Top Upcoming Hip-Hop Artists

Here are a list of a few upcoming artists that have the potential to become the next big things on the hip-hop scene.
1. Wale
This DC kid has got the most ridiculous wordplay and lyrical talent I have ever seen. He puts things into songs that nobody but him would ever think of. His only current single out is Nike Boots but he has much more music out there than that. He has 4 mixtapes....2 which are lesser recognized. His first was "Paint a Picture," then "Hate is the New Love," then "100 Miles and Running," and his latest "Mixtape About Nothing," which was brilliant. He is currently working on his 5th mixtape "Back to the Feature" and his new album. How could you not love this dude with lines like...
"young Ben Gordon, I play through all the bullshit"
"and you all mike Phelps, I can take you out the game and that medal won't help."
"I'll make a youngin' see like beta carotene"
or "Some good rappers ain't eatin' they olsen twinin'"

It just doenst get better than that! Here are some links to check him out..
http://10deep.com/WALEMIXTAPE/
http://www.getrightmusic.com/2008/01/11/wale-100-miles-running/

Btw..his album is supposedly droppin' this summer

2. Kid Cudi
This cleveland native caught my eye, not because of his lyrics, but of his fresh style. His sound is somethin you haven't really heard in Hip-Hop and it's good to hear somethin new. In his songs he often sings instead of really rapping, but definitely makes it work. His single Day N' Nite, which is about everyday things people can relate to, hit the charts and became a huge hit. His upcoming single "The Sky Might Fall" is off his upcoming album "Man on the Moon" and has nice chill flow. He currently has a mixtape "A kid named Cudi" out right now. Here's the link to get that:

http://10deep.com/KIDCUDIMIXTAPE/

3. B.O.B.
I haven't heard much from him lately but the content that he has put out so far has been solid. I like his style and he has a fun flow on his songs. I heard the song "Don't Break My Heart" from his new album, on which he samples "build me up buttercup" and loved it. However, its hard to find because they locked it back up after they leaked it. He also has a single out "Autotune" makeing fun of the device and it is hilarious. Check out his mixtapes and see what you think...

http://www.bobatl.com/category/mixtapes/
http://2dopeboyz.com/2008/11/16/bob-dj-scream-who-the-fk-is-bob-mixtape/

4. Jay Electronica
Pretty much the only reason I got introduced to this dude was because he was the opener for a NAS and Talib Kweli show. Let me tell you though...I was blown away by his 10-15 minute slot. His emphasis wasn't on the music behind him, but it didn't need to be. His lyrics are sick and he has a ton of talent. Look for him in the future. Here is his myspace and an article about him...there really isnt that much content on him on the web.
http://www.myspace.com/jayelect
http://www.urb.com/features/858/JayElectronicaASpotlessMind.php

5. Drake
My fellow blogger recently turned me onto this guy. He saw him open for a show for Lil' Wayne. Apparently he is one of weezy's proteges or somethin. Either way hes got some talent. Sort of like Cudi, this guy has a lot of songs where he sings as well as raps, but he has a great voice. When he does rip it though, its worth waiting for.... mixtape link:

http://2dopeboyz.com/2009/02/13/drake-so-far-gone-mixtape/

6. Saigon
To Be honest I really haven't heard a ton of stuff from this guy, that's why he's lower on the list, but what I have heard I have absolutely Loved. I have heard a few songs on hiphopdx and they have been pretty tight. He is featured in the song "Criminal" off of The Roots' latest album Rising Down. A lot of people also know him from Entourage, on which he was the unkonwn talent that Turtle signed. Here are some of his songs and a mixtape

http://www.getrightmusic.com/2007/06/17/saigon-belly-of-the-beast-the-scram-jones-files/
This song is sick:
www.hiphopdx.com/index/audio/id.6500/title.saigon-trans-atlantic-slave-deal

and this ones good too:
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/audio/id.6743/title.saigon-the-rules


7. Asher Rother
Jordan has already written about this dude on the blog, and it wasn't exactly a good post. Like Jordan said, he has put out some shit lately, however we see some potential in the guy. The single "I love college" is purely a track made for becoming top 10 on Itunes, which it did. Even is mixtape is has a pretty goofy and joking tone, but it definitely has some lyrical content. some lines he has:

"Spittin' Lincecum Hell yea I got a CANNON"
rapping bout doing cartoons: "Do Beauty with Beast: Eiffel Tower"
"does her bra size have to be a D at least, or can it be decreased if she real up on the beat"
"you would think that there was 2 of me, or like 10 of me, i have a tendency, as edison inventive with a pen and a sentence"

http://www.thedailykush.com/

Some of my favorite tracks on the tape are "The Lounge" "Cannon" "Cartoon Chick" and "The Sun God Free" ....give those a listen let us know what you think