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CAINEANDGUNS TOP 26 RAP ARTISTS UNDER 30: a diary

Been a while since I’ve posted to Tumblr. Just haven’t had many ideas I felt like sharing. But now I feel enough has changed between the last time I made a list and now that there are enough new things to say about old artists and enough new artists to insert into the hierarchy. And there has been so much dope music to come out over that timespan I went ahead and added 5 spots to the list.

Before we get into the list lets go over a few things that will hopefully elucidate how and why different artists are ranked where they are ranked.

First things first, they have to be under 30*. Before you hit me with a, “well what about ___,” I’d suggest hitting up wikipedia first to make sure they fall under the criteria.

Secondly, unlike the first list, this is more of a what have you done for me lately list. The ranking for this list has only but so much to do with what these artists have accomplished over the course of their entire careers. If a rapper dropped a classic in 2013 but dropped a stinker or even an average album in 2016 or 2017, the rapper will be judged accordingly.

And finally, although I pride myself on objectivity, this list is undeniably coated with my personal views. This is my little platform here and I would like to brainwash whoever submits themselves to me. So if I have a view I see as an undeniable truth, I will attempt to impress it upon you. With that said, I try to make the bias pretty clear by speaking in first person and using subjective words.

Also there will be some artists who I can go on and on about and other artists who I cannot. This has as much to do with whether or not I’ve found something interesting to write about it as it pertains to their artistry as it does to do with whether or not I actually like said artist’s music. Also has to do if I already wrote about them on the previous list and not much has changed since. So no offense is intended when go on several paragraphs about one artist and only have a handful of sentences to say about another. On a similar note, there’s WAYYYYYY more writing on this list than the previous one and it’s just meant for people who are interested in a specific artist to get a more nuanced take about said artist. If you feel like reading it all then I appreciate it, but this is just a listicle at the end of the day.

Additionally there may be edits for certain artists who dropped projects in between me beginning and ending this write up. I started around mid-July of 2016, planned on ending in September of 2016, but there was so much music that dropped that this turned into a diary almost where I’d just add comments I had about artists based on music they had just released. Btw the songs I list as my favorite songs are just selecting from songs that have been released since the last list (late 2014, so 2015-present).

So without further ado, my top 26 rappers under 30 years old.

26. Young Nudy | 24 years old

To start it off I’ll be the first to tell you, there are probably gonna be a couple of people you see in the honorable mentions who you think are better at straight up rapping than Young Nudy, but none of their music sounds nearly as good and that’s why he cracked the final spot on the list.

Nudy and P’ierre Bourne linked up a couple years ago and have immediately become one of the best rapper-producer combos going right now. Even as P’ierre’s beats have been used by more and more artists in the past few months with his rise in popularity, only Nudy seems to bring them to life in the way that they deserve. A lot of the production he raps over whether it be from P’ierre or Richie Souf is lush and vibrant yet still raw all at once and Nudy’s vocal presence fits perfectly into that mold. He’s got a Gucci-influenced flow that I can only describe as relaxed and he just stays in his pocket comfortably on beats even when his delivery is aggressive. 

He’s got a really good hold for infectious hooks and ad-libs. Most rappers who have those qualities tend to fumble their way through their verses and leave everyone just waiting for the chorus of their songs to start again, but Nudy captures that same energy in his hooks and carries it throughout the song. All of those aforementioned qualities in his work have made Slimeball 1 and Slimeball 2 some of the easiest start to finish listens I’ve heard in the past couple years and I’d recommend them to anyone.

Favorite Project: Slimeball 1/Slimeball 2 (love em equally)

Favorite song/verse: “Jugg” or “Shots Fired”

25. Rocaine | ? (hopefully he’s not 30+ but I doubt it)

Stop sleeping on this nigga. I should probably tell myself the same shit since I was waiting on his mixtape for two years and didn’t even know it dropped until like two months after it released. We all as a society need to stop sleeping on Rocaine. He is everything everyone says they want gangsta rap to be. Authentic, principled,  menacing and compelling.

A portion of Rocaine’s day one fanbase claim he fell off because he raps with quieter cadences and more laid black flows but they ignore the fact that what he is saying is still dope as it has ever been. He just makes rapping sound really easy, effortlessly whipping together several internal rhymes at a time. Rocaine has the type of charisma and ear for beats that many of today’s rappers rely upon to skate their way through track after track, except he doesn’t use those assets as a crutch and instead backs them up with quality bars. 

Despite the violent nature of most of his music, you can hear that he doesn’t taking rapping too seriously and it gives room for just enough lighthearted moments and humor to provide a balance in his lyrics. He always prioritizes saying what he feels like saying over everything else and it gives his music a Based-esque edge that people who are into gritty music can appreciate. 

His debut album Dopeman bangs from start to finish and hopefully is the start of a very strong discography from one Detroit’s best rappers.

Favorite Project: Dopeman

Favorite song/verse: “Just Another Day”

24. Thouxanbanfauni | 23 years old

Of the “soundcloud rappers” making the biggest waves in music right now, Fauni stands head and shoulders above the rest as the premier lyricist of his peers. He has a rare ability of putting together cohesive concepts and ideas on songs from start to finish without being too direct about what the subject matter at hand is, a quality that many of the great writers throughout music history share. He also uses repetition really well, repeating phrases throughout a song or using the same exact flow and cadence throughout a song without actually being repetitive. He gets away with repetition better than most of his peers simply because he just has a wider array of words and ideas at his disposal. The diction he uses is totally singular to his style and it stands out in an age rampant with cliches. Fauni also has some wisdom he drops every now and then that is of a man who has lived far more than 23 years on earth. If he can put all of those qualities together on a consistent basis he’s gonna become a really complete artist who’ll only get better with age and gain more prominence with time.

Favorite Project: Heavy Weight Champ

Favorite Song/verse: “Solid”

23. Yung Gleesh | 27 years old

I’d argue that outside of the big 3 of Chief Keef, Lil B and Spaceghostpurrp; there hasn’t been a more influential rapper of the past five years or so than Yung Gleesh. Whether it’s the new age Zaytoven-inspired cloudy production he raps over from guys like Hurtboy AG and Trap Money Benny, the sharp flow and internal rhyming he uses to sit so comfortably in the pocket of those aforementioned beats, the one or two word chants on choruses or the “aye” adlibs; they are all contributions to the game today that he either manufactured or helped popularized.

As a writer he’s really good at going from one idea to the next very quickly and always saying just enough to convey what he feels or thinks to the listener. Gleechie also always seems to have a hold on what cadences work at what moment. Where most rappers would be calm, he’ll yell at the top of his lungs and for whatever reason it’ll work for him. Where most rappers would yell, he’ll mumble his way through a verse with his signature slurry delivery. Yung Gleesh also doesn’t get nearly enough credit for being a dope rapper from a technical standpoint but it’s clearly there. He plays with words for fun and ends up being more impressive than most of these niggas out here rappity rapping their heart out. Hopefully with the A$AP Mob co-signs and some of the social media popularity he’s garnered with his clean ass dance he’ll also get more credit for his artistry. GLEESH should be a dope album can’t wait for it.

Favorite Project: B.C./Cleansides Finest 3 (depends on the day)

Favorite Song/verse: “Take My Time”’or “Krazy” or “Whistle” 

22. Slim Jxmmi | 25 years old

He’s one half of what is the best rap group on planet earth right now. While his cousin holds the responsibility of laying down the hooks more times than not, Slim matches every ounce of energy Swae Lee provides and then some on the verses. Many people would like to see Swae Lee do a solo album and while I don’t think it’s the worst idea, Rae Sremmurd is what it is because of how Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi complement each other. Where Slim Jxmmi may lack the ability to lay down a song structure, Swae Lee provides it. Where Swae Lee may lack technical ability to give a pop rap song more edge, Slim Jxmmi provides it.

Slim Jxmmi has the distinction of making some of the funnest verses to rap along to over the last couple years with his ability to drop quotable upon quotable and it’s a credit to Jxmmi’s nimble delivery and cadence. He gives each bar its own personality, and many times gives each word within a bar its own personality. Slim has the ability to effortlessly shift back and forth between a laid-back tone and an aggressive one in an instance. His verse on “Up Like Trump” is one of the better examples of him putting all of those qualities on full display. Couple that with his infectious raspy vocals and you have one of the more compelling rappers out right now.

Favorite Project: Sremmlife (edit: Sremmlife 2)

Favorite Song/Verse: “Over Here”

21. Mac Miller | 25 years old 

[First edition rank: 7th]

Mac Miller is one of the more introspective rappers going right now and the way he goes about said introspection is absolutely admirable. Mac delivers it in the most human way possible, occasionally resolute but more often paradoxical. He shifts back and forth from loathing and braggadocio in an instance, all with the intent of self examination. He’s just as quick to bask in the fame he has garnered as he is to talk about how fame has inhibited his ability to live a normal life. He’s just as quick to boast about the number of women he’s bedded as he is to lament the fact that many of those women only wanted him for his money.  And he’s just as quick to brag about the high quality drugs he intakes as he is to condemn his different drug addictions and point out that the substances are only there to fill voids in his life. Combine that awareness with a versatile delivery, pretty good song writing skills and a great ear for beats and you’ve got a guy with one of the better rap catalogues of the last 4 years.

The only significant difference between how I feel about Mac Miller now and how I felt about Mac Miller back in 2014 when I ranked him the 7th best rapper on my previous list is that the level of competition has ramped up and surpassed him a bit. Mac Miller’s run of Watching Movies with the Sound Off, Delusional Thomas, and Faces was amazing in a vacuum; but it just so happened to come during a time where there weren’t as many dope rappers making music. Nevertheless he’s still one of the best rappers of his generation.

Favorite Project: Watching Movies with the Sound Off/Faces (depends on the day)

Favorite Song/Verse: “Break the Law”

20. Kamaiyah | 25 years old

No one makes better feel good music than Kaimaiyah man. And in an age where dark music is en vogue (i.e. I never thought XO Tour Life was gonna turn into the hit it did), it’s kinda hard to make upbeat music that people won’t find cheesy. Outside of having sex, making money and occasionally talking about love; there really aren’t too many positive subjects that are regularly covered in rap music. And even with sex it is usually cloaked in misogyny and when people rap about money it usually involves rappers talking about the struggle of getting it, the untoward means by which they are willing to get it, or berating people who don’t have it. Kamaiyah has avoided all of those tropes and has created some of the freshest music to come out in the past few years.

She’s kinda stuck in the late 80’s and early 90’s with her sonic palette but she’s taken influences from a lot of the Golden Age’s most enduring qualities: the warbling baselines and warm synths of the Bay Area, the booming electronic percussion and swift flows of New Orleans, and the raunchiness and exuberance of Miami. She’s taken all of these elements and given them the modernity they deserve.

But it’s not the vintage soundscape she’s mastered that makes her so potent, it’s the originality she’s injected to that soundscape. Where many female MCs who have had mainstream success have been pushed by their labels and other patriarchal forces to take a lot of the negative subject matter males cover and basically just change the nouns, Kamaiyah has commanded our attention by just oozing uplift and seeking nothing but pleasure. She pairs her great ear for beats with an even greater handle for what flows accentuate the vibe she’s going for and tops it off with a really contagious melodic delivery. It all came together on A Good Night in the Ghetto and the project received the universal critical acclaim it deserved.

Favorite Project: A Good Night in the Ghetto

Favorite song/verse: “Freaky Freaks”

19. 21 Savage | 24 years old

From Slaughter Tape through Savage Mode, the man checking in at number #19 has one of the best rap discogs over the last three years. 21 raps with an edge and a sense of heartlessness that I’ve really only heard most recently from Bang era Chief Keef. There’s no yelling or any posturing, 21 says he’ll shoot you in the calmest manner possible and you 100% believe it. Thats not a quality you can learn, it’s just a natural vocal presence that some people happen to have and 21 Savage is one of those people. It’s not something that makes or breaks my musical enjoyment, but it definitely is a quality I appreciate with any gangsta rap music.

The flip side to 21’s unrelentingly violent music is that it is absolutely audacious and sometimes even hilarious. 21 will be the first to admit that he isn’t a natural rapper from a technical standpoint but it is clear when listening to his music that he has a pretty great hold on cadence and delivery. What makes his music so entertaining and unique is that there are times when he has something to say and he will totally abandon the  the rhyme pattern and the song structure to say what the fuck he feels like saying at any given moment.

He’s just uproarious as he is grave.

To highlight this I made a little list of some of the reasons 21 Savage doesn’t want a bitch:

“I wanna fuck ya but i can’t/the pussy musty bitch it stank”

“I don’t want that fishy pussy bitch it smell like snapper”

“Bitch pussy stank, the ho smell like tilapia”

“I told that bitch to keep it pushin cause her pussy dry/I’m slaughter gang bitch your hair smell like old fries”

There is always room for hilarity in rap. It’s one of the reasons why guys like Lil B and Danny Brown are so beloved and it’s one of the reasons I love 21 Savage’s music.

Beyond the hilarity; he has a great ear for beats and more importantly he is absolutely authentic. When I listen to 21 Savage rap about the streets turning him into a cold and heartless human being, I don’t hear someone who is bragging about it; I hear someone who came to grips with the cards he was dealt and is responding in the only way he knows how. Music is both an outlet of survival and therapy for him. Where most rappers act as if they were born hardened shooters, 21 Savage is the first to admit that growing up with few resources, the pain and paranoia he has suffered from being betrayed by people close to him, getting shot and seeing his friends die is what has led him to such a state of remorselessness. He outlines the purpose of his actions in a way that makes the listener accept his flaws just as he has accepted his own.

His new project with Metro Boomin shows a progression towards different subject matter, flows and an evolving beat palette. It’s great to see the success he has achieved in such a short span of time and hopefully it continues.

(edit: So I wrote all of that nearly a year before Issa Album. It’s such a weird album to analyze because you could argue it’s his worst project but at the same time it feels like he’s at the height of his powers as a pure rapper on it. It feels like no one did their job on that shit besides 21 Savage. “Bank Account” is by far the hardest beat on the album and it’s produced by him and the one feature on the album is from Thug doing some ad-libs that sounded lazy and unneeded. 21 by himself isn’t a great enough rapper to hop on beats that don’t knock and still be consistently compelling. That’s not really an insult either, there are few who can. But he isn’t one of the few and his lack of ear for diverse production with depth hurt the album a bit. I’d probably feel different if it was like 4 or 5 songs shorter.

On the flip side all of the rapping is solid and we get more range from him. “Numb” is a melancholic mocking of every rapper (including himself) that uses money to hide whatever shortcomings they have in their life. “FaceTime” you have him channeling Drake and still maintaining his sound with some of the better use of autotune we’ve heard from him in his career. On “Nothin New” he talks about cyclical poverty and violence and the systemic racism that fuels it. It’s all refreshing to hear from him but you just wish the album as a whole was produced better.)

favorite project: Free Guwop EP

favorite song/verse: “Bitch Nigga”

18/17. Offset | 25 years old & Quavo | 26 years old

[First Edition Ranking for Offset: Honorable Mention]

[First Edition Ranking for Quavo: 10th]

There was a time where Quavo was clearly the heart of the Migos, bringing forth the most charisma and handling all of the hooks. But fast forward to 2017 and I think it’s fair to say Offset has caught up to him, Takeoff as well to a slightly lesser degree. The result has been the most complete and most compelling music from Migos we’ve heard since they broke out with Young Rich Niggas in the summer of 2013.

The two important steps I’d say they’ve taken in keeping their music fresh is expanding the range of their beat selection and perfecting their use of autotune. They’re still rapping about most of the same shit they’ve been rapping about because it works for them and they’ve always been able to rap their asses off. Nothing in those departments really needed evolving (not yet at least). But improving the depth of their beat selection and adding a more melodic aspect to their sound went a long way on Culture. At points I think they even overdid it and could’ve afforded to rip it down to more minimalistic production, but it’s a smooth listen from start to finish with no real duds on it. Offset has gotten a better hold of economizing words and using more cadences to give his words a wider range of feeling, especially when it comes to writing hooks. I honestly can’t point to a place where Quavo has improved noticeably, but I don’t think he really needed to either.

Quietly these guys have been supremely relevant for the better part of the last 5 years. It’ll be interesting to see if they undergo anymore significant artistic changes but if everything ended today they’d go down as one of the greatest rap groups of the 21st century. They’ve been wildly influential with their trademark flow, they brought a level of technical impressiveness to modern trap music that didn’t really exist previously and they’ve dropped some really good projects over the course of time.

Favorite project from Offset: Culture

Favorite song/verse from Offset: “Bad and Boujee”

Favorite project from Quavo: Rich Nigga Timeline

Favorite song/verse from Quavo: “All Ass”

16. Maxo Kream | 27 years old

If you told me you thought Maxo 187 was the best rap project to drop in the last 3 years I couldn’t disagree with you but so much…that’s the level of artistry I believe Maxo is on. Something I hear older hip hop fans express disappointment about when they speak on this current generation artists is the dearth of technically proficient gangsta rappers. While I wouldn’t say the rap game would fall apart without it, the combination of being unapologetically gangsta and being a legitimate wordsmith almost is an near surefire combination for compelling music and Maxo fits that bill to a tee. The flow is always nuts, the stories he tells are vivid and the beats he chooses are unique and adventurous.

What separates Maxo Kream from all other rappers is his clarity. This trait shines in his music in two major areas. The first is his vocal presence. The way I feel about vocal clarity changes as the context of what the artist is aiming to do changes. I have far more tolerance for the Thuggers, Futures, Lil Waynes of the world not always having the greatest vocal clarity because they bend the pronunciation of words typically for the sake of melodies and general boundary pushing as it pertains to the way we perceive language. With other rappers I’m less tolerant because they make lyrics the primary if not sole focus of their music and when your lyrics drive your music I’d prefer to understand every word you say. The latter lane is the lane Maxo Kream occupies and his ability to deliver his words clearly no matter how rapid the flow is always makes for a great listen.

The second area Maxo’s clarity comes into play is him being able to consistently convey his ideas in ways that the listener can easily consume and understand. I’ve never sold cocaine a day in my life, gang banged a day in my life or cleaned out someone’s house in an invasion before but Maxo Kream talks about all of those experiences and more in a way that is so detailed and so human that you feel like you’re in his shoes. He’s a relic in the best way possible and still manages to make fresh music in the difficult lane he navigates in.

Favorite Project: Maxo 187

Favorite Song/Verse: “1998”

15. Chief Keef | 21 years old

[First Edition Ranking: 5th]

Right now Chief Keef is the most influential artist in music. It’s not even close. The way people shoot music videos, the way people rap and the beats people rap over is all tied to what Chief Keef started back in 2011. Through each evolutionary step he has taken in his career, he has influenced rappers with each style along the way. What’s most disappointing about all of this is that the same music Keef was getting trashed for making in 2013 is now what a lot of rap music sounds like 3 4 years later but more sterile.

But I digress, even in the midst of working as Glo Gang CEO and fathering the style of a lot of yall’s favorite rappers he’s still managed to drop some decent music. I wouldn’t put it on par with the mixtapes he dropped in 2013 and the streak of amazing loose tracks he dropped in 2014 that earned him a top 5 spot on the previous list, but it’s still impressive music nonetheless. On Finally Rollin 2 he flexed his underrated technical ability for 18 tracks, going in over some mid to late 2000s classics and new songs alike.

Since dropping Finally Rollin 2 in November of 2015 he has been relatively quiet. At one point he said he was retiring because of all of the rappers that were biting his style, but it seems he has fallen back on that statement as he’s always posting snippets on instagram and youtube. I have high hopes for his next project and hopefully he he can reassert himself as one of the elite artists in the game.

(edit: Two Zero One Seven dropped and its pretty good and also its getting to the point where we gotta start talking about Keef as one of the better beat makers  going in rap right now. Its almost like you hear him capturing the essence of his vocals when he makes beats. Love it.)

(edit again: Thot Breaker dropped and it reinforced that Chief Keef is one of the most versatile rappers of his generation. And what makes the versatility so impressive is that when you think of rappers being versatile, you typically think of them being able to navigate from all of these pre-established lanes. Some guys are able to rap over some trap shit, some 90s New York sounding shit, some soul sample shit, some pop rap, etc. and we call them versatile. The difference between those guys and Keef is Keef is constructing a lot of these sounds that he works with from the ground up. Rarely is Keef being derivative to where you can point directly to a predecessor of his sound. And Thot Breaker is yet another example of that. You’ve got some Bankroll Fresh homage here and there as a lot his most recent works have, but outside of that he’s putting together pretty original soundscapes and the angles he takes on them vocally whether it be with autotune or without are 100% Keef through and through. And while that statement could cause some to say “duh, he’s Keef he’s supposed to sound like Keef,” the reason I note that is when artists step outside of whatever their main lane is they have a tendency to borrow styles from others. Keef has never been one of those artists.

You have him putting together arguably his most conceptually cohesive project, 13 tracks on taking a stand against monogamy. And unlike most rappers who cover the same subject matter, Keef’s need to be alone doesn’t seem to be rooted in some disdain for women or upholding the “we don’t love these hoes” rap archetype on some fake tough shit. The dude wants sexual pleasure and only wants women who look for the same thing telling them, “you should want to go and live your life.” It’s a really healthy album.)

favorite project: Almighty So/Bang 2 

favorite song/verse: “My Baby”

14. Lud Foe | 20 years old

Lud Foe is the king of internal rhyming. He takes several words at a time and matches rhymes for each word bar after bar within some of the wildest flows and he makes it sound so easy. And not only that but he’s actually saying shit, he’s putting forth coherent ideas, none of it is rhyming for the sake of rhyming. And this is something I give credit to a few artists for throughout this list, but it’s so important to note that distinction between guys who rap just for the sake of being technically impressive and guys who are technically impressive with something to say. Lud Foe definitely falls into that latter category.

He’s the only man I know of in rap music right now who is skilled enough and compelling enough to consistently make songs with no hooks that can hold the listener’s attention for 3+ minutes. It’s rare. It’s the type of ability that made Lil Wayne universally considered the best rapper alive for the latter part of the 2000s. Lud Foe isn’t out here dropping Drought 3s or Dedication 2s, but when you truly think of how few rappers can pull off the song structure that Lud Foe is consistently executing it’s kind’ve surprising he doesn’t come up in these conversations about the best young rappers more often.

Favorite project: #GetWellFoe

Favorite Song/Verse: “Direct Messages”

13. Tee Grizzley | 23 years old

This dude is so talented man. He’s in tune with who he is as a man and he conveys his views and his experiences like someone whose lived twice as long as he has. On My Moment he’s dropping real live wisdom and thought provoking shit on every song without ever sounding condescending. There’s just so much depth to the music. The money, the violence, the women, the materialism, it's all there just like on any other rap record but it all has meaning.

Rather than just shouting out the names of his loved ones who are locked up or dead, he tells those people’s stories and the void they’ve left. Rather than just talking about fucking other niggas bitches he outlines his ethos behind fucking other niggas bitches almost as a necessary part of life. Rather than just talking about shooting people up in passing, he tells absolutely vivid stories of the dirt he’s done without snitching on himself or any of his accomplices (comes close tho). I really could go on and on about this dude but bottom line is he’s a really refreshing artist. I didn’t even get around to the fact that it appears he’s a pretty damn good natural singer on top of having every base covered with the rap shit. The sky is the limit for him.

Favorite Project: My Moment

Favorite Song/Verse: “Overlapped”

12. Tyler, The Creator | 26 years old

[First Edition Ranking: 19th]

Luckily I was still working on this list after Flower Boy dropped because boy did that totally changed my perception of Tyler.

I’m a Pharrell fan and he’s an amazing artist, but I think we could all say he’s an amazing artist in spite of how subpar his songwriting tends to be. Tyler, the Creator is one of the biggest Pharrell stans on earth and I feared that because of how derivative he can be of Pharrell’s style. he would never be able to transcend Pharrell’s shortcomings as a songwriter for the good of his own music. He’s always been able to rap, but it gets to be a bit hard to maintain the proficiency of your raps while trying to cover a lot of the ideas and subject matter that Tyler attempted.

The younger Tyler could snap on a pretty consistent basis on some rap about how good you are at rapping shit with some cartoon violence, misogyny, rape, serial killer references, etc all thrown in. And I’m not being facetious, like he legitimately would be rapping his ass off when it came to rapping about those things. But as Tyler grew up, he wanted his subject matter to grow up and rightfully so. The problem was, his skill as a rapper and overall songwriter had not caught up to the difficulty of the topics he wanted to broach and the ways he wanted to broach said topics.

I don’t think we could ever question Tyler’s sincerity. He’s made a consistent effort to create emotionally resonant music. His songs about love always sounded genuine, his songs about never conforming and doing what your heart desires always sounded genuine, his occasional sociopolitical remarks always seemed to come from a good place, but he just wasn’t good enough at rapping to really execute those ideas on a consistent basis without stumbling over himself and just sounding outright corny. And I think him over the past few years talking about how he hated rapping and how he wanted to stop rapping likely had to do a little him growing frustrated with the fact that he couldn’t execute his ideas the way he wanted to. But on Flower Boy it all comes together.

The flows are pretty bonkers at times, he’s just as wordplay heavy as he’s always wanted to be but this time we’re getting a lot more wit than we used to and he’s finally been able to find the right words to not only accentuate his rich production but also find the words that truly capture his emotions in a way that forces the listeners to take him seriously and feel exactly what he’s feeling. It’s a very complete album and with Tyler only being 26 with all of this crazy talent, this could very well just be the beginning of his rise towards becoming one of the premier creatives of his time.

Favorite project: Flower Boy

Favorite song/verse: “911/Mr. Lonely” / “Glitter”

11. Lil Uzi Vert | 22 years old

I think my first exposure to Lil Uzi Vert was some time in early 2015. I can’t point to a single song or anything but just by sonics and the artists he associated with and the way he dressed, I almost immediately dismissed him as yet another Chief Keef/Thugger clone. Off gut reaction, I thought he was just another guy coming in the game taking tumblr/fashionista culture and merging it with whatever wave of trap music is hot at the moment. Taking his 15 minutes of fame and then dipping out with a little bit of cash and plenty of great stories to tell when he got older. I was wrong.

It first hit me that I was wrong when I heard “All My Chains.” The song itself isn’t groundbreaking but the diction (starting a song off with the words, “On her face, neutrogena”), the production and then all of the aesthetics of the video made it very clear to me that Lil Uzi is no one’s clone. He is very much his own entity and he very much has his own sound.

Uzi doesn’t really fashion himself as much of a rapper. In fact he repeatedly calls himself a rockstar and even goes so far as to label some of his songs on soundcloud as “Alternative Rock.” I’m not one for labels and he can call himself whatever he wants, but for all extensive purposes he’s a rapper and a rapping ass nigga at that. And there absolutely nothing wrong with it. He has an amazing ear for rap beats and has a very effortless flow and cadence, especially considering he just started making music a few years ago. Add in a really great ability to harmonize and what we have here is one of the premier rap artists to emerge in the past couple years.

(edit: after more thought and just seeing him operate over the past year, yeah he’s a rockstar. I kinda thought it was just trynna be different shit, but nah, dude is a rockstar. part of it is his persona but it is primarily rooted in his ability to channel his energy vocally. after all that flack he caught for his verse on Bad and Boujee (which I thought was pretty good), he dropped “Uppin Downers” and basically mocked all of those critics by saying “yeah” 5000 more times and at this point you just can’t deny the hold he has on knowing what will grab people’s attention. its worth noting all of the people who say they hate that verse on bad and boujee know that shit by heart and thats a testament to how contagious his sound is.)

As I type this it is July of 2016. Future, Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, Rihanna, Kanye West, Young Thug and Chance the Rapper have all dropped solo projects and I’ve found myself listening to Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World more than all of those projects combined and I know I’m not the only one. Does this mean it is an objectively better projects? Probably not. But it definitely stands up against all of those projects. His vocals are compelling as anyone else’s in the game right now and his music is just as enjoyable as anyone else’s in the games right now and that counts for a lot.

(edit: The Perfect Luv Tape was decent. I think Uzi woulda been better off letting the previous project breathe but there are a few songs on the new shit worth bumping for a while)

(edit again: The Perfect Love is actually kinda fire. Grew on me a lot. As is 1017 vs the World. Really good year for Uzi)

(edit again again: Lil Uzi vs the World 1.5 is a really impressive group of loosies. XO Tour Life is the magnum opus of his career thus far. It’s all of the emotions he’s hinted at through his past work finally culminating to something truly resonant. Like if he legitimately thinks those are throwaways then Lil Uzi vs the World 2 is probably going to be ridiculous.)

Favorite project: Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World

Favorite Song/Verse: “Scott and Ramona” (edit: or “Today” or “Uppin Downers”)

10. Isaiah Rashad | 26 years old

[First Edition Ranking: 20th]

I’ll be honest I really don’t listen to Isaiah Rashad that often. In part because of there are only 24 hours in a day and you just can’t listen to everybody but also because some of his music is just too heavy for me to be consuming in my free time (which is a testament to his resonance in a way). But I’ve listened to his music before, most recently of course The Sun’s Tirade. It's amazing and he’s amazing.

In a rap world where being sad is almost becoming a trend, there are few artists who can match the authenticity of Isaiah Rashad. There is no faux vulnerability to be found in his music. When we think about rappers dealing with mental turmoil it is usually rooted in a familiar narrative of coping with poverty and the violence that surrounds it or coping with fame and the way it changes relationships or coping with heartbreak from love gone awry. All of these themes can be compelling themes when addressed the right way and Isaiah deals with all of these things as well, but the mental turmoil he raps about is very personal and he touches on the personal subjects in ways that people across all backgrounds can relate to. The sins passed down from his father that plague him, the alcoholism and substance abuse it’s manifested into, the inability to hold steady relationships, maintaining sanity not only for himself but for his child; he touches on all of those topics with regularity and he does so with a poetic beauty (I know that sounds kinda corny but really idk any other way to put it).

The driving force behind what makes Isaiah’s music so powerful is his diction. The way he words his metaphors and similes (“faithful as your EBT”), the way he goes about his braggadocio (“real niggas in my condom”) and the way he sets the tone of a song with his opening lines (“I got a face that only your bitch could love”, “I think I do this shit for real dog, hey, i aint no muthafuckin maybe” “I just want your bitch I don’t want no fuckin problems”) are just a few areas where he shows he has a way with words in a way that few of his peers can match. Isaiah has some demons and by his account he almost lost his career a few years ago so for the betterment of the music world and more importantl, his well-being, you hope he can continue to progress towards living a more healthy and stable life. 

Favorite Project: The Sun’s Tirade

Favorite Song/Verse: “Wat’s Wrong”

9. A$AP Rocky | 28 years old

[First Edition Ranking: 13th]

As A$AP Rocky will tell you, his formula is rapping about fashion, hoes, money and drugs. Many rappers who have been over-reliant on such a formula tend not to have the longest of careers, so what makes Rocky different? For starters he’s got an undeniable star power/it factor about himself. He has become a bridge between the worlds of fashion and the world of hip hop in a way that has made him a ubiquitous presence in the lives of people who are passionate about each art form. But beyond his charisma, one of the reasons he’s stayed at the for so long is that his ear for beats is a1. His production choices are diverse within each project and evolve from one project to the next. On Live.Love.ASAP he goes from “Palace” to “Bass” to “Brand New Guy” to “Trilla” to “Kissing Pink” all within 10 tracks. On his debut LP Long.Live.ASAP on tracks 7-12 you’re going from 40 beats to boom bap to EDM to cloud rap. On his latest album At. Long. Last. ASAP. you’re going from “L$D” to “Excuse Me” to “LPFJ2” to “Jukebox Joints” all within 6 tracks. The diversity is undeniable and ASAP Rocky finds a way to fit on all of the production.

When Rocky came into this game his trademark was his flow and his cadence. I think many music fans feared he’d get stuck reusing the same flows but fast forward five years now and he’s switched it up on us time after time after time  after time. Quietly Rocky has been one of the more consistent artists of the decade. You never feel like he’s short on ideas sonically and you rarely if ever feel as if he’s half-assing it on the mic. Instead of flooding the streets with a million features and mixtapes, he’s put years of work into each project and they’ve all came out polished. Regardless of how you feel about his music, the way he goes about his craft is undeniably commendable and it has made him one of the elite rappers of his generation.

(edit: Cozy Tapes is really dope imo. All of the Rocky tracks are the best I’ve heard him sound on any LP.)

Favorite Project: Live.Love.ASAP

Favorite Song/Verse: “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2” or “Money Man”

8. YG | 27 years old

[First Edition Ranking: 18th]

Honestly I don’t have much different to say about YG than what I had to say on the previous list (hyperlink). He’s everything he was back then but better. His story telling has become more vivid, he has improved from a technical standpoint, his sound is evolving from project to project and he’s still the vocal presence and charisma to stand toe to toe with any artist out right now.          

The great Andrew Noz once said that YG is the best album oriented rapper of the 21st century. It's a claim that may sound a bit off the wall at first but out of the rap artists who have started their solo careers in the 21st century, how many have come out the gate with two albums up to par with My Krazy Life and Still Brazy? Off the top of my head I’ve got Kanye (who as Noz noted, you could argue doesn’t actually fit the bill of someone who makes “rap albums”) and Kendrick…that’s about it. Maybe Earl Sweatshirt? Not a fan of Young Jeezy but I’m sure people would put him in the conversation. Idk, YGs up there man. Feel free to respond in the comment thingy if you’ve got any others but the fact that this is a legitimate discussion speaks to how amazing of a rap artist YG is.

Favorite Project: Still Brazy

Favorite Song/Verse: “Who Shot Me?”

7. Earl Sweatshirt | 23 years old

[First Edition Ranking: 4th]

It’s been a little while since we’ve heard from Earl. Also just after typing that sentence it’s made me think about just how progressively short the attention span of music listeners has become, obviously not excluding myself seeing as how I typed that sentence. It really hasn’t been a while since Earl dropped an album. Once upon a time you could go two years without dropping an album without people questioning if you were still popping or worrying about losing any fans, I really don’t think the same holds today save for a few exceptions here and there but nevertheless, Earl hasn’t dropped much since Solace and I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside. Some years have passed and a lot of amazing projects have been released during his “hiatus,” but one thing has remained the same, nobody is fucking with Earl bar for bar.

Hands down he is the most technically gifted rapper of this generation. He reinforced it when he stole the show from Danny Brown and Kendrick Lamar on “Really Doe.” No one offers more rewarding double entendres, no one offers more lines that require rewinding back a hundred times, no one offers more lyrics that require some rap geniusing and the best part about it is how effortless all of it comes to him. He is your prototypical lyrical miracle MC, but unlike the vast majority of rappers that fall under that heading, not a single one of his words rings hollow. He’s still just as emotive as about any other rapper going and covers a wide array of subjects by taking his introspection to the brink. To top it off he’s become hands-on with his beats and the result is even more unique and gritty music than his previous works.

Although his recent projects were pretty enjoyable to listen to from a quality and entertainment standpoint, the cathartic nature of them combined with the depressed state he was in made them quite a bummer to listen to as well. Hopefully things swing more positively in his personal life, first and foremost for his well-being, but secondly for us as listeners so we can see what new angles he can take with the sound he has cultivated over the past few years.

Favorite Project: Doris

Favorite song/verse: “Centurion”

5A. Vince Staples | 24 years old

[First Edition Ranking: 6th]

I’ve procrastinated on doing Vince’s write up so this one is actually fresh off of him dropping Big Fish Theory. Before we get to the music can we talk about just how cool of a dude he appears to be? I feel like the simplest way to put it is Vince Staples might go down as the least corny rapper of all time. He’s a genuinely insightful dude and a really hilarious dude. He does millions of interviews and different video segments with various media companies and each time he’s got jokes and/or something thought provoking to offer.

Now to the music. He’s got one of the most ambitious ear for beats going right now and you can talk about whether or not you rock with the style of some of his production until the cows come home, but it is undeniable that he seeks beats out with a vision and when he gets production that many would deem unconventional he always finds a way to sound at home on it. He’s not out here trying to be different for the sake of being different, he’s just coming from a different place as an artist and it manifest itself in absolutely authentic, original, quality rap music.

I’m not a slave to reviews but I think they are a decent reference point for finding a consensus on how an artist is received and outside of Kendrick, there hasn’t been a rapper to come out this decade that is more critically acclaimed than Vince. And it’s not an accident. Save some shortcomings here and there with writing hooks, he’s your prototypical rapper. He’s got a voice that grabs you with the delivery and cadence to support it, he’s got a plethora of flows that are all his own, he’s technically proficient with a purpose, he’s always providing a unique perspective subject matter wise, his ear for beats is eclectic yet accessible and he’s never shortchanging his audience when the time comes to put together a complete album. He’s got just about everything you want.

On Big Fish Theory you hear Vince taking a step back from the technical emphasis in his raps and focusing more on generating feeling. A lot of the verses run about 8 bars and he gives more time for the production to breath. It works. Throughout the album he’s painting this frantic picture of grappling with fame. The songs are less thematic from start to finish then you find in some of his past work, but the use of non-sequiturs helps emphasize the chaos he feels dealing with all of his newfound responsibilities. It’s a change of pace for Vince but at the same time the essence of his artistry remains the same. On Summertime ’06 Vince essentially expounds upon the Hell Can Wait EP and with Big Fish Theory it feels like he’s expounding upon some of the themes he put forth on the Prima Donna EP. You can tell that he wants to build an expansive discography and this album is a piece of that larger tapestry. He’s evolving at a methodic pace and I think we still haven’t seen the best from him yet so I’m excited to see what the future holds for him.

favorite project: Shyne Coldchain Vol. 1

favorite song/verse: “Ascension” (from Gorillaz Humanz)

5. Swae Lee | 24 years old

Swae Lee is a fuckin poet man. He is my shining example of why dismissing all trap-oriented music as just “turn up” music is such a lazy and dangerous practice. Swae has the ability to inject imagery and unconventional phraseology into moments that many other rappers would simply brush by with cliches:

“I’m so far out of sight/yeah that sounds about”

“Tears of joy run down my cheek onto the soil”

“New life shit, test this cup, test this cup, do it for us/Aquafina water, go ahead and pill it”

“Camera lights bounce off my shiny bezel/kill the lights would ya I am on my level”

Swae Lee has an overall grasp on the art of songwriting that is hard to find amongst artists in his age range regardless of genre. At every turn he always seems to say just enough for you to catch the essence of what he’s going for line after line. His hook game is bonkers and he uses his singing ability as effectively as any rapper in the game. These traits are all displayed heavily on Sremmlife. The album has hits from start to finish but at no point do you feel like Swae or Slim is trying to make a radio hit. They are making the music that they have fun making and it just so happens that it has a mass appeal.

Not only are Rae Sremmurd the princes of the radio rap, but they also were the subjects of maybe the most hip hop ass moment of 2015. Ebro, a radio host on Hot97, accused the duo of not writing their own lyrics. So how do they respond? Going on Tim Westwood’s show and freestyling for 20 minutes straight, absolutely ripping it. People love to talk about what the essence of hip hop is in all of these amorphous ways that fit their sensibilities, but one commonly held tenet of the genre is that the art should always be authentic. These two dudes had their authenticity questioned and responded immediately in the dopest and most indisputable way possible and they don’t get nearly enough credit for it.

(edit: so I wrote all of that stuff before Sremmlife 2 dropped and uhh..yeah…things kinda have to change now don’t they? Swae Lee was at #8 man but that is seriously not fair after what he did on Sremmlife 2. I’m typing this right now as I’m on track 10, “Take it Or Leave It” and holy shit guys…this is something else. Let me know when you’ve heard a song like “Black Beatles” or “Take it Or Leave It” because I haven’t. Apparently Swae Lee is hands on in the production on a few of these joints and thats just icing on the cake. This album is everything. I’m not gonna give some strung out track by track review, when you hear that shit you feel that shit. There is nothing to be explained about it. This is the album of the year to me. Slim Jxmmi is one of the best rappers in the game, Swae Lee is one of the best artists on planet earth. Fuck anyone who disagrees idc.)

Favorite Project: Sremmlife (edit: Sremmlife 2)

Favorite song/verse: “Drinks on Us” (edit: “Black Beatles”…or “Take it Or Leave It”….or “Swang”…idk)

4. Kodak Black | 20 years old

As no different than any other era in hip hop, a significant portion of the subject matter you’ll find touched on in 2016 is rooted in bravado. One’s bravado is largely based upon their willingness to do whatever it takes to survive whether it be fight, sell dope, rob or even murder. These survival tactics are a symptom of the systemic poverty that has plagued the communities where many of our great rappers were raised.

A rapper in 2016 2017 is no less eager to boast about their killing or trapping prowess than a rapper was in 1986. But what has clearly changed over time is that artists are more quick to glorify the survival tactics required for coping with poverty and leave the poverty itself, unaddressed. As the globalization of the art form has occurred, it has become easier for people who once viewed hip hop’s burgeoning communities from the outside looking in to swoop down upon them, pick the elements of the culture that bolster their aesthetic and then discard the ones that would detract from their commercial appeal. Even some artists who have grown up in what many consider to be tough neighborhoods have a tendency to brag about the toughness they’ve developed growing up in a neighborhood without actually talking about the neighborhood itself. While telling an artist how they should go about telling their own story is never the place of the listener, the need for in-depth ghetto narratives will never cease until the ghettos themselves do. And it is this void that Kodak Black has played a large role in filling.

What sets Kodak Black apart from the rest is that he is a unrepentant reflection of his environment and he thoughtfully reflects upon his environment. Not only was Kodak clearly born with the gift to rap but he has developed the wisdom at a young age to make extremely aware and emotive music. He shares his idol Boosie Badazz’s ability to convey various feelings while maintaining a calm native drawl. Where other rappers have to raise their voices in order to grab their listener’s attention and give off a feeling of urgency, anger or despair, Kodak stays in his pocket and relies primarily on details and word choice to paint his pictures.

“The light man we became friends/I see em so much, he cutting off the light again?

I know his co-workers and his kid/he aint coming in that work truck he coming in his van”

Mama got robbed in July, I watched her cry/so I don’t care about yours cause they aint care about mines”

Kodak Black’s music is a microcosm of the black experience. Although many attempt to pigeonhole the black experience as one of despair, it is also one of accomplishment, celebration, creativity and much more. The same applies to Kodak Black’s music. While his music is rooted in poverty and struggle, he possesses the creativity, the charisma and versatility to sound just as genuine boasting about his jaguar over a banger as he does rapping about an empty stomach on a mellow track. For those reasons and many more he earns this high rank.

(edit: these snippets Kodak has post-jail are kinda nuts, especially Tunnel Vision. can’t wait for those to drop)

(edit again: Tunnel vision dropped and it's everything we thought it was. Kodak is only getting better)

(edit again again: So if all of that is what I thought about Kodak before Painting Pictures dropped…I mean come on. I think what Painting Pictures highlighted about Kodak that is so damn impressive is that he’s been making some of the most compelling music in rap for the past 2 or 3 years and he’s been doing it with pretty bland production. Kodak Black does not hide behind his beats, his vocals and his writing always carry the track. Painting Pictures shows us just how incredible Kodak can sound when he actually gets the same quality of production as the rest of these cats. Like seriously, before Painting Pictures could you even name a Kodak Black producer credit? So now we have him on these A1 beats and he stepped up to the occasion.

Off the first few listens this feels like a classic album. Everyone involved with the album knew that they were a part of something special and you can hear it. Bun B, Future,Thugger and Jeezy all came with some of the hardest features they’ve had in recent history and A Boogie was just angelic on that Reminiscing hook. These guys all know that Kodak is coming from the heart with this shit and they couldn’t hop on his songs dropping a bunch of generic filler bars. I mentioned it previously with Tee Grizzley but it applies here as well. Even when Kodak is talking about shooting niggas, fucking bitches, being a side nigga, selling dope, etc. it all has an ethos to it. Kodak is never out here rapping simply for the sake of entertaining others. Every single line means something to him and he conveys his feelings to his audience about as well as any rapper out.)

Favorite Project: Lil B.I.G. Pac (edit: Painting Pictures)

Favorite Song: “Gospel” (edit: or “Candy Paint”)

3. Chance the Rapper | 24 years old

[First Edition Ranking: 3rd]

This nigga is a damn hero in every sense of the word. If you’re reading this list then I assume you know who Chance is and what he means, it all speaks for itself. And thats a testament to his once in a generation ability to convey his emotions as an artist and just his unwavering virtue as a human being 

(edit: ehhh i guess that’s kinda been in question of late. the unwavering virtue part that is. but continue reading please).

I said it on the previous list and it still stands, there’s no rapper out who makes music that is as emotionally resonant or evocative as Chance. He channels the feeling and soul you find at the roots of Gospel music and translates it in a way that is accessible for a secular audience. One of the ways he does this most effectively is by taking microcosmic moments, usually personal ones, and illustrating them with the perfect balance of perspective and relatability so that listeners of all backgrounds can empathize. You look at a song like “Juke Jam” that is specifically about his teenage love and the environment in which it was born, but it's delivered with such warmth that any person who went through puberty can relate to the vibe of it all whether they’ve ever known the feeling of skating with their crush to mid 2000′s Chris Brown or not.

On the flip side, Chance is equally effective at taking more broad themes and concepts and personalizing them in such a way that allows listeners to understand his own experiences and the experiences of people who grew up under similar circumstances as him. A great example of this of course is “Summer Friends.” Chance takes this broad topic of summertime and within that topic he flips back and forth effortlessly between the playful nostalgia we all associate with children enjoying the season and the horrors that summer signifies for residents in places like 79th street in Chicago’s south side. By going from children chasing lightning bugs to those same children getting gunned down all in a matter of a few bars, what Chance does is force people to reckon with the humanity of the very kids they look at as animals. There are very few artists across all genres and all eras that can execute ideas like that in a way that is both sociopolitically substantive and compelling. Stuff like that is what makes Chance so exceptional and such a necessary artist in this day and age.

He’s been on a crazy winning streak over the past couple years or so with all sorts of endorsements, awards, critical acclaim, etc. But one of his brightest moments and one that I think will prove to be career defining for him down the line is that “I Was A Rock” song he performed in tribute to Muhammad Ali at the 2016 ESPYs. He got the opportunity to showcase his versatility as a real live quality singer, but more importantly he got to showcase his unmistakable penchant for emotive songwriting in a way that sadly wouldn’t register with most people if it were delivered in a rap song. And that isn’t some statement against old ass people or weirdoes who don’t like rap music, it’s just an undeniable predisposition that even rap fans (particularly white ones) have when it comes to taking the art form only but so seriously. The reason I bring up something like this is not because hip hop has any responsibility to acquiesce to the sensibilities of people who don’t respect hip hop, but because hip hop and really black music as a whole is going to be discredited and erased from the history books as time goes on, it’s simply a part of American tradition. Moments like the one Chance was involved in are some of the little things that can help keep rappers in the mainstream conscience as time passes by and Chance seized the hell out of that opportunity.

(sidetone: So I wrote all of this before this kinda public turn against Chance had started to brew. I’m not sure if you all have peeped it, it’s nothing huge but a decent amount of people in the social media space are starting to characterize Chance as fake deep and self-aggrandizing amongst other things. Idk if this is gonna catch momentum and like become a legit thing or what but it’ll be interesting to follow. The whole Chance saving soundcloud shit is kinda totally fishy and the way he went about it did seem self-serving but I honestly hope that he can maintain his image and that the public can maintain their respect for him, but only if it’s coming from a genuine place. He’s a really talented dude and he’s got a lot to offer to the world if he plays it straight.)

favorite project: Acid Rap

favorite song/verse: “Same Drugs”

1A.Kendrick Lamar | 29 years old* 

(edit: this nigga turned 30 a month ago but i’ll be good and goddamned if all that writing i did goes to waste, so he 29 for purposes of this discussion.)

[First Edition Ranking: 2nd]

Kendrick Lamar undoubtedly holds the title of having the most impressive discography out of any rapper from this generation. From The Kendrick Lamar EP up through untitled.unmastered. you would be hard-pressed to find any artist (regardless of genre) who boasts a more impressive body of work over that timespan. The music is by and large just as accessible as it is unrelenting. Kendrick Lamar has the vocal talent to harmonize his way to the top of the billboard charts and the technical ability to go bar for bar with any rapper who has ever lived. He has an adventurous ear for beats; taking inspiration from Neo-Soul, Jazz, and all 4 regions of hip hop. Whats most impressive about the evolution in his beat selection, is that he remains at home as an MC. No matter the change in production, the rapping is still Kendrick Lamar through and through.

Unlike many technically-driven lyricists throughout hip hop history, Kendrick rarely if ever gives you an empty word. The delivery may be rapid, the metaphors may be constant, and the internal rhyming may be compact; but every single bar is substantive. It is this trait that has allowed Kendrick to elevate to superstar status without compromising any artistic integrity.

So with all of that said I’m sure many of you may be asking, how could Kendrick Lamar only rank third? Especially after being ranked ahead of everyone besides Drake in the first edition. And interestingly enough, what holds him back from being the pound for pound best rap artist at this very moment is an imbalance in the state of a few things I previously complimented him for. Lamar’s music is by and large just as accessible as it is unrelenting, but of late I feel we have gotten far more of the latter from him than the former.

As remarkable as I found To Pimp a Butterfly to be, I did not find it to be enjoyable. It has gotten very few spins from me since the day it has dropped. I do think when it's all said and done and we have the ability to look at TPAB not as an individual album, but a piece of the Kendrick Lamar soundscape, we will all appreciate it for the time and place it captured in Kendrick’s career and the country as a whole. But for now all we’re stuck with is a very dense album. it's thematically dense, it's sonically dense and it's lyrically dense. And this is an issue with Kendrick’s recent work that I find extending beyond his solo albums. The biggest example of this would be his guest feature on Taylor Swift’s hit single, “Bad Blood.” Kendrick hops on a bonafide pop single with essentially the same approach he came with on “Control”, and that approach is, “I’m going to murder this beat with my technical prowess.”

At some point you can’t only pitch fast balls. The rapid fire delivery and heavy internal rhyming can be a bit overwhelming when overused and Kendrick has gotten to that tipping point of overuse. When I hear Kendrick Lamar rap nowadays my first reaction more times than not is, “CALM DOWN NIGGA, DAMN.” It never hurts to make a record people can dance to. Nor does it hurt to make a record people can feel without really having to waste any time thinking about how they feel or why they feel beforehand. Kendrick Lamar has been lacking in those areas and the two artists ahead of him in this list have not.

*btw I feel sorta bad having to type all of this negative stuff about an amazing artist on a list that should primarily be about celebrating each of these artists but I wanted to let people in on my train of thought behind these rankings before someone chooses to dismiss me as a hater of some sort cause Kdot stans are kinda reckless n i don’t feel like dealing w that heat.

(edit: K so I typed all of that before DAMN. And DAMN. is basically all of the accessibility I feel like Kendrick has been missing in his music the past 4 years with just as much if not more edge. If Kendrick were to never drop an album as good as this one for the rest of this career it wouldn’t be a crime in the slightest, it’s that good.

DAMN. unlike his previous three LPs isn’t much of a concept album and I love that about it. Each track is its own straight forward entity. I’d argue that DAMN. is packed with just as many ideas if not more ideas than TPAB was but it just doesn’t feel like it because all of the ideas are so clear and the production is honestly just way easier to consume.

On “LUST.” you have him illustrating the simple everyday routines that many people go through just to find meaning and self-worth within their lives and then quickly shifting to the collective battle minorities in particular face as it pertains to trying to find their worth as American citizens. On “XXX.” you have him going from lyrics soaked in braggadocio about the lengths to which he’ll go to protect his family from his own community and quickly shifting towards addressing the helplessness black people feel trying to protect themselves against a system that is meant for them to fail. On “FEAR.” you have him going from the fear of facing the wrath of his mother which is lighthearted in retrospect but definitely jarring when you’re seven years old, to the fear of running the streets at seventeen and dying a statistic, to the fear of handling success and concluding with the fear losing his success and the people he loves.

Throughout the album he captures all these moments and all of these feelings in one fell swoop and it all just runs so smooth and so coherent. On top of that he gives us the side of his artistry that initially made many of us Kendrick Lamar fans, and that’s the outright snapping. Whether it be “DNA.” or “HUMBLE.” or “GOD.” we get to hear one of the greatest rappers to ever live flex on ear drum snatching beats and there’s just never a bad time or place for that shit no matter what overarching themes on album he may be stepping away from. As you may have gleaned from the write-up I did before this dropped I had trepidations about whether or not we’d hear music like this from Kendrick again and the idea that we wouldn’t would be extremely disappointing, but he absolutely delivered and it was so refreshing to hear.)

Favorite project: DAMN./GKMC (gotta give DAMN. some time to age but I think it’ll end up being my favorite Kendrick album)

Favorite song: “XXX.”

1. Young Thug | 25 years old

[First Edition Ranking: 8th]

Young Thug has been the best rapper alive for about the past two if not three years. Whether you like it or not it's an undeniable truth at this point. While Future was going on an absolutely legendary run between Monster and DS2, Young Thug was going on just about as prolific of a run around the same time span and unlike Future’s run, the groundbreaking tracks are still being churned out as we speak. Between the time span of 1017 Thug releasing and Jeffery releasing, no one, I repeat, no one, has come close to dropping the quantity of amazing music that Young Thug has. This isn’t some throwing shit against the wall and seeing what sticks shit either. Between those seven projects, you’re hard pressed to find more than a handful of songs you’d consider skipping and that’s not even getting to the countless features he’s renegaded and all of the amazing leaks/loosies that will never get their proper publicity.

Not only is the music objectively amazing, it is remarkably vast. No one is giving you a wider range of sounds or vibes than Young Thug. No matter how a music listener may feel about Thugger’s work or style, one thing no one can ever hit him with is the ol, “all the songs sound the same mane” excuse. There is only one rapper on planet earth that can do a song like “Good Times” and firmly plant his listeners in 3 minutes of utopia. Thug is the only rapper who can immerse you into a world of hallucination without explicitly rapping about drugs on songs like “Overdosin,” “Be Me See Me,” “The Blanguage,” and countless others. Thug is the only rapper and maybe the only artist period who can channel James Brown without actually being derivative on songs like “Neg 4 Degrees” and “Harambe.” I can go on and on but his range is just amazing to think about considering how short of a timespan in his discography we’re talking about right now.

Not only is the music remarkably vast, but it is absolutely daring. Thugger gets all the flack in the world for his lack of enunciation and occasional disregard of english language as a whole, but it's clear he pays no mind to that criticism and his music is better for it. In 2014 when Thugger first broke out with 1017 Thug and the countless hit singles/features that followed soon thereafter, critics and fans alike were quick to question his staying power for numerous reasons, many of them understandable.

One knock people had against him of course was the idea that someone with his lack of emphasis on clarity would struggle to permeate the mainstream and build more than a niche audience. Fast forward three years later and the status quo has had to adapt to Thug far more than Thug has had to adapt to the status quo with the proliferation of what many morons like to call “mumble rap.” Another critique that held weight was that Thug seemed to be too closely tied to Lil Wayne. His idolatry was borderline creepy and people feared he’d struggle to carve an identity of his own. Fast forward three years later and Thug is on pace to end his career with a far more consistent and diverse discography than his idol. And lastly, a critique that even the biggest of Thugger fans can’t deny…Jeff don’t really be talkin about shit. Like don’t get me wrong, he has his moments of provocativeness and he provides some insights on his life experiences and world views here and there, but for the most part he’s talking about materialism and fuckin. And guess what? It hasn’t mattered a single bit because even within that narrow scope of subject matter he’s found ways to say so much and deliver his ideas in a wider array of mediums than the rest of his peers. What Young Thug’s rise has proven yet again is that feeling is the most important element of music. No one has consistently used their vocals (with or without autotune) to be more evocative than Thugger has and even when he isn’t touching emotional or turbulent topics, we feel what he’s saying because it just sounds flat out sincere and it’s packaged inside some of the greatest flows and cadences we’ve heard in rap history.

Nothing highlights more how head and shoulders above the competition Thugger is than the fact that everyone wants to feature him on his songs and he’s just fine rolling solo. Not only does everyone want to feature Young Thug on their song, but when they do feature Young Thug on their song, they let it become Young Thug’s song. “Mixtapes” on Coloring Book is a Young Thug song. Chance the Rapper wanted to do a song with Young Thug so he got a Young Thug sounding beat, rapped in Young Thug’s flow and cadence the entire song and let Young Thug snatch the thunder away with his verse. Thugger stole the show twice on More Life where the most profitable hook writer in the history of rap music let Thugger take the wheel instead on “Ice Melts” and also received a smooth renegading on “Sacrifices.” Painting Pictures felt like a classic on first listen to me and Kodak Black truly owns the entire album despite numerous big name features…until track 15 where Young Thug steals the hook and again steals the show with his verse and again a rapper feels it necessary to slightly tweak their style in Thugger’s direction when they get on a song with him (and the beat was made by one Thugger’s go-to producers, the great and severely underrated Wheezy). Even in the midst of a flawless album with nothing but his fingerprints covering it, Kodak Black understood that when you get Young Thug on a song, you let Young Thug take the song.

(edit: the reference to Future’s run being over clearly doesn’t hold anymore. he’s started a new one w the two albums he’s dropped)

(edit again: EBBTG came out…and my god. I’m godsmacked right now but I feel like no matter what substance in my body this shit gonna sound great. This feels like the greatest full on production I’ve heard out of Thugger thus far in his career. Man got a colddddddd ass verse out of Snoop Dogg in 2017. Speaking of which, let me go on a slight tangent regarding a similar manner. Thugger throughout his entire fucking career, gets slightly above average verses outta Birdman. Bryan Williams. The legendary 3rd ward dog food snorter himself….on a consistent basis. Yet another testament to the amazingness of Thug and the perfection that he surrounds himself with. (you may say buh buh buh, Thugger writes them, Birman don’t ever write his own guest verses. ok let’s say that’s true, which i’m not 100% sure it is. then what does that say about Lil Wayne? hmm?) But back to EBBTG. This Thug near peak level vocally and the production is A1 and ahead of the curve as always. Easily his most personal album. Talking about barely seeing his children or balancing a reckless ethos with being an example for his kids in the simplest of manners like making sure he drives with his seatbelt while his son is in the car. And also in the most extreme of manners like reconciling his espousal of a no holds-barred sex life while also being honest about the fact he doesn’t want his daughter to engage in the same lifestyle. You can point to the obvious problematic hypocrisy of it all but it's also a very human thing to hear a rapper address and Young Thug slides little messages like that it into a bundle of breathtaking non sequiturs that force the listeners to hang onto his every word.)

favorite project: Barter 6 (EBBTG might get there one day though)

favorite song/verse: “Harambe”

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):

ASAP Ferg: In 2011 you wouldn’t have been able to convince me that Ferg would become the rapper he is today. Not only does he sound far more comfortable on the mic than he used to, but he is also more comfortable exploring different sounds to work with. He’s really came into his own as an artist and its been great to watch.

Big Sean: I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it a million times more. Big Sean is just as talented of a rapper as anyone else on planet earth. He makes great rapping sound easier than anyone else can. His flow is effortless, he can be about as witty as anyone at his best and he’s got a pretty good hold on making hooks….but his albums aren’t that good. And really outside of Detroit, his mixtapes aren’t all that either. Me putting him on this list even as an honorable mention is a testament to how amazing of a rapper I believe he is despite his subpar projects. Still waiting for that one.

Cash Kidd: The punchline gawd. I usually don’t like spending but so much time drawing comparisons between artists but Cash Kidd really has a Tha Joker type quality to him in that every line is looking to be a home run and he’s one of the few artists who can make that style work.

Cousin Stizz: He’s just a solid all around rapper, there’s no area where he’s lacking. One of those few artists who can rap with a technical emphasis over modern trap-inspired production and sound at home. If he was from a bigger rap hub than Boston he’d definitely be getting the shine he deserves.

Da$h: Hasn’t dropped much in a couple years but he’s still one of the rawest rappers you’ll find in his peer group. He’s vintage gritty New York and ahead of his time all in one fell swoop.

Dave East: I’m not gonna front I haven’t listened to much Dave East but from the little I’ve heard he can rap pretty damn well and he’s got a knack for storytelling that isn’t easy to find.

Denzel Curry: He’s pretty dope. Sometimes he can make rapping sound too hard but he’s technically impressive nonetheless. He works with an interesting soundscape. It’s nice to see that he’s picked up in popularity recently, it was long overdue.

Dej Loaf: She’s been killing it for some years now both as a rapper and singer, most recently on that collab tape w/ Jacquees and I really do enjoy her music. I expect great things from her debut album and she’ll likely wind up at the top of the next list as a result.

Father: Of all of the rappers who have paved their careers with the help of influence from The Basedgod, Father is definitely the most original and expansive. He’s one of the most underrated producers in rap and he holds his own on the mic with a great balance of nonchalance and wit.

Famous Dex: He claims he’s not a rapper and the repetition of his raps kinda bolsters that claim but Dex is so damn infectious and has so much energy to offer that it was meant to belong somewhere and it damn sure works in this space.

Fetty Wap: Outside of Drake, Thugger and Swae Lee you’d be hard pressed to find a rapper who is consistently cranking out great choruses like Fetty Wap is. As music listeners, our gut reaction to guys who come out of nowhere with a monumental hit like Fetty did with “Trap Queen” is to assume that they will either be one-hit wonders or their identities will be so tied to that single song that their other works will be ignored. Fetty Wap is a clear exception to this line of thinking as his songwriting prowess is so undeniable. Rather than dismissing his breakout track as a fluke, many of us found ourselves anticipating the next inevitable hit single.

On his early works, the verses he rapped took a clear backseat the hooks that he sung. But in more recent works like “Jimmy Choo,” “Squeezed Up” and “Wake Up” Fetty has taken a significant step forward as a pure rapper and is bringing the same level of energy on his verses that you hear on his choruses. If he can continue to become more well-rounded as an artist, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with for a long time.

Goldlink: I said on the previous list in the honorable mentions that he sounded a little too much like Chance, I was wrong, that’s just his voice and the cadence he knows to rap with and he’s in total control of it. If this were a top 27 list rather than top 26 he’d be in contention for that last spot.

Isaiah Rashad: Drop some new music man. (edit: he did. Lunch Money is dope. tape should be too.)

Lil B “The Basedgod”: One of the most influential artists of the 21st century and one of the most socially important artists of the decade. Since the last list he has dropped a collaboration tape with Chance The Rapper and finally released his 63 song mixtape, Thugged Out Pissed Off. Both were pretty good projects. Black Ken should be even better.

Lil Bibby & G Herbo: These two very may well be worthy of the top 26 but I honestly just haven’t gotten around to listening to much of their music that has dropped after 2014 so I’d be lying if I said I could give them a fair evaluation. Feel free to post some new songs from them to check out in the comment thingy or whatever it is. Might update the list if I feel so compelled.

(edit: I checked out Strictly 4 My Fans by G Herbo and it was cool. There still aren’t too many rappers out that can go bar for bar with him)

Lil Yachty: Another Basedgod disciple who has managed to carve a lane for himself, a pretty successful and lucrative one might I add. He’s got some dope songs and I appreciate some of the chances he takes artistically. There are times where he really showcases his potential as a rapper, but not as much as you’d like. Didn’t really care much for his debut album but if we can get more of what we got on “D to the A” coupled with his infectious charisma then we might really have something substantial.

Lucki: Lucki can rap his ass off on any style of production. He’s got the confidence and creativity to make his braggadocio sound 100x more interesting than your favorite multimillionaire rappers and he uses that same creativity to be vulnerable without ever sounding sappy. He does a really great job of flipping back and forth between the obscure and the straight forward enough that you would think he would have garnered a bit more mainstream attention. He’s stayed true to his style even as he’s evolved and he’s never went left field to hurry his come up. The good news is he’s only like 20 years old so there is plenty of time ahead for him to gain popularity.

Joey Bada$$: Joey is clearly making strides towards evolving past trying to recapture the 90s New York sound and they are commendable efforts. I’m interested to see if he can find his footing on new ground.

(edit: still haven’t gotten around to listening to All amerikkkan badass. I read some top 20 lyrics from the album list by XXL and that really doesn’t look like an album i’ll feel like listening to anytime soon but it seems Joey is still a solid MC and some of these live freestyles he’s done recently have been really dope.)

Mick Jenkins: One of the more technically talented rappers of this generation and he makes it sound easy. Could afford to rap over some more lively beats sometimes tho. (Worth noting that I still haven’t listened to Healing Component yet so my view on him isn’t fully up to date).

NBA YoungBoy: Another cat with wisdom well beyond his years and an edge to his music that can only come from overcoming a lot of the rough obstacles that came with growing up in his environment (this nigga got shot at during a damn concert and got back on stage and finished the show). Much like Kodak and their common influence, Boosie, he has a really great ability to be a narrator of the streets and really go in depth about the pain and violence that is inherent with poverty where most rappers would simply brag about it on a surface level. One of the most promising young artists out today.

Noname: I wrote a lot about her and deleted it on accident :(.

She makes really beautiful and poetic music. She crams a lot of ideas in her music but they are all substantive. She’s one of the rap games great observers, if not its greatest, rather than injecting her views into everything she provides her perspective and lets audiences in on her feelings just from the different aspects of life that she chooses to highlight. She’s one of the few artists out right now who was unmistakably born to rap and the effortlessness in her lyricism is a testament to that.

Offset, Quavo, Takeoff: The last time I did the list, Quavo ranked 10th, Takeoff ranked 21st and Offset was an honorable mention. Since then the Migo gang has dropped 7 different forgettable projects including their letdown of a debut album. Although I haven’t listened to all 7 projects from start to finish, I also haven’t heard many songs from them during that same timespan that really made me curious enough to go through them all. YRN 2 was solid from what I heard but outside of that it seems like we’ve got a lot of music from them just for music’s sake.

There is a clear value of quantity over quality that they have going and it’d be nice to see them slow it down a a bit and make another classic project. The trio is one of the most influential forces in hip hop today and it’d be great to see them regain traction as some of the premier artists in the game.

(edit: got around to listening to the 3 Way EP, it's pretty good.)

^^^

and shit like that is why it had to turn into a diary

OMB Peezy: Yeah when this guy’s first mixtape drops it's kind’ve a wrap. One of the most talented rappers on planet earth right now.

Playboi Carti: This dude has songs that just sound sooo fucking good. He has an undeniable it factor about himself and it jumps out of the speakers in a lot of his work. He just kinda sorta has this knack for totally ripping off old Chief Keef music. If he can find his own identity and channel his ear for good sounding shit into something more original he can really turn into a force.

Rapsody: She can really really really really really rap. I’m not gonna hold you, I don’t find the music to be that interesting but she’s such a great lyricist that she deserves to be in these conversations on the merit of that alone.

Rarri: For my money he’s the best rapper in Ohio right now. His debut mixtape drops like two days after I’m releasing this list and he really is worth waiting out for but I’m gonna be heading out of town soon and won’t have the wi-fi on deck. I might makes some updates on this list depending on how things go.

Robb Bank$: At this point he’s a vet despite being only 22. He’s been making waves for damn near 6 years now. One of the wittier rappers of his time. Has the Weezy lite-esque ability to throw a barrage of punchlines at the listener that all stick to your skull. He’s navigated in this eerie, wavy and aggressive lane of production but has had the ear to switch up his sound juuuust enough to never be truly repetitive, all while maintaining the essence of his artistry.  He really has everything you’d want from a rapper from a skill and presence perspective, it just doesn’t all show up at once as much as you’d like. Hopefully it puts it altogether on Falconia and inserts himself into the convo as one of the game’s elite. Like Goldlink he was another rapper I considered for the final spot.

Rocaine: One of if the dopest, if not the dopest rapper in Detroit right now non-Danny Brown division. He’s yet to drop a formal tape but when he does I’m sure he’ll be near the top of the next list.

Ski Mask The Slump God: The Members Only crew has all sorts of negative criticism thrown in their direction, “they only make music for teenaged white boys who wish they had to heart to be school shooters,” “they bitchmade cause they get sucker punched a lot,” “their music just loud and non-sensical,” yada yada yada. Let’s say all of those things are true, what is also true is that Ski Mask the Slump God can rap.his.ass.awf. There really aren’t that many rappers who have all the things going for them that Ski does. He’s hitting you with a rapid paced flow and still packing it with plenty of charisma. He can cram all sorts of eternal rhyming and punchlines into his bars and very little of it falls flat. If you don’t rock with the way he and X kick it that’s totally fine and understandable, but people need to stop denying how talented the two of them are.

Takeoff: Odd man out from the Migos on this list. If I’m going to be completely honest I think from a pure rapping standpoint all 3 Migos are damn near equal, but Offset and Quavo’s solo ventures have been more impressive and they’ve handled the bulk of the song structure work on the group efforts. This whole idea that Takeoff is the group’s weak-link is patently ridiculous. He’s just as dope as the other two, just plays a different role and of late has simply stepped back and played a slightly less significant role.

Tay K: So i found out about this nigga the same way almost everyone else did. Fresh off being arrested for an alleged capital murder charge in addition to a previous murder. Killing people, it’s wrong. If he did it’s unlikely we’ll see him again for a very long time. But the kid at 16, 17 years old and oozes a level of authenticity and originality that quite honestly is hard to find with this generation of post-Keef rappers. Like where most rappers will just talk about “finessing a plug” Tay-K says “Today you aren’t a trap star today you are a donor.” He has quotables on quotables. My man said “She rock Stussy that bitch basic and this won’t work”…. “He think he hard well then the choppa beat his meat,” amongst many other things that caught my ear in a way a lot of rappers can’t. I hope he can continue to make music one way or another because at his age he’s so far ahead of his peers as a complete artist and he has undeniable potential.

Travis Scott: He’s done some detestable shit throughout his career and engaged in a lot of biting of other people’s styles, but the dude has always made pretty enjoyable music. When we were only a few years deep into this Travis Scott thing I really couldn’t take it seriously. When “Quintana” came out, I and many others thought it was a new Future song. When “Antidote” came out, I and many others with two working ears thought it was Swae Lee’s first solo single. He was just out here biting and shamelessly biting at that. Not only was he out here shamelessly biting, but he was purporting himself to be an originator which is probably the most low down shit any artist can do. But now nearly five years into Travis Scott being a relevant artist I can’t objectively deny that he’s been the common thread in a lot of dope music. He’s improved as a rapper and found a voice beyond rattling off cliche after cliche, bar after bar and hiding behind a bunch of beats that were so ridiculously overproduced to hide the fact that even his production (some of which he was falsely given credit for producing) was about as nearly as derivative as his rapping. So yeah, he’s aight these days.

Trippie Redd: I can’t stop listening to  “OWEE,” dude is a pretty damn good song writer. Even the songs I don’t really rock with by him stay kinda stuck in my head, great hold on what is catchy. 

Tyler the Creator: At this point Tyler seems to be teetering between giving all the fucks in the world about writing an impressive verse (see “Deathcamp” and “Smuckers” edit: and “Telephone Calls”..my goodness) and literally making his vocals a backseat to his production (see “Cherry Bomb”). I believe that ultimately Tyler is going to lean more towards producing and finding artists to sing and rap on his production as he envisions fit. He’s easily one of the most talented producers of his generation and it's about time he started getting recognized as such.

Ugly God: Because of his name, the beats he raps over, the soundcloud fame and the peers he runs with; people have a tendency to sleep on the fact that Ugly God can rap his ass off. He’s funny as hell but he finds a way to contain the humor within some real dope raps. He’s another artist who is on the rise and is likely to deliver when he drops his debut album.

Wiz Khalifa: Again here we have huge issues with quantity over quality. Kanye tweeted out that no one has listened to a Khalifa album from start to finish and weeks later Khalifa proceeded to drop yet another album that justifies such a statement. At this point you’ve take Wiz for what he is. A living legend for his contributions to the game as it took a turn to the social media era, a really dope rapper when he feels like being one (see his feature on “Way Hii”) but ultimately a guy whose subject matter has never really evolved and probably never will. And he seems to be fine with that, so as long as he’s making music that makes him happy, it's all good by me. I just haven’t found much of it to be that impressive of late.

XXXtentatcion: There are people out there who don’t understand the appeal to XXXtentacion and to a certain degree it is understandable that they don’t. His catalogue is vast and hard to track, catching him on the wrong song can totally distort your view of him as an artist and I’m speaking from personal experience. But once you hear it you heaaaaar it.

A lot of rappers talk about how versatile they are with little to show for it. A lot of rappers point to artists outside of their genre as influences but you never actually hear it in their work. Xxxtentacion is not one of those artists. He absolutely is versatile and he has absolutely harnessed his influences from across the music landscape into something unique. There are definitely some shortcomings in his music but the dude is 19 and right now he’s just dropping loosies and mixtape tracks. He takes his artistry very seriously so I expect him to only get better and put together some compelling albums down the line.

And thats the list. Hope you guys enjoyed! If you didn’t then fuck you. If one of your favorite rappers didn’t appear on this list you probably have bad taste (kinda joking but seriously I’m not a full-time music critic or writer or anything, I did this list for funzies and because I really like listing things and I’m not gonna front like I’ve sat down and listened to every single rap artist ever. I tried to go out of my way and check out some projects from notable rappers I hadn’t spent much time listening to so I could really round out the list but by and large this list is really “top 26 rappers + honorable mentions of artists caineandguns has been exposed to and felt like taking the time to listen to.” hopefully within that i provided some insight or entertainment or something for you all). bye :)

[caineandguns]

“Fuck nigga try me I swear to god lil whoadie pull up and pop at his noggin”

[caineandguns]

May 2nd

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Truer words have never been spoken

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Prime

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Keep Your CDs

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Happy Birthday to Mr. Zone 6. 

Music does not sound the way it does today if it isn't for his existence.

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Happy birthday to this widly unappreciated legend

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What kinda niggas just dont give a…you know???

[caineandguns]

CAINEANDGUNS 14 BEST HIP HOP/RAP ALBUMS OF 2014

This honestly wasn't the greatest year for full length projects so we're just gonna keep it short and sweet with the explanations :)

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14. Your Old Droog - Your Old Droog EP

In 14 Words: Judging by the quality of beat selection, Your Old Droog is definitely not Nas.

13. Curren$y - The Drive in Theatre 

In 14 Words: Curren$y sticks to his infallible formula, vivid lifestyle raps over the smoothest of instrumentation.

12. Schoolboy Q - Oxymoron

In 14 Words: Schoolboy shows the world he can resonate in the mainstream without compromising artistic integrity. 

11. Isaiah Rashad - Cilvia Demo

In 14 Words: I heard someone describe this as house cleaning music, I fuck with that idea.

10. Migos - No Label 2

In 14 Words: Hooks galore, some filler tracks here and there but the highs overshadow the lows.

9. YG - My Krazy Life

In 14 Words: The music world was due for an album like this and YG delivered flawlessly.

8. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Piñata

In 14 Words: Blaxploitation in audio form directed by the always brazen Gangsta Gibbs and legendary Madlib.

7. Mac Miller - Faces

In 14 Words: Thought Mac should chill and just let WMWTSO breath and I was totally wrong.

6. Migos - Rich Nigga Timeline

In 14 Words: The growth in their songwriting, beat selection and subject matter is undeniable on this.

5. Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 2

In 14 Words: All critical acclaim and hyperbole aside this is just a flat out amazing album.

4. Vince Staples - Hell Can Wait

In 14 Words: Vince displays an improved ear for production on easily the best EP of 2014.

3. Mick Jenkins - The Water[s]

In 14 Words: There really isn’t anything more you could ask of Mick Jenkins on this project.

2. Future - Monster

In 14 Words: It don’t fuck with my conscious I serve my auntie that raw…. holy shit.

1. Rich Gang - Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1

In 14 Words: Rich Homie and Thugger, Andre and Antwan, Starsky and Hutch, basil and olive oil.

Honorable Mentions

Cadillactica (Big KRIT), Big Gucci Sosa (Gucci Mane & Chief Keef), The Blue M&M (Peewee Longway)

[caineandguns]

Almighty

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FYI: Feel free to ask me questions about whatever

As much as I appreciate y'all messages about how you like what i write and post about,  I've never been one too fond of compliments as I am already full of myself...I don't need anyone else's gas.

So with that said, don't be afraid to ask me questions about sports, music, film, life, etc and we can go back and forth with it. I've had a few of you message me some questions and I enjoy the interaction. This isn't a one way street either I may have questions for you as well. If I find the questions to be interesting and relatable, I'll post them publicly so my other followers can interact as well. 

:)

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The First Generation of YM

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CAINEANDGUNS TOP 21 RAPPERS UNDER 30

21. Takeoff

The most technically sound and versatile of the 3 Migos. Has the ability to flawlessly transition from flow to flow without missing a beat. Despite Quavo handling the brunt of the hook work, Take Off has shown to be capable of delivering catchy choruses in his own right on group works like "Fight Night" and solo ventures such as "What Move Would U Make."

Favorite Verse/Song: We Ready by Migos

Favorite Project: No Label 2 (w/ Migos) (2014)

20. Isaiah Rashad

When this Chattanooga native first stepped onto the scene, many dismissed him as a Kendrick Lamar-lite. After dropping the critically acclaimed Cilvia Demo EP, it didn't take long for people to realize that Rashad was an entity of his own within the TDE team. His melodic raspy delivery combined with his ability to shed light on his personal experiences and emotions in a consumable manner sets the foundation for a promising career. 

Favorite Verse/Song: RIP Kevin Miller 

Favorite Project: Cilvia Demo (2014)

19. Tyler, The Creator

Tyler will be the first to tell you that his energy is primarily and sometimes solely focused on his production, but even with his "i hate rapping" disposition he can deliver the occasional hot 16 and has displayed upper-echelon songwriting ability since he was 17 years old. He hasn't released a guest verse let alone a song in over a year and as far as the public knows there are no upcoming projects from the Odd Future-founder, but his track-record alone has made him deserving of a spot on this list.

Favorite Verse/Song: Blow

Favorite Project: Bastard (2009)

18. YG

YG has the rare ability to say a lot without saying much. He's never verbose. He gets his point across without hitting you over the head with a bunch of double entendres or metaphors and he does it consistently. This is the quality that made the late great Tupac Shakur such a renowned writer. With the help of DJ Mustard's beat making, his sound has become one of the most influential in the rap game over the past couple years.

Favorite Verse/Song: Bickin Back Bein Bool

Favorite Project: My Krazy Life (2014)

17. Rich Homie Quan

Rich Homie Quan is just flat out good. He's good technically, he's good at writing hooks, he's got a good vocal presence, good flow, good delivery, good ear for beats and it all comes together in the form of a great rap artist. 

Favorite Verse/Song: Man of the Year

Favorite Project: Rich Gang Tha Tour, Part 1 (w/ Young Thug & Birdman) (2014)

16. Meek Mill

Outside of Eminem, there isn't a single artist who has made a more successful transition from battle rapper to mainstream hip hop artist. Meek has found a lane in the game and has driven in it for nearly five years of significant relevance. His formula is pretty straight forward, he raps for the streets and about the spoils he's reaped since leaving the streets. There isn't much that is unconventional about Meek's artistry, but at the end of the day he's a really consistent rapper and has a quality ear for beats. 

Favorite Verse/Song: House Party

Favorite Project: Dreamchasers (2011)

15. Big Sean

When it comes to flowing over a beat, Sean Don is about as good as it gets. No matter if its a boom bap beat, some trap shit or a soulful Ye joint, Big Sean hops on the track and makes it his own. Another quality the GOOD Music star has that few of his peers share with him, is simply the ability to make rapping sound easy. When Big Sean raps he makes it sound effortless. Sean is only 26 and his trajectory is trending upward as he has improved LP after LP and mixtape after mixtape. 

Favorite Verse/Song: First Quarter Freestyle

Favorite Project: Detroit (2012)

14. Lil B

Music does not sound the way it does today without Lil B. Point. Blank. Period. Not only is Lil B the most influential artist on this era of music and hip hop culture, but he has been the most effective sociopolitical rapper of this generation as well. He has been the biggest force behind making hip hop more open to the LGBT community, he constantly sets the example for self-expression and he delivers his views and beliefs on the world in a really accessible manner. So many of these so called "political rappers" claim to be voices for the people, but continuously make condescending music that is primarily centered around displaying how much smarter they are than everyone else (looking at you, Mr. Fiasco). The Basedgod has taken the more Shakurian approach of leaving his ego at the door and providing works that are both provocative and entertaining for the masses.

He has proven time and time again to be one of the most versatile rappers of this generation. You want thought provoking joints that have a powerful message? He's got that. You want a direct, no nonsense, lethal diss record? He's got that. You want street poetry? He's got that too. You want something that just obnoxiously knocks in the whip or some shit to get you hype before a game? He's got plenty of that. You want some airy cloud rap? He started that. The only knock against Lil B is that he values quantity far more than he does quality and doesn't put together many cohesive projects that you can play from start to finish. Even with that in mind he's put out enough quality tracks to be considered one of the top rappers under 30 years old.

Favorite Verse/Song: Realist Alive

Favorite Project: Everything Based (2010)

13. A$AP Rocky

Rocky has a real knack for almost becoming one with his production. He's not the most technically sound artist of his generation, he doesn't have the most extensive subject matter, but he can ride the beat with the best of them. Contrary to popular belief, every beat does not...I repeat NOT need to be bombarded with multi-syllable words and punchline after punchline. Sometimes its the rappers job to simply embody the vibe of the instrumentation and thats what makes A$AP Rocky potent as an artist.

Favorite Verse/Song: Pretty Flacko

Favorite Project: Live. Love. ASAP (2011)

12. Big K.R.I.T.

Soulful, introspective, honest, prideful, and dedicated are just a few of the words that come to mind when thinking about Big K.R.I.T. and his artistry. There isn't a subject matter he hasn't touched. Whether it be systemic racism, college loans, love, pimping or sub woofers, Krizzle approaches the topic with the confidence of a man who has seen it all and done it all three lifetimes over. 

Favorite Verse/Song: R4 Theme Song

Favorite Project: Return of 4Eva (2011)

11. Wiz Khalifa

Prince of the City 2, How Fly, Flight School, Burn After Rolling, Kush and Orange Juice, Cabin Fever, Taylor Allderdice...the argument can be made that Young Khaliferman has the greatest mixtape catalogue of all time. He along with his big brother Curren$y changed the landscape of hip hop for the better nearly five years ago. Only a year or so removed from the ringtone rap era, Wiz Khalifa found the perfect combination of modern pop rap fused with elements of 90s influences such as Bone Thugs, Camp Lo and G-funk Snoop. This recipe Wiz concocted came together in the form of a unique style that many of his peers would become influenced by in one or another whether it be Domo Genesis, Mac Miller, Dizzy Wright or any of you soundcloud rappers reading this dropping sixteens about smoking loud over free Cardo and Johnny Juliano beats.

If we are all being completely honest with ourselves, Wiz has regressed over the past few years as far as his consistency with his rapping is concerned. There will be times where he sounds like a zombie rapping with no emotion or awareness of the repetitiveness in his subject matter. With that said for any weak Khalifa song you can find there are 5 or 6 amazing songs to negate it in his catalogue. When he wants he can still flow with the best of them, his ear for beats is elite and his infectious personality always comes alive in his work.

Best Verse/Song: Mezmorized

Best Project: Kush & Orange Juice (2010)

10. Quavo

I've concluded that anyone who really dislikes Migos tends to be a pretty boring person. Migos music is audio adrenaline, antithetical to the sounds preferred by your average “you say Soulja Boy, I say Immortal Technique” professing real hip hop head. Although the group as a whole personifies consistency, provides the same level of intensity from intro to outro and oozes charisma, it is Quavo who ultimately stands out.

It seems like whenever Quavo is on the hook, a radio hit is imminent. His flow and delivery have been all of the rage for over a year now with seemingly every rapper in the game attempting to duplicate it. Quavo’s energy is simply unmatched, treating every track and every feature as if it is the first single of a highly anticipated LP. Quavo and the Migos gang have fed the streets a continuous stream of quality work dropping two group tapes along with two collaborative projects in less than a year. The Atlanta-trio has progressed mixtape after mixtape, broadening their beat selection along with becoming more refined in their songwriting and it is Quavo who has been the catalyst behind it all. 

Favorite Verse/Song: Hit Em by Migos

Favorite Project: Rich Nigga Timeline (w/ Migos) (2014)

9. Schoolboy Q

Schoolboy Q is gangsta rap. He's blunt, his delivery is raw, his stories are vivid and everything about his aesthetic is authentic. When everyone seems to be scratching at the surface of a subject, Q is the one who is first to crack the exterior and really delve into the heart of the matter. Every rapper on planet earth will tell you how quickly they'll shoot a nigga, but Schoolboy is one of the few who will tell you why he did it, when he did it, where he did it and how it made him feel five years after the fact. 

2014 has been almost like a lockout season for Hip Hop music. Even with that in mind when you look at the numbers, Schoolboy has been one of the top artists in his genre this year from a sales standpoint and he did it without compromising his sound. For that, Schoolboy takes the number nine slot on this list.

Favorite Verse/Song: NigHtmare on Figg St.

Favorite Project: Habits & Contradictions (2012)

8. Young Thug

Jeffery Williams is the closest thing we’ve had to Prime Dwayne Michael Carter Jr since Prime Dwayne Michael Carter Jr himself. Stylistically the comparisons are there as far as the insane output of music, the heavy auto tune use, melodic delivery, non sequiturs, etc, but what Young Thug truly shares with Prime Lil Wayne the most is the ability to steal the show on every song. Whether its “About the Money” with T.I., “Hookah” with Tyga or “Dresser” with 2 Chainz, he completely dominates the track while only being the featured artist. 

Thugger is one of the few rappers whose approach to a song can’t be predicted before hearing him on it. He has one of the most spastic deliveries in the game, aimlessly switching between mumbles, whines, screams and whispers and he does it in a way that only works for him. Oh and did I forget to mention that he has the hook game on smash??!?!?

Favorite Verse/Song: Jack Tripper by Low Pros (feat. PeeWee Longway)

Favorite Project: Rich Gang Tha Tour, Part 1 (w/ Young Thug & Birdman) (2014)

7. Mac Miller

Four years ago I could’ve written a piece two times the size of this list as a whole on why no one in their right mind should listen to Mac Miller. Three or four exceptional projects later and Malcolm has turned into one of this generation’s best artists. This artistic shift occurred as he started spending more time with Odd Future, Brainfeeder along with other affiliates and realized that there was a need for growth in his career. He abandoned the frat-rap and began to make music that was far more risky. Mac prioritized his personal tastes over what was appealing to mainstream listeners and that evolution in his work has resulted in some of the best full length projects to be released in the past five years. It all started with Macadelic and his unique psychedelic airy aesthetic expanded as Mac began to adapt more and more into his new role to the point where he could release a steady flow of music without compromising a smidgen of quality. After dropping the critically acclaimed Watching Movies with the Sound Off, he released an unannounced mixtape shortly thereafter under the alias Delusional Thomas. The tape was dark and gritty both sonically and lyrically. Mac altered his voice, took full control of the production, shifted his subject matter to become more horror-themed…and it fucking worked. Mac Miller is now comfortable in his own skin and we as music listeners are the winners as a result.

Favorite Verse/Song: Red Dot Music

Favorite Project: Watching Movies with the Sound Off (2013)

6. Vince Staples

Talent wise, there might not be a single better pure rapper in the game than Vince Staples. At this point in his career, Vince is damn near flawless as a rapper. The only legitimate knock you could’ve had against him was a narrow subject matter and he improved on that mightily this year on guest verses like “Kingdom” and the entirety of his latest EP. 

Something that you can pick up from Vince Staple’s personality in various interviews which I think will prove to be his greatest asset as an artist, is the fact that he is never impressed by himself. He isn’t in this for the attention, he isn’t in this for the accolades, he’s doing this simply because its what the fuck he wants to do. That attitude comes with a vigor and an absolute lack of complacency that few of his peers can relate to. Vince Staples is the first rapper who I’ve heard proclaim that he wasn’t influenced by any other artists and I can totally believe him. You can make the comparisons all you want but his music is ultimately tied to his life experiences that no one else could share and that is why he is unique. His music is an illustration of the life he’s led and it stands out in a world full of artists who are fixated in carrying on tradition and conforming to the precedents. With Vince there are no antics, ulterior motives or anything else of that nature…theres just a dude who wants you to focus on his music.

Favorite Verse/Song: Versace Rap

Favorite Project: Hell Can Wait (2014)

5. Chief Keef

Almighty Sosa is your favorite rapper's favorite rapper across sub-genres. Kanye West is always eager to work with the fellow Chicagoan, Gucci Mane recognizes Keef as his heir apparent, Danny Brown has declared Chief Keef is his favorite rapper on a couple occasions and Earl Sweatshirt tweets his love for Sosa on an almost weekly basis. This is not to say that if you're favorite rapper loves something you should love it too, it's to say that people who make music for a living hold Chief Keef in a high regard and its not some three year-long running inside joke. 

Let's start with the most obvious of Keef's attributes....he has sounded like a grown man since he was 15 years old. If you sing or if you rap, it is better for all parties involved if you have a tight voice and Keef has the voice of someone who was born to rap. From a technical standpoint, he's one of the more underrated rappers in the game. His internal rhyming is effortless, his wordplay is subtle (which is a combination of some of his lines going over people's heads and him just not pronouncing words with clarity) but effective, the tone in his delivery almost always seems to fit the beat and he raps with a sense of aggression and heartlessness that just can’t be duplicated.

There is this common belief that Keef has been on the decline since dropping Finally Rich and that is in part true. If you define success based off of popularity, earning power and mainstream appeal then yes Chief Keef has declined in all of the aforementioned fields. But if you want to talk about pure artistry, Chief Keef's progression is undeniable. His beat selection palette is constantly expanding, his song structure is never stagnant and his vocals are always evolving from his delivery all the way to his ad-libs. Many artists find conformity to be a safe-haven, but Sosa's biggest strength is that he is absolutely comfortable with experimentation and that is what makes him so special as a rap artist.

Favorite Verse/Song: War

Favorite Project: Almighty So (2013)

  4. Earl Sweatshirt

The Sweaty Man has everything you want on a technical level. His similes and metaphors are filled with wit, his wordplay is effortless, his take on braggadocio is unique and raw and he’s about as good as it gets when it comes to rapping about how good of a rapper he is. Earl has the rare ability to be complex yet still hold the attention of his audience. He rewards listeners even on their third and fourth listens, dropping double entendres that provide a sense of awe once deciphered. 

When Earl returned from Samoa, he left behind his Infinite Em-reminiscent serial killer/serial rapist subject matter and really broadened the scope of his music for the better. On his debut album, he proved to be just as if not more well versed with broaching the topics of love, coping with fame and mourning as he once was about having a threesome with Pamela Anderson and Hannah Montana’s manager. Earl is continuing his maturation as an artist experimenting with different instrumentation, finding ways to execute a less monotonic delivery and most importantly aiming to make music that is just as emotionally evocative as it is technically impressive. He has the trajectory of a legend and I don’t see anything or anyone pushing him off of that path in the foreseeable future. 

Favorite Verse/Song: Centurion

Favorite Project: Doris (2013)

3. Chance The Rapper

Chano has the smallest sample size of work out of any of the artists on this list, but his talent is just undeniable. No artist is better at channeling his introspection in a way that is thought provoking, relatable and entertaining. He has the most unique sound in the game taking influences from College Dropout-era Kanye, Gospel Music, Juke Music and stirring them all together to create what we now know as Acid Rap.

Chance the Rapper’s music is the most honest illustration of an individual’s humanity that you’ll find in the genre of Hip Hop today. He lets listeners know of his fears, he lets you know his loves, he readily acknowledges his hypocrisies, and he wears his flaws around his neck with pride as if they were a gold chain. He does this all in a way where not only do listeners empathize with him, but they can also use his music as a means to search for meaning within themselves. The fact that a cat who is only 21 years old can really exude such emotional resonance makes him one of the unquestionably elite rap artists of today’s generation. 

Favorite Verse/Song: Everybody’s Something

Favorite Project: Acid Rap (2013)

2. Kendrick Lamar

King Kendrick coming in at number two is the only rapper on this list with two undeniably classic LPs. In an era when mixtapes are presented as a rapper’s most honest form of work, KDot has delivered with two albums that don’t compromise a smidgen of his artistic integrity. The cohesiveness of both Section.80 and Good Kid, M.A.A.D City are absolutely rare on a historical level. You’ve got two concept albums in which each song still finds a way to maintain its own personality. 

From a technical standpoint he is second to none. There is nothing forced about his metaphors, his similes or his story telling. They all come from a place of seemingly innate talent and an unquenchable thirst for greatness. No words are wasted in a Kendrick Lamar song. Every bar is a piercing blow with the intention to inspire the minds of listeners and strike fear in the hearts of his adversaries. 

Favorite Verse/Song: Sherane a.k.a. Master Splinter’s Daughter

Favorite Project: Section.80 (2011)

1. Drake

To set the record straight, there isn’t a single Drake song on my iPod (yes, I still use one of those). I don’t consider myself to be a big Drake fan in the slightest and he has the tendency to be a cornball of orvillean proportions. With all of that said, he is the clear cut premiere rap artist of this generation as it currently stands and its damn near inarguable. 

He has IT. He has an untouchable vocal presence. He has the ability to capture your undivided attention on a song even when you’ve made your mind up that you were going to ignore him. He doesn’t have to raise his voice, he doesn’t have to slap you in the face with a bevy of big words, he just is. I talked about it previously with YG and it applies to Drake tenfold, he doesn’t have to say that much to say a lot. The man isn’t featured or starring in half of the songs on the billboard charts on accident, he brings the same level of energy and dedication track after track despite his insane work output. 

Skill wise he is the prototypical rapper. From his flow to his charisma, there are no overwhelming structural flaws in his rapping. There isn’t a single style of production that can render him a misfit as he is truly one of the most versatile artists in the history of the genre. 

Favorite Verse/Song: 5 AM in Toronto

Favorite Project: Nothing Was the Same (2013)

Honorable Mentions 

Waka Flocka Flame - If it wasn't for the letdown that was Triple F Life along with a couple half-assed mixtape efforts he would be in the top 10. Flockaveli is arguably the best rap album of the decade. If he can come anywhere near that type of production again, he should be regarded as an elite artist. 

Offset - He's a member of the most dominant rap group in the world right now and he provides his fair share of contributions to every single one of their projects.

OG Maco - I've praised him on my tumblr page on a couple occasions. This dude really has the potential to be this generation's Mystikal. I bring up the Mystikal comparison because of his ability to channel his aggression, effortlessly flipping back and forth between faint whispers and war cries. We just need a project from him where he really puts forth an effort on every track.

Goldlink - Promising young artist coming out of the DMV. Very unique ear for beats and a really energetic delivery. Just needs to find his individuality if he wants to progress from both an artistic and popularity standpoint as the Chance the Rapper void has already been filled...by Chance the Rapper.

Denzel Curry - N64 was one of the better rap projects released last year. I personally believe Curry fucked up by releasing N64 as an EP instead of a free mixtape, but I think the potential to permeate the mainstream is still there for Curry once he hones his songwriting skills.

Robb Bank$ - His super duper cool ass voice is both a gift and a curse as he sometimes gets lazy with his actual song writing knowing his vocal presence can carry him. I believe he has the ability to deliver catchy hooks better than most, he just needs to improve technically.

Jay Rock - Many people forget that Rock is the first of the TDE members to really get any significant recognition. Since dropping his debut album, nearly every TDE member has surpassed him in popularity and the majority of them have evolved far more than Rock has over the past four years. The good news is this dude has killed every feature he's been on over the past two years and quite a few of them have been high-profile cuts. He has a solid single out with Kendrick now, hopefully he can carry on this momentum and put together a great album.

xxxx

And that's all I've got for now. I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors, but not really though...only mark niggas have time to proof-read. If none of your favorite rappers ended up on the list then you're probably a herb. Take that up with the god you worship and the parents that raised you.

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sidenote: I plan on making a best rap album of 2014 list by year's end but don't hold me to it

[caineandguns]

Fuck with Goldlink

[caineandguns]

Lil Bitch

[caineandguns]

Always Strapped