Hip Hop's Next Generation

There it is. After a year of speculation the list has finally been compiled for the newest generation of talent in the game.

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 Also, when I use the words Old Generation in no way am I saying these artists are old, outdated, or washed up.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"

Old Generation: Redman
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.

Old Generation: Prodigy (of Mobb Deep)
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.

Old Generation: ODB
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?"

Old Generation: Cam'Ron
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.

Old Generation: Tupac Shakur
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.

Where Is Young Jeezy/The Rise of "Swag Rap" & "Emo Hop"

"I'm the realest n**** in it, you already know, got trapper of the year 4 times in a row. (What they give ya?) A lifetime supply of baking soda clientele, a rolly watch, two pots, and three scales" In 2005 these lyrics blasted through speakers from Atlanta all the way to the suburbs of California. Jeezy was on top of the world. He had just left Diddy's Bad Boy Empire departing from rap-group Boyz N Da Hood and joined forces with hip-hop juggernaut Jay-Z over at Def Jam. Jeezy followed his "classic" debut, with two strong solo efforts including "The Inspiration" and "The Recession" which yielded the hood's Barack Obama anthem "My President"

Fast forward to 2011. It's been three years since Jeezy's last album and outside of last years follow-up to the Trap or Die series we haven't heard much from the hoarse voiced trap hero. Even to focus on Trap or Die 2 for a moment, this was actually a very good mixtape. Hard beats, Cannon screaming his witty banter over several tracks, and Jeezy spittin his tales about the "trap or die" lifestyle that helped him rise as an overnight sensation.

So there remains the question. Why is Young Jeezy no longer relevant? Why did Trap or Die 2 not create enough buzz to launch Thug Motivation 103? Why has Thug Motivation 103 been pushed back more times than Ne-Yo's hairline?

It comes down to this. The face of hip-hop is changing. The industry of hip-hop is slowly moving away from rhymes about shoot outs, drug smuggling, and cocaine battlefields and moving to a more authentic place. The power of music has always been it's ability for the listener to identify with the experiences being presented in rhyme, and/or live a fantasy through the music that blares through their headphones. So does the American listener no longer want to be a drug kingpin? Do they actually want to listen to music more closely affiliated with their ACTUAL lifestyle? No way!!!!

Here's three observations I want to point out as to why Jeezy struggles to remain relevant in today's hip-hop scene. And more importantly the direction that I feel hip-hop is going in the future.

Observation 1: That Fat Mutha****

In 2005, the only people that would have said that Rick Ross would be on top of the music game in 2011 probably resided from a city with a (305) area code. But wait how did this happen? Ross was seemingly less skilled than Jeezy, their lines were both laced with cocaine metaphors, and Ross was EXPOSED as a cop. Well here's the difference. As Jeezy continued down his path of being a cocaine cowboy, Ross completely changed his brand. Dumping his nickname as the "bawse" (remember the drug kingpin reference I made earlier in this article) and changing his nickname to "Rozay" a play on words for the wine that has the same pronunciation. When Ross released Teflon Don and affiliated himself with Diddy, he had successfully steered away from the image of being a fake Scarface, and strongly associated himself with the fun-loving Champagne lifestyle.

 Observation 2: The Rise of Swag Rap

The three gentleman pictured above (Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean, & Soulja Boy) encompass swag rap to it's fullest. Topics include and are  limited to lighting up illegal substances, wearing the flyest gear, and sleepin with everyone's girlfriend. In my opinion this is the second coming of the party music that was rampant in the hip-hop scene in the mid 80's before N.W.A & Public Enemy angrily took over. Although these artists are stronger lyrically than most of the music that popped throughout that time period, they both accomplish the exact same goal...their music makes people feel good.

Writers Note: Wiz Khalifa & Big Sean are two of my favorite artists. In no way was this paragraph a shot at them. Truth be told "swag rap" is my favorite type of music to listen to. 

Obervation 3: Autotune and "Emo Hop

Leave it to Kanye to start another trend in music. Back in 2008 after the lost of his mother, and probable fiancee 'Ye hopped on the autotune machine to croon out his pain. This gave birth to artists who may have never seen the light of day if it weren't for "808's and Heartbreaks"...Kid Cudi and Drake. Drake and especially Cudi have brought the Emo feeling to rap music. Authentic and honest hip-hop songs that expose the vulnerability of the artist, steering away from the macho bravado talk that has reigned supreme for so many years.

In conclusion, hip-hop is coming to a more authentic place than it has since it's creation, and that can be simply because the recession that spread rampant around 2009, has made us become a lot more honest with ourselves. Many people have had to come to grips with the fact that they aren't ballin, pushin a Maybach, cookin work on the stove, and in turn started steering to music that they could relate to. This is why Jeezy has struggled. He has refused to cater his rhymes to emotions and carefree swag jams. Which is fine, that's not his brand. But one day in order for TM 103 to ever be released he is going to have to come to the grips with the fact that the average listener no longer aspires to "Get their Benihana's on & work two pots"...frankly the average listener can barely even afford Benihanas.