Our future raps stars dropping fire at the birth of their careers...
Kamaiyah
Out The Bottle
20 year-old Oakland rapper Kamaiyah broke onto the scene last year with her megahit-still-in-the-waiting How Does It Feel? and just last week she released a brilliant mixtape A Good Night In The Ghetto. She's reappropriating beats from the ‘80s and rapping over them with melodies that could bag her some serious radio hits and stories that could win her fans all over the world. Out The Bottle has one of the strongest hooks on the mixtape and is an instantaneous jam.
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/kamaiyah/02-out-the-bottle-feat-zay-prod-ct-beats?in=kamaiyah/sets/a-good-night-in-the-ghetto[/soundcloud]
Salma Slims
Don’t Act
Royce Rizzy’s Private Club Records is one of the next collectives poised to blow-up. Madeintyo is on the label and he’s starting to blow-up with his track Uber Everywhere and now Salma Slims looks poised to do the same. She churns out confident bars over a Murda Beatz beat, centring the song around the hook, “don’t act too brand new”. This is the sort of track that will gain momentum in the club before it does anywhere else because it’s got an effortless cool about it that just feels so right.
Max Wonders
Utopia
Max Wonders brings cruisy Cali vibes on this track but he’s actually from Chicago. It’s the second single from his upcoming full length Hues To Blame and it’s a super clean, melodic cut that flicks between rapping and singing. As summer dies on this side of the hemisphere this makes it feel like it's returning and if his goal is euphoria then he does a pretty convincing job.
Innanet James
Summer
Given how effortlessly beatmakers like Kaytranada have mixed electronica and hip-hop recently, it’s amazing that it’s only really Azealia Banks and GoldLink repping the crossover. We can now add Innanet James to that list, the Maryland rapper bringing charismatic bars to perky, electronic beats. Summer sounds exactly like what its chorus suggests. It’s colourful, personable and danceable led by a voice that’s got plenty to give. This is a straight-up hit, first listen.
Forest
Underdog
It wouldn’t be a feature on rapper without shining a light on a Compton rapper and Forest is a pretty skilled one. He’s bringing a different vibe to fellow Compton rappers Kendrick Lamar and YG on Underdog with darker beats more likely to recall Future than Thundercat. His verses are focussed, tough and relentless introducing us to a rapper who has the focus to deliver some really potent moments. His new project UNDRWATER is out tomorrow.
Pollàri
Missing
In 2016 whenever you see the Metro Boomin name attached to anything you pay attention. The Future, Drake and Young Thug producer has laid-down the beat for this latest Pollàri cut, providing that off-kilter, woozy vibe that he often does with Thug. The Atlanta rapper’s verses are just as wavy, taking cues from rappers like Travis Scott. The video is also a pretty dizzying experience but it all feels purposeful and once you centre yourself you realise the expertise behind it.
Mickey Shiloh
Deep (Feat. Chrystian Lehr)
Mickey Shiloh is only 24 but she’s already kicked some impressive goals. She’s written for Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Iggy Azalea but now she’s starting to reach milestones in her own solo career. She’s tagged her latest Deep as pop on Soundcloud but it’s got a hip-hop backbone and vocally she sits somewhere between rapping and singing in a Rihanna Consideration-type-way. Her feel for melody is obvious and her voice is silken but striking. The hook on this feels like her voice is running of the Grand Canyon and echoing in the valley.
https://soundcloud.com/mickeyshiloh/deep-ft-chrystian-lehr
