Kendrick Lamar/Schoolboy Q/Jay Rock/Ab-soul

Last year, whispers of Dr. Dre’s newest prodigy, Kendrick Lamar, started to surface. On first listen, nothing seemed revolutionary, but after really delving into the story behind the lyrics, there is no denying that there is something supremely special about the up-and-coming rapper. His concept album, 2012’s good kid, m.A.A.d city was written about his early days rolling around the Compton streets with his high school gang and goes into explicit detail about shootings, drug and alcohol use and the rapper’s early dreams of being rich and famous. Lamar even uses two different voices to distinguish between his actions and thoughts that are constantly at tension with each other. “Swimming Pools (Drank)” has been the hit song from the album mainly due to the party culture it highlights. Lamar may have actually been trying to convey a cautionary tale about over indulgence in alcohol, especially during the darkest part of the song where his inner voice tells him to keep drinking. Lamar is without a doubt one of the best rappers on the scene today and looks to have a very successful career ahead of him. The next time he comes to Cleveland he’ll likely be playing at Quicken Loans Arena for twice the price. (William Hoffman)