We’re in the online publishing business and a trade secret is that one of the best ways to draw viewers to your content is to come up with a list. People love lists. You could draw up a list of cloud formations and folks will be all over Twitter adding their two cents on the topic. As a publisher, you can’t go wrong with a list. Except of course, lists are totally subjective and almost always leave out entries whose omission makes the list sound stupid. So even though it’s not worth spending any more time discussing a list we thought was pretty stupid; the XXL “15 DMV Artists You Need To Know”, suffice it to say it still irritates us enough that we want to set the record straight. Here’s a better list…
15 DMV Rappers You Should Have In Your Playlist.
(And we won’t kill you by trying to build suspense.) Here’s the list:
Javier Starks
Ace Primo
Bobby Hagens/Drew Reigns
Boobe
Trilogy III
Young Sir
Gorilla Slim
Kingpen Slim
GV
Lyriciss
RA the MC
Dunson
Wise
Young Moe
Cayan
Ras Nebyu
And let us say this again; lists are subjective exercises, but here’s a little context around our point of view. First, we could add another 15 names without breaking a sweat, and they wouldn’t be names from the XXL list. Because, despite an opinion from a post in NikeTalk last September called “Why Can’t People From the DMV Rap?” our area is full to the brim with quality Rap and Hip-Hop artists. What we lack is a major label presence, marketing resonance, radio play for local artists, and especially; real local support for our local talent. Without these ingredients it’s not surprising that a lot of folks who are just as good as the current crop of nationally known artists are still working to generate more local buzz around releases of some really good music. Anyway, here’s why these artists are on our list…
If we download your work and discover that you’re collabing with major music figures like Styles P and a rack of well-known producers, and in any case your name already rings out on a national level, you deserve to be on a list of DC artists. Kingpen Slim meets all those criteria.
RAtheMC has been making these kinds of lists for years, not because a list needs to have a female presence but because she’s been better than almost all of her male contemporaries ever since she’s been in the game. And by the way, it’s an insult to people who actually appreciate good music to include that other female MC on the same list as RA.
You can apply the same logic to Lyriciss. The man is so dope that adding his name to lists of hot DMV rappers at least shows that the list compiler does have some knowledge of the local music landscape.
XXL… it’s pretty hard to sleep on Ace Primo! Do ya’ll watch TV? That was this kid in the PowerAde commercials and all you have to do is check his Twitter account to learn that even though he currently resides in Charlotte he reps the DMV. So add it up; talent, big buzz, apparently very solid management, and you come up with an artist people should know.
Boobe? How do you come up with a list of DMV Hip-Hop artists and not have Boobe on it? That’s a fail!
When you talk lyrical dexterity combined with timing and really understanding how to marry that gift with beats you must be talking about Javier Starks. Listen to him and then you tell us if he’s not just as good as anybody who has gotten signed out of DC in the past few years.
Now that he’s represented by 780 Management the sky’s the limit for Gorilla Slim. He’s dropping new music and stepping up his appearances.
Young Moe is still young, but he’s been around for a while. He’s consistent, has his own sound, and has a solid following. Having him on your playlist means you’re a connoisseur of top DMV Rap artists.
Bobby Hagens and Drew Reigns both rep MVG and though they have done a couple songs together are individual artists. We put them together for purposes of this list because of the aforementioned affiliation. But believe, both spit fire and are on a developmental level in terms of their craft that’s way ahead of almost every name on the XXL list.
We don’t need to say a whole lot about Young Sir. His work speaks for itself. He’s a superior talent and to be honest, we’re just hoping he remembers OnStage when he gets on that national level so we can make some money together.
Homeboy Cayan is like the wise cousin of the DMV rap game. If you do thoughtful lyricism his work is the place to go. He makes the playlist because he’s talented, but he also makes it because he supports so many other folks making music in the DMV.
If (God forbid) you split our family GV up and they went their separate ways each one of them would deserve to be on a list of top tier DMV rappers. Together they make up a trio of the highest energy performers in the city. The only way not to include them on the list of DMV rappers who should be on your playlist is to just admit you never heard their work before.
Wise is coming. It’s hard to overlook an artist that’s putting together a body of work that’s an intro to the next level. His dedication and desire are evident in his music so not having him on our playlist would be a mistake.
If we told you a major Rap group had endorsed a DC Hip-Hop group you’d probably ask, “For real?” Cause honestly, too few artists from our region have the opportunity to grab the attention of folks who have been in the game for years. But Trilogy III has been co-signed by none other than Bone Thugs N Harmony. Layzie Bone has even done a video with them. They’re that good, so how does anyone draw up a list of DMV artists and not mention them?
The bottom line in music is, are you an entertainer? Dunson is an entertainer; an extremely talented entertainer who shouldn’t be overlooked when compiling these types of lists. He doesn’t make cookie-cutter music. He’s got his own style which highlights the versatility of music being made in this area. Add him, and the really super talented Ras Nebyu, and every other name we’ve mentioned to your personal playlist. That’s it. Did we leave a favorite of yours out? Hit us in the comments section