The Come Up

“I want to be a good influence and change lives through music; that’s really the most important thing,” says Mez. “It’s about making a difference in somebody’s life.” Safe to say, Mez is on a path to do that. On his recently released project, Long L... Read More ...

From Charles De Gaulle to JFK, the Queens-bred MC is ready to expand his horizons. Abbas “Bas” Hamad didn’t start rapping until his 23rd birthday. Most rappers pick up the pen and pad during their adolescent years, but the Paris-born, Queens-bred rapper didn’t catch the bug until adulthood. As the now 26-year-old...

Riding high after the release of I Am, Yo Gotti is looking to put his CMG roster on the map. Meet his North Memphis newcomer Snootie Wild.   Written By: Christopher Minaya It is either win or lose, and Snootie Wild has involuntarily stacked up heaps of losses yet has unearthed a way to flip them into lessons and wins, resulting in his rise. “I lo...

While Wale and Fat Trel are leading the forefront in the Washington D.C. hip-hop scene, Yung Gleesh is up next to blow. The 23-year-old MC got his name recognized from the off-kilter single “Skrong” and his Yung Lean-assisted “Its Sad Boy,” which were highlights of his budding music career. Another odd gem that f...

The story of A$ton Matthews nearly ended before it truly began. At a young age, the Cali native was surrounding in the street life. What started as a scuffle at a friends party turned into a life threatening escapade, as the people Matthews fought came back shooting...

Young Money: Rise Of An Empire is the label’s second compilation that’ll introduce rap fans to new faces from the roster. Famed for putting a bigger spotlight on artists like Drake and Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne plans on bringing the attention to his latest signee, Euro. Wayne has ...

Andy Mineo is probably not on your radar, and he’s looking to figure out why. “Many publications and outlets haven’t had too much rapport on us. I also think that some of it is probably some of my faith,” says Mineo. “It’s kind of like don’...

Everyone from Brooklyn’s young rap crew, Pro.Era, had their own coming out party to hip-hop at various times. Joey Bada$$ took the spotlight after 1999 dropped, and you can say the same thing for CJ Fly. He stole the show with his verse on “Hardknock,” followed by the release of his debut mixtape, Thee Way Eye See It, which showed Pro. Era's talent dep...

Lil Bibby and Lil Herb are the next wave of young Chicago talent to gain widespread acceptance in hip-hop. While Bibby is riding high after the release of Free Crack, his partner-in-rhyme and childhood friend Lil Herb has been patiently waiting his turn...

To meet the lofty expectations of his debut album, Harlem’s A$AP Rocky called upon some of the biggest names in hip-hop to help on the project, from megastar rapper Drake to pop hit-maker Jim Jonsin. He also called upon Joey Fatts, a homeless 21-year-old who had been only making beats for a year. I...

Living a balanced lifestyle was always stressful to Black Cobain as a young man. Early in life, the DMV native was exposed to many different styles of music, as his grandparents had a palette for a wide range of sounds. The voices of Anita Baker, Michael Jackson and as far out as ACDC to Nirvana illuminated throughout his home as a youth...

Young California is thriving. Home to Nipsey Hu$$le, YG, Dom Kennedy, Iamsu! and Sage The Gemini, the West is making its way back into the top spot in hip-hop. Over the span of this year, each of these MCs has made his mark with critically acclaimed projects...