Mick Jenkins
Chicago has become a hotbed of young talent over the past several years, producing a wide variety of artists who have made their presence felt across the board. While Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa (see above) tend to receive most of the attention, one of the more impressive emcees from the area who is flourishing goes by the name of Mick Jenkins. His 2014 mixtape The Water{s} was met with instant acclaim with Jenkins earning rave reviews for his passionate delivery of well-crafted song concepts. The vividness of Jenkins’ wordplay consistently resonates over his aptly suited production choices, and it is clear that the Chi-town wordsmith is still growing as an artist. While Jenkins may never be a radio darling type of rapper, respecting lyricism has become trendier amongst the mainstream audience nowadays and Jenkins has the capability to build his sound in a manner which will grow his already devoted fan-base.
Must Listen Project: The Water[s]
Vince Staples
From Odd Future affiliate to Def Jam signee, the journey of Vince Staples has been an interesting one and the product of Long Beach has come into prominence over the past few years. With a raw lyrical ability and unique cadence powering his refreshing take on West Coast gangsta rap, Staples earned the respect of his peers very quickly after releasing his Stolen Youth and Hell Can Wait projects. Summertime ‘06 (set to drop on June 30th) will be the first official studio album from Staples and the chances that it accelerates his potential rise to stardom are quite high considering his current trajectory. With a natural talent and veteran producer No I.D. in his corner, look for Staples to make a major splash this summer.
Must Listen Project: Hell Can Wait
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