The 2012 year is here and the pool of Asian American musical talents is increasing by the minute. However, with a large field of upcoming artists, the Jackfroot team has narrowed down the Top 12 hip hop artists you need to be on the look out for this year. This list is in no particular order and we apologize if we left anyone out.
All of the artists that are on this list were carefully selected and chosen for a variety of factors including lyrical flow, sound quality, musical talent, persistence, style, and more. Keep in mind that this is only Jackfroot’s selective opinion and we applaud and support all of the artists out there grinding and doing their thing. Now on to the list!
Top 12 Hot Hip Hop Artists to Watch in 2012
1. D-Pryde
The first artist that we have on our radar is no stranger to the rap game. Canada’s own D-Pryde isn’t even old enough to (legally) drink yet, but has accomplished what many could only dream of. After receiving rave reviews and recognition for his Mars mixtape, he was invited to join J. Cole on his tour throughout Canada. With a continuously growing fan base, we don’t see D-Pryde slowing down anytime soon as he’s definitely an artist you need to keep an eye in 2012.
Connect:
http://www.facebook.com/dprydemusic
http://twitter.com/DPrizzy
http://dprydemusic.com
http://youtube.com/dprydemusic
2. Smokes
The next artist on our list has been creating a lot of buzz lately and goes by the name of Smokes, aka Mr. Asian Pride. Hailing from Wisconsin, this up and coming rapper is getting a lot of attention for his unique style, sound, and hustle. His recent mixtape entitled “Pre Party” includes plenty of hot tracks and is getting a lot of love outside of the Asian community. Putting Asian people on his back, Smokes intends to make 2012 his year to shine, make sure you pay close attention to this artist on the rise.
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/SMOKES-aka-Mr-Asian-Pride/139794549364742
http://www.twitter.com/smokesmusic
http://www.smokesmusic.com
3. EQ
Bay area rap has always been stuck in this kind of bubble that hinders a lot of aspiring artists. Well, that bubble is about to burst with San Jose’s own hip hop artist, EQ. This young and talented artist possesses a flow and lyrics that you don’t even normally hear from mainstream artists. He prides himself in his ability to tell a unique story though his music and we’re excited to see what he comes up with when his mixtape hits the circuit this year. EQ – Remember the name and your ears will thank you later.
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/thisiseq
http://www.youtube.com/MusicbyEricQ (Old Channel)
http://www.youtube.com/thisisEQ (New Channel)
http://www.twitter.com/thisisEQ
http://www.ThisisEq.com
4. Toestah
Even good hip hop artists can be overlooked sometimes, and that’s the case with our next artist who goes by the name of Toestah. This young star in the making has been an underdog in the hip hop game for a while now, even within the Asian American community, which is very puzzling to us. Toestah’s creative flow and musical sound is on-point and we truly believe that 2012 will be the year he breaks out and will finally get the shine and recognition he deserves. Make sure to be on the lookout for his upcoming mixtape entitled “DangerZone” because this is one mixtape you don’t want to miss out on.
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/toestahmusic
http://twitter.com/toesteeezy
http://youtube.com/toesteeeezy
5. Lil Crazed
We all know him for his crazy lyrics and flows. Lil Crazed has grown in many ways over the years and his music has gone to different levels as well. This Minnesota artist has been grinding his way through the music scene doing several shows throughout the world and is constantly refining his craft. Surrounding himself with several other talented artists has helped Crazed develop great music. We saw a lot from him in 2011 and we’re positive that he’ll be taking his music to a whole new level this year.
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/LilCrazedKid
http://www.LilCrazed.com/
http://www.YouTube.com/LilCrazed
6. Traphik aka Timothy DeLaGhetto
Aside from being a YouTube comedic star, Timothy DeLaGhetto aka Traphik, is also a talented hip hop musician. This funny man has built himself a successful career in both YouTube comedy and music. With an underground hip hop feel to his flows, Traphik’s witty lyrics combined with his smooth delivery makes him a talent to be reckoned with. We anticipate him focusing more on his music in 2012 after seeing his 2011 consist more of his comedy rather than his music. Don’t sleep on him!
Connect:
https://twitter.com/Traphik
http://www.youtube.com/TraPhikMusik
http://TimothyDeLaGhetto.com
7. Thai
We all know Thai for making a name for himself after releasing the hit gangster track, “Vietnamese Gang“, which went viral all over the internet and played at major cities everywhere. Thai is an artist known for staying true to his music and the streets and people have nothing but love and respect for him. After joining 454 Life Entertainment and dropping “The Statement” mixtape and going international last year, Thai has been back in the studio putting in more work. Persistence, determination and momentum will keep Thai going towards the top.
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/454thai
http://454thai.com
https://twitter.com/454Thai
8. Nikko Dator
Two words – Lyrically talented. Nikko Dator is another artist on the come up who is making a lot of noise on the internet and turning heads. You might have seen him in the “Fall For Your Type” cover with Erika David, which we’ve heard a lot of great feedback on his verse. His unique style and creativity will surely make him the next big star in the making.
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/nikkodatorfans
https://twitter.com/NikkoDator
http://www.youtube.com/LoVisibility
9. Verseatile
One thing about Jackfroot is that we know talent when we see it, and there’s talent written all over Verseatile. From Chicago, Illinois, Verseatile (aka Mike Chun) is currently pursuing his music career in Los Angeles. In 2003, he became one of 50 finalists across the U.S. for Missy Elliot’s Road to Stardom television show on UPN. More recently in 2010, Verseatile was one of 10 finalists from L.A. to compete in the reality show in Korea, Superstar K by MNET (much like American Idol of Korea), in their second season. Expect more music and big projects coming from him.
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/verseatilemusic
http://www.youtube.com/verseatilemusic
https://twitter.com/verseatile
10. Decipher
An East Coast rapper from Philadelphia, Decipher lives a life that clearly shows through his music. This young and ambitious rapper has been through the some of major struggles in his young childhood that you can only imagine seeing in movies. After being introduced to music through his Uncle, Decipher fell in love with the hip hop and rap game. The world is waiting for him to drop new hits for 2012.
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/deciphermusic
http://www.twitter.com/deciphermusic
http://www.deciphermusic.com
11. J.Reyez
J.Reyez has been in the game for a minute now and has traveled all over the place. Touring from city to city, J.Reyez has developed a big fan base and following. From his hit song ‘Little Miss Innocent’ to ‘I Do This All Day’, he continues to show the hip hop industry that he’s still on top of his game. We know J.Reyez is very innovative so we are excited to see what he has in store for us this year.
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/JReyezFanPage
http://JREYEZHYPE.com
http://youtube.com/JREYEZ
http://twitter.com/JREYEZ
12. Dumbfoundead
We had to save the best for last. Residing in Los Angeles, Dumbfoundead has made a lot of major moves in 2011. He had his debut album ‘DFD‘ released last year and also dropped a hit music video called ‘Are We There Yet‘, which gained a lot of attention and publicity. That music video helped land him on Carson Daly’s TV show ‘The Last Call’. Throughout the years of battles and flows, Dumbfoundead has demonstrated his talents all over the world and released nothing but quality music. He has the love for music and the passion to take his career to another level. We expect to see this lyrical genius making more major headlines and getting on top charts some time this year.
Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/dumbfoundead
http://twitter.com/dumbfoundead
http://dumbfoundead.com
There you have it! The Top 12 Hot Hip Hop Artists to Watch in 2012! Thanks for tuning in and checking out our list of talented all stars on the rise. Feel free to share this link online and spread the word. Make sure you visit their pages and check them out to stay updated on each of the artists.
7 Comments
For a black guy, Toestah look super Asian, heh…the irony.
Kixxie Siete should definitely be on this list.
I think yall slept on him majorly.
No Tory lanez???? Never lookin at xxl agin
alot of talented artists here glad to see it.
this chart is reversed. DFD should be number one
What about Alexander Spit?
hey fellow rappers im lonnie b king the king of hipp hopp i want to do show eith the asian hipp hopp community.