Rap Radar

Apparently being the first indie artist to top Billboard in the 21st century wasn’t enough for Mac Miller. You didn’t like Blue Slide Park? Well he addressed you naysayers on Macadelic. Young Malcom followed his dreams and boasts about his new reality on the funky “Thoughts From A Balcony”. After gettin’ strung out on the trippy “Vitamins”, Mr. Miller sobers up and steps up his wordplay on songs like the nifty “Sunlight” and especially the durable “Desperado”. Make no mistake, Mac has a lot to get off his chest here. Thankfully, he’s got strong production to back it up. ID Labs is behind the hard-hitting “Loud”, Lex Luger laced “Lucky Ass Bitch” and Black Diamond impresses on “1 Threw 8″. On the mic, Mac holds his own alongside Cam’ron (“Ignorant”), Lil Wayne (“The Question”) and Kendrick Lamar (“Fight The Feeling”) and, in the end, comes out on top again.

Despite what his name suggests, Atlanta rapper Trouble found himself on the right side of the fence with Bigga Rankin on his mixtape 431 Days. The title pays homage to the amount of days he was out the bing. Now that he’s walking the right path, Trouble plants his flag on the menacing “It’s Time”. He chronicles his life on the Alley Boy-aided “ATL” but reserves his hustler tales for “Go!!”. Between rapping and trapping, the Duct Tape artist has a low tolerance for anything else. He scolds hood rats on “D.R.A.M.A” and continues his attack on 431′s best song, “U Dont Deserve Dat”. Still and all it’s pulling cards that’s Trouble’s specialty and he does it several times here (“Never Understand”, “Let Them Tell It”, “Characters”). Only time will tell what the next 431 Days brings.

Last Spring, Queens newcomer 360, bottled his highs and lows into an enjoyable listen with his debut EP, Everywhere And Back. After stating his claim on the title track, he plays for keeps on the haunting “Own Thing”. Songwriting is where ’60′s strength lies and he diversifies his pen for the ladies (“Lovin’ You (Tonight)”) and the tramps (“Power Pussy”).  He keeps it light-hearted on “Woulda Kid” and strikes hard on the J.Cole-crafted “What Goes Up”. He fed the streets on “Cocaine” and even quenched its thirst (“Drink & Celebrate”). When it’s all said and done, Everywhere & Back‘s one heck of a roundtrip.

Drake had a pocketful of remarkable verses in 2012. But the one he delivered on Rick Ross’ Rich Forever reigns supreme. With a chip on his shoulder the size of the Grand Canyon, Drake put the emo rap to the back burner and delivered a “sweet” response to Common’s diss. Over The Beat Bully’s mellow drums and synths, Mr. OVO came out swinging: “It bothers me when the Gods get to acting like the broads”. No one was safe. Not even Kobe Bryant’s wife Vanessa. (“Kobe about to lose a hundred fifty M’s/Kobe my nigga, I hate it had to be him/Bitch you wasn’t with me shooting in the gym!”) Good ain’t good enough, but you’d be hard-pressed not to give Drake his props.

Previously: #5 A$AP Rocky “Hands On The Wheel” l #4 Andre 3000 “Sorry” l #3 Jay-Z “3 Kings” l #2 Big Sean “Burn“

While the verdict is still out on Chief Keef, it’s unanimous that his producer Young Chop is packing some heat. Thanks to intimidating 808s and meager pianos, Keef’s “I Don’t Like” became a runaway hit. Kanye West and his G.O.O.D. Music familia even flipped the track as a single to their Cruel Summer compilation. Chop didn’t like ‘Ye revamping his production, but it actually turned out better than the original. Bang, bang.

Previously: #5 Rico Beats “Exodus 23:1” l #4 Salaam Remi “Queens Story” l #3 Hit-Boy  ”Clique” l #2 Mike Will Made It “Bandz A Make Her Dance“

Do you remember that producer Jahlil Beats gave this beat to Jadakiss first (“Paper Tags”)? Probably not. Because Meek Mill and Big Sean lyrically exploded all over the damn thing and made it theirs. This is a clash of two young titans who thankfully are on the same side. Like an old school rap group, the dynamic duo trade rhymes building off each other’s wordplay. Rap fans can argue all day about which MC got the better of the exchanges but, one fact is clear, the guest from Detroit more than holds his own with the fiery Philly spitter. We love Sean’s line about his cousin (“Can’t believe he graduated/Threw him 20,000 dollars told his ass congratulations/Cause me… I wasn’t made for that shit”). Niggas used to talk about how Sean wasn’t that nice on the mic device but “Burn” proved they were just blowing smoke. Boom!

Mike Will Made It really made it in 2012. Along with Drake, he took 2 Chainz to the top of the charts with “No Lie”, he showed no “Mercy” with Kanye and co., and helped Future “Turn On The Lights” and bring attention back to their hometown of Atlanta. But Mike’s crown jewel happened by accident. A lil record Juicy J did in a D.C. hotel room gained a life of its own when Lil Tunechi and Tity Boi decided to add verses. But it’s the beat of “Bandz” that’s the backbone of the song’s success. At times, rappers make songs that they think will sound good in the strip club. “Bandz” is the sound of the strip club. It’s sexy, seductive and raw and we can’t get enough. Is there an ATM in this muthafucka?

Since stepping into fatherhood with “Glory”, it was a minute since we heard from Hov. But on “3 Kings” he reaffirms his G.O.A.T  status while giving an update on his current state of affairs. Daughter Blue Ivy? She’s good (“Niggas couldn’t fuck with my daughter’s room/Niggas couldn’t walk in my daughter’s socks”) Record deal? Show me the money! (“I ran through that buck 50 Live Nation fronted me”) Nets ownership? (“Ex D-boy, used to park my Beemer/Now look at me, I can park at my own arena”) Even TJ Maxx was tuned in. When you add it all up, it’s, well, just different.

Guess “Niggas In Paris” wasn’t enough shine for this Cali producer. Hit-Boy hit 2012 with even more drive and diverse sounds. He worked with a wide array of acts from Nicki Minaj (“I Am Your Leader”) to A$AP Rocky (“Goldie”) to Justin Bieber (“Right Here”) to Kendrick Lamar (“Backseat Freestyle)”. But once again it’s Chauncey’s work with Mr. West that shined the brighest. Out of the bunch (“Cold”, “I Wish You Would”, “Higher”) “Clique” is our pick. A pulsating spacey groove that steadily hiccups along until the ill bouncy breakdowns in the chorus strike your chest cavity. ‘Ye, Sean, & Shawn know: Ain’t nobody fuckin’ with Hit-Boy behind the boards.

Occasionally, Andre 3000 will remind a “pussy ass nigga on the Internet” that his verses are good. And last year, nothing stood out more than his bars found on T.I.’s apologetic, “Sorry”. Boring? Definitely far from it. Manipulating his flow over Jazze Pha’s product-shizzle, 3 Stacks asks for forgiveness from the fans and Outkast’s other half, Big Boi: “And this the type of shit that’ll make you call your rap partner/And say I’m sorry I’m awkward, my fault for fuckin’ up the tours/I hated all the attention so I ran from it/Fuck it if we did, but I hope we ain’t lose no fans from it.” Nope, we’re still here.