Machine Gun Kelly - Till I Die
Machine Gun Kelly’s anthem for the city “Till I Die” is currently sitting over 20 million views on YouTube. MGK talks about how the critics said this song would be too local serving as the single for his sophomore album General Admission. However, he was able shove it back in their face as he recruited Bone Thugs, Ray Cash, and some others for the official remix. MGK also performed this song at sold out shows in Europe with the entire crowds at each arena singing along. If that isn’t repping, I don’t know what is.Ezzy – Sway Freestyle
Although not an official music video, we felt that Ezzy’s Sway In The Morning Freestyle deserved the number two spot for this list. This video went viral after Ezzy absolutely murdered Future’s “Commas” instrumental. Ezzy not only impressed Sway, but obviously the rest of the world with this one.Cal Scruby ft. Chris Brown - Ain't Shit Changed
Cal Scruby made a lot of big moves this year, and this video is just one example of those. Cal Scruby hits the basketball courts at Venice Beach with Chris Brown as they make an obvious reference to the White Men Can’t Jump film. This video also shows the side of Cal that is just a young rapper with some money having fun, so I guess you could say he’s ballin’ both ways in this video!Young Troubled Minds - Rotation
With a video game theme of Street Fighter, the rap duo Young Troubled Minds kills this smooth beat with some even smoother rhymes. This video shows them fighting UTSUBYO (depression in japanese) and beating it just in time! It’s dope that they were able to create a fun video about a serious matter. YTM also have a nice smoking cameo at the end of the video, which gives a nice link to their project “One Big Session”.Lil Cray - Kyrie Irving
A kid dancing in his draws on Vine is what it took for Lil Cray’s song “Kyrie Irving” to become viral. After that, there was no question that an official music video was needed. You guessed it, that kid makes an appearance once again. Lil Cray takes it back to his hood, as well as shooting some scenes in the club. He might ball...Kipp Stone – 30 FTALL
“30FTALL” premeiered on Complex, and honestly it needs more love. Kipp Stone was the talk of the city when this one dropped, and after hearing the song one time you won’t be wondering why. Kipp also throws a diss at local Cleveland artist Tae Miles in this song, and that makes things really interesting considering we haven’t seen much beef this year in the city.King Chip – By My Lonely
King Chip released this video"By My Lonely" back in February and the song eventually appeared on CleveLAfornia which dropped in December. It’s no surprise considering the title of the song that Chip is the only person to make an appearance throughout the entire visual. Often times he appears with nothing but a blank white space, which I feel really represents the feeling of isolation that Chip is sharing in this song.Malcupnext - This Feeling
Smooth-singing Malcupnext had multiple viral vines which landed him a spot on Big Boi’s label Camp Purple. His very first move? Release the track and video for “This Feeling” which shows him as an innocent middle-schooler crushing on a girl in his class. Great look for Malc and a nice change of pace for the Cleveland music scene.Alex Angelo - Move Like This
Alex Angelo, Radio Disney Superstar, has just about 900,000 views on his video for “Move Like This.” There is a real Hollywood feeling to this visual, and you can tell Alex feels very comfortable in an environment when all the attention is on him. In fact, this is when he strives. He does it all from DJing, singing, dancing, and more.Stalley - Boomin'
Boomin' was featured on Stalley’s debut album Ohio which was released in 2014. The visual for this followed a year later and since then it has received over 100,000 views on YouTube. Shot by Lorain’s Ced Lynch, Stalley rolls around the Ohio streets showing his fans what’s it's like to be in the Buckeye state.Ripp Flamez – Perfect
Ripp Flamez is arguably one of the biggest local artists in the Land after a very solid 2015. His style is unique, and his lyrics are sincere. That is exactly how he is portrayed in this video for “Perfect” off his Day One EP. With a Cleveland night sky in the background in one scene, then a dark smokey background in the next, this should give you a great view of who Ripp is and what his music is all about.Ray Jr. – Same Crew (Remix)
Ray Jr. recruited DeJ Loaf, Young Dolph, Troy Ave & Machine Gun Kelly for the remix to his smash hit "Same Crew." The original video dropped in December of 2014, but the remix came out during the past year. We recommend watching both. The remix consists of kids playing each one of the artists, and at that it's pretty unique in itself.
Billard – Amen
Billard’s video for “Amen” shows the young rapper repping Cleveland and flying to L.A. where he links up with the plug. Most of Billard’s music consists of hard-hitting beats and aggressive raps. In this song we see a different side of the talented rapper who has the potential to appeal to a wide audience. Production is assisted by world-famous FKi.
Preme Dibiasi ft. Pooh Gutta - Buss It Down
You’ve probably heard this track on the radio once or twice, or maybe even at the club. The best way to describe this song is a twerking anthem with an addictive beat. You can tell Preme Dibiasi and Pooh Gutta had a lot of fun shooting this one. You’ll see some kids making a dance for the track, and obviously the rappers won’t be showing out without some females alongside them.Shuicide Holla – Dumb
Shuicide Holla really brought the heat on this track, and had a great Ced Lynch produced video to match. He really kills this bass heavy beat by using the word ‘Dumb’ with a few different meanings. Shu sports a LeBron James’ St. Vincent-St. Mary basketball jersey as he reps the city. Talented Cleveland rapper/dancer Nahzzy assists in creating a dance for the video.Ray Cash – Saks Fifth
You don't listen to a Ray Cash song without expecting greatness. "Saks Fifth" is a Ely Nash produced track that performed well in 2015 for Ray. It's good to see the OG's still contributing to the music scene. "What we gon' do with all this money?"
Casa - Saks God
Casa has been rapping for awhile, but he didn't make a real push for his career until 2015. "Saks God" was among the best songs he put out, and therefore he needed a video for it. Casa bosses up the video as he hits the Cleveland Yacht Club and The 9 with his homies.
Fame - She Solid
"She Solid" has to be one of the catchiest songs that a Cleveland rapper put out this year. When Pyrexxz touches the beat you already know what time it is. Be sure to watch the visuals for this local hit.
Lo Life Lane - Wait?!
"Wait?!" is doing tremendously well on Lo Life Lane's Soundcloud right now as it is approaching 70,000 plays. The beat on this song is crazy, so shoutout to Givtyd! Dab alongside Lo Life Lane in his newest visual which we hope catches on like the song!
TRVP ft. FAME – 30 seconds
TRVP recruits fellow Clevelander FAME for this Pyrexxz produced song "30 Seconds." This was definitely one of the standout tracks during 2015 for artists in The Land. It even hit the airwaves on 107.9 when the song dropped.
Nuke Franklin ft. Fat Savage - Paranoid
Nuke Franklin is a new artist whose been grinding to make sure people know his name. His homie Fat Savage assists him on the song and video for a MookOnTheBeat procuded song titled "Paranoid." I can't get this hook out of my head right now!