The "New" West by SirMichaelOriginal

 

           We are in a time of constant change. There is a lot of pushing out the old and embracing the new. What’s the blame? The internet is my answer. The majority of industries that connect with consumers on a one on one basis are to make drastic adjustments to their business or they’ll end up closing shop. The music industry is at center stage for that change.

            West Coast Hip Hop has always played a major part on the mainstream music scene.  From NWA’s raw and uncut storytelling, to Snoop Dogg letting all the homies have fun, to Nate Dogg letting us know what he does on the daily. The platform has been set for great talent to climb and show off their skills to the world. Over time legends are created and legends move on to bigger and better platforms, leaving a vacancy for young, fresh artist. 

            Black Hippy:

·         Kendrick Lamar – A raw, enlightened MC with potential to stay at the forefront of music for a long time. What makes K. Dot unique is his high-pitched voice in combination with vivid life stories and well thought out wordplay. He has blessed music with a few riveting projects ‘Overly Dedicated’, ‘Section80’, and the most recent album ‘good kid m.A.A.d. city’.

·         Ab-Soul – Hold’s a deep message inside that is unleashed throughout his music. Considered the “mad scientist” of the Black Hippy crew as you can infer if you’ve listened to his most recent album ‘Control System’. Soul seems very connected with himself and his music. Another great body of work from Ab-Soul is ‘Longterm 2 (Lifestyles of the Broke and Almost Famous’), where you hear his conscious love of words and clever wordplay.

·         Schoolboy Q – Q is the laid back artist that you know can get active at any moment. His music makes listeners open up to their wild side and just have fun. The success of recent album ‘Oxymoron’ is due to his variety of sounds, offering something for everyone to feel.

·         Jay Rock – The sleeper of Black Hippy, which will change in the near future, gives you raw material. Jay Rock offers stories within his words. He is straight to the point and keeps it 100 during the process. I suggest you check out his most recent album ‘Follow Me Home’ on iTunes. 

Dom Kennedy: Dom Kennedy music is one of one. A talent that most will never possess is uniqueness. Everything about Dom’s music is original and can’t be duplicated. Keeping his hustle independent, Dom recently released the album ‘Get Home Safely’, which embodies his L.A. influences to a T. Other superb projects from Dom Kennedy are ‘The Yellow Album’ and ‘From Westside With Love (1 & 2)’. Follow the OPM general and get all his music for day to day inspiration. 

Nipsey Hussle: Nipsey Hussle is another independent artist out of L.A. that offers raw and inspiring music. Leading his followers on a marathon, Nipsey is quite the business man. Selling recent project ‘Crenshaw’ to fans for $100 was a big move for Neighborhood Nip. A move so great even Jay-Z copped 100 copies. Nipsey Hussle has a lengthy resume of mixtapes and products for the unaware to look in to. 

DJ Mustard: “Mustard on the beat, hoe!” I’m sure you’ve all heard that drop on some of your favorite tracks. Mustard is becoming a super-producer with credentials from Kanye West, T-Pain, Jeezy, Will.i.am, Trey Songz, Jennifer Lopez and all his West Coast affiliates. Creating the entire album ‘My Krazy Life’ with longtime friend YG is where he shines the best. Be on the lookout for Dj Mustard’s solo project ’10 Summers’, it’s going to be a hot one. 

YG: YG is, to me, the final piece in completing the “New” west. He is great at being himself and carrying that throughout an entire album. YG gives listeners the raw and uncut lifestyle of Bompton, but keeps it organized and tells an intriguing story. Recent album ‘My Krazy Life’ is considered by many an instant classic. Another project worth your time is ‘Just Re’d Up 2’, also produced by DJ Mustard. 

Ty$: The R&B artist that sings what your favorite rapper can’t spit. Not only is Ty$ a talent with his voice, but is also a producer. His most recent project Beach House, which started as a mixtape and ended up an EP, has cultivated many radio and club hits. Tracks like “Or Nah” with Wiz Khalifa and “Paranoid” have been growing this R&B sanga’s buzz rapidly. 

            The West Coast is pushing out some of the best music in our time. Other artist OverDoz., Problem, Sage The Gemini, IamSu!, Kid Ink, Niko G4 and Casey Veggies are also rising talents out the region. It seems the mainstream music scene is starting to pay attention to what’s going on out there in the West. Stay tuned for future works from the “New” west, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.