Cam Meekins 

Who is he? Around 2009 a new front emerged in the rap scene. White kids from suburbia with a signature sound started to get a serious fan base. Listeners who liked the rap sound but couldn’t relate to the lyrics of hardcore music found their musical messiah in young, white, rappers like Mac Miller, and Sam Adams. They called it frat rap. So when Cam Meekins stepped into the game at 16 years old from Newton, Massachusetts he was greeted with that familiar fan base, but they were shocked to see that Meekins was far from a frat rapper. In fact in his most famous video while wearing a Mac Miller cut out he exclaims “f*** frat rap.” So how did a young rapper from the suburbs call out his more infamous counterparts and still make the list?

Why did he make the cut? Meekins produced a vast array of music this past year. He used familiar soft beats and a signature soft voice on tracks such as “inhale” and “sometimes” but also dropped elaborate verses on songs such as “rain” and “cut me off” (a sample from the popular Gotye song). Though his counterparts have been more successful in the mainstream rap game, Meekins is just as talented.

He can hang verse for verse with Sam Adams, Chris Webby, or any other popular newcomer. What he offers the others don’t is a signature ability to actually rap about real issues such as depression, lost loves, and even dead friends. It’s a nice change of pace from the frat rap topics of weed and girls (though Meekins mentions those too).Overall his content is much deeper than any fellow frat rappers he’s competing with for iPod space of teenagers, and that was the deciding factor in why Meekins was added to our list.

Erreon Lee 

   Who is he? Gangster rap has been around since NWA’s reign of terror in the 90’s. With modern acts such as Schoolboy Q, Ace Hood, and Meek Mill known for their hungry lyrics that can only come from those raised in an environment plagued with struggle seem to make sure that this genre will stay around.

That being said, this signature sound is hard to come by, but when listening to Dallas newcomer Erreon Lee it’s easy to see that he possesses it. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma Lee grew up in poverty and violence. When he graduated high school and needed a stage big enough for his musical dreams he headed to Dallas TX, and never looked back.

Why did he make the cut? Lee brings the signature sound to the table that can’t be produced in a studio, he reportedly made homemade mixes and sold them on street corners until he was discovered by manager Evan Palmer. Lee quickly rose to the top of the underground scene in Dallas with gritty lyrics from YouTube hits “Go To Hell” and “Truest Story”. He also caught the attention of some major artists, opening for worldwide talent such as J.Cole,Kendrick Lamar, and Wale. Lee released his single “YOLO” featuring Juelz Santana in October of 2012 and has been slowly inclining ever since. Erreon Lee is an extremely talented MC coming from a place of struggle, and will very likely be raps next gang-star.

SD 

   Who is he? The entire country watched as Chief Keef, just 16 at the time, turned into a rap superstar. Rap fans wanting to learn more about his humble beginnings researched Chicago’s drill scene and found some diamonds in the rough, including SD. Born Sadiki Thirston, SD grew up in the same streets that bred Chief Keef. SD was only 17 when he first released his debut mixtape life of a savage which received over 47,000 downloads on datpiff.

Why did he make the cut? America has spoken about drill music, and they can’t get enough. SD delivers the gruesome lyrics that brought Chief Keef his fan base, but in a much more appealing way. SD rocks the dread head look and black disciple (which he is affiliated with) demeanor while still maintaining an enjoyable sound. SD has a better voice and clearer lyrics than his Chicago brethren and yet can still deliver the dangerous sound fans love. While maintaining his underground stranglehold SD released “White B******” which got some airtime on prominent Chicago stations. Keeping the hardcore underground fan base while playing on the radio is a struggle that most rappers face when trying to succeed, even Chief Keef seems to have lost his south side fans after signing to inter scope. SD is still in a position where he can dictate his die hard fans, and try to get radio play.

Especially with the recent success in the Chicago rap scene the next big thing to come out of the Windy City will be SD.

G-Eazy 

   Who is he? “Walking in the party dapper looking like Duke Ellington” is a line from G-Eazy’s song Jack Skellington, and he isn’t far off. Taking one look at Gerald Earl Gillum (aka G-Eazy) one might confuse him for a young Mr.Rogers, a Frank Sinatra impersonator, or a jazz musician as he boasted. In reality, Gillum is a lanky (6’6), white, 24 year old who made rap fans pay attention, and fall in love.

   Why did he make the cut? Gillum came out with a plethora of new music in 2013, including “Lady Killers” and “Been On”. The Oakland born artist has proven that he can work with high profile artists like Hoodie Allen, without giving up his unique sound, and it is a unique sound. There is no one in the game who can be compared to Gillum in the aspect of lyricism and beats. One of his signature moves is taking old songs from the 40’s-60’s and revamping them with a baseline and a verse. In “Runaround Sue” he takes a Dion Dimucci song from 1961 and uses it to tell his own story dealing with infidelity. Gillum even uses the “Chim Chimney” song from Disney’s Mary Poppins and raps over it in his song “The Coolest Job”. Though he is new and creative, that isn’t the only reason Gillum is featured on our list, he is an incredibly talented rapper. With rhymes often focusing on the various women he encounters (“Waspy”,”Tumblr Girls”,and “Marilyn”), to songs focused on enjoying life (“Loaded”), or for no apparent reason, to use Gillum’s words himself “this ain’t got no concept, I just felt like rappin/started writing lyrics and then just felt like snappin”. Gillum’s incredible talent, plus personal sound make him a must listen, but surprisingly he is yet to release an album that wasn’t first a mixtape. These Things Happen his first album with all new songs will be released sometime in 2014, and we highly recommend paying attention to this artist.