This is not a Weezy or Lupe highlight reel. These are three MCs who might not get a lot radio play just yet, but you should get to know — and love — now.
Snow Tha Product
Be forewarned: Snow Tha Product doesn’t have Nicki’s flash or Kreayshawn’s quirkiness. Snow Tha Product, out of L.A., has a captivating talent that requires no frills, Auto-Tune or pseudo-fashion-forward movements. Labeled “the female Twista” by critics, her 2011 grassroots campaign has centered on Youtube videos shot with little post-production, a lot of lyrical fire, and a look that screams eye candy more than MC prodigy. Snow’s bilingual ability affords her a prowess reminiscent of Pitbull, with equal aptitude in both languages and a marketing advantage over most other female rappers on today’s scene. Articulate, intelligent and exotic, Snow Tha Product is an engaging emerging artist who’s giving the face of female-led rap a necessary makeover.
For more, check her out at snowthaproduct.com.
Machine Gun Kelly
Hailing from Cleveland, this self-made man is part rough-and-tumble childhood, part classic mixtape-sales-out-of-trunks street story and part raw talent. And he’s finally getting noticed, thanks to his month-old deal with Interscope Records. He has swagger, speed and party-ready lyrics, with enough experience in the genre to create musical polish that appeals to the masses, but retains the grit to draw in rap aficionados as well.
For more, check him out at myspace.com/machinegunkellyak.
*The Dean’s List *
East Coast, stand up: The Dean’s List may be a fresh face on the party-rap map, but by no means should it remain another collegiate hip-hop collective, and for God’s sake, it is nothing like Asher Roth. The trio of DJ Mendoza, Sonny Shotz and Mik Beats claims Boston as its home base, but its pop-infused beats and yelping delivery are clean enough to pass for something from the West Coast. The in-house engineering at the hands of Mik Beats could be mistaken for that of a big producer, as the frenetic, dance-ready beats and instrumentation are right on point, integrating samples ranging from country stars The Band Perry to Empire Of The Sun remixes.
For more, check them out at itsthedeanslist.com.