Each year, Hip Hop music and culture finds a way to surprise us. As much as 2014 was powered by legacy emcees and young upstarts making their way, we saw pleasant surprises in the form of J. Coles’ December release 2014 Forest Hills Drive and a slew of great projects from our TDE family with Kendrick’s follow-up dropping sometime this year. Regardless of the region they claim or the amount of projects they’ve released, we looked at a group of artists with intriguing storylines that we felt were worth keeping an eye on in 2015.
Will a new year bring continued success for the Atlanta Rap scene and a return of albums by Hip Hop’s biggest names? Will Hip Hop’s one percent continue to put the Rap game in a chokehold? Will Hip Hop see its first multi-million dollar art-piece album? With a dozen similar storylines fighting for attention, here are the emcees we’ll be following closely for 2015.
YG Hootie
Brick Squad’s Compton connect may share the same abbreviated prefix of one established rapper from the area but, YG Hootie has spent more time in Atlanta’s Trap movement for quite some time. Since making his breakthrough feature verse on Waka Flocka’s major label debut Flockaveli, guest appearances from him have been peppered through many releases from the label. Taking some time for himself in the spotlight, he dropped Destroy & Rebuild last October. Alongside sonic cameos from Flocka and Ty$, the project also features one of the most under-rated Kendrick Lamar guest verses of 2014. Is the world potentially ready for three mega-star rappers from Compton? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Hardo
We seen this artists beat some incredible odds to be in the position he is in now. His new “Trapnati” mixtape is sure to turn the rap game upside down in 2015 with features from TI, Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller to name few. We expect “Hardo’s” next mixtape to be a classic. He is what Pittsburgh and the whole rap industry needs right now. #Trapnati will be legendary. You Heard it hear first. #Salute
Travis Scott
Featured on last year’s list, Travis Scott didn’t really pop the way many expected despite having a pretty good 2013. That year saw him lend assistant production to Kanye West’s Yeezus and Jay Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail. 2014 seemed dry until Days Before Rodeo became one of DX’s most cherished mixtapes of last year. The Houston-native may finally live up to this potential in 2015 if he can pull off a fraction of what was done on project that gave us “Mamacita” and “Don’t Play.” Evolving into Hip Hop’s first potentially great rapper/producer post-Yeezus, Scott’s lyricism is as distorted as his production and it works more so than not.
Plane Jaymes
This is probably the most unknown artist on the list but not for long. Plane Jaymes set the entire east coast on fire when he released his single “Water Wet”. The song is freaky enough for chicks toi like it but still keeps it real enough for the male audience listen to. The big break came when hip hop legend “Yo Gotti” decided to not only remix the track but to put “Plane Jaymes” on his most recent mixtape “Concealed”. Rumor has it that Plane Jaymes has been working closely with “Yo Gotti” and is working on a tape now with his CMG record label. #Salute
O.T. Genasis
“CoCo” was everywhere last year, buttressed by the Long Beach native’s enthusiastic ode to poppy plant’s most used product. The beat itself is a rehash. Juice 808’s joint can be found elsewhere (if you are so determined), but it lacks O.T.’s infectious charisma. Stardom can not be made on one song alone, though, and where previous decades would have seen him ascend into one-hit-wonder ubiquity, 2015 requires an extra step or three. But, if there’s anyone who can stay his course it’s Hip Hop legend Busta Rhymes. And the Conglomerate Records owner has more than enough experience to help guide the youngsters career. If anything, this isn’t his first hit. That would be “Jackie Chan” for those counting at home.
