1. Lil Wayne

As one A&O exec member and former Lil Wayne skeptic told the Chronicle, “No Ceilings convinced me: he is the best rapper alive.”  With the triple platinum success of Tha Carter III in ’08, collaboration and relentlessness have taken Wayne to the next level in ’09.  Along with his regular crew of Cash Money Records (of which Wayne is President) artists, Wayne released singles with Madonna, Weezer, Fall Out Boy, Swizz Beatz, Shakira, and Eminem this year. All this occurred while playing an integral role in releasing new CD’s for Young Money, Drake, Jay Sean, and Birdman, and fighting off a criminal prosecution for drug and gun possession.  He also has two solo albums, Rebirth (a rock CD) and Tha Carter IV, in the works for 2010, as well as a collaboration CD with T-Pain and another with Juelz Santana. Wayne is music.

Notable 09 lyricism: I own the swag supermarket and you, you’re just a bag boy

In case you missed them: Uptown, Drop the World, Revolver, Wasted Remix, We Be Steady Mobbin, Give it Up to Me, I Can Transform Ya, and this Gatorade commercial

2. Gucci Mane

If you don’t know Gucci’s story, here’s the readers digest version: Gucci gets discovered while doing time for an assault, signs with Young Jeezy then the two split, resulting in the murder of two men.  Gucci avoids jail on self defense for the first, insufficient evidence for the second.  Goes back to prison for getting a DUI while on probation, testing positive for weed and ecstasy, and only completing 25 of a 600 hour community service order.  After a series of mixtapes and YouTube million-plus hit underground videos, he signs with Warner Brothers, releasing The State vs. Radric Davis in December.

Gucci released singles with Big Boi, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Cam’ron, Wale, Usher, Trina, Juelz Santana, Omarion, Mario, and Soulja Boy in ’09.  Lyrical simplicity and an almost goofy immature flow, combined with ridiculous behavior makes Gucci a refreshing and authentic voice amongst an industry of overproduced cliche sounding rappers.  Unfortunately, due to yet another probation violation, Gucci will be in prison until April 2010.  Don’t worry though, the best is yet to come.

Notable ’09 lyricism: Gucci Bandana, Call me Gucci Montana

And in case you missed them: 5 Star Chick, Freaky Gurl, Wasted, Spotlight, Bricks, Lemonade, LoL:), Stupid Wild, Photoshoot, Sex in Crazy Places, Pillz

3. Kid Cudi

After Day and Night, it wasn’t clear if Cudi was a one hit wonder or a legitimate artist.  Humble and unpretentious, Cudi brought his Midwestern feel-good sound to the spotlight with the September ’09 release of Man on the Moon. Unlike other rappers that rely heavily on collaboration to build their careers, Cudi is able to fall back on a lyrical depth and unparalleled flow of consciousness.  Even his biggest collaboration of the year, Memories with David Guetta, featured only his voice.  He also appeared on Shakira and Jay-Z’s CD’s this year and released a single with Kanye and Common.  With such a strong start and an accelerating popularity, Cudi is bound to impress in ’09.

Notable ’09 lyricism: I got 99 problems, and they all bitches
Wish I was jigga man
Care free living

In case you missed them: Soundtrack 2 My Life, Man on the Moon, Pursuit of Happiness, Did it Again, Up Up & Away

4. Jay-Z

If the most successful rapper of all time releases a new CD and does a college wide tour the same year, how could he not make the list?  You need not be a rap enthusiast to enjoy Jay-Z.  His maturity and enthusiasm appeal to even middle-aged parents, especially covers like Forever Young.  Working with artists such as Alicia Keys and hit makers like Rihanna, Jay-Z has transcended the boundaries of rap music to become a pop phenomenon while, of course, maintaining his swagger.  Jay-Z understands the world on a level many floors above some of his industry’s peers. Sophistication and pride show themselves in songs like Empire State of Mind, unarguable one of the best songs of 2009.

Notable ’09 Lyricism: Shit I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can

In case you missed them: D.O.A., Forever Young, Empire State of Mind, President is Black Remix

5. Drake

Drake has come a long way since playing the disabled Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi.  After two years of relative obscurity he released the So Far Gone mixtape, a collection so professional that he was able flip it into an album upon signing with Lil Wayne’s Young Money record label.  Drake’s Canadian-ness restricts him from being too much of gangster.  Instead, he has a classy flow and a decent singing voice, while maintaining a certain cynicism that keeps him in line with his eccentric Young Money peers.  It is hard to emerge as a solo act when in the leagues of Lil Wayne, but Drake seems to have broken the glass ceiling and seems more of a complement to Wayne than an opening act.  We can expect this independence to continue in 2010.

Notable ’09 lyricism: Last name ever, first name greatest

In case you missed them: Best I Ever Had, Successful, Uptown, Money to Blow

6. Wale

Wale is what 50 Cent wants to sound like and what Kanye West wants to look like.  He has just enough ghettoness from his DC background to be tough, but not so much that fame will erode his image.  He has a style that alters white suburban kids’ closets and a flow that can bring any beat to life. His versatile persona allows him to produce street anthems like Nike Boots and more pop hits like Chillin featuring Lady Gaga or Pretty Girls featuring Gucci Mane.  He is a perfectly-balanced rapper and bound to enjoy a sustained career in the industry.

Notable ’09 lyricism: Admire your style and your physique
and I ain’t trying to critique but you deserve a good drink, so what’s up?

In case you missed them: Chillin, Pretty Girls, Let it Loose

7. Wiz Khalifa

Another potential one-hit wonder artist, it wasn’t clear if Wiz was going to make it beyond the Say Yeah fame wave.  True to his name (which means “successor” in Arabic) he stayed afloat with the release of three popular mixtapes and his ’09 headline album Deal or No Deal.  He has a Lupe-like freshness in his voice and a calmness (he’s a stoner) like Kid Cudi that make him about as cool as a rapper can be.  He’s got a lot brewing under the surface with underground music videos, freestyles, and mixtapes.  His innovative genre of techno-influenced rap and rap singles to the beats of sampled songs gives him an identifiable sound to work with and a potential franchise to develop in 2010.

In case you missed them: Name on a Cloud, This Plane, Red Carpet, Best I Ever Had Remix, The Thrill, Ink My Whole Body, Wussup

8. Soulja Boy

When Soulja Boy released Crank That it was hard for anyone to take him seriously.  At the time he was 15, a little too young and too over-produced to establish himself.  Four years later he has come into his own.  Still producing a lot of catchy (and arguably horrible) pop music designed more for ringtones than stereos, he’s also broken into the mixtape scene.  With remixes like Successful and collaborations like the Turn My Swag On Remix, he’s making a dent in street music.  This year probably won’t be much different for Soulja Boy, but if he keeps putting out upbeat party music who’s going to complain?

Notable ’09 lyricism: Turn my swag on is my theme song, there’s a 95% chance it used to be your ringtone

In case you missed them: Swag On, Successful Remix, Kiss Me Thru tha Phone, Gucci Bandana

9. Young Jeezy

Jeezy started the year off for everyone with My President is Black, a song that captured excitement for a generation (the verdict is still out for if that was warranted).  A heavyweight in the industry, his relentless discussion of slinging cocaine never seems to age.  The snowman’s collaborations and mixtape prominence are near the gold standard, landing him a Grammy nomination for his appearance on Kanye’s Amazing.  Even though his June release I am a Trap didn’t live up to The Recession the upcoming Thug Motivation 103 and collaborative Akon give us a lot to hope for.

Notable ’09 lyricism: I say and I quote, “We need a miracle”
And I say a miracle cause this shit is hysterical
By my nephews and nieces, I will email Jesus
Tell him forward to Moses and CC Allah

In case you missed them: On Fire, Better Believe It, My President, Who Dat, Put On, Amazing

10. Wyclef Jean

2009 was a quite year for Wyclef, but he still managed to release From the Hut, to the Projects, to the Mansion, another installment in his series of records tracking the struggles of immigrants in the US.  Wyclef’s rapping alterego is under the alias Toussaint St. Jean.  With strong ties to his Haitian background, Wyclef is just as much a humanitarian as a musician, setting an example of the positive image a rapper can maintain.

In case you missed them: Slumdog Millionaire, Spy, The Border, Suicide Love, Spanish Fly

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