Before we get into this list, I want to be clear about how these artists were ranked. I ranked these artists on their current standings in Fall 2015. These are the factors I am taking into account:
- If they have a new music, and if it's any good
- If and where they rank on music charts like Billboard and MTV
- Do they have talent, skill, and past successes? (WARNING: Bias may occur here.)
Without further ado, let's get to the list.
Honorable Mentions
Future
It seems somewhat crazy that Future does not make this list, considering his collaboration with Drake, "What a Time to be Alive," but I personally don’t believe Future has the talent for this list. He seems to get drowned out by Drake in the album. When "Monster 2" comes out, I will look into him again.
Lil Dicky
This somewhat joking, somewhat serious rapper popped up on my radar about a year ago with his song “Lemme Freak." Dicky’s lyrics are somewhat sarcastic and meant to be comical, however, his flow and beats are honorary-worthy. If I were you, I would definitely check out his “anti-rap” album, “Professional Rapper."
Travis Scott
Although "Rodeo" was one of the most hyped-up albums of this year, the album brought no new hits into world of Hip Hop. The only tracks to make it big from the album, “Antidote” and “3500,” were already released as singles. Travis has talent, but the album did not live up to the hype.
Meek Mill
Although Meek produces good music, his beef with Drake has somewhat ruined his career. In my opinion, you just can’t listen to him the same way that you used to. Hopefully this whole “death of Meek” will blow over and he will be able to redeem himself.
Nicki Minaj
The BET Female Hip Hop artist of the year is the most deserving of the number ten spot these artists are fighting for. "The Pinkprint" was definitely one of the Top 5 Hip Hop albums of 2014. However, I’m left looking for a reason to put her on the current list, since she hasn’t been featured on songs recently and doesn’t have plans to be release any new music soon.
Fetty Wap at Hard Summer
The Top 10
#10 - Wiz Khalifa
Mostly known for his new hit in the movie "Fast and Furious 7," “See You Again," Wiz Khalifa has made quite a name for himself in the music industry. With hit songs like “Black and Yellow” and the TCU football theme song, “We Dem Boyz,” Wiz has earned his spot as the tenth best rapper on this list. Although he hasn’t released any new songs since “See You Again” came out 33 weeks ago, the song still finds itself on the weekly Top 20 most listened to songs on Billboard.com. He is due to drop his next album, “Rolling Papers 2: The Weed Album," sometime before the end of 2015. The albums is set to feature Travis Scott in a track called “Bake Sale,” which has caught the attention of many of his social media followers. Until then, the young, wild ,and free Wiz will sit at number ten on this list.
#9 - A$AP Rocky
This may come as a shock to a majority of people, but A$AP is an extremely talented rapper. Mostly known for his junior year album, “Long. Live. A$AP," Rocky made a name for himself in the power-hungry rap group, A$AP Mob, alongside fellow rapper A$AP Ferg. Rocky earned the number nine spot on this list after dropping his newest album, “At. Long. Last. A$AP,” which finds itself in a mix between a mellow album and his older, harder music. My personal favorite track from the album, “Everyday," is a great example of Rocky’s flow, which is so unique and talented. However, some prefer tracks like “F**king Problems” and “Wild for the Night,” which are upbeat and resemble his older music. With no plans for a new album anytime soon, we will just have to wait and see where Rocky will take his talents next.
#8 - Big Sean
Big Sean is an artist I did not expect to put on this list, but after looking through his album, “Dark Sky Paradise,” and his features, it is pretty clear that Big Sean is a force to be reckoned with. Big Sean has embedded himself in your minds through his ubiquitous track, “IDFWU”, which made itself the summer anthem of 2015. However, he is deeper than just that one song. His songs “Blessings” and “Dance” also made it into the Billboard Top 25 at one point. His lyrics are top ten worthy, which is one is one of the few reasons he finds himself on this list. The final reason Big Sean is number eight on this list is his feature on big name tracks like “Mercy” and “Clique” earning him the prestige he deserves. I expect even bigger things from Big Sean in the future.
#7 - Fetty Wap
Fetty Wap does not deserve to be on this list, in my opinion. Lyrically, Fetty is a sinking ship that rivals Iggy Azalea. I’m honestly shocked that he is having the success he is having, mostly because he sounds like a dying animal. The only question is, which animal? And if you don't believe that autotune is saving his career, watch a video of one of his live performances.That being said, Fetty Wap has had some unbelievable success. Fetty has six, yes, that's right, six tracks in the Billboard Top 100 right now. That’s more than any other artist except Drake. It’s almost as if PSY, the guy who wrote Gangnam style, wrote five other songs that were just as successful. To be honest, I don’t see Fetty and his autotune being on this list in a few months, but until then, I am forced to place him at the number seven spot on this list.
#6 - Mac Miller
The kid himself has made it back to the top of the music industry once again with the release of his new album, “GO:OD AM." Mac has been in a real struggle trying to find his rhythm again since the release of his last success, “Blue Slide Park." Since that album, Mac Miller has released two albums and three singles that did not connect with his day one followers. However, Mac has rescued himself from this downward spiral by releasing his newest album, “GO:OD AM." The album features the track “100 Grandkids," his first song to make it to the Billboard Hot 100 since 2011. The new album reminds me a lot of "Blue Slide Park," but Mac adds in a new feel that makes this album stand out on its own. Overall, I think “GO:OD AM” could be a turnaround in Mac’s career. I look forward to seeing what the future has in store for this rapper, and I hope Mac eventually climbs higher than the number six spot he currently sits at.
#5 - The Weeknd
The Weeknd has taken over the radio. It’s literally impossible to turn on any radio station, Spotify playlist, or soundtrack profile and not find a song by this artist. With the release of his newest album, “Beauty Behind Madness," the Weeknd has soared to the number one spot on the Billboard best album list. His two hits, “The Hills” and “Can’t Feel My Face,” are in the Billboard Top 5 songs. Many people are starting to call him the new Michael Jackson. His dominance almost makes you question why he is not higher on this list. While he has had amazing success, his album has only been on the charts for eight weeks. For now, he will sit at five, until his success is proven to be long lasting. I am sure that every artist will be begging the Weeknd to sample on their track, so this album will not be the last track you hear from this artist this year.
#4 - Kanye West
I know what you're thinking. Why is this asshole on this list, and why is he ranked number four? Although Kanye’s last album release came out mid 2013, I just wanted to remind you all that Kanye is still supreme in the Hip Hop world. Putting aside Kanye’s personal choices and questionable speeches, Kanye has released quite a few singles that listeners have obsessed over while Kanye works on his new album, “Swish." His singles, “FourFiveSeconds” and “All Day," both hit the Billboard Top 10. He also released two new songs on Soundcloud, “Say You Will” and “When I See it," which have both reached over a million hits in a week. He recently did his “Forgotten Tour” for his "808’s and Heartbreaks" album at the Hollywood Bowl. The tour’s only two shows were extremely successful, with tickets for the 25,000 person arena set at over $300 resale value. Now, all that is left for Kanye is to release his new album and run for president in 2020.
#3 - J. Cole
Cole is an artist that is extremely underrated. He often gets left out of the conversation when it comes to big name rappers, but Cole easily earns the number three spot on this list. Cole has been making some of the best music in the business since his first album, “Cole World," in 2011, and he has not slowed down since then. His latest album that came out in December of last year, “2014 Forest Hills Drive," is one of the best albums in Hip Hop history. J. Cole doesn’t quite get credit or attention he deserves, but he is talented. Every song he releases is award-worthy and timeless. I still find myself listening to J. Cole, even though all my other music interest has changed. Lyrically, he is questionably the best in the game. It’s only a matter of time until Cole earns the credit he deserves in the Hip Hop world. What excites me the most about Cole is news of a possible collab album with the number two man on this list, Kendrick Lamar.
#2 - Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick is questionably the most talented rapper in the game. The 2015 BET Male Hip Hop artist of the year is ahead of the game in almost every category. Since “Section 80," every track that Kendrick features on is award-worthy. From his more upbeat tracks like “m.A.A.d City” and “Swimming Pools” to his slow tracks like “Don’t Kill My Vibe” and “ADHD," Kendrick has really mastered every style in the hip hop genre. A lot of people try to pin Kendrick to one style of Hip Hop, but the truth is that Kendrick doesn’t have one style. Both of his most recent albums are still in the Billboard Top 100 albums, but his older of the two, “good kid, m.A.A.d city," has been on that chart for 157 weeks. That is the longest any album from this decade has been on that chart, beating all other artist on this list, including Drake. This year, his track “i” won the Grammy for Best Rap song, which puts him among an extraordinary list of artists who also won this award, like Eminem, Kanye, and Jay-Z. Kendrick has really earned his role as a big name artist in the hip hop world. If Kendrick and J Cole do collab on an album soon, expect one of the best albums in the history of music.
#1 - Drake
Drake really does sit on a throne on top of the hip hop game right now. His mixtape, “If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late,” claimed its spot as the mixtape of the year in February. Then Drake and Future came along in September and recorded a new album, “What a Time to be Alive," which they recorded in six days. 10 of those 11 tracks on that collab album made it on the Billboard Top 100. Drake is featured in 14 songs on that Top 100, the most of any artist right now. Every album Drake has ever released has hit the number one spot on the Billboard Album chart. That being said, Drake has never had a song hold the number one spot on the Billboard Top 100 list. The closest he has ever come was with his track “Best I Ever Had,” which reached the number two spot in 2009. Drake has received 45 awards, yet none of them are the prestigious Grammy’s Best Rap Song, despite being nominated for the last six years in a row. Besides those two things, Drake seems to have the Midas touch. Now that Drake is taken control of the industry, I’m genuinely curious to see what he does next.
G-Eazy at Outside Lands 2015
Albums to watch out for
Logic
The young rapper's new album, “The Incredible True Story," will definitely be one of his best. It will be tough to follow up an amazing album like “Under Pressure," but I have faith that Logic will not disappoint us on Nov. 13.
G Eazy
The man has returned for more love with his third album, “When It’s Dark Out." Be careful, though. This is not the same G-Eazy many of you know and love. His music has definitely taken a darker, heavier tone to it, hence the title of the album. I’ll be listening on Nov. 4, but I don’t expect anything to sound like his last two albums.
I hope you enjoyed the list. Do you agree? Let me know in the comments who you think deserves to be on the Top 10.
Special thank you to Kaytee Rae for letting me use her photos. Please check her out here or on Instagram @kayteerae.
As always,
Frieds
