5 Artists Whose Debut Mixtapes Rocked 2011
For his Fool’s Gold debut, Detroit-bred Danny Brown’s audacious voice, chronicling a former dependency on illegal substances makes it one of the most compelling indie releases this year. The title XXX is a play on Brown’s age (30) and suggests sex and drugs, but all this talk about it shouldn’t steer you away. The mixtape is grungy beats, dirty electro, humor and lyrics as he calls it on “Pac Blood,” “shit so personal my mom can't listen to.” This is underground weirdo rap for the curious listener.
Danny Brown: XXX
Nitty Scott: The Cassette Chronicles
Brooklyn backpacker Nitty Scott, MC hooks up with Mick Boogie for a street tape of epic boom-bap proportions. This is Nitty Scott’s compilation of previous released tracks, album snippets and some new gems. Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg would give plenty of respects to Nitty Scott’s flurry of bars on their classic “Deep Cover.” Throughout the tape, Nitty Scott does it her way by packing potent rhymes laced with a 90s hip-hop feel to the production and instrumentals. Erase any misconceptions about a female rapper when listening to The Cassette Chronicles.
Schoolboy Q: Setbacks
Top Dawg Entertainment’s Schoolboy Q is one-fourth of the much-lauded Black Hippy (Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul). Releasing first as an iTunes exclusive, Q went ahead and let loose his debut album for free two weeks after. Schoolboy is often in the shadows of his peers, but on Setbacks, he proves himself worthy of being in the conversation. His views of the California ghetto and euphoric smoker anthems with consistent rhymes makes Setbacks a must listen download.
Stalley: Lincoln Way Nights
Ohio native Stalley’s Lincoln Way Nights: Intelligent Trunk Music was re-released to fans that overlooked his smooth style and effortless flow last November. The mixtape version hit the Internet in February to critical acclaim, serving as an official prelude into Stalley’s refined lyricism. A penchant for soundsystems and heavy bass, Lincoln Way Nights is the reason hip-hop heads are watching Rick Ross’ retrospective artist on Maybach Music Group.
A$AP Rocky: Deep Purple
Before LIVELOVEA$AP took off as the new frontier for New York’s up-and-coming artists, A$AP Rocky dropped a little introduction to his Trill raps meets Harlem floss earlier this year. From the woozy “Purple Swag” that took the Internet by storm to the Lil’ Wayne- sampled “Uptown,” A$AP’s Deep Purple is a big sip for New York tastemakers.
