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The first half of 2015 closed with an incredibly strong showing from hip-hop after months of sitting most of 2014 out. Last month we saw two of the best albums of the year (so far) drop from Chance The Rapper and A$AP Rocky. This month had its share of fantastic albums (Leon Bridges, Elijah Blake, Vince Staples, Miguel, The Internet, and Skeme), and it was littered with a barrage of truly jamming singles, which we’ll get to later. June’s most newsworthy headlines pertained to the XXL Freshman list and the launch of Apple Music/Beats1 Radio. Oh, wait. Kanye’s having a son! Can’t forget that. But back to Apple Music for a minute. Apple pretty much redefined the entire music industry with the iTunes store, spearheading the switch to digital music. Fourteen years later (now as a titan in nearly any industry the company dips its toes in), Apple is now foraying into the Stream Wars. Here are some quick takes and what they mean to me:
- I’m glad Apple is involved. The iTunes store is the mecca of digital music libraries for the most part, so it’s only natural they’re in the mix.
- I fear it’s the death of buying music. Let’s just be very real for a second: Who in their right mind would ever buy an album again other than strictly for support? Seriously. Your options are to pay $10 for a single album in the iTunes store/retail or pay $10 a month for all the albums ever for the rest of time. No brainer, right?
- When it came out, Beats Music had the best curation behind it, so I’m excited about the level of involvement from people like Drake, Pharrell, Elton John, Dr. Dre, and so many others with the radio platform and curated playlists. This seems like a win.
- The family pack option is the wave and definitely a hit.
- Artists are still not getting enough for streams.
- 1989 and The Chronic are on there. That’s a Diddy Kettleball to the head of Spotify and Tidal.
- Stream Wars are essentially stupid because we’ll all eventually have to choose between 10 different services based on exclusive content that each provides due to shutting the others out.
Now, to the always-controversial XXL Magazine Freshman List. Each year since 2007, XXL collects what they deem to be the game-changing up-and-comers in the industry destined for greatness. They’ve had some great years, like the year they had Kid Cudi, Wale, Curren$y, B.o.B., and Charles Hamilton. They’ve also whiffed in epic fashion on picks like Fred Da Godson, Don Trip, Pill, and others. For 2015’s XXL Freshman Class, they did pretty damn OK. You could even say good. I’ll provide the list below and my thoughts on each:
Vince Staples
Vince is the most for-real on the entire cover to me. He makes excellent music, he has great beat selections that will have you making your best screw-face over and over, and he talks about important issues. He’s funny, smart, and articulate while legitimately rapping his ass off. Put faith in the youngin’ from Long Beach and listen to his album Summertime ’06. It’s easily top five of the year so far.
OG Maco
You know Maco whether you know you do or not. He’s the “Bitch U Guessed It!!!!” guy. Funny thing, though: He intentionally made a dumbed-down single he felt would catch on. “U Guessed It” reflects maybe 3 to 10 percent of the music Maco consistently makes. He’s another intelligent and articulate individual who makes a point to converse with his fans about important issues instead of focusing on radio and mindless singles. His work ethic is damn near unparalleled too, releasing about 10 projects in the last year alone. (You’ll notice a trend of Atlanta artists on here.)
Goldlink
Goldlink is the artist on this cover I listen to the most. After I heard God Complex, I knew I was hooked. He has the perfect mix of dance, drum ‘n’ bass, and quick-tempoed hip-hop that I want to hear in 2015. Being from D.C., his sound would inevitibly have a dance element to it, but he keeps it incredibly fresh. And he already has Rick Rubin (and a slew of others) behind him.
K Camp
K Camp is yet another rapper you’ve heard whether you know it or not. He’s been on the hook for Snootie Wild’s 2014 anthem “Made Me,” his own banger “Cut Her Off,” and about five or so others that have skyrocketed up the charts and airwaves. He’s another ATLien star in the making and is showing a lot of versatility with his recent releases. I imagine we’ll be hearing him on hooks for quite some time.
Fetty Wap
The Trap Queen himself made the cover after a blazing hot, out-of-nowhere campaign that began with the “Trap Queen” takeover and culminated in a Drake remix of “My Way.” Funny thing, though: Those aren’t even close to his best songs. I listen to “679” religiously and love “RGF Island,” “D.A.M.,” and so many others. The New Jersey native may be our new T-Pain (no disrespect to the severely underrated gawd), and I’m all for it.
Raury
This is good music, through and through. His combination of folk, hip-hop, and elements of indie rock is lightyears ahead of what many of the best in music today have to offer — and he’s only 19. He’s the final ATL star on the cover, but he may be destined to be brightest star. Early co-signs from Kanye West and Rick Rubin, along with a record deal from the phenomenal team at Colombia (Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Zayn Malik, One Direction, and dozens of other icons), have set him up for an incredible future.
Shy Glizzy
If you pay attention to the hip-hop “tastemakers” (hate that word), you’ve seen names that bubbled up to relevancy from waves and waves of street support. Shy Glizzy is one of those artists, putting out so much dope material that he could no longer be denied. The breakthrough song, for me, would be his “Funeral” remix with Young Jeezy. He’s also from D.C. and represents the other side of what their hip-hop scene and sound offers.
Dej Loaf
Dej Loaf’s infectious “Try Me” took over the radio and melted the hearts of gangsters everywhere. Many feared she would come and go as a one-hit wonder. Nope. Her 2015 campaign has been incredibly strong, whether on the strength of her own songs or her spotlight-stealing features. Dej’s voice is one of the most unique in the game, and when she hits the right melodies, it’s downright hypnotizing.
Tink
Usually when XXL puts females on the cover, they have outrageously huge singles like Iggy’s “Fancy” or Dej’s “Try Me.” Tink doesn’t have that, but she has support from every corner of the industry and makes some very enjoyable music. With the crop of future legends coming out of Chicago almost weekly, it’s refreshing to see a woman rise to prominence and get the respect of the industry. She’s accumulated millions and millions of views on YouTube and is poised to break through later this year.
Kidd Kidd
You already know Kidd Kidd — from last decade. He was on Lil Wayne’s “ Officer” from 2008’s Tha Carter III. That look wasn’t enough to launch him into stardom, but he was recruited by G-Unit and featured on many of their releases in the early part of this decade. I personally feel he has no business on the list, as I’m a proponent of featuring the youth, but that’s me.
Read on for a recap of local and underground hip-hop
