Who's Next??

You gotta love the new year, every year. With the new year brings a lot of fascinating things. For starters you get those sweet calendars from the Auto Show in Detroit, The Super Bowl, MLK Day off, and the anticipation of who's going to be "hot" this year in Hip Hop.

There's always the usual suspects, but today I want to take the time to try and address some of the lesser known names. I've been doing a little listening around, and talking to folks about who should we be watching for. Who's going to be the next big thing?

Here's a short list from me, and of course feel free to add to this list because I know there are many that I may be missing out on. So, enlighten me.

IN NO SPECIFIC ORDER:

1. KiD CuDi - Recently signed to Kanye's G.O.O.D. record label. He has a single out called Day N Nite that is slowly creeping up the charts. Check it out.

Day N Nite - KiD CuDi

2. Wale - Straight out of DC. The home of this upcoming Tuesday's Freak Nik. Yeah you guessed it right... the Inauguration. That's a different topic of discussion though my friend. Wale has put together some low key pieces of work, that the world will soon become familiar with. Check out Nike Boots, W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E., Uptown Roamers, and Let's Ride featuring Lupe Fiasco.

Nike Boots - Wale

3. Black Milk - Detroit's Finest. Milk has been doing his thing for a minute now, but he just now is starting to get some exposure. He's worked with some of the best out of Detroit including J Dilla, Elzhi, and Royce Da' 5'9. This is the year of The Milkman.

Losing Out (Feat. Royce Da 5′9″) - Black Milk

4. Charles Hamilton - No relation to Anthony Hamilton. Charles Hamilton hasn't had much exposure, but his single Brooklyn Girls has been getting some good spins. Apart of the "Hipster" generation he's setting his blueprint to be successful in the year of 2009.

Brooklyn Girls - Charles Hamilton

I'm going to end my list with 4 for now... Toss in a name or two to the pot.

Keep Hip Hop Alive, One Bar at a Time.
Over and Out, DocBoone