New Rappers on the Way to Changing Music
From Asher Roth to Kid Cudi, Hip Hop's New Breed
Mar 31, 2009
A few years ago some hip hop fans saw the genre as a dying fad because of the lack of new talent coming through the door. Now, with the help of newcomers like Kid Cudi, Asher Roth, and Charles Hamilton, hip hop is turning over a new leaf and fans are loving it.
Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi (a rapper, who unlike others, has not been compared to any other figure in the hip hop game) first appeared on the mainstream scene with his mixtape, A Kid Named Cudi, featuring D.C. rapper Wale. The tape caught the ear of hip hop hit maker Kanye West, who quickly signed the rapper to his G.O.O.D Music record label.
The Ohio rapper’s star really began to rise when he performed next to Travis Barker and DJ AM on the MTV’s 2008 Video Music Awards.
The world was officially introduced to Kid Cudi when he introduced the video for his debut single, Day ‘n Nite, on BET’s 106th & Park. He is also scheduled to perform at MTV’s 2009 Spring Break festivities.
Kid Cudi’s debut album, Man on the Moon: The Guardians, hits stores later this year.
Asher Roth
Asher Roth hails from the small town of Morrisville, Pennsylvania, but his impact on hip hop may be anything but small. With a style often compared to fellow white rapper Eminem, Roth has taken the genre and transformed it into something the masses can relate to.
“The first CD I ever bought was Dave Matthews Band's 'Crash'...” Roth said in an interview with Vibe. “That is how suburban I am...I finally got into hip hop in '98 when I heard the Annie sample with Jay-Z....When I wrote my 'A Millie' freestyle, that was me listening to 10 years of hip hop and not relating to it at all. Like, Damn I don’t sell coke. Damn, I don’t have cars or 25-inch rims. I don't have guns. I finally got to a point where I had the confidence to do this thing myself, and I was making music for me. And it turns out, a lot of people feel the same way I do.”
During his sophomore year at West Chester University, Roth began to take rapping more seriously and posted some of his freestlyes to his MySpace page where he sent a friend request to Atlanta based promoter Scooter Braun. A week later, he was signed on with Braun and the bidding war for the new rapper began. He eventually signed a record deal with Braun and Steve Rifkind, chairman of Universal Records.
Asher Roth’s debut album, Asleep in the Bread Aisle, is due in stores on April 20, 2009.
Charles Hamilton
Born in Ohio, raised in Harlem, New York, Charles Hamilton is a hip hop newcomer with an eclectic pallet for music.
"I'm a HUGE Incubus fan. I love Incubus, Eminem, N*E*R*D, Jay-Z, Modest Mouse, Korn, Dr. Dre, Thelonious Monk, Aerosmith, 50 Cent, Marilyn Manson, Alchemist, The Isley Brothers, Nas, Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails, Hi-Tek,... I just love good music. Good music that tells a story," he said in a previous interview.
Hamilton diverse musical tastes are reflected in his sound, as evidenced in his instrumental heavy Nothing Like a Brooklyn Girl. He also has a heavy hand for sampling, something he says is ultimately for the good of the music.
After being featured on the cover of XXL Magazine along with Asher Roth, Wale, and Atlanta based rapper B.o.B., Hamilton’s star began to rise.
He most recently appeared on Carson Daly.
Charles Hamilton’s debut album, This Perfect Life, is scheduled to hit stores later this year.
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