-
-
Ad Space
(728 x 90)
Published on 9/4/08
Sign up today!
TOP DOG COMMON
RISING THREAT KID SISTER
Kanye West’s golden touch has helped keep Chicago-bred rapper Common at the top of the hip-hop heap far longer than we expected when he graced the cover of TOC in 2005—the rapper’s 2007 album Finding Forever debuted at No. 1 and nabbed three Grammy noms. However, Common’s aesthetic—a combination of New-Agey lyrics, easy-on-the-ears beats and preppy fashion—feels as edgy as a shopping spree at Ralph Lauren. Plus, the dude is no longer a hometown hero—whatever his MySpace page says, we don’t believe Common lives in Chicago.
Coming up to take his place is club rapper Kid Sister (Melissa Young), who began as a spin-off of her younger brother Josh Young’s DJ outfit Flosstradamus and has consistently blown us away on the small-club stages around town. Sister’s debut single, “Pro Nails,” featuring guest rhymes from West, has generated some intense heat for the South Sider. The collab’s a winner: Kid Sister just finished an Australian tour with West, and the superstar appeared (gratis) in her low-budget, high-style video for the single. If we agree with West on anything, it’s that Young has a one-in-a-million star quality, and her rapid-fire raps are as vivid as they are fun. Kid Sister’s album, due this summer, features West, production from XXXChange of Spank Rock, Flosstradamus and others. How un-Common.
