Water, sugar, lemon, squeeze
Los Angeles indie rapper Dom Kennedy is the closest thing to an easy listening rapper in hip-hop. Dom is currently promoting his third studio album, including a leading appearance at Trillectro this weekend. By Dom Kennedy is 11 tracks of Dom’s smooth voice over perfectly slow, soft, melodic, and deliberate beats. Three songs include production credit from frequent Rhymesayers Entertainment collaborator Jake One. It’s a quality, relaxing album and deserves a listen. A common complaint about rap music is that it’s too angry or aggressive. I don’t know if Dom Kennedy has an angry or aggressive bone in his body, and that’s reflected in his music. There is also very little cussing in his music but even when Dom does cuss, it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. By Dom Kennedy can be streamed here or purchased here. The highlight of the album is “Lemonade“, an ode to Dom’s son, relaxing, reminiscing, and thinking about the future. “Lemonade” can be streamed below.
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Memphis-native 
Since her 2010 mixtape debut, Snow Tha Product has consistently proven herself to be one of the best rappers of the most recent era in hip-hop. She even gets my vote for the best active female rapper, without a doubt. Snow Tha Product’s most recent outing, The Rest Comes Later, is more of the consistency we’re used to from her: solid beats, incredible delivery, thought provoking song content, and the usual smattering of English/Spanglish/Spanish stemming from her Mexican-American upbringing in San Diego. She kicks off “The Rest Comes Later tour” next week, and the last leg of the tour has her coming through the Parish in Austin on August 14th. The Rest Comes Later can be streamed or downloaded for free via 
Bronx-natives and 20 year hip-hop veterans 
Musically eclectic
Fresno, CA rapper 