Seems the good ol’ folks at Stereogum still got a little flavor left in them. Apparently, out of their top 40 new artists from around the world, five of them are Hip Hop artists who claim NYC as their home. Topping their alphabetical list is Azalea Banks, the cherry-bomb rapper known for lacing electro-clash beats with her staccato street flow. She is so damn sexy and, remarkably, most of her appeal comes from her amazing lyrical agility. Joey Bada$$ chimes in with an old school flavor reminiscent of NYC in the 1990s. For cats who appreciate straight lyricism over some classic boom-bap, he’s bringing it back. But what’s a top five rap list without a bit of nonsense? Das Rascist affiliate Lakutis (pictured) makes a bunch of words rhyme with little reverence for linear thought or punchlines—a headache to some, a welcome relief for many. Scroll a little bit further down and find young Le1f, the crunk southern-rap revivialist. His lean-back approach to lyricism has him vacillating between super triple-time and borderline chopped and screwed raps – highly recommended for altered mindstates. Speaking of altered mindstates, fifth and final NYC rap rep Meyhem Lauren garnered his acclaim simply by having a party in his SXSW hotel room and recording the whole thing for posterity. Wish you were there? Download his most recent mixtape and you can experience the cannabis-imbued fury of him and all his friends. – Broke MC
