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3 Rap/Hip-Hop Projects to Look Forward to This Summer

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Chapel Hill chapter.

Summer. What is there not to look forward to? Summertime means summer fun and what is summer fun without new music?

Here are a few projects that I will be checking out this summer:

1. Born Sinner – J.Cole

J. Cole’s sophomore album “Born Sinner” is slated to release on June 25th.  A talented writer and producer, J. Cole  earned the respect and support of fans all over the world with his gold certified debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story (CWTSS). With the success of CWTSS, J.Cole has said he now feels he has more freedom to shift the culture of rap and hip-hop. The first official single from the album, “Power Trip,” quickly climbed the Billboard Hot 100 Chart over ten weeks  to reach the 21st spot. The album was originally scheduled to on January 28th, but was postponed. I’m definitely planning to pre-order this album!

2. The Gifted – Wale

Washington D.C. native, Wale’s album “The Gifted” is also scheduled for release on June 25th. Wale seems to be aiming for a more soulful sound as heard in the album’s first single“Bad” ft. Tiara Thomas. In 2011, Wale’s second studio album, “Ambition,”sold 163,000 in its first week. I’m excited to see what Wale has for us this time around!

3. She Got Game – Rapsody

Rapsody, a native of Snow Hill, North Carolina and member of rap group Kooley High will release an EP this summer. Rapsody is an artist for Jamla Records, an independent record label founded by talented artist, producer and fellow NC native, 9th Wonder.  The project will be hosted by DJ Drama and includes collaborations with Wale, Styles P, Rocki Evans and others! The first single from the EP is called “Everlasting” and was produced by Khrysis, check it out!

J.Cole (Photo): http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/1556727/j-cole-debuts-miguel-assisted-power-trip-video-sets-born-sinner

Wale (Photo): http://massappeal.com/video-wale-the-show-featuring-rick-ross-and-aaron-wess/

Rapsody (Photo): http://cakezine.com/2013/03/rapsody/

Melissa Paniagua is a senior journalism major at The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, specializing in public relations. She is currently a fashion market intern at ELLE Magazine. On campus, Melissa acts as the Her Campus president as well as the vice president of the Carolina Association of Future Magazine Editors, UNC’s Ed2010 chapter. In the past, she has been an intern for Southern Weddings Magazine and a contributing writer for Her Campus. Melissa has an appreciation for all things innovative, artful and well designed and hopes to work in marketing for a women’s lifestyle magazine in the future!