Max Burgundy
Brooklyn, NY
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Lyrical complexity is a common thread between all of these artists, and Max Burgundy definitely packs his verses full of gems.
His buzz-earning single "Save Feris" piggybacks off everyone's wildest Matthew Broderick fantasies of giving their boss a piece of their mind, and in the meantime listeners get a piece of Burgundy's.
There's a lackadaisical cadence in his delivery that's reminiscent of Del the Funkee Homosapien, but the struggle described within is anything but lazy: fans certainly identify with the empty-wallet, underpaid and overworked status quo Burgundy seems determined to reject.
It's not all sociopolitical commentary though, tracks like "Hey Love" meld simple bass lines with a simple, heartfelt expression that's often biographical. His lyrics are funny, relate-able and don't take the game too seriously.
A product of Brooklyn, Burgundy has climbed his way on stage with the likes of Chromeo, Das Racist and MURS. Now he's poised to gain international appeal, having just been selected to perform at Canadian Music Fest 2012.
Mic Crenshaw
Portland, OR
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This next MC calls the Pacific Northwest his home, and Seattleites were certainly talking after his performance at Bumbershoot 2010 last fall.
Crewshaw is a poet in the classical sense as well, he won the Portland Poetry Slam Championship in 2001, and now having put his words to music, he's grabbed the baton of social activism and ran with it in style.
Standing as very nearly the intellectual antithesis to thuggery, Crenshaw rhymes about police brutality and the shallow power of the almighty dollar, all while injecting a historical consciousness that's only surprising in so much as it's rare in hip hop.
In much the same way Talib Kweli's been doing for years, his is an accurate reflection of Western urban society not steeped in gritty, violent detail but with a overarching sense of scope. It's hopeful without sugar coating, and that's very refreshing.
ELLIS
Brooklyn, NY
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Baltimore-born rapper ELLIS has only been in the game since 2007, but as he says in the self-referential track "Best Kept Secret", it's his "spectacular vernacular stunting like a cracka huh" that turns all heads.
He makes his origins clear, this is a rags to riches story in progress, and ELLIS is intent on laying out his plan to all who'll listen.
The key to ELLIS' success, and what likely got him selected by Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival 2011, is his flow. It's boundless and still he does his best to make it sound effortless. On "Living that Life" he reflects on South American women, life in public housing and the Illuminati in just four seconds. He even packs a verse-worth of rhymes into the damn intro.
ELLIS utilizes a lot of familiar hip hop tropes. Throughout the 2k12 The End Game mixtape he plays dice, witnesses robberies and lights up plenty, but you've never heard them delivered this way.
His skills are truly unique and will continue to get him noticed. And yet, he still manages to stay modest: "This is nothing just a hobby that I learned in a public housing lobby."
Gods'Illa
District Heights, MD
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Formed in 2004 by three real life brothers, Gods'Illa has stormed the shores of the nation's capital armed to the teeth with sharp samples, easy-living beats and a trio of lyricists, each with their own style.
It didn't take long for the brothers Gods'Illa to find themselves on some of the best stages in hip hop, having performed at their own CMJ Showcase, rocked the End of the Weak Mic Series and earned the #1 spot in MTV's VMA Best Breakout D.C. Competition.
Simple rhythms frame Gods'Illa's message, often sampling jazz piano and horn sections with grace. Like the late Guru's (RIP) Jazzmatazz project, they bring a lucid, soul-heavy creativity to their brand of hip hop.
In 2011 they caught the eye of the gang at A3C Hip Hop Festival, who brought the trio to the masses in Atlanta. Now the Gods'Illa invasion is perfectly positioned for a national roll out.
The League of Extraordinary Gz
Austin, TX
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They say everything is bigger in Texas, so of course our final hip hop artist is not a man or woman but an entire league. The League of Extraordinary Gz is a Central Texas super group born out of the combined efforts of three separate cadres of compadres: C.O.D., Dred Skott and Southbound.
Since their members have performed alongside the like of the Wu Tang Clan, Wiz Khalifa and Dead Prez, they all took a significant risk restarting their efforts at national recognition by joining forces.
With this much lyrical talent and the combined wit of eight rip-roarious MCs, however, they may just be stronger as a unit.
Their self-titled debut is really funny. The quintessential marijuana anthem "High As Fuck" starts with an obvious enough Cheech & Chong sample, but from there it does things with the genre that are downright inspired.
About halfway through the chorus, one of the Gz remarks, "Damn I forgot how the rest of the hook went, something something something smoke weed everyday, I forgot what I was supposed to say."
It's not all laughs though, tracks like "You Can't Bury Me" bring that southern fury with a gargantuan bass line that will pop your subwoofer and a hook that will take hours to get out of your head.
It sure stuck with the promoters over at POP Montreal, who invited the league to perform in Quebec this last September. With the level of talent, hilarity and Central Texas flavor that the league brings, that's sure to only be the beginning of their international success.
