Rap Stars To Watch In 2009

10 months ago 03rd Jan 15:00

Leona Lewis

With 2009 just getting into motion, we at FemaleFirst have come up with some of the brightest new rap stars to watch out for this year. So get these guys on your iPod and impress all your friends when they start talking about them.

Whoever said a talent show winner couldn’t and wouldn’t succeed, is probably in a corner eating their words right now. Leona Lewis, the 2006 X Factor winner has become a household name all over the world.

Her debut album Spirit has sold over 5 million copies world wide, she has garnered three Grammy nods, was crowned Billboard’s Breakthrough Artist of 2008 and all this in a little more than a year. Simon Cowell might get on the nerves of many with his saccharine free comments and criticisms but one thing for sure is he knows a star when he hears one.

Already having caught the eyes and ears of Mr. West, Kid Cudi, a Cleveland Ohio native is on his way to stardom.

Signing with West’s G.O.O.D label imprint, the label home of John Legend and Common, Kid Cudi is in definitely in good company (no pun intended.) 2009 will see the lyricist release his debut album titled Man on the Moon: The Guardians which follows his Kid Named Kudi mixtape which he describes as ‘the TV series, and the album is the feature-length film.’

With a name for himself on both sides of the Atlantic and in possession of a refreshing sound, it looks like Kid Cudi has a bright year ahead of him.

Signed to M.I.A’s label N.E.E.T through Interscope, the uber-cool Rye Rye was featured on FemaleFirst.co.uk earlier this year during the highs of her debut single Shake it to the Ground.

Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland which was the focus of the hit show The Wire, Rye Rye is still in school and juggles both her education and her extensive recording career exceedingly well.

With an album in the works for 2009 under the guidance of the Paper Planes singing M.I.A, Rye Rye has the potential to be the new chick on the block.

Chicago is notorious for its Hip-Hop connoisseurs, Kanye, Common, Lupe, Twista all hail from the Windy City and hoping to add to that list of all stars is Bullet.

A lyricist who is not afraid to show all sides of his talent, he can be as lyrical as Common and still walk the line and fill dance floors like the most commercial of artists without being considered a sell out. With a mission to outer orbits planned for 2009, watch out for this ‘Alien on Earth.’

London born and bred, Quincey Tones is most definitely a producer to watch out for in the coming year.

Having already made a name for himself with his Gods Gangster project, Tones has been deftly working on projects such as his own album ‘which is in its early stages but so far has people like Royce da 5’9 and Naledge (Kidz in the Hall) on there.’

There are a variety of projects dropping in 09 that have his signature on but he is hopeful that in ‘'09 some major stuff will jump off.’ Confident with the foundations that he has laid, Quincey summarized ‘everything finally seems to be falling into place and people are starting to take notice.’

Melanie Cornish