A new crop of NY’s finest are marrying the home of hip hop’s traditions with a bold look toward the future. Here’s a quick playlist of names you either should know by now or need to know in 2012.

The 3rd β€œIs Hip Hop History?” conference will feature the work of researchers, hip-hop industry practitioners, artists, and working adult students. Keynote speakers: legendary DJ/producer Pete Rock and author Dax-Devlon Ross.

Nicki Minaj continues to see-saw between artistic lows (“Stupid Hoe”) and superstar highs, but the upcoming video for “Turn Me On,” her electro-pop offering from DJ/Producer David Guetta, is sure to continue fueling her worldwide buzz.

We’re back with another installment of “10 Must See Videos by NY-area Hip Hop Artists,” a semi-regular series where we take time to collect and deliver recently released, entertaining visual displays from hip hop artists and filmmakers in the New York City area.

We visited The Art of Lyrics, an ongoing monthly hip hop and arts showcase series up in the Bronx, where the people are fresh, creative, and still care about the art of lyrics.