If you don't recognize the faces here's the full list:
Meek Mill
Big K.R.I.T.
CyHi Da Prince
Lil Twist
Yelawolf
Fred the Godson
Mac Miller
YG
Lil B
Kendrick Lamar
Diggy Simmons.
Since I was so inspired by this list, I decided to do a little "up and coming talent" section but flip it GMack style. This is XXL's fourth year doing this list, so I decided to one up them by taking 5 of the top talents they've recognized in their freshman issues and provide my opinion on which established rappers I believe they have glaring similarities to.
Note: I left the Wiz Khalifa/Snoop Dogg comparison out of this, since this is something I've heard a million times and I wanted to provide a more unique list. Also, when I use the words Old Generation in no way am I saying these artists are old, outdated, or washed up. I'm referring to them this way to draw the line between which artist is well-established and which is up and coming. In a couple of scenarios the "Old Generation" artist is dead so please don't take any of these comparisons with disrespect.
Peep Below: "Hip Hop's Next Generation"
New Generation: Curren$y
First off, there's the obvious Cheech & Chong buddy scenario. Redman had Method Man, Curren$y has Wiz Khalifa. They make amazing music together, and are both the lesser appreciated of their respective duos. Then there's this little known fact: BOTH OF THESE GUYS CAN REALLY RAP! Unless something drastically changes I could see Curren$y's career having the same tales as Redmans. He'll be an under appreciated artist who fans only truly want to hear from if he's collaborating with his bosom buddy. Rap-wise Curren$y's not nearly as skilled as Redman was in his prime, but they are both the lyrical giants of their duos who will more than likely be slept on by non-avid rap fans who prefer their more commercially successful counterparts.
New Generation: Nipsey Hussle
Outside of looking freakishly similar, Prodigy & Nipsey Hussle have a lot of artistic similarities. When Nipsey first dropped everyone was extremely eager to compare him to Snoop. He's from LA, he has braids, he's he's Snoop! No stupid.
Snoop and Nipsey are actually polar opposites. Where Snoop has that laid-back vibe to his music that you can party or smoke to, Nipsey spits "pistol grip poetry" with an emotion and passion that Snoop never reached nor has tried to reach in his long running career.This is where his similarities to Prodgy directly correlate. You can FEEL both of these artists pain in their music. When Nipsey says "Emani aint gon see the streets", you want to fly out to LA to make sure she's stayin out of trouble. When Prodigy adamantly claims "You can never feel my pain n***", you quickly re-evaluate the severity of whatever situation you were previously complaining about about. Prodigy's music has always told tales of violence, lost loved ones, and his struggle overcoming being dealt a bad hand in life. Nipsey's music shares the same sentiments, and I believe he's a bit superior lyrically to Prodigy. I'm extremely excited to see where Nipsey's career goes from this point forward.
New Generation: Lil' B
God rest the dead, but ODB was a wild dude. He was manic, crazy, and more important than anything he was wildly entertaining. ODB was an electrifying character.He was one of the most unpredictable figures in the music industry, and never seemed to do much of anything that made sense. So how is he similar to Lil' B? If you've read the sentences above you've answered your own question. Lil' B has paraded the scene with rhymes laced with obscenities, and public statements laced in outlandish claims (On his mixtape Evil Red Flame he claims he has made the "Best Mixtape Ever" at least 16 times) This is why we love Lil' B. We don't take him seriously, but we love his foolishness just like we loved ODB's. Besides, how can you not see the similarities between "The Based God" and someone who wanted to publicly change their rap name to "Big Baby Jesus?"
New Generation: Big Sean
I thought long & hard about who Big Sean reminded me of. A lot of people said Kanye because he's signed to his label, and his rhymes are laced with swagger. I couldn't agree with that since I think Sean's rhymes are 100% swagger, while Ye's (even when he was new) were 60% swag, and 40% substance. Then I thought Ludacris (I'm talking "Back to The First Time" Luda not "Battle of the Sexes" Luda). Luda was a metaphor king at the beginning of his career as well, but it still didn't seem like the right fit. Then I really thought about it, and Cam'ron was perfect. Big Sean & Cam'ron have this one glaring similarity that makes them outrageously similar. Both are phenomenal wordsmiths, but depending on a critics personal attitude toward them, you can view them as being "weak" or "corny". Both of them have one phrase or line that will haunt them forever, one line that will always be brought up when people try to dismiss them as gimmick swag artists. Cam'ron's phrase is "Rooty, Tootyrooty, tooty, fresh, and fruity, lions, tigers, bears, and a bunch of other nonsense that doesn't make up 1/3 of his catalog. Then you have Big Sean who's "Who....Her? Her?" adlib could be the death of him. I'll admit before I really started liking Big Sean I used this adlib as my main ammunition to justify why I thought he was whack.. But that's the point. With both these artists if you get caught with what's on the surface you'll miss the magic. And that's what makes them both great.
New Generation: J. Cole
I already know I'm going to get the most flack for this comparison. What!? How are you gonna compare a dude with no album to one of the greatest rappers of all time! How dare you! Have you calmed down yet? Now listen.
I'm not gonna lie, I sort of stole this comparison from my dude @H_Barca . I had been thinking this for a while, but when a dude who I feel knows just about me as hip-hop (probably more) than I do confirmed my initial thought I had to run with it. When Cole came out everyone compared him to Nas. Easy comparison. Both great storytellers, both lyrical wordsmiths. But Cole's connection to Pac is deeper than his connection to Nas. Although Nas is a great storyteller, he isn't necessary the one you wanted to sit around the fireplace and have him tell it to you. Nas tells his stories in an extremely impersonal matter that almost removes himself from the scene of the crime.
Then there's Pac & Cole. When these guys tell a story, they DEMAND your attention. They spit every rhyme with passion, and tell stories with such descriptive details that you feel like you're experiencing it right there with them. You can't wait until the hook is over so you can hear the next verse and see how the story ends. These guys, live and breath their music and you can feel it with every bar. Notice I used the word feel, not hear. Those with a great hip-hop ear can hear Nas loud & clear, but any and everyone can feel Pac & J Cole's music in their soul.
