracks considered to be his best in recent memory. “Now I’m riding ‘round the city with the top off the Maaaybach / Lookin’ for a motherfuckin’ spot we can skaaate at,” he exclaims in “D’usse,” with soul reminiscent of Tha Carter III. To be clear, 2008-era Lil Wayne is not coming back, nor should it. There is room within the growing genre of “adult rap” for Wayne, and he should exploit this. He’s thirty-two, and at this point he has more in common with Kanye West and Danny Brown than with the young guys he frequently collaborates with (I’m looking at you, Drake). Regardless, barring any setbacks from his upcoming lawsuit, he has the potential and the creative space for his eleventh and (supposedly) final album to be something special. I can’t help but remember “A Milli:” “Who that said they gon beat Lil Wayne?”