With 2012’s Hip Hop climate similar to a Wild West atmosphere, fresh faces are able to forge ahead faster than ever given the right combinations of talent, luck, word of mouth, catchiness, and marketing. Thanks to the internet’s YouTube juggernaut, careers unpredictably blossom and followings are amassed nearly overnight in spite of the steep competition that is a byproduct of this instant free for all opportunity. No different from professional athletics and fall television lineups, much of Rap’s cultural obsession hinges on analyzing the potential overall impact of these newcomers as they now reach consumers at the speed of light without depending on record labels for immediate discovery. Sources of discussion amongst tastemakers and early adapters who camp out online often long before their favorites come to be celebrated by popular media, HipHopDX’s five rookies of the past year are individually distinct while sharing commonalities together.
Where the Flatbush Zombies and Joey Bada$$ offer separate perspectives on Brooklyn, Rittz, Tito Lopez and SpaceGhostPurrp represent the Southern territories of Georgia, Mississippi and Florida respectively, all having appreciation for the work of predecessors, using artful ingenuity to stake their claims. Keeping in mind that viral coverage is no guarantee of longevity, they each have high hopes of eventually replicating recent success stories such as Kendrick Lamar and TDE as they continue grinding for greater recognition. With styles equally surprising as their very arrivals, the following summations explain why this special class stands out in the eyes of DX and close watching spectators from all over.
Tito Lopez
Carrying the baton handed off by briefly famous David Banner and the more recent Big K.R.I.T., Tito Lopez has become the latest pride of Mississippi’s relatively untapped muddy waters. Prior to acquiring his hard earned buzz, a long string of mixtapes and breakout hit “Mama Proud” led to the The Hunger Game mixtape which finally put him on the map. Tito’s competitive advantage stems from slick talking passion, determination and pristine lyricism thought by some to be few and far in between from his region. Whether showy occasions where swagger takes the lead or earnest heartfelt messages, his greatest asset is respect for serious emceeing while remaining true to himself and sacrificing very little in the process. Further proven on his most current single “The Blues,” Tito Lopez has an underrated suave, finesse and way with words adequately equipping him to develop into a star after putting in years of work.

Rittz
Though poised to be the next ginger sensation since the rise of Action Bronson, Rittz is truly unlike anyone to surface before him. Well connected alliances including Yelawolf’s Slumerican team, underground powerhouse Tech N9ne’s Strange Music label and DJ Burn One meant much exposure for this year’s self-ascribed White Jesus: Revival project which rendered him a savior of sorts for Atlanta’s present scene. Taking on the responsibility of challenging listeners where many criticize the town’s simplicity, his strongest merits are the command of the microphone, delivery, breath control and cadence that accompany his sharp double time flow. On top of this fiery ability, Rittz’ ambitious nature finds him always growing as an artist with a variety of songs that advance the South’s tradition of riding music. His debut album The Life and Times of Johnny Valiant is anticipated by those comprehensive of his skill and sure to leave the inattentive in a trail of dust.

Joey Bada$$
Hurdling out the gate almost instantly with the raucous alarming video clip for “Survival Tactics,” the coming of Joey Bada$$ signaled an all but lost hope for New York’s gritty essence having a noticeable effect on Hip Hop’s landscape. 2012 was a landmark year as the teenager’s accomplishments included the release of 1999, Rejex (leftovers from the aforementioned), an appearance on MTV’s “RapFix” and a performance alongside The Roots on Jimmy Fallon’s late night show. Heralded as a resurrector, Joey’s praise likely comes from his maturity that addresses street reality in contrast to many of his peers preoccupied with creating trendy dances and penning rhymes about staying freshly dipped. As understandable debate questions whether his gravitational pull is the result of ardent lo-fi nostalgia, Joey Bada$$ is to be commended for caring enough to revive a throwback sound altogether forgotten by today’s mainstream outlets while not yet out of high school.

SpaceGhostPurrp
A force within smaller circles, the preferred enigma known as SpaceGhostPurrp has quietly formed a movement that has extended from humble beginnings to sporadic moments of spotlight. A former comrade of A$AP Rocky, so far the Raider Klan leader’s highest visibility has been the aftermath of their ugly fallout, as harsh exchanges on Twitter led to last month’s unfortunate confrontation between their crews in Purrp’s city of Miami. Controversies aside (i.e. melodramatic threats to quit the business), he has captivated making hypnotic beats that pay homage to the trunk rattling Three 6 Mafia, allowing him to work with his hero Juicy J, Wiz Khalifa, and other established acts while most everyday listeners are unable to pick his likeness out of a lineup. SpaceGhostPurrp’s formal introduction Mysterious Phonk: The Chronicles Of SpaceGhostPurrp fully reflected the disarray of youth, full of fictitious bravado, general lack of regard for women and a penchant for black righteousness, possible signs that he wishes to flourish freely without any set definition.

Flatbush Zombies
Rising from the death of shock Rap phenomenon Odd Future’s obscurity, the Flatbush Zombies have expanded the limitations of cool for Brooklyn adolescents. The visual treatment for their magnetic single “Thug Waffles” was a three minute advertisement for copious marijuana consumption, enabling Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice and producer Erick Arc Elliott to blaze their way (no pun intended) onto the blog circuit, a quick means of earning interest in their brand. The crew’s first effort D.R.U.G.S. was full of revolutionary horror and creative energy drawn from both outside inspiration and the familiar confines of their neighborhood, dispelling notions that the group’s members are merely unoriginal copycats. Having appeared out of thin air much like the fictional beings their moniker was derived from, the Flatbush Zombies have made an impression digitally and brought mayhem to live stages, now only time will tell whether the method to this madness will be embraced over a long term basis.

finally some good article
Where’s After The Smoke, Johnny Polygon or Action Bronson????!! -_-!
action bronson was last year’s top rookie
Johnny Polygon is dope, but I wouldn’t consider him a rookie. Wasn’t he featured on NaS’album a couple of years ago?
SpaceGhost wouldn’t load and Flatbush Zombies really didn’t do much for me, those other dudes were tight though.
http://www.datpiff.com/Jr-Reuche-De-Reuche-Muetel-6-Soloist-mixtape.432866.html
http://www.datpiff.com/Jr-Reuche-De-Reuche-Muetel-7-Reign-mixtape.432919.html
http://www.datpiff.com/JR-Reuche-De-Reuche-Muetel-5-Black-Flag-mixtape.432760.html
http://www.datpiff.com/JR-Reuche-De-Reuche-Muetel-4-Ever-mixtape.432753.html
Rittz and Flatbush Zombies.. never listened to them
Joey Bada$$ … slightly above-average lyrically, terrible flow, overall not impressive at all
Spaceghost Purpp – Bad flow, mediocre rhymes
Tito Lopez – Pretty decent, haven’t listened to him much but he’s got a flow/delivery that’s similar to Royce’s.
Flatbush Zombies are the TRUTH fuck with them.
how can you say joey got a bad flow? his flow is sick on his 1999 mixtape…he be on some pun shit sometimes wit a buncha alitterations
NO Ab-Soul?
Ab-Soul isn’t a rookie dude…..
rittz bitch!
Ab Soul? Jay Rock? Schoolboy Q?
They are not rookies fool.
you’re a rookie if u think those guys are rookies
^these guys are right bro jay rocks the shit tho
Yo – dem boyz been there for like 6 years – not even close to the rookies
I had heard Tito before, he’s ok.
I just listened to the others on these vids. I listened to Capitol Steez yesterday so I was expecting more from Joey, I have heard of him but Steez is better.
Purp wouldn’t load, flatbush is ok.
Rittz- it makes sense he’s signed to Sages label. I’m glad he’s catching on cause this is good hip hop, reminiscent of Sage, Cage and all that shit, glad someone is carrying the torch, dope.
NO FAT TREL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Schoolboy Q, Your Boy for Life and Joey Bada$$.
W0RD. THIS^^^
ok i agree wit u lavont. schoolboy q is type ill and bada$$ is nice wit the old school flow. your boy for life is dirty, this nigga nice tho he need to develop more in 2013 so we gonna see tho but i can dig it man
“Schoolboy Q, Your Boy for Life and Joey Bada$$”. If that was a feature that would be the new age preserving the golden era of rap!
all garbage besides bada$$, spaceghostpurp is decent, but he’s a much better producer/beat maker than rapper
FALSE Rittz owns this shit
has anyone ever heard of Dizzy Wright??
heck yes 2013 is fvs year man hopefully hopsin will get that album out, thatd be nice
RITTZZZZZZZZZZZZ not the cracker, the rapper…with red hair!
How is chief keef not on this list??? His music may suck but he has inspired like 100’s of thousands of aspiring rappers from every ghetto to imitate his style. His name frequently dominated the news all year, and he shined a light into Chicago’s now worldwide “Drill” music. He paved the way for a lot of new artists, guys like Lil Durk, King Louie, Lil Reese, Young Chop has now become the “go to” guy for beats, and even his rivals are getting exposure, guys like Jojo (RIP) & lil mista. Joey Badass n Rittz n dem r great lyricists, but their effect on hip hop has been microscopic compared to chief keef
fuck off with your cheef keith. Dude is fuckin wack and being in the news everyday says nothing about the qualtity of his music.
the only reason chief queef was relevant in the hiphop game at all this year, was because kanye remixed his track. dude has absolutely no talent whatsoever.
i cant wait to see rittz and ces cru and kutt and BLH and tech and krizz on tour 4/21 check it out!!
http://blog.therealtechn9ne.com/tour/
the future is not looking too good.
Who?
Joey Badass is the only one any good on this list. IF you watch that video he has some great wordplay in that song.
Maleek is talking about them in a sense of how XXL picks their Rookies. Yeah they been in the game for a while. Especially Jay Rock. But as far as breakout years noone really knew of Ab-Soul until this year. Schoolboy Q had more buzz than Ab-Soul last year. But I would definitely have Ab-Soul on the rookie of the year list. XXL put Roscoe Dash on the Rookie cover just this year and he was out with mainstream hits for close to 2-3 years.
If this year’s rookies and last year’s make the mainstream come to them and not the other way around, we might have ourselves the golden era part 3.
i fux with all these catz, especially tito lo. kid got mad skillz. big ups to gpt
CRAP, FUNK VOLUME ALL DAY!
Not a bad list for once HHDX. Only heard a few of Tito but he aight for sure. Rittz’ mixtape was decent, not good but decent. Purp well he aight.. kinda.. Joey, shit.. u already know what it is, dopest on the list for sho and Zombies in 2nd right behind him imo, when it comes to this list.