Donnis

Nothing impresses the ladies more than telling them you’ve been listening to some artist months before they even became popular. When your girl is listening to the radio and she hears one of these artists come on and she’s like “OMG I love Mike Posner!”, this is your opportunity to say “Did you know that he’s a senior at Duke right now? I’ve been listening to this Blue Devil for like a year now. You should check out his mixtape One Foot Out The Door” Done. Right there. If she doesn’t want to get married and have your children at that very moment then you’re probably just ugly. In that case, we simply cannot help you.

Some of these artists have achieved some recognition in 2009 while others remain obscure to the Kiss FM listening people out there. Regardless, all 7 are predicted by The MuSiK Box to have a big impact on the Hip-Hop world in 2010, so keep your ears open. Here they are:

1. J. Cole

This up-and comer has perhaps the best flow and lyrical ability of anyone mentioned here. He’s been compared to everyone from Tupac to Drake to Wale, all with good reason. Just listen to songs like “Last Call” or “World is Empty,” and you’ll know what we’re talking about. If there’s anyone that guys like Drake and Wale should fear as a flower and a lyricist, it’s this guy. I mean, not only was he signed by Jay-Z, but he’s the only up-and-coming rapper who Jay allowed to spit a verse on his Blueprint 3 album (Cudi and Drake just sang hooks). With an album planned for a mid-2010 release, J. Cole will no doubt have a big impact on hip-hop in 2010. Keep an eye on him.

World is Empty

2. Mike Posner

If you are a fan of this website at all, chances are you’ve heard of Mike Posner; we’re big fans of him, and most of our readers are too. He goes to Duke University, one of the hardest colleges in the country to get into. Mad props to this crooner. It’s hard to accurately describe Mike Posner’s music because it feels like a fusion between pop, hip-hop, and something else that I just can’t place. Posner’s singing voice is completely different from anyone else’s out there, and he doesn’t need any auto-tune to make himself sound good. In addition, he’s worked with a lot of different rappers from Big Sean to Kid Cudi to Donnis and will continue to do so as he works on his debut album, set to be released some time in 2010.

Speed of Sound

3. Chiddy Bang

If you’re into hip-hop, electronic, indie rock, or even music in general, you should be listening to these guys. Chiddy Bang, made up of super-duo Proto (the rapper) and Xaphoon Jones (the producer), is one of the best hip-hop groups out there right now. Xaphoon, who handles the beat-making, is the king of modern sampling, taking songs you’ve probably heard before (ranging from Kid Cudi to Passion Pit to MGMT to Sufjan Stevens) and making cool, electronic, hip-hop beats with the samples. These guys aren’t even signed yet, which means that we can expect a lot more music from them in the meantime (hopefully another free mixtape). We’re not exactly sure what these guys have planned for 2010, but I sure am excited to watch.

Danger Zone

4. Theophilus London

Chances are, you have never heard of Theophilus London.  He’s a part of Green Label Sound, the record label which also claims Chromeo, The Cool Kids, and Flosstradamus. From Brooklyn, London is a pioneer in today’s electro-fueled urban pop movement. His self-released mixtapes JAM! and This Charming Mixtape had blogs raving in ‘09 and has gotten us excited for ‘10. He expertly rhymed on everything from Kraftwerk, Amadou & Mariam and a classic Whitney Houston song to his own unexpectedly club-worthy jams. Recently London has toured the US and UK with A-Trak and Jack Peñate and turned heads at Rolling Stone and The New York Times. Check out Humdrum Town below and make sure to keep an eye out for this promising young star.

5. Chip Tha Ripper

Longtime king of the rap scene in Cleveland, Chip spent 2009 trying to make a name for himself world-wide. Longtime Cleveland buddy Kid Cudi hooked Chip up with a verse on his album Man on the Moon: The End of Day, gaining Chip some major recognition in the hip-hop game. The Cleveland Show, Chip Tha Ripper’s newest mixtape, was released about a month ago and features some very impressive work. If you haven’t downloaded the free mixtape yet, make sure you do here.  ’09 was a year of growth for Chip and ‘10 might just be his time to shine.

Like That

6. XV

XV is the best rapper you’ve never hear of. The man pumped out an incredible amount of material in ‘09 and The MuSiK Box was very impressed. His unmatchable creativity and sick flow have gotten him much attention from blogs like us and have landed him a huge internet fan base. His ’09 mixtape Everybody’s Nobody is as good as many artist’s full length albums. He’s currently unsigned, but that will no doubt change soon. Any label with sense should be trying to land a deal with this guy now. Check out his song Losing the Signal off of his unreleased album The Kid With The Green Backpack below and make sure you download his mixtape Everybody’s Nobody here.

Losing The Signal ft. Jupiter One

7. Donnis

Self-proclaimed “Donnis the God” is an ATL born and raised rapper who’s reinventing the Southern rap scene. Taking influence from fellow southerners like Andre 3000 and T.I., Donnis is putting a new twist on that music and creating a cool new ATL hip-hop sound. Donnis turned down an offer for a deal from DJ A-Trak a few years ago and is still unsigned, but likely not for long. He gave us one of the best mixtapes of the year with his Diary of an ATL Brave, and we’ll no doubt hear more from him in 2010.

Gone

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