Bow to the King

An up-and-coming rapper from San Jose, Calif., Royalty lives in the same territory as emcees like Fabolous: radio-friendly and commercial-minded, with a hint of street edge. It's a little premature to proclaim Royalty the king of anything just yet, but he's definitely got the club-rap swagger mastered, with a low-key flow heavy on the punchlines and high-life imagery, plus a sensitive-thug vibe aimed squarely at the ladies. His production is absurdly catchy, with an ideal mix of big drums, freaky synths, and gooey bass lines; it's the perfect sonic accompaniment to his simple but effective verses about running things daily (the single "A Game"), overcoming struggles ("Life Is Good"), and staying steady paid ("Mr. Burns"). Throw in a few unabashedly romantic joints ("Pretty Lady," "Blue," "I'm Sorry") plus an Auto-Tune anthem ("Robots"), and the result is textbook crossover hip-hop circa 2013. Whether it actually blows up is up to listeners (and his publicist), but all the pieces are in place for this to be hugely popular.