I don’t post anyway near as much rap or hip hop on CitR as I should, and I wouldn’t claim to be the most educated when it comes to critiquing the genres.
From this year, albums from Isaiah Rashad, Schoolboy Q and Mick Jenkins have stood out, yet outside of that, I’ve not delved into more underground scenes. Despite my limited knowledge, I’m pretty confident in saying that LA’s Yo$hwa is a very very exciting prospect. Without a Facebook or a Soundcloud under his own name, I’m struggling to piece together the entire story, although it appears he’s worked with several producers (Ckeelay and $hwa – perhaps the same person, excuse my ignorance). Anyway, the Ckeelay produced Blue Garments is fantastic, and latest track, $hwa Forever feels like the sort of track that starts to truly define an artist.