With a title as clever as “Champagne Dreams on a Beer Budget,” you might expect Rossman to be a poor man’s version of Childish Gambino. Hell, with an album cover like that he could be a ladykiller like Cee–Lo. But he isn’t. Rossman’s glorification of drugs and alcohol may leave out the rock and roll, but he’s always up for “goin’ home and makin’ some children” right after he “spank[s] her like her dad.” The weird, fatherly role–playing might not be welcome, but Rossman’s dreams of the bubbly stuff at least rise a bit above those of his peers.
Listen: “Go Shawty”
Out of all the OGs on this list, Young Lou, despite his “young” status, might be the most talented. Lou found fame with his 2011 hit, “Summertime,” a tasty stew made of generic GarageBand loops and HandiCam work. Young Lou tried on some R&B in May with “Money is Too Young,” a lyrical masterpiece about…his vast wealth? It’s kind of hard to tell with all the “mhms” backing the track. Our boy Young Lou might have aged some this year, but his raps will surely remain timeless. Who were we talking about again?
Listen: “Summertime”
A wise woman once said, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” A wise man once said, “time is money, and money is time, don’t be wastin’ money if you ain’t even got a dime.” What do Rebecca Stein and Penn’s very own (Hawaiian) rapper Mazzerati Rick have in common? They both fill a specific place in our hearts. Stein has become our beloved Econ professor of ambiguous ethnicity, and Rick, our generic, streets–of–Detroit rapper. Of Hawaiian descent.
Listen: “Diamond in the Rough”
