Kid Ink, Wheels Up

Kid Ink doesn’t deliver the typical West Coast sound audiences are accustomed to hearing from a kid born in the streets of L.A. With tracks like the Megaman-produced “Get Mine,” featuring Nipsey Hussle, and the T-Nyce-arranged “What I Do,” the 23-year-old rapper gives his fans a bounce that draws from everywhere from the South, Midwest and his native coast, creating a sound ready for take off on Wheels Up.

The young MC recruits Kountdown and SDot Fire—two Florida-based producers who have worked with everyone from Soulja Boy and Roscoe Dash to Jim Jones and Travis Porter—to create “No Sticks No Seeds,“ a Luniz-sampled (“I Got Give On It”) cut that honors the classic greenery anthems that many Cali cats have crafted through the years.

On collaborations with Atlanta heavy-hitters Travis Porter (“Like A G”) and 2 Chainz (“Stop,” also featuring Tyga), Kid Ink comes with tracks that, though a bit expected in terms of point of attack, still slap. The upstart artist later enlists Hit-Boy, currently know for his work on Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “N*ggas in Paris,” for his personal record, “On My Own.” The Alumni Music Group spitter's recounting of his struggles is a rare change of pace on the project, a slower, more somber song accompanied an R&B hook.

As Kid Ink demonstrates with his growing fan base and quality projects like Wheels Up, if he wants, he has what it takes to ink a deal. —Amber McKynzie