The World Of Ohio Hip-Hop Is A Strange One... One Minute You're On Top Of Your Game, Next Minute You Are Forgotten... Without Support From Radio & Other Media Outlets, You Gotta Be On Your Toes Every Minute Of The Day Every Day... Here's My List Of Who Really Stood Out In 2009!!! Enjoy, Hate, Debate, Whatever...
Let's Start Off With A Few Honorable Mentions... These Cats Just Barely Missed The List
Hodgie Street ~ Lima/Columbus ~ This cat defines "street music" in Ohio... beg to differ? peep his collab with Gucci Mane "What's Up?"
Ben Beamon ~ Cincinnati ~ He's got some of the BEST wordplay in the state HANDS DOWN... He's got all the makings of a GREAT MC... vocab, charisma, voice, beat selection... somebody needs to invest in this cat immediately
Mr. 44 ~ Cleveland ~ Mr. 44 personifies what an MC really is... If you don't own a copy of "The Birth Of An MC" please slap yourself for me...
ALRIGHT CHALL Let's Get This List Goin!!!
TOP 10 OHIO HIP-HOP ARTISTS OF 2009
#10 ~ Niccotine ~ Cleveland ~ Won Best Single @ The Ohio Hip-Hop Awards for "Whut Up Doe" ft. Gucci Mane... Placed #2 for Best New Artist.... His mixtape with DJ Chicago "Second Hand Smoke" is a must have for any Hip-Hop fan period...
#9 ~ Cuntry ~ Toledo ~ if someone asked me who'll be the first rapper to explode outta the 419, Im puttin my $$$ on Cuntry... Him and his team OWNED the 419 Awards and with just cause... His single "Look At Me" was EVERYWHERE in the early quarters of the year, and his presence as a party host is nearly unchallenged...
#8 ~ Gel ~ Cleveland ~ signed to UGK Records in late 2008 and moved around ALOT in 2009... Sandusky, Mansfield, Marion, Dayton, Lima, Youngstown, Cincinnati, Elkhart Indiana, Michigan markets, Pheonix, Oklahoma City, Pennsylvania, New York etc... All he was missing is that BIG single, and he may have it with his newly released "She Feelin Me"
#7 ~ Chevy Blue ~ Cleveland ~ multiple OHHA nominations, Winner of "Put On For The City" Award given by Rebel Army Radio, the ONLY person from the 216 (or the rest of Ohio for that matter) with stage time at the 419 Awards ( she co-hosted with yours truly... me haha ), she's accreditted for being a founder of the women's movement L.O.L. and taking them to multiple markets across Ohio... Need I say more? Exactly...
#6 ~ GTC ~ aka ~ Grind Time Central ~ Dayton ~ I received a call from Dayton's party promoter extraordinaire Esquire in early spring tell me I have to check these guys out!!! I trusted his judgment and damn was he right!!! Thier single "Grind Til I Get It" was both club and radio ready.... Thier mixtape "Grind Musik" is phenomenal from beginning to end... Next thing you know these cats from Dayton won Best Group @ OHHA!!! They've had a good 2009 and have an even more promising 2010 ahead of them!!!
#5 ~ B. Wills ~ Toledo ~ There's an aura about B. Wills. When you meet him, you just know he was the potential to make it... won Best New Artist @ both the 419 Awards & Ohio Hip-Hop Awards, incredible stage presence, and seems ready for the big leagues... Just like the aforementioned GTC, I think 2010 promises even more for this artist
#4 ~ Da Kreek ~ Youngstown ~ With multiple OHHA nominations under their belt this year, Da Kreek has slowly developed into a force to be reckon with... The chemistry between D-Town & Mello-Dee reminds me of how Hip-Hop USED to be & SHOULD be... the wordplay, the emphasis of lyrics, and back & forths can't help but muster up visions of the greats like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, EPMD, etc... Check out their single "Wings & Propellers (Fly, Fly, Fly)" and tell me Im wrong
#3 ~ Copywrite ~ Columbus ~ This year was a comeback year for underground mainstay Copywrite... his well publicized diss record to Asher Roth definitely had people talking about him again... Earlier this year he released "MHz - Tablescraps", most recently followed it up with a new EP "Ultrasound", and has toured up and down both the East & West Coasts this year...
#2 ~ Chip Tha Ripper ~ Cleveland ~ If you don't know why Chip Tha Ripper is #2 on this list, then you've obviously been living under a rock!!! He's had the city of Cleveland on his back for a few years now, and it paid off BIG in 2009!!! He got a feature on Kid Cudi's album which propelled him in the national eye, followed it up with his hot new mixtape "The Cleveland Show", and toured with Kid Cudi & Lady Gaga... When someone asks "Who Got Next?" you already know the answer...
AND THAT LEADS US TO #1!!!
You can count on one hand the amount of rappers from Ohio who have actually had CERTIFIED hit records... MC Brains "Oochie Coochie La La La", Bone Thugs N Harmony & Bow Wow...
A few years back Ray Cash kicked some spotlight on Ohio with his "Cash On Delivery" album that spawned a few hip-hop hits and sold a couple hundred thousand records... Al Fatz followed that up with "I Done Came Down" which rocked clubs all over, got remixed by some of Hip-Hop's greats, and even earned a spot on Madden...
But seriously... who saw this coming a year ago?
#1 ~ KID CUDI ~ Cleveland ~ In 2009, Kid Cudi joins the ranks of MC Brains, Bone Thugs & Bow Wow with his first single "Day & Nite"... The song was literally EVERYWHERE and has been placed as the #28 song of the year on Billboard Magazine's Hot 100 Of The Year ( includes all genres ) along with placements on 5 other charts for the magazine's year end countdown... He followed it up with "Make Her Say" which featured labelmates Kanye West, Common & a Lady Gaga sampled hook
His album "Man On The Moon" may not have debuted at the #1 spot, but his first weeks sales were higher than some of Hip-Hop's best including Gucci Mane, Snoop Dogg, Fabolous, and more...
He co-headlined a tour earlier this year with fellow national freshman Asher Roth, and most recently toured with pop sensation Lady Gaga
Kid Cudi has been nominated for multiple awards stemming from everything from the BET Hip-Hop Awards & MTV's VMA's to the Grammy's...
Kid Cudi is currently working on a new album set for release in summer 2010
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