If you like Kendrick Lamar
For the To Pimp a Butterfly and DAMN. crowd: rappers who write like novelists and treat every verse like it matters.
7 picks, none of them the obvious ones. Tell us what you think of each.
Start with: Busy / Sirens
Chicago storytelling over jazzy production. Personal, detailed and patient, like the quieter moments of good kid, m.A.A.d city.
Start with: Diddy Bop
Gentle, poetic and playful. Chicago rap that floats over soft jazz chords and childhood memories.
Start with: NEVER
Unbelievably fast and technical, with a beat that keeps switching. For when you love Kendrick at his most acrobatic.
Start with: Anita
Slippery, melodic flows from St. Louis that bend words into new shapes. Funky, funny and endlessly replayable.
Start with: Walkin
Smooth beat, serious bars and a Miami rapper at his most focused. Proof he is far more than the screaming hits.
Start with: Introvert
A London rapper over a huge orchestral beat. The same ambition and big-picture thinking as To Pimp a Butterfly.
Start with: Nanchaku
Delhi's sharpest duo trading dense, clever bars. If you want Indian rap that rewards close listening, start here.
Not sure where to start?