For more than 15 years, the CunninLynguists paved the road for a "Southern Underground." Kno and Deacon The Villain symbolically formed the group in the early 2000s after meeting at a Morehouse open mic event. 2001's Will Rap For Food followed, launching a string of soulful releases that embraced concepts, brooding... Read more

Although he's not a new artist per se, Atlanta, Georgia-based Big REC got a huge, well-deserved boost this year, care of a Diamond D-produced album, Doomsday. One of the standouts on that indie LP is "The Dumb Out," featuring one of the epitomes of industry fortitude: R.A. The Rugged Man.... Read more

Heads might not be all the way up on Cunninglyguists. However, this Atlanta, Georgia-meets-Lexington, Kentucky Hip-Hop outfit has been around for over 15 years, with strong ties to Freddie Gibbs, Big K.R.I.T., Masta Ace, and Cee-Lo Green. DJ Kno, Deacon The Villain and Natti—the three current members of the QN5... Read more