This is my first post for DP&S, but I have been giving my first post here some thought. I decided to focus in on my favorite genre of music with my post, hip hop/rap. With this first post, I've going to focus the majority of it on some of the newer, less well known artists that I've been listening to lately, but that isn't completely the case. I don't really have much else to say (other than that college basketball is awesome), so here are the songs. First up:

Chiddy Bang - Breakfast

Chiddy Bang has been gaining popularity recently for their songs Opposite of Adults (samples Kids my MGMT, and has appeared in the 30 Minutes or Less trailer) and Good Life (featured in a Taco Bell commercial) but my personal favorite song by Chiddy Bang is Breakfast. Breakfast is on their seven song mixtape Air Swell which I recommend you download, as I personally enjoy all the songs on it.

Macklemore - Can't Hold Us

No, this isn't My Oh My by Macklemore, but it's still a good song. Some of you are already familiar with Macklemore thanks to OM, but I figured I would give him some more exposure. Can't Hold Us is a song Macklemore worked on with his producer, Ryan Lewis, and released on August Sixteenth.

XV - The Last Hero

XV was shown to me by my friend and former FN frequent user, Grip. XV has been rapping since he was fifteen (hence the name) and has released a whopping twelve mixtapes in fourteen years. Grip suggested I look at his mixtape Zero Heroes, and that is where I found my personal favorite song by XV, The Last Hero. Another excellent XV mixtape is Vizzy Zone, featuring a remix of Cudi Zone by Kid Cudi worth checking out.

Kendrick Lamar - Rigamortis

A second suggestion from my friend Grip, Kendrick Lamar's song Rigamortis is like few I've ever heard. At first I didn't like it, but the more I listen to it the more I've begun to appreciate it. It has a unique beat and the way he raps is different from what's common today in rap. All in all, Rigamortis is a very solid song, and worth a couple listens.

Pref1x - Always And For Never

Pref1x is a white rapper, but is leaps and bounds better than Mac Miller and Sam Adams as far as newer white rappers go. This song, from his mixtape The Pref1x Project, was one I could relate to, as I felt like I have personally gone through periods where I've put in tons of effort and gotten no return. The Pref1x Project is a whopping 20 song mixtape, so seeing as it's a free download I highly suggest you check it out.

Lupe Fiasco - Daydreamin'

I've decided to close out my first post for DP&S with two of my personal favorite songs by two of my favorite rappers. First up is Lupe Fiasco's song Daydreamin'. Daydreamin' was never publically released as a single and was released without much ado; instead, this song by Lupe gained much of its popularity online and underground as his fans spread it around. That was five years ago, long before Lupe was one of the most popular rappers currently making music. Now, the music video has over three million views, and Daydreamin' is considered one of his most popular and best songs.

Kid Cudi - The Prayer

Day n Nite might be the song that catapulted Kid Cudi into fame and success, but arguably the most popular song from his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi is The Prayer. The Prayer shows just how different Cudi is from the stereotypical rapper, claiming within his verses how he makes his music to have a meaning and not to just be about "the boots with the fur" as a shot to a song popular at the time. Kid Cudi keeps putting out new music, but the song I keep going back to as my favorite by him continues to be The Prayer.

Well there you have it. Hopefully you have enjoyed my presentation of seven songs I enjoy, songs that I like to think are much different than the typical rap song that comes to mind in those of you out there who aren't exactly fans of rap. So even if you enjoy this type of music or not, I hope you listened, and feel free to leave me your thoughts and opinions in the comments.