The Los Angeles rap scene has been constantly ever-changing. Names from Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock come to mind. Top Dawg Entertainment, TDE for short, has brought LA rap back to the forefront of the industry. Though these established artists are making waves in the rap game, there are two other LA rappers to look out for:
Skeme
The Inglewood-bred rapper has been turning many heads lately with his work. He’s been taking rap seriously since the age of 17 and he credits the late rapper, Dolla, as his reason for turning into the game.
“Dolla kind of molded me when I was young. He shaped me into being somebody and trying to tell me what could happen if you took this s*** seriously”, said Skeme.
In 2007 he released “Skeme Of Things.” Then he followed up with “Skeme Of Things 2” in June 2009. Skeme released his third official mixtape, “All Rap’d Up,” hosted by DJ Ill on Feb. 17, 2010.
Since those releases, he’s taken off and made friends with the likes of fellow LA rappers Dom Kennedy, Nipsey Hustle, and Kendrick Lamar.
Also, a couple music critics hailed his “Inglewood” mixtape as a success, as referenced by their comments.
Bruce Smith of HipHopDX had this to say:
On Ingleworld, Skeme combines an array of styles and cadences and an unheralded but highly skilled production team to craft an album with charm and depth.
However, it wasn’t without it faults according to Olivia Arezes of Exclaim!, who gave the album a six out of ten. She still believed that Skeme could become the new torch bearer for the West Coast sound.
“Ingleworld is a valiant effort from Skeme but mediocre overall. Still, with some growth and improvement, Skeme could easily become a leader of the new West Coast sound”, said Azeres.
Jessie Schiwie of LA Weekly believes that Skeme is on the rise as well:
His most recent project, Ingleworld 2, is his most ambitious yet, with 16 tracks and a slew of bangers. Though his style has evolved and changed over the years (listen to “Don’t Lose Focus” from Pistols and Palm Trees, then listen to “Issues” from Ingleworld 2), Skeme’s wit and reputation as a storyteller haven’t changed. With his raspy voice and jaunty instrumental choices, Skeme is an eclectic MC who is always putting out new music and improving his craft.
I think that Skeme has that hard hitting flow that you’d expect from an Inglewood rapper. His grit, flow, and determination to establish his dominance in LA could give him the boost needed to be noticed. Also, he has had the attention of TDE since 2013.
You have to be someone with serious flow to be apart of TDE and I’d honestly expect to see him sign with the label if they stay persistent and willing to boost his standing that he has already made as an independent artist.
Jay 305
via Mixtape Kitchen
Jay 305 sounds really similar to YG in my opinion. I’m not sure if it’s because DJ Mustard produces a lot of his tracks or because his flow is similar; but, from what I’ve heard so far, I like.
When Jay was 20, his good friend Butta Ball was murdered in Miami. In honor of his friend, Jay wore a “305” hat, so many times to the point that Jay’s friends in South Central started calling him “305”. Thus Jay 305 was born.
Jay has since made his work known and is now considered a staple in the LA rap game. Kendrick Lamar and YG have shouted him out on numerous occasions and he constantly collaborates with big names including Rita Ora, Ty Dolla $ign, Wiz Khalifa, Juicy J, Chris Brown, T.I. and Tyga.
Jay will release his album “The OpM Company (Other People’s Money)” sometime this year.
Get excited people. Los Angeles is back and business is booming.
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