Girltalk, Busdriver, Daedelus

He ain't hard. His clothes fit. He makes declarations such as "Kids, if you really want to annoy your parents, show an interest in the arts." And his real name is Regan Farquhar. But don't give Busdriver no guff. This Los Angeles rapper keeps an arc welder in his mouth. Backed by Illinois DJ and producer Caural (who creates a lot of the beats live), Busdriver melts the mics, delivering a show that is almost too fast, progressive and beat-loaded to keep up with. But it's mesmerizing—folks don't realize they were dancing until suddenly there's a drink down their pant leg. On Bus' latest, Roadkill Overcoat, all-over-the-place Aphex Twin-like electronica skitters alongside banging hip-hop, baile funk and TV on the Radio-style ethereal rock. With a beat that could crush a Volkswagen and the chorus "Post-recreational paranoia is the sport of now so kill your employer," standout track "Kill Your Employer" should've won a Grammy. Then again, getting to see this guy play small clubs is pretty awesome.