Hip-Hop's 'Fab Five'

The greatest freshman class of all time still remains that of the University of Michigan’s men’s basketball team in 1992. Without getting too much into sports talk, the “Fab Five”, which touted future NBA stars Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard and Chris Webber, are essentially the epitome of everything “freshman” and “great.” Keeping it Hip-Hop for a moment, by now everyone is familiar with XXL’s 10 Freshman from last year. While I didn’t agree with many on the list (names will be excluded), it forced my mental Rolodex to conjure up a list as to who are my top five freshmen (yet to drop an album). In no particular order, of course.

The jump awaits you.

1. J. Cole–To avoid beating around the bush, this guy is my favorite new artist out right now. Roc Nation has a gem in the young man from Fayetteville, N.C. I just hope they realize his true talent and prowess because if they do, he could one of Hip-Hop’s brightest stars a few years down the line. “The Come Up” made me a believer and “The Warm Up” solidified the expectations I had in him. With bars for days and production credits to match, it’s not much Cole can’t do.

2. Pill--Thanks to the homie Maurice Garland I know who this guy is. Now, I’m not saying he’ll evolve into a megastar, but one thing I can promise is that his music will pretty much remain authentic. The “Trap Goin’ Ham” video is by far the visual of the year. Call it ignorant if you’d like, but I call it field reporting.

3. Nipsey Hussle–It’s evident to see why the West has so much invested in the “Slauson boy.” Basically garnering a buzz through his own grind, his flow and charisma have been what have helped him escape the stereotype of the West Coast’s supposed inability to produce successful acts. I’ll be honest with you. Ever since I’ve put “Bullets Ain’t Got No Names Vol. 3″ in the deck, I’ve had the strange urge to go cop be a blue Dodger fitted with the matching Chuck’s. South Central State Of Mind has the chances to be one of the better West Coast LP’s in a long time.

4. Big Sean–KiD CuDi has never been my favorite artist partially because of his flow. However, it’s evident to see he’ll eventually become a star one way or another under Kanye’s tutelage and force fed exposure. Yet and still, I hope ‘Ye doesn’t forget about Sean because this guy definitely has the lyical and song content to become a successful artist. UKNOWNBIGSEAN still remains one of my favorite releases this year displaying a wide range of emotions from hustle, ambition, love to hurt. For kicks, UKNOWBIGSEAN > A KiD Named Cudi.

5. Drake–C’mon, what listen isn’t going to have this guy? For all the jokes and negative press he’s been receiving recently, Toronto’s own is still the one artist everyone is looking to for a near classic debut album. He’s also the one from this list who has the best shot at becoming a true superstar in the realm of hip-hop due to the machine behind him.

So there’s my “Fab Five.” You may agree, but chances are you probably won’t. I think we can all come to an agreement, however, when I say I just pray none of them have a moment like this.