9. Ka
Ka is the oldest rapper on this list, with connections to the scene dating back to the late 1990s. However, it wasn't until the early 2010s, and particularly the release of his 2013 studio album The Night's Gambit, that he began to achieve recognition for being one of the most innovative and talented hip-hop artists in New York. Suddenly, Ka is not just one to watch - he's absolutely vital. Lyrically, Ka is the best on this list. Hands down. Just check out these lines from 30 Pieces Of Silver:
"Clear future, past ruffled; Used to feel like every meal was Last Supper; As a novice, sold garbage, kept it under trash cover; Wild noise; on our bullshit like cowboys as the calves suffer; By the end, out of ten, one make it out." "Was a fighter, had to learn to be a lover; Trade a split-second of heaven for my eternity of gutter."
His songs are stories of hardship in New York, told brilliantly understatedly. That he then backs these evocative stories up with some of the strangest and darkest production to grace hip-hop in recent memory is even more impressive. The Night's Gambit is well worth seeking out if you like hip-hop gritty and streetwise, as is Ka's collaboration with Preservation, 2015's Days With Dr. Yen Lo.