OCD: Moosh and Twist

No one would guess that from their amazing sound that Moosh and Twist just graduated high school. Their sound is as unique as the artist, with Moosh's smooth and easy on the ears style while Twist's is rougher and more engaged. This dynamic approach to hip-hop has allowed them to gain recognition on the East Coast. They are slowly building a buzz around Philly that will soon be sweeping the nation. Check out their new single Take Me Back above. 

People Under the Stairs

People Under the Stairs are a hip-hop group from LA formed in 1997 by artist The Ones and Double K. The Ones and Double K are forward-thinking traditionalist extraordinaires, who reach into hip-hop's past and stitch it into their new style. They possess a rhythmic flow that rides along on their beats like a surfer on a wave, which creates a nice chill hip-hop sound. 

Pepper

With the use of a heavy bass guitar, Pepper blends punk, reggae, ska and some hip-hop into their music that gives them a Sublime like sound. Since their inception in the mid-90's they produced six studio albums with their latest being Stitches which was released last year. Their music promotes relaxing and having a good time which makes it perfect for the summertime.

Other great songs: Give it Up, Bring Me Along, Crazy Love

Bliss N Eso

Bliss N Eso are currently my favorite hip-hop trio. An exhilarating blend of fluid rhymes and banging beats teamed with beat boxing and impromptu freestyling has made this group a brand in their own right. Hailing from Australia they bring hip-hop to another level with their influential and politically charged lyrics backed by amazing beats and the occasional acoustic rhythm. Their fourth studio album Running on Air went straight to number one on the iTunes album charts within minutes of release and the album garnered near perfect reviews across the board. Both Bliss and Eso are at their lyrical sharpest on this album, questioning the socio-political status quo that matches the uplifting nature of their music. Definitely worth taking a listen to.

Other great songs: Eye of the Storm, Bullet and a Target, The Sea is Rising, Family Affair 

Similar to: Hilltop Hoods, Cunninlynguists, Dyme Def, Atmosphere

Wale ft Justice - W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E

This is one of Wale's older hits, which is a remix of the Justice hit Dance. Wale is one of the leaders of the new school hip-hop of today with his slick lyrics and his fresh flow. He recently signed with Rick Ross' record label Maybach Music Group so expect some more hits coming from this rapper in the future.

Update: Wale just released his new single entitled Lacefrontin today off his mix tape The Eleven One Eleven Theory. Check it out below:

Cris Cab - Black and Yellow (Cover)

After many countless and annoying Black and Yellow remixes, its nice to hear something like Cris Cab's awesome reggae acoustic cover. Cab is an impressive 17 year old singer songwriter who's vibrant reggae acoustic covers of Wiz Khalifa's Black and Yellow and Kanye West's All of the Lights has landed him a recording contract with Pharrell's Star Trak label. His recently released EP under this label shows that he is well talented beyond his 17 years and that he's on the road to greatness. 

Other great songs: Good Girls, Take you Away, All of the Lights (Cover), No Hatred

Brenton Duvall

The first time I heard one of Brenton's mashups was when I was studying abroad with his brother in Italy. He played me Brenton's mashup of Lil' Wayne and Passion Pit entitled Ambien (Sleepy Trip) and after hearing that song I was hooked. With his recent tracks like Mean Planes and Against a Mad World, Brenton has been making some serious noise in the blog scene and is showing the world what can be achieved was a good sense of rhythm and a couple hundred bucks of equipment. Besides creating mashups, Brenton has also been producing beats for local D.C. rapper Young Prince, which can be heard on the track Strange Times. Check out his latest hits and expect more in the future.

Other great songs: Ambien (Sleepy Trip), Pretty Little Penthouse, Strange Times