Showing Out

Husky-voiced singer/rapper/writer/producer Mika Means might not be on your radar at the moment, but chances are pretty good that you’ve already heard from this talented performer. From writing for Usher and Kelis to working behind the scenes with producers like Bangladesh and Polow da Don, Mika Means has spent a good deal of time waiting to debut as a solo performer, but it’s finally time for Mika to get her shine with the forthcoming release of her debut album on Universal/Motown Records. Here’s some info to familiarize you with Mika before this spunky, multi-talented performer before she takes over the airwaves with her infectious breed of hip-hop, pop and electro.

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Let’s be honest. Lately, females have been altogether missing from the rap game. Lil’ Kim has stayed busy dancing with the stars, while Remy Ma is doing her bid and Foxy Brown continues to lay low until she’s given a shot at a comeback (remember, Jay-Z signed her to and dropped her from the Def Jam roster like a bad habit). But while femcees are taking a hiatus from the scene, there’s one fire-tongued lady that’s making waves on the mixtape circuit with the release of her latest tape Beam Me Up Scotty. And with a Lil Wayne co-sign, you know she’s bound to do big things (just look what his blessing has done for Drake). So here’s the scoop on NYC’s own Nicki Minaj, the spicy young emcee that’s snatching back the crown from hip-hop’s male-dominated elite.

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Virginia has been a breeding ground for creative minds in hip-hop for the past few decades. The Neptunes, for example, came straight out of Virginia Beach in the late ‘90s, forever changing the game with their endemic sound and swagger. Missy Elliott and Timbaland put Portsmouth and Norfolk on the hip-hop map with their leftfield strain of rap, while brotherly duo Clipse pushed the lyrical envelope with their word-twisting coke rhymes. Now, joining the ranks of his fellow Virginia compatriots, Richmond-based rapper Nickelus F is next in the lineage of artists to take his VA sound nationwide, burning through the blogosphere with album after album of potent jams.

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It’s no easy task to wade through the vast pool of up-and-coming emcees on the blogosphere, but The Kid Daytona has managed to stand out from the rest of his blog-heralded peers. The Bronx-bred emcee first drew attention to himself last year with the release of his Cipha Sounds-approved mixtape A Tribe Called Fresh, a 21-track paean to A Tribe Called Quest that re-imagines some classics from their oeuvre. Since then, the buzz around The Kid Daytona has only gotten bigger, and with the recent release of his follow-up tape The Daytona 500 (presented by Mick Boogie) and the impending release of his full-length debut Come Fly with Me next month, The Kid Daytona is poised to speed his way out of obscurity this year.

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