Hip-Hop's New Stars

Hip-hop seems poised for a sea change. Its heavyweights have gotten older and less compelling, and the genre has declined in popularity, causing artists to begin to push the margins in search of the next big thing. Kanye found the auto-tune, while Weezy discovered rock (and the Auto-Tune), but most agree that hip-hop doesn’t just need a stylistic diversion - it needs a facelift. And though there will always be room for the hustler in the hip-hop game, the members of the next generation of hopefuls apply a kinder, gentler approach to the genre. Some of them have been around for years, but are just now beginning to break through, while others were just introduced last week. The big question, though, is whether they’ll be around next week. Judge for yourself.