XXL Magazine has debuted its list of the “most promising hip hop beats, rhymes, artists, labels and more.” The April 2011 issue, which has been in the works for months, features 11 hip hop artists whom you may not have heard of before. It also features some new lists, including Top Five Hip Hop Soul Artists, Top Five New Producers, Top Five New Groups and Top Five New Labels/Companies.

Music Still Open To New Hip Hop Artists

The magazine has produced its “Freshman” introduction for the last four years running. This year, the magazine features hip hop artists Big K.R.I.T, CyHi the Prynce, Diggy Simmons, Fred the Godson, Kendrick Lamar, Lil B, Lil Twist, Mac Miller, Meek Mill, Yelawolf, and YG.

If you haven’t heard of them, you’re not alone. None of these artists has landed on a major label, and most of their press has come from their own hard hustling to earn fans through self-produced music and online distribution. A few of the newcomers do have album deals, though.

So what does being selected as a XXL Freshman mean? Ask some of the alumni, including Big Sean, B.o.B, Kid Cudi, Wale, and Wiz Khalifa. You’re likely to be hearing a lot more about these performers and their hip hop beats in the coming months. Being an XXL Freshman comes along with a lot of publicity. To be sure, there are a few acts that don’t make it, but the staff at XXL have done a pretty good job of picking out the future stars of the hip hop genre each year.

These freshmen also demonstrate that it’s possible to break into the hip hop music scene with not a lot more than some fresh hip hop beats and a lot of determination. Hip hop is a great genre to get into, and there are plenty of great tools out there to help you make your mark. One of the best tools available today is Sonic Producer.

Sonic Producer is a software package that allows you to create professional sounding beats using your own computer. Sonic Producer has everything you need to mix as many as 16 tracks, and it comes loaded with thousands of royalty-free samples that you can use, mix and master to make your own unique sound.

When you make your own beats, you can develop your style the way you want to. You don’t need to spend time and money in a professional recording studio, because you’ll get a great sound out of Sonic Producer.

Use Sonic Producer to make your own beats, mixtapes or music. You decide what you record because you can be your own producer with Sonic Producer. There’s nothing quite like it on the market today. Download your copy and start making your own beats today!

Photo Credit: Jalen Bolling, via Flickr