Hot Rap

If you follow hip-hop at all, this whole shebang will be old news for you. Lately, though, I've had quite a few people ask me for new music recommendations, in response to which I proudly referred them to my blog, humble man that I am, only to realize I hadn't recommended any new music in over a month. So I decided to draw up a handy guide. I noted which ones were mixtapes because they can be downloaded legally, for free, with a simple Google search. A more orthodox list might include the obnoxious Chief Keef, who is awful, and a quickly maturing Odd Future, whom I'm beginning to like but don't feel familiar enough yet to review their albums. Ol' timers apparently incapable of making a bad album like the Coup and Doom are still rockin' it.

Greedhead Records (Queens)

• Essential: Das Racist, Relax; Heems, Nehru Jackets [mixtape]; Le1f, "Wut"
• Also Great: Das Racist, Sit Down, Man [mixtape]; Das Racist, Shut Up, Dude [mixtape]; Heems, Wild Water Kingdoms [mixtape];
• Good:  Kool A.D., 51 [mixtape]; Kool A.D., 19 [mixtape]; Big Baby Gandhi, No1 2 Look Up 2 [mixtape]; Le1f, Dark York

 Action Bronson (Queens)

• Essential: Blue Chips [mixtape]
• Also Great: Dr. Lecter
• Good: The Program EP [mixtape]

Other NYC

• Great: Joey BadA$$, 1999 [mixtape], his verse in A$AP's "1 Train"
• Good: Long.Live.A$AP; Pro Era, The aPROcalypse

Black Hippy (L.A.)

• Essential: Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d city
• Also Great: Ab-Soul, Control System; Kendrick's verse in almost any song (and there are a lot now)
• Good: Kendrick Lamar, Section.80 [mixtape]; Schoolboy Q, Habits and Contradiction

Death Grips (Sacramento)

• Essential:The Money Store
• Also Great: No Love Deep Web; Exmilitary [mixtape]

Womyn

• Essential: Azealia Banks (Harlem), 1991
• Great: Kitty (Daytona Beach), D.A.I.S.Y. Rage
• Good: Azealia Banks, Fantasea

 Big K.R.I.T. (Mississippi)

• Essential: Return of 4Eva [mixtape]
• Also Great: 4eva N A dAy
• Good: K.R.I.T. Wuz Here [mixtape]; Live from the Underground

 Danny Brown (Detroit)

• Essential: XXX (1st half), his verse in Ab-Soul's "Terrorist Threats,"
• Good: XXX (2nd half) 

Serengeti (Chicago) [been around for a while but still unknown so fuck it]

 

• Essential: C.A.R.; The video for "Dennehy"
• Also Great: Dennehy; Family & Friends; Beak & Claw
• Good: Saal; Noodles Arm Whimsy; Noticeably Negro
 

Spoek Mathambo (South Africa)

• Essential: Father Creeper