Above: The MySpace page belonging to Lil Spreezy (msypace.com/officialspreezy), Our Pick for Best MySpace rapper in Georgia.
VIBE scoured mixtapes and the internet to track down the flyest new MC in every state (plus Washington, DC)! Here are our 51 game-changers. By Kendra Desrosiers, Brent Grier, Amirah Mercer, Nicole Brinson, and Sable Tempestt. Additional Reporting by Guerdley Cajus.
NAME: SKYZOO
HOMETOWN: Brooklyn, N.Y.
MYSPACE PAGE
Brooklyn has long been an incubator for talented wordsmiths, and Skyzoo, 24, has been paying close attention to his borough's brethren. "I moved over to Bed-Stuy when I was 11," says Gregory Skyler Taylor, 24. "I was right around the corner from where Biggie was at, so I saw his whole come up as a kid." Now with mixtapes galore and a star presence in New York's underground, he'll have a chance to catch up to his heroes. Brent S. Grier
NAME: NINA ROSS
HOMETOWN: Philadelphia
MYSPACE PAGE
Nina Ross is no cookie-cutter female MC, and she's not focused on lip-gloss or ass-shaking. Instead, her gritty lyrics blur the line between the sexes - in both hip hop and life. The harsh reality of Nina's own experiences are ingrained in her hard-hitting flow and her delivery is so piercing it could make a grown man cry. No wonder she calls herself the "Boss Bitch." Amirah Mercer
NAME: WALE
HOMETOWN: Washington, D.C.
MYSPACE PAGE
"I'm just making the best music possible that I can feel good about at night when I go to sleep," says Chocolate City local and Mark Ronson affiliate Wale "We Ain't Like Everyone" Folarin, 22. With clever odes to sneakers, old-school hip hop and "good girls," and a deft lyrical complexity featured on his 100 Miles and Runnin' mixtape (check the MySpace) it's only a matter of time before this D.C. native is officially on the map. Kendra Desrosiers
South
NAME: BIG K.R.I.T.
HOMETOWN: Meridian, Miss.
MYSPACE PAGE
Big K.R.I.T. , 21, acknowledges that his name's acronym, which stands for King Remembered In Time, is unusual. "But it's just a humble way of saying I'ma be looked at as king before my career is over with," he says. Shouldn't be hard to achieve for a Curtis Mayfield-inspired rapper from the Sipp who resists easy categorization. Amirah Mercer
NAME: ZEDZILLA
HOMETOWN: South Memphis, Tenn.
MYSPACE PAGE
As his heavy Southern drawl suggests, Zedzilla, 23, is "laid back" - until he hits the stage. Who wouldn't get hype while rocking to the Yo Gotti protege's "Zilla," an intense mix of torrential bass and quick flow? "I see myself kicking back behind the scenes as a CEO in 10 years," he says. Before that, he'll need the world to hear his heavy hits. Amirah Mercer
NAME: LIL SPREEZY
HOMETOWN: Atlanta
MYSPACE PAGE
Atlanta has produced yet another high school-age femme MC to show and prove alongside Crime Mob's Diamond and Princess. The 17-year-old Spreezy may be cheery in person, but on record, she's a tough girl. "I need to let these females, especially young females, know that they can do it," she says. "They can shine, too." Kendra Desrosiers
Midwest
NAME: PAYROLL
HOMETOWN: Chicago
MYSPACE PAGE
The Chi-town native is known locally for having gotten into a fight with Kanye West over supposedly stolen lyrics. But his debut album, Money, Mack, and Murder, released earlier this year on Legion Records, is more notable as a genuine artifact of Chicago gangsta rap. Nicole Brinson
NAME: EBONIX
HOMETOWN: Milwaukee, Wis.
MYSPACE PAGE
Only 19, Ebonix has already learned some harsh lessons about the industry, thanks to his now estranged Black House Gang posse. "Our manager would say, 'do this and that and rehearse,' but we didn't do it," he says. "We were slipping." Now rolling solo, Hubert "Ebonix" Kelly is poised to build his career from the ground up - through house shows, slick production, and a tenacious sound, he's looking to put Wisconsin on the map for more than the Green Bay Packers. Brent S. Grier
NAME: POOH GUTTA
HOMETOWN: Cleveland, Ohio
MYSPACE PAGE
For a Cleveland native, Pooh Gutta's flow has an undeniable Southern swag. As one fourth of Royal Camp, Gutta, 19, has earned a reputation for catchy choruses and wild wordplay. His rhymes are laced with bits of country grammar, earning mixtape spots alongside artists like Young Buck. Kendra Desrosiers
West
NAME: TYGA
HOMETOWN: Compton, Calif.
MYSPACE PAGE
Already featured on Fall Out Boy's "This Ain't a Scene, It's An Arms Race (Remix)," this 17-year-old Compton native is the cousin of Gym Class Heroes MC Travis McCoy. "No question, he is my biggest inspiration," Tyga says of his cuz. Since his remix breakout, the diminutive MC with the slippery flow appeared on MTV's VMAs and is rumored to be signing with Fall Out bassist Pete Wentz' Decaydance label. Stay tuned. Nicole Brinson
NAME: SNOWY
HOMETOWN: Denver, Colo.
MYSPACE PAGE
"If you ain't trying to go big, then don't go at all", says 16–year-old Snowy. The young MC says he knew it was time for a clean slate after his parents witnessed his arrest on a gun charge. After his release, he's been focusing purely on making it big, relying on an energetic flow and pop-ready hooks. Maybe we'll all be chanting "Make it snow" sooner than we think. Nicole Brinson
NAME: JOKER THE BAILBONDSMAN
HOMETOWN: Anchorage, Alaska
MYSPACE PAGE
Joker the Bailbondsman, 29, is the brightest star in a state largely ignored when it comes to rap. Born Sean Sullivan in Anchorage, Joker's music is surprisingly upbeat considering Alaska's frigid temperatures. If the name sounds familiar, you may remember Joker's video "Ladies Coming Over," from BET: Uncut. "It was a great place for independent artists," he says. "Especially if you didn't have a million-dollar budget." Brent S. Grier
NOE
Baltimore
MYSPACE
Best Song: "Headlights"
New Jersey
PASSAIC
Young Raze
MYSPACE
Hottest line: "I watch boys turn to men, and not Wanye and 'em."
Alabama
MP
Birmingham
MYSPACE
Style: Psycho Crunk
South Carolina
MARLY MAR
Charleston
MYSPACE
Hottest line: "I'm covered in frozen water, I can't even feel my toes."
Indiana
G-STAK
Indianapolis
MYSPACE
Style: Gritty hip hop
Iowa
Young Tripp
Des Moines
MYSPACE
Best Song: "5 Stages of Def"
Michigan
QUEST M.C.O.D.Y
Detroit
MYSPACE
Style: Battle rap
Nebraska
BLAQJACC
Omaha
MYSPACE
Hottest line: "I commit suicide every time I get dressed."
North Carolina
SHELLY B.
Raleigh
MYSPACE
Hottest Line: "In the club I get low just to give my white 1's a brush."
Delaware
FRED KNUXX
Wilmington
MYSPACE
Best Song: "Aint No Stoppin Us"
Texas
KB DA KIDNAPPA
Houston
MYSPACE
Style: Houston and West Coast gangsta collide
Rhode Island
CHACHI
Pawtucket
MYSPACE
Style: Tropical hip hop
Louisiana
MAX MINELLI
Baton Rouge
MYSPACE
Style: N'Awlins' fried crunk
Arkansas
DIRTY BLAC
Hope
MYSPACE
Hottest line: "I'm a drunk nigga speakin' sober minded."
New Mexico
COOLEY SHA
Albuquerque
MYSPACE
Best Song: "Everywhere I Go"
Wyoming
BABY J
Jackson Hole
MYSPACE
Style: R&B-tinged hip hop
Maine
O*ZEE
Portland
MYSPACE
Hottest line: "When I spit I'm sure to drop like gravitational pull."
Minnesota
MUJA MESSIAH
Minnneapolis
MYSPACE
Best Song: "Patriot Act"
New Hampshire
ICEMAN
Concord
MYSPACE
Style: Unrelenting thug hop
Washington
SEACLIPSE
Seattle
MYSPACE
Style: Club banger rap
Missouri
Young Spiffy
ST. LOUIS
MYSPACE
Style: 106 & Park hip hop
Oregon
ILLMACULATE
Portland
MYSPACE
Hottest line: "I need beef, I feed meat to the monster within."
Vermont
S.I.N. & LEE
Burlington
MYSPACE
Style: Revolutionary warfare
Kansas
MAC LETHAL
Overland Park
MYSPACE
Hottest line: "I could never date a woman on a magazine cover/ Because
self-absorbed women don't make good lovers."
Oklahoma
SUZY ROCK
Tulsa
MYSPACE
Style: Gospel rap on steroids
West Virginia
SIXSHOOTER
Martinsburg
MYSPACE
Best Song: "Get Dat Doe"
North Dakota
MY MAN LOBES
Fargo
MYSPACE
Best Song: "Distractions"
Florida
GULF COAST BALLA
Pensacola
MYSPACE
Hottest Line: "I don't stop and get out/ I park and leap."
Virginia
DOUT GOTCHA
Virginia Beach
MYSPACE
Best Song: "Born in Raised in Va."
Massachusetts
SMOKE BULGA
Boston
MYSPACE
Hottest Line: "Damn I'm frozen/ Got Jesus Christ looking like Hulk Hogan."
South Dakota
NIGHT SHIELD
Sioux Falls
MYSPACE
Style/genre: Electronic Hyphy
Hawaii
THE LUCK
Honolulu
MYSPACE
Hottest line: "I just want the paper/ Fuck the fame."
Connecticut
A-1 AFICIAL
Hartford
MYSPACE
Style: Reggae-tinged boom bap
Montana
STYLZ
Billings
MYSPACE
Best Song: "Too Strong"
Nevada
ROMERO
Las Vegas
MYSPACE
Hottest line: "At 23 I buried your goals/ Where ya is where I was at 10 years old."
Kentucky
JR. DREAD
Louisville
MYSPACE
Style: Rap pon de dancehall river
Utah
2UCE BETTA
Salt Lake City
MYSPACE
Best Song: "Lil Haiti"
Idaho
YOUNG BONE
Boise
MYSPACE
Best Song: "I'm Dat"
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