We Gon Make It?

Hate him or love him, I'm pretty sure everybody agrees that Drake is set as far as commercial success.

His buzz may fizzle a bit by the time Thank Me Later drops, but there's no way he won't at least go gold. And a gold plaque prediction only comes with looking at the glass half empty. Should Drizzy continue performing at his current pace, sky's the limit. He could easily become a platinum, or multiplatinum artist, rap's next superstar. The way things are going nowadays, we need some new blood on the charts badly.

As previously mentioned in this blog, I'm actually feeling several new generation acts. Artists like Blu, B.o.B. and J. Cole make me excited about rap again, which is more than I can say for the last few freshmen waves to have invaded the internets. The thing is, as much as I like some of these guys's music, I'm not totally sold on whether or not they'll become stars. My colleagues and I often have this discussion. Will so and so pop, will so and so make it. With that in mind, I decided to take a look at a few fresh talents and share my two cents on their chance to stardom.—Jackpot

Nicki Minaj: Ms. Minaj is a star, not a star as in status (yet), but her personality, presence, charisma. There's just something about her. The music is there too. She seems to have a few skeptics out there and the common critique is that she doesn't put out enough material, but I believe in her song-making ability and appeal. Being part of red-hot Young Money with today's highest selling rapper and the game's most promising rookie won't hurt either. So what if some of her content is too reminiscent of Kim and Foxy? Nicki's the perfect candidate to end the female MC drought. She has a pretty nice set up, let's just hope they don't mess it up.

Kid Cudi: I'm not the biggest Cudi supporter, but I respect his ability to create catchy melodies. "Day 'N' Nite" was fire and I wouldn't be surprised if he has another heater in the stash. Dude's a bit delusional, though. I heard this interview where says he was Top 5...what, why, when, where, how is this guy Top 5 at anything? Come on! Dude is definitely gassed up, but it comes off weird cause he has no personality. I actually don't know too many people who like Cudi... mostly people who are working his project. It seems like the looks he's been getting are courtesy of his Kanye affiliation, not because people think he's dope. I heard part of Man on the Moon. It wasn't that bad. Then again, it wasn't that good either. I think Cudi will probably do Asher numbers, which is probably a lot less than he expects. Guess I'm being judgmental, huh?

J. Cole: Probably my favorite new artist aside from Drake and Blu. Cole comes from the rhyme animal mold and makes good relatable music. The thing is, is it appealing enough to move units? He's sick, but so were Freeway and Beans, and these are different times. It's a lot harder for someone in Cole's lane to chart these days, but if awareness on this kid continues to spread by the time his debut's ready, he may just pull it off.

Blu: This may sound bad, but Blu will probably never blow up on a mainstream level. The thing is, I'm not sure he cares. Out of all these rookies, he's probably the closest to his end game than anybody. Already, the Los Angeles lyricist is cultivating a devoted fanbase. The major label route isn't the one for Blu, especially since I heard he doesn't want to play the game. He should just get rich off independent releases and international tours. And he probably will.

Wale: [See Kid Cudi for almost everything expect the album is reportedly dope.]

B.o.B.: First off, this kid needs to get off the boo boo and stop confusing people with his damn name. The music is there. It's just a matter or whether or not the people get it. I definitely think B.o.B. has the potential to blow up if he makes the right moves.

What do you guys think? Which one of these new kids has a shot at stardom?