Clipse

The world of hip-hop is made up of foundations represented by stylistically regional hip-hop genres - East Coast, West Coast, the Mid-West, and the Dirty South. Every few years however, a hip-hop act emerges to interrupt the shine of conventional hip-hop. This year Malice and Pusha T a.k.a. Clipse have arrived to introduce the Virginia streets to the hip-hop world.

The past few years have been full of contribution for the quiet state of Virginia. Almost overnight, VA has become an innovative ground for hip-hop culture. While noteworthy talent such as Missy Elliot, Timbaland and Teddy Riley have proudly represented Virginia on the radio and in the clubs, Clipse will bring the uncharted aspect of Virginia streets to the forefront with their Star Trak/Arista debut, Lord Willin'.

Cool Kids

Part of the mid-2000s hip-hop movement that found kids in all-over prints rapping about their shoes and their favorite forms of transportation (which often weren't cars), the Cool Kids proved to be both an Internet and live show phenomenon. The duo of Mikey Rocks (born Antoine Reed) and Chuck Inglish (or Evan Ingersoll) met in mid-2005 after Mickey came across some of Chuck's beats online and liked what he heard. They met up in their Chicago-area homes (where Mikey was born and raised; Chuck lived in Mount Clemens, MI, about 30 miles north of Detroit, until he was 11) with the intention of making beats to sell to other artists, but soon realized their own measured, smooth flows and lyrics fit best over their production. In 2007, though they had yet to release any material outside of what was posted on their /MySpace site or MP3 blogs, the group started receiving a lot of press attention from fellow Chicagoans and tastemakers /Pitchfork, who invited them to play at their summer festival.

This led to a spot at New York's CMJ Music Marathon, where they shared a showcase with DJ A-Trak -- who offered to put out their EP -- and an opening spot on M.I.A.'s solo tour. However, that same year the Cool Kids signed to Chocolate Industries, who released their debut, the Bake Sale EP, in January 2008, with plans for a full-length to follow. Marisa Brown, All Music Guide