What's the deal folks?! This one is a little personal to me because I'm a North Carolinian, born and raised. North Carolina, traditionally, had been known within the R&B, Gospel, Jazz and Rock music areas, with acts such as Jodeci, Anthony Hamilton, Calvin Richardson, Daughtry, John Coletrane, Nina Samone, and C.O.C. However, over the span of nearly twenty years, hip-hop has also become a viable force for the Tarheel state. Acts such as Petey Pablo, J. Cole, and Rapsody have put the state on the map within the hip-hop world, and more acts continue to emerge from there such as Charlotte's Mr. 704, Burlington's OC From NC and Fayetteville's Rain to further elevate the status of NC hip-hop. Let's get to the best effort from the land of the Tarheels shall we?
15. The Away Team- Scars & Stripes
Durham's emcee/producer duo Sean Boog and Khrysis first made waves with their promising debut, National Anthem. After a couple more projects, they dropped Scars & Stripes, which was their most focused effort to date. Excellent and consistent production from Khrysis blended wonderfully with very skilled lyricism from Sean Boog to make a very listenable experience and one that definitely made their fan base grow.
14. Little Brother- Getback
Many wondered how Little Brother would function as a duo, as third member and producer extraordinaire 9th Wonder left the group. Rapper Big Pooh and Phonte answered the call in the form of Getback, and the results were quite dope indeed. The chemistry was still in tact, as bangers like "Good Clothes" and "Two Step Blues" made sure this was a knocker practically from start to finish. While 9th did in fact contribute a track (the surprising collab between them and Lil' Wayne "Breakin' My Heart"), the majority of the album was handled by the likes of !llmind, Hi-Tek, Nottz, and DeNaun Porter. While not quite the stellar excellence of their prior efforts, this one was nonetheless an excellent album for the LB team.
13. J. Cole- Born Sinner
After the runaway success of Jermaine Cole's debut, Cole World, he delivered his sophomore effort, Born Sinner, which in many cases was every bit as flavorful as his debut. Standouts such as "Crooked Smile" and the incredible duet with Kendrick Lamar "Forbidden Fruit" pushed this album to another gold plaque and continued to show why Cole was one of the most promising new stars in hip-hop and was quickly becoming Jay-Z's golden boy for Roc Nation.
12. Rapsody- The Idea Of Beautiful
After acclaimed releases of her mixtapes and EPs such as Thank H.E.R. Later, Return of the B-Girl, and The Black Mamba, it was time for Jamla Records' femme fatale, Rapsody, to deliver her first full-length album, The Idea Of Beautiful. A very personal and poignant release, Rapsody met every expectation with this album and completely engages the listener with her stories of love, loss, heartbreak, and strength. This full-length became the stamp needed to show the world that indeed, hip-hop's new b-girl had emerged.
11. 9th Wonder- The Dream Merchant 2
Producer, ivy league school professor, philanthropist, occasional emcee. Patrick "9th Wonder" Douthit has emerged into one of hip-hop's most important figures. While continuing to get his name out as a force within the industry, he dropped The Dream Merchant 2 in 2007, to critical acclaim. Guests such as Royce Da 5'9", Camp Lo, Skyzoo, Sean Price, Mos Def, and Memphis Bleek all contributed to this knocking compilation, all centered around the production marvels of 9th. This became one of the strongest albums of the mid-00's, as he was becoming your favorite producer's favorite producer.
10. J. Cole- Cole World: The Sideline Story
Fayetteville's J. Cole had been making noise with mixtapes such as The Warm Up and especially his acclaimed Friday Night Lights. It was then when he caught the attention of Jay-Z for his Roc Nation label, and after guesting on projects from the likes of Reflection Eternal and Miguel, it was time for him to drop his much anticipated debut, Cole World: The Sideline Story. The album officially pout Cole on the map as someone to pay a lot of attention to, as radio cuts like "Nobody's Perfect" and "Work Out" blended excellently with personal cuts like "Breakdown" and "Lost Ones". This was a formidable debut and he officially became NC's next breakout star.
9. 9th Wonder- The Wonder Years
Perhaps 9th Wonder's best album that wasn't a collaboration (his albums with the likes of Buckshot, Murs, Jean Grae, and David Banner are simply amazing, BTW) was The Wonder Years. Much like his Dream Merchant series, he invites special guests to rhyme over his ever delightful soulful production. Artists such as Skyzoo, Saigon, Marsha Ambrosius, Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar, Talib Kweli, and Masta Killa all contribute to this fantastic album and the Grammy Award-winning producer only having his name continue to rise in clout and stature within the rankings of hip-hop.
8. Rapsody- She Got Game
Snow Hill's Rapsody was delivering more and more highly acclaimed music weith each passing year, and in the year of 2013, she dropped the mixtape, She Got Game. Blistering the mic with profound lyricism eerily reminiscent of MC Lyte, Rapsody was very quickly becoming one of the most regarded voices in hip-hop, and backed with 9th's production team of The Soul Council, this mixtape was nothing less than flames from the word 'go'.
7. Phonte- Charity Starts At Home
Former Little Brother lyricist/singer Phonte Coleman took a break from his work with Nicolay as Foreign Exchange to drop his long-awaited solo album, Charity Starts At Home. This highly talented artist all the way delivered with poignancy, charm, and definitely lyrical ability the entire ride through. While we all salivated over the subsequent reunion of he and 9th Wonder on tracks such as "The Good Fight" and the masterful team-up with Evidence and Big K.R.I.T. on "Life Of Kings", the rest of the album was a highly enjoyable and attentive effort. This Greensboro native is one big project away from becoming a worldwide name.
6. J. Cole- 4 Your Eyez Only
One of the most noteworthy albums in 2016 was the surprise album from J. Cole with 4 Your Eyez Only. Before the album even got released, he delivered two promo videos, "Everybody Gotta Die" and "Be Like This", to both high acclaim and controversy due to apparent jabs at today's mumble rap generation and subtle shots as fellow emcees Kanye West and Wale. Once the album got released, it was clear a growth had occurred, both musically and conceptually. While his prior incredible effort, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, was personal and open, this was even more so, as it focused on subject such as being a husband, fatherhood, personal growth, prejudice, and loyalty. This album became his definitive coming-of-age album and continues to show why Cole is one of the most important emc3es of this current generation.
5. Foreign Exchange- Connected
Phonte Coleman collaborated with Netherlands producer Nicolay and called themselves The Foreign Exchange. Their debut, Connected, is a sultry, laid-back, highly melodic album that is as breezy as it is breakthrough. The album was an instant classic and became one of the most definitive hp-hop albums of the early millennium, as there was not one single flaw to dissect and scrutinize, except that one wished it was longer, as we could've listened to this delectable album forever and ever. This debut was the start of several highly acclaimed offerings to come from the duo.
4. Little Brother- The Minstrel Show
After the incredible buzz coming this trio's debut album, The Listening, they got signed to Atlantic Records, and they dropped their major label debut, The Minstrel Show, a conceptual album based upon a fictional Black TV channel that satirized stereotypes of the Black community and Black music during the minstrel show period of the early to mid 1900s. The album was simply stunning in its technical approach and 9th's production was inexplicably stellar throughout. Due to radio stations lack of interest and BET's blatant bias against them for not being relevant enough for younger audiences, the album barely took off, but for those that peeped the album knew the album was exceptional and a true treasure.
3. Rapsody- Beauty & The Beast
There was, and is, no stopping Rapsody. A year after releasing her highly touted She Got Game mixtape, she dropped her follow-up, Beauty & The Beast mixtape. From beginning to end, we hear her fantastic lyricism and concepts over exceptional production from 9th and The Soul Council. Tracks like the searing "Hard To choose", "The Man" and the lyrical knockout "Godzilla" exhibit Rapsody's strengths and her ability to dominate the way over-saturated male hip-hop game. Once Dr. Dre, Nas, and Jay-Z all co-sign you as an emcee, you're basically the shit. Just saying.
2. J. Cole- 2014 Forest Hills Drive
After two consecutive gold albums under his belt, J. Cole almost virtually dropped out of sight. We hadn't heard anything from him in two years and suddenly, out of the blue, he dropped 2014 Forest Hills Drive in late 2014. Aside from the fact that this album stayed at number one on the Billboard charts for weeks, plus was the first hip-hop album to go platinum with no guest features (ultimately selling triple platinum units, which is a feat in itself in this day and age), the album itself is his best body of work to date. Abandoning the flash and fame, he went back to being true to himself and addressing close and personal to him, plus having the music reflect this. Seen as Cole's official breakout album, Cole became one of the most seminal voices of our generation and definitely, along with the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Big K.R.I.T., the most brilliant emcees.
1. Little Brother- The Listening
With A Tribe Called Quest disbanding, Slum Village having members die and/or get added, and De La Soul dropping albums at a non-regular rate, many felt the age of intelligent, soulful, native tongue-like hip-hop was over. In came three young men from Durham known as Little Brother to give us something to brag about again. Producer 9th Wonder and emcees Rapper Big Pooh and Phonte delivered The Listening, which was an instant throwback to the days of Slum Village and Tribe with groundbreaking soulful production and good ol' feel good lyrics. The album went from being an underground classic to an industry-wide classic, as it continued to age gracefully, having the listener throw away raps about guns, drugs, crass sexual themes, and misogyny. The album, instead, was what more should be: great beats, great rhymes, and the ability to feel good and just nod your neck to the music.
Honorable Mentions
Petey Pablo- Diary Of A Sinner: 2nd Entry
Rapsody- Thank H.E.R. Later
Rapsody- Return of the B-Girl
Rapsody- The Black Mamba
Rapsody- Crown
9th Wonmder- The Dream Merchant Vol. 1
Little Brother- The Chitlin Circuit
Little Brother- The Chitlin Circuit 1.5
Little Brother- Leftback
Big Remo- Entrapment
OC From NC- Second Renaissance
Supasittion- 7 Years Of Bad Luck
Sean Boog- Light Beers Ahead Of You
Cesar Comanche- Wooden Nickles
Cesar Comanche- Paper Gods
Chaundon- Carnage
The Away Team- National Anthem
The Away Team- Training Day
The Away Team- The Warmup
Hall Of Justus- Soldiers OF Fortune
L.E.G.A.C.Y.- Project Mayhem
Median- Median's Relief
J. Cole- Friday Night Lights
J. Cole- The Warm Up
As you can see, North Carolina can and has held its own against bigger cities and states, and the home of the Tarheels, Blue Devils, Panthers, Demon Deacons, Rams, Aggies, Hornets, and Hurricanes (among others) is a flourishing state with a bevy of talented up-and-comers waiting and working on the chance to become official household and worldwide names like the artists on this list. Just wait, we've only just begun to bubble. Until next time!
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