Interview by: Martin Bauman Allow me to introduce you to Jamla's latest artist,
GQ. The Oakland emcee (also known as Quentin Thomas) has been steadily making a name for himself in hip-hop since signing with 9th Wonder back in 2009, all while dispelling the notion that basketball player's can't rhyme. Before his hip-hop career began, Thomas played under Roy Williams at the University of North Carolina where, as a freshman in 2005, he was a member of the National Championship-winning team. Nagging injuries may have put an end to his basketball career, but they also allowed him to focus on honing his craft as an emcee. Since then, he's released a three-part mixtape series titled
Blended, followed by his first project under Jamla, the
Trouble Man EP. Now, he's prepping for a big 2013 with the release of
Death Threats and Love Notes: The Prequel, followed by his debut album later this year. The Come Up Show caught up with GQ to discuss his latest project, the stigma of basketball players rapping, working with 9th Wonder, and much more.
Hit the skip to read the full interview.
Every year marks the ascendance of a new crop of emcees, eager to make their mark and stake their claim among hip-hop's inner-circle. Some rise quickly only to fall just as fast. Others will make you believe they're here to stay. It often seems as though the latter emcees pop up overnight, but the reality is often years of hard work and steady progress before they get a share of the spotlight. We at The Come Up Show looked back on 2013 to pick out our favourite artists who burst onto the scene this past year. Some you'll know. The rest, you'll want to get to know. One thing is certain: if you haven't heard of these artists yet, you'll be hearing all about them in 2014. Without further ado, we present The Come Up Show's Favourite Come Up Artists of 2013.
Read the full list after the jump.
2013 was a fine year for hip-hop videos. Not only did Drake win the BET award for "Best Hip-Hop Video", Macklemore & Ryan Lewis took home the VMAs "Best Hip-Hop video" for "Can't Hold Us" ft. Ray Dalton and Classified ft. David Myles won "Video of the Year", "Best Hip-Hop Video" and "MuchFact Video of the Year" for "Inner Ninja" at the MMVAs. Music videos always add another dimension to the track, but while they can make us think of a song in a new light, at times they can leave us scratching our heads. Here are The Come Up Show's staff list of our favourite hip-hop videos of 2013 that blew our minds.
Read the full article after the jump.
Jamla's GQ recently released Death Threats and Love Notes, the prequel to his upcoming debut album. If you still haven't taken in the Oakland emcee's music, now is the time to get familiar. The mixtape features production from the likes of 9th Wonder, Khrysis, Fatin, and Eric G. Standout tracks include 
Jamla's GQ just dropped the visuals to "The Town", the first single off his upcoming album Death Threats & Love Notes. GQ is quickly becoming one of my favourite artists to watch out for, ever since stumbling upon a