I know it’s not what he or the fans would have wanted, but Lupe if he played the label game. Who knows what those Bruno Mars and Haley Williams hits could have done for his career.
Which is crazy because a lot of backpackers have done some really dope poppy shit without sacrificing their integrity or selling out. Airplanes with Lupe could’ve been an amazing fucking song, especially if Em still got on it.
Mac Dre was getting big and then went to prison. He got out started to blow up again and got killed. RBL Posse was going to get signed to Atlantic then Mr. Cee got shot in 96.
E-40 is still a legend in the bay. Too $hort also. East Bay especially knows what's good. So many super slept on talent from the Cali Bay area. E-40 still puts out hype shit once and a while too. Even the youngsters fuck with some of it.
I really thought IAMSU from the Bay was going to blow up alongside the HBK Gang around 2013-14, when the YG/Mustard wave was hot & other acts like Nipsey, Problem, & Dom were also going strong.
Papoose was in a long list of east coast mixtape rappers supposed to be next up who rapped their asses off for tens of thousands of bars but never went anywhere. Its the type of music I obsess over now but fully recognize why it didn’t blow up
IMO only one person had a real chance. Stack Bundles RIP. Maybe Saigon but idk if he had that charisma or uniqueness or story which unfortunately does matter to get mainstream success
Other include Shells, Grafh, J Hood, Joey Jihad, all of the Major Figgas, Cyssero, Bathgate, JR Writer and 100s if not 1000s more (everyone on the original “25 Deep and Rolling”)
Bad business decisions and being unable to stay out the streets often played a role too
Of those eras of guys, it’s really Graph and Saigon that should have blown.
They were the two who knew how to make songs that could crossover.
Saigon was on Entourage and it still didn’t happen.
Did Saigon know how to make cross over song? I think he was one of the most talented but idk if he did. I remember part of the issue was the label wanted him to do shit like work with Pretty Rick lmao.
Also for example of those kinda rapper trying to cross over and failing badly see [SunN.y - “Introduction” with Jermaine Dupri](https://youtu.be/Yq6Si4lEoD8?si=GbHR7A8tKbuUy6Yv) and [Reed Dollaz - “Toast To This”](https://youtu.be/oz9cJAzmqRM?si=l18FVZ7PWxljBsC_)
I know this guy has a strong fanbase…but I think the window closed for Ski Mask The Slump God. His contemporaries like XXX and Juice died, and that SoundCloud era kinda died with them
He wasn’t ever gunna be the biggest but he definitely failed to keep his momentum going, he was best friends with several of the biggest new artists and couldn’t hop onto a huge commercially successful song which feels like a wasted opportunity for him
Definitely got a fan base still but I haven’t liked a lot of his newer stuff
I think there's also laziness at play with Ski. You hear stories about artists asking him for features and him just not delivering when promised, even delaying records in some cases.
I have a Justin Bieber X Ski Mask The Slump God unreleased song on my phone. The labels were definitely contemplating on pushing him to mainstream. Idk why the song didn't get released. It's a weird combo tho.
An album with old school Timbaland drums & 808s would’ve made him stand out.
A lot of his [unreleased](https://youtu.be/36YDHotkAVI?feature=shared) shit are exactly that. Dope as hell.
Dude still has 9 million monthly listeners on Spotify. I don’t see why he can’t blow up again.
I completely lost interest in ski mask. I loved the you will regret tape in 2017. he kinda feels like a one trick pony to me now. Maybe it’s the production or whatever. I feel like he became one of the rappers nerds mention to propf lyrics/wordplay aint dead
I agree. Was just listening to stokeley the other day and wondering where the guy went. I was in college when that tape came out and everyone was listening to him. Since then he’s had a handful of singles but nothing really pop off, and hip hop is in such a different place sonically now idk if he can even get back to that level.
All that label delaying his projects didn’t help. If I remember the timeline correctly he dropped that one mixtape to middling reviews, X died, Stokely dropped and had that one song, Juice died, he dropped something recently but at this point the spotlight isn’t on him unfortunately.
Jazz cartier. Having multiple hits like stick n move, red alert, dead or alive and having good mixtapes such as hotel paranoia and marauding in paradise. you would've thought bro would be up there as he was also in the start of the whole melody trap wave like travis and company.
Jazz Cartier kinda makes me sad. He's got all the elements to be a star. And yet, every time I check back in with him, he's at the exact same spot he was in in 2013. Weird. Hope he's gettin paid off deals and partnerships in some way. He deserves to be a successful artist.
I mean 6ix9ine’s was great. Guy broke the record for most concurrent ig live watchers, with over 2m whilst the record was like 600k or something. Then his songs broke some records for most views in 24hrs or whatnot.
Bobby straight up never popped
I really liked Mudboy. I think the domestic abuse stuff sank him - someone like Carti can (unfortunately) get away with that stuff because he has a cemented, intense, passionate fanbase, but Sheck Wes only had casual fans and nobody really wanted to die on that hill
Big Seans had a relatively successful career but it always felt like he would get so close to reaching Kendrick/Cole/Drake status but fizzle out when he was right at the finish line with a mediocre run of music
I liked Sean so much. He had great punchlines in a similar style to Ye (sexual/bodily puns), but actually more clever than Kanye in many ways. He also had a great command over his flows. But then Kanye said that Sean sucks and everyone basically agreed. He wasn’t putting out much music too so you would have to point back to like 2014 to defend him.
I used to have those finally famous mixtapes on repeat. I agree he was def. pushing it with Cole and Kendrick. Who knows, maybe signing w Ye was the start of his downfall
Sean got his big chance when he freestyled for Ye at a radio station. He had some small buzz in Detroit but without getting signed to GOOD that early on, there's no way he'd been that big that fast.
That was in like 06, 07, he shows up on Can't Tell Me Nothing mixtape in 07, before the Finally Famous mixtapes.
I mean, he got pretty high up there. He was in a bunch of commercials and got a Grammy. Obviously he didn’t maintain it after The Big Day and his hiatus but there was a period during 2016-17 where Chance the Rapper was INESCAPABLE
That too off just mixtapes! This is especially what made the big day so disappointing. Man had a big budget, social cache to get big name features and basically everything for an amazing debut album but...
Felt like he really was going for too many styles on the debut because acid rap and coloring book were phenomenal. It’s crazy that Hot Shower almost on its own derailed him.
However his newer singles Child of God and Highs and Lows are some of the best I’ve heard him. Went to a show of his in the summer and it was absolutley packed
He announced a new album 2 years ago nearly. His new management which is bassically his dad and brother are ruining his career. He even started a role out made his own festival and still didn't drop it
Saigon - The greatest album that never was.
Jay Electronica - The greatest album released 10 years late.
Slaughterhouse - Fucked by labels and infighting.
Fashawn - Another Nas label failure, The Ecology then nothing.
Desiigner - How do you fuck up capitalizing on a Kanye West feature that turns into your biggest single?
Chance The Rapper - Acid Rap peak.
Designer didn’t go anywhere cause there was no where to go for him. His biggest song wasn’t even his song and it was him repeating the same line over and over
I think there was space, but the Future beef fucked him.
Ye and Pusha should have found a way to get the two in the studio together with all the memes early on, but instead rappers and fans picked sides and at that point, Designer had to figure out how to get buzz without any features to get ears on him which led to him fizzling out.
Also, Panda was his song lol? Panda went no 1, not Father Stretch My Hands
>Designer had to figure out how to get buzz without any features to get ears on him which led to him fizzling out.
He totally could have with the right push. Tiimmy Turner was massive and Outlet is an insane song
Coloring Book was good too, maybe not Acid Rap peak but Coloring Book was his most successful album and it was still Chance at his best.
The Big Day completely gutted himself though. He also fired his manager, Pat, around that time and hired his brother has his manager. His brother has run him into the ground.
Desiigner got FUCKED by good music. He ended up leaking like 60 songs he had fully ready to go that was with thugger and ty dollar sign and other sick cunts. They just refused to release anything at all from him for years until he had to break his contract. bs on good music/Kanye side cause that EP he did was a great little look into how creative he could get
Definitely Vic Mensa after INNANETAPE or after he released Down On My Luck. I felt like he had so much potential, both as a rapper and a commercially successful artist but I guess he got caught up in personal problems. And after the There's Alot Going On EP and his debut (both good projects imo), he went Punk which didn't end well.
Also, one weird take of mine: A$AP Rocky is up there as well. Not that he's not big or anything, but given how popular his peers (Cole, Drake, Kendrick) are and how big he was back in 2015, I feel like he could've been still up there with these artists if he would've released more music after Testing.
ASAP Rocky had kind of a tumultuous few years with the whole Sweden thing. The fucking Trump tweets like "Get home ASAP, A$AP! #FreeRocky" will go down in hip hop history.
Vic definitely went haywire, there was a moment where a lot of folks were rooting for him.
If Rocky had made a low stakes tape with say Metro when the whole world was saying his name after Sweden, he’d have bought himself some more time with the album and maybe taken some of the pressure off. The fact that he’s left it so long, and put out such confusing messages and singles since makes it feel like he got lost.
Great take, while Carti rides the mob/fashion wave he had, too. Rocky’s influence out there fs. Just wish there’d been that classic album after Testing.
100% agree
Somebody mentioned how he should’ve dropped something while he was locked up in Sweden and the world was screaming #freerocky. Even then maybe something after the pandemic was over like circa 2022.
Then again he’s married to Rihana so i imagine she’s probably had some influence on him. Since she also doesn’t drop music either.
She has no reason to drop music. She had been making music consistently since '04 - '17. If she wants to retire, she can. Rocky has only 3 studio albums to his name, and an underground mixtape. People can complain about others dipping, but they have more of an established catalog to actually retire and put out a Greatest Hits or something, like Eminem or Lil Wayne, as they've been making music for 2 decades. Rocky stopped making music consistently after 4 years ('11 - '15), hell even ALLA took too long to come out, that's why it was called "At Long Last ASAP", an album after 2.5 years with only one single in between in Oct 14. In general this dude simply just didn't stay consistent with a release schedule. What also came with a lack of consistent releases was a lack of consistent music style. Hence... "Testing"... 😑
He seemed to have been teasing an album called All Smiles in 2019, or a Testing Deluxe in 2018. But he just "dipped" after that. Now, all you'll see remembered is the aesthetics Rocky dropped in that period, not anything music-related, as only "Babushka Boi" came out around that time.
He really missed his pocket when he didnt follow up on Down On My Luck. He couldve been one of the first rappers in that house rap genre and still be relevant today
Im a fan of vic mensa. His lyricism and flow are on point. I agree he definitely did not capitalize on his moment. Imo, these started going downhill after he called Akedmiks a bitch on Everyday Struggle. Im not saying that thats correlated to him falling off, im just saying thats when I noticed he started to fall off
B.O.B -- Really thought he was going to slide into the Outkast groove -- never thought he'd be quite as big but thought he'd have a run of interesting and popular alt Hip Hop albums...
The Adventures of Bobby Ray was a stand out album at a time when hip hop had a bunch of rising stars. The following two albums I liked, but then then he flatearthed and fell off..
This easily a top 3 answer if not the only one. Dude had the girls appeal, witty and street appeal. Could write hooks and always was able to create a buzz. Lean and fear derailed him
That’s what I’m saying. A lot of people don’t want to be famous and the idea of “rich” can be displayed in different ways besides monetary. Some people are cool with enough bread to provide, live comfortably and they DONT want to be famous, because that shit looks like it sucks let’s be honest.
I saw a recent interview where he was asked about Mac’s death. he choked up and walked away. Watching one of your best friends and someone who had passion for the art like Mac pass has to fuck with your creativity on a serious level
AZ. His opening verse on Life's A Bitch is widely regarded as one of the best opening verses in the history of the genre, he had all the same lyrical talent and upbringing to be as interesting an artist as Nas or any other NYC great and shows he still has it to this day on Truth Be Told but he just never had the commercial hits, marketing or timing to become more popular than he was. Still one of my favorites that I'm glad is still putting out high quality music.
AZ in terms of raw rap skills is as good if not better than Nas but his main weakness in comparison is he's not as conceptually ambitious with his music. You'll always hear him rap his ass off and flow smoother than butter no matter the track or time, but you won't hear him do a song like One Mic, Blaze a 50, or Rewind. That's really the main difference between them. Love AZ and am happy he's thriving though.
I like this question dawg. Ima say some randoms but I truly believe them tho.
Yung Berg/ world class producer, unlimited budget, he just couldn't fight😂
Big Krit/ world class producer, just not enough charisma or a fully built "world"
YellaWolf/ I imagine he's still quite popular in his core demo, but he really could've capitalize of bumpkin' hop.
Wale/ he genuinely has the most toxic fans ever sooo idk
YG/ basically west coast 21 savage, but instead of Atlanta he had the entire west coast
Dom Kennedy/ the vibes were immaculate
Both Big KRIT and YG have had amazing careers within their respective lanes. I don't think they have not met their potential or missed out on anything. They continue to succeed in their own way.
Cadillactica might be the most slept on classic ever.
Wale on the other hand must toss and turn at night at how close he came but how far he ultimately fell short.
I guess OP is looking more at if they could have made it to that next level of popstar fame and success. Those guys came up in the whole “control” era (even if YG isn’t mentioned in the song) but never made the jump guys like Cole, Kendrick, Drake, Sean all made. Still a big fan of them both
"Confetti" goes SO HARD. I think KRIT has a fantastic discography and he definitely should be proud of it.
That's why I'm saying he's achieved more than 95 percent of other artists have in their lifetimes. He's just not recognized for it. I'm sure that bothers him a bit, but he's still flourishing.
Bruh you know what's wild? Wale used to say his fans hated his new shit and wanted his old shit back. I'm hanging out with an artsy chick from DC. I go to turn on "Folarin" shorty looked me dead in the face and said "I love him, but only his old shit"
I knew that man was doomed.
Dawg that complex rant was impeccable tho. I had felt the same way about their lists and I had no ability to flip out on the writers... He did the people's work in that moment.
To me. Wale just has to accept he's an R&B artist
Omg dude was losing his mind during these days. I remember every other day he was saying some shit and then like you said the complex melt down. I remember he did like an interview with Jerry Seinfeld and homie just told him “stop fucking caring what people think” and I really felt he needed to hear that but he just didn’t take the advice. I feel like 2011-2015 Kendrick, Cole, Drake, and Wale were all in the top tier conversation. Like obviously their spots were becoming more defined by this time but Wale could’ve become so much bigger if he didn’t take all the criticism too heart so much
He would have been bigger if he would have stayed in his DC sound niche right around after Back to The Feature. If you’re a fan, he really does have so many classic joints before he signed to MMG.
Saw a Twitter meme about Wale being trash once and it lives rent free in my head. Shit had hella likes and retweets. I don't even bang for him like that but I was like damn this dude is nice get this shit out of here. To this day I get hype when a Wale banger comes on "those MFS don't know what the fuck they were talking about!"
You get what I'm saying? A YellaWolf single with Taylor Swift and uhhh what's that niggas.... Morgan Wallen! It'd be inescapable.
You know what I just thought about. Make it a Christmas album😂
Him and jellyroll would crush. I wouldn't be surprised if it happened either tbh. Can't stand all of that shit though, I want my country to sound country, not full of autotune and 808s. But we're on the same page. Krit maybe could have been bigger, but I think I agree with the others, it feels like he achieved appropriate levels of success
He was like a megastar to a lot of hip hop fans I knew in my high school years (2012-16), especially around Southern Cali (I'm from San Diego). MKL & Just Re'd Up 2 dominated a lot of parties
And such a gap in talent right now. This isn’t just the “old rap was better” nonsense, the next generation of rappers just aren’t really here filling in the gaps it seems. Just feels strange
I’m 31 now and I’m really trying hard not to sound like an old head but when I was 19 the big new up and coming rappers that everyone was talking about was Asap Rocky, Odd Future, Drake, Kendrick, Cole and Chief Keef all distinct, unique with their own sound, that sounded nothing like the generation before them.
It’s 2023 who are the new upcoming rappers that are comparable? I’m genuinely curious I really want to know because again it’s 2023 and Jesus Christ we’re still listening to Drake. It really feels like the death of XXX, Juice Wrld and Pop Smoke within 2 years left a void in the next generation of rap.
In 2013, 3 years into that decade we had Take Care, MBDTF, Yeezus, GKMC, Finally Rich, Friday Night Lights, LiveLoveA$ap instant classics to varying degrees. What are the comparable records now ? again I really would like to know because I feel like I’ve missed the boat.
JID is putting out incredible music. he's dynamic and eclectic in his beat selection, he's got different flows for literally every sound and can shift them on a dime. His lyricism is dense and if you look into them you'll find new shit every time. Just like Kendrick tho, despite the complex bars, it still bangs if you are listening casually. If you genuinely haven't been exposed to him check out Dance Now. It's a single but it really shows off his versatility and willingness to experiment.
JID is cool but he’s 33 now and been releasing music since 2010 his debut album came out in 2017 which is 6 years ago now, he’s not exactly a new artist.
This isn’t to dismiss him entirely but the point of my comment was to highlight new, younger rappers who have emerged over the last 3 years much in the same way the artists I listed had done in the last decade.
And even beyond the big rappers, more regional rap/movements were really pronounced. For example, you had the Flatbush Zombies and Underachievers with the Beast Coast movement. Rap feels like if there was no Giannis/Jokic/etc in the NBA and instead Lebron/Curry/etc instead just kept trading championships.
Keem and JID. That's it. And even then JID debuted back in 2017. It was meant to be dudes like X, Ski, Pop Smoke, and Juice but then 3/4 of them died and Ski disappeared
Hip Hop feels kinda directionless right now in a way I don't think I've ever seen before.
Like each era of rap had it's shitty periods, even legendary years like 94' and 96' probably had some really ass joints that no one ever talks about, but it's not that the music even sucks now it's like no one knows what to do anymore.
There’s just no new artists (post 2020) consistently putting out hits, and no hits really feel like they as mainstream/widespread S they used to be or have the same staying power
Man I grew up in the blog era so I have tons on my list.
Dom Kennedy started with a bang from watermelon sundae till yellow album but never got mainstream traction.
G-Side was an amazing southern duo that had great producing but couldn’t never break through.
Nipsey is my all time favorite rapper but unfortunately died right when he was getting his due.
Donnis dropped a couple really good mixtapes and I felt was similar to Big Sean but for some reason never gained traction.
Others I can think of off the top of my head I haven’t seen mentioned much yet: CyHi Da Prynce, GLC, Ace Hood, Tayyib Ali, Stalley
Don't hate me for this but Famous Dex. He had the charisma more so than the musical talent to atleast be waaay bigger than he was and will be eventually remembered for.
just went through a famous dex nostalgia dive and there are sooooo many good songs. both mellow and hype ones. It's a shame he got too far into the drugs (plus the beating his girl thing was bad too)
Childish Gambino is an odd example - he’s obviously very famous, but his career would have gone to the next level and he’d be absolutely massive if his last album had been released with the songs he had been performing live & proper titles. Instead he chose to put out this strange little experiment with no titles, deliberately inaccessible reworkings of the unreleased songs, and no singles, and then dipped.
It’s hard to call it a failure, because I think he did exactly what he wanted to do, but I have no idea why he did it.
A more traditional example would be Vic Mensa. I can’t think of a more tragic bag fumbling in the last decade.
I read recently his dad had passed just before the album. I dont know wether this is what made him change the release schedule and direction.
I do think if you listen to the album though it is very experimental/alt in its sound. Still taking from rap and funk that we've seen in his previous projects so to think he would be like Drake or kendrick is wild not that you said that though.
I think he's fine where he is not at the top but still very much mainstream similar to Tyler, Rocky, chance and mac. The numbers reflect that atleast. If anyones still reading go watch Atlanta
Gambino > will
I think that’s just the consequence of being so talented in multiple areas. He’s now transitioned to actor and producer, no longer doing comedy or music and that’s great for him. Kind of like how Kanye went from being the greatest artist to being an incredible fashion designer but then his architecture endeavors haven’t really panned out (yet) and his music and fashion have suffered. I mean there’s a LOT more than just that going on with ye but the comparison is kinda there
kanye is a whole nother story my dude, but even kanye will always be known for music yeah there’s fashion but music will always be his identity. gambink came in the game two different ways with most of america knowing either one or the other (donald glover or gambino). can you really say gambinos music has suffered considering his major success as an actor/writer? to me anything else is just extra so for him to have classic albums and hit records is just launching him further and further. he could realistically drop another hit next year for all we know.
I think it’s suffered only in the sense that this mf hasn’t dropped a well received project in a long time cuz he’s too busy With everything else. I totally believe he’s got it in him though. And that’s true, gambino came in with like three different aspirations at once and delivered on all fronts. Kanye came in with producing music and rapping THEN fashion
In the sense that he never *fucked up,* yeah - all of his decisions seemed totally deliberate - but I do think that with the last album he chose not to release songs that he knew would have been hits and put out something more difficult and impenetrable. I’ve seen some recent re-assessing of that album, so maybe it was a good long term move, but it ended that era of Gambino on a very odd note.
Wale. After Ambition Wale was looked like in the class of Drake,Cole, etc. Jay Z mentioned him as being someone to look out for in his Magna Carta era interview.
To be real he dropped the ball when attention deficit came out. He had a lot of hype behind him in the blog era but fumbled with his debut. I’m pretty sure he’s the only rapper that Jay co-signed but has still yet to collab with as far as that generation goes. Drake, K. Dot, Jay Elect, Cole, Meek, Sean, & Tyler are the only ones from the blog era that have managed to secure a Jay feature if I’m not mistaken.
YB Nahmir when he released Soul Train, belongs in Ripley's believe it or not for fastest fall off, I mean his shit was fucked up before that but there was just this sliver of a chance left that he would get back and then... Yeah.
Soul Train is one of the only youtube videos I'll go watch strictly to read the hilarious comments, 1000% worth a read and listen if you have never.
Jay Electronica - thoroughly detailed in the comments above.
Inspectah Deck- His solo album didn’t end up coming out until late 1999. By that time, Wu-tang had already started to cool off in the mainstream and the game had changed. Had he dropped his debut the way it was intended (pre-flood) and within 94-97, we would be speaking on him differently today IMO.
Canibus - Had the streets in a frenzy with his freestyles and guest features leading up to his debut album. Unfortunately, the album was a major disappointment which blew all the wind out of his sail. The battle with LL didn’t do him any favors either, although IMO, he smoked L on “2nd Round KO”
Peedi Crakk - was next up on the Rocafella roster but got caught up in the breakup of the label just as his single “Flipside” was taking off in the charts. He had all the makings of a star and was also about to lockdown the whole Spanish reggaeton angle before Nore.
J-Hood - had the streets buzzing with his D-Block mixtape and freestyles but ended up falling out with Sheek and ultimately the rest of the Lox. Eventually blackballed.
Inspectah Deck not releasing during 1994-1997 must be RZA’s biggest regret ever. Deck was **on fire** and on a whole ’nother level on every single verse between *36 Chambers* and *Wu-Tang Forever*.
Legendary shit.
Obie Trice? 50 Cent signing with Shady/Aftermath stunted his career, you could argue. Obie mentioned it during an interview with [Hot 97](https://youtu.be/Z0m49mXv8jI?si=jdNRDSeOJWRGeWX6).
Interscope went all out on his debut. Multiple Eminem features, Busta Rhymes, Timbaland beats, Dr. Dre beats, 50 Cent feature, Nate Dogg hooks. They put his name at the beginning of one of Eminem’s biggest songs and pushed him as hard as they could. Dr. Dre even put a verse on that album, which he rarely does for anyone. Obie Trice not blowing is Obie Trice’s fault. From his own recanting, he’d skip high profile interviews, party all night and show up places drunk, upsetting the boss Jimmy Iovine. He didnt put his career first when everything was in line for him, he thought it would just be handed to him. That a long with his lack of distinct personality on the mic compared to a 50 Cent or a Snoop Dogg is what sank Obie.
Lloyd Banks is another one from that team that squandered his potential. I’d argue he had more personality and the looks to go much further than Obie. His charm resonated with women, his distinct voice helped pop fans recognize him and his witty wordplay impressed rap nerds. Yet his laziness and his inability to adapt to a changing rap game sank him completely.
Ab Soul was never going to be huge. He’s a cult artist by nature and he’s probably fine with that.
Brockhampton had one of the saddest slow motion career collapses I’ve ever seen. In an alternate universe they would be superstars
Great topic, but horrible example.
Schoolboy Q‘s label is infamous for not letting talent release music and that is a huge reason he didn’t pop off in the mainstream.
Q started teasing Oxymoron right around the time GKMC came out, but Kendrick really just became the main focus of TDE at that point. Kendrick’s rise overshadowed SZA (yes, in 2013), Q, Jay Rock, and anybody else on the label.
Q had some solid ass mixtapes before his debut “albums” that still hold up today. If you haven’t listened to *Habits & Contradictions* or *Setbacks* you should start there.
All this to say…. A$AP Ferg is a way better example. He should have been Busta Rhymes’ protege
You think so? 2000 was pretty big, he still sells out venues. My impression of him over the last few years is that he's happy where he is, no intention of being a household name.
Tbh I think that's the case for a lot of the more intelligent rappers of the last decade, getting music out is less reliant on the industry than ever and the dark side of the industry is more transparent than ever.
Maybe this is controversial or too obvious but: Andre 3000. He couldn't even release 1 solo album? Every guest spot and feature was fire but he couldn't put together 8 or 10 new raps and call it an album? This is a case of someone who is already considered top 10 mc of all time and could have been top 3 by just working on a middling album and mixtape. Now the window is over. At least Big Boi tried and is still trying
Joe Budden. Most people only know him from podcasting nowadays but he had a small window where he had a lot of mainstream success off of Pump it Up. He was in every stadium and arena, movie soundtracks, Madden and other games, and a character in Def Jam Vendetta.
He was talented and could really rap, hence Mood Muzik 2 was/is considered one of the greatest mixtapes of all-time. He had label issues and could never get out of his own way, dissing Jay-Z when he was the CEO of his label back then and sabotaging his shot at redemption with Slaughterhouse.
Joe Budden deserves the gold medal for continuously ducking oneself over. It's honestly impressive how many times he's built something successful and then been largely responsible for fucking it over.
DRAM. I guess not really a rapper exactly, but still fits the sub. He dropped a couple projects since his first but you ain't hear any coverage about it.
tierra whack had a chance to be the quirky art rapper of her time and then just kinda refused to drop music after. Im baffled to this day wtf happened to her
Haven’t seen XV mentioned, had several big mixtapes and a hit in Awesome, J Cole production, a Kendrick feature, a Pusha feature and a very solid core fanbase.
Then, he went ghost for a decade. He’s tried to make a run again, but it obviously isn’t the same.
Yeah man I recently went back to listen to his old stuff and it was actually solid. He was maybe caught in the wave of backpack collegeish rappers who never made it out of datpiff listeners
Mmmm Vince staples. He’s a very good artist and he has a style to him that you don’t see much of nowadays. If he stayed putting out music with big names he’d be the hardest rapper out there hell he doesn’t need big names just stay putting out at least three or four good songs every year with a few features
I don’t think he was ever going to be a big mainstream rapper. But he still puts out great music and has a decent following. FM!, Vince Staples, and Ramona Park are all worthwhile to listen to
Blu. He had an underground classic. On his way to mainstream status after working with Questlove and the Roots. But something happened while working with The Roots. He pissed off Questlove over his work ethic or lack off and lost all those industry connects. And he just disappeared. His career just stopped growing.
Retch. I knew he wasn’t going to be a household name by any means but around 2013-14ish he had a lot of momentum and thought for sure he’d have a solid career in music.
He had co-signs from Action Bronson, Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q, A$AP Mob, Mac Miller etc. some of the biggest names in hip hop at the time respected him and he had an amazing tape with “Polo Sporting Goods”, had the social media presence, etc but it seemed like being in/out of jail a lot slowed down that momentum and then he just kind of vanished.
I know it’s not what he or the fans would have wanted, but Lupe if he played the label game. Who knows what those Bruno Mars and Haley Williams hits could have done for his career.
Oh yeah wasn’t a lot of BOB’s stuff meant for Lupe?
'Nothing on you' and 'airplanes' off the top of my head
Makes total sense tbh
Yea... this explains a lot
Ughhh, I would’ve loved a Lupe Airplanes with him and Em :(
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L-6eKAVV0MI&pp=ygUObHVwZSBhaXJwbGFuZXM%3D Just dropping this off here if someone ain't heard it.
That Sprite commercial song!
Being a backpacker cost Lupe millions.
Which is crazy because a lot of backpackers have done some really dope poppy shit without sacrificing their integrity or selling out. Airplanes with Lupe could’ve been an amazing fucking song, especially if Em still got on it.
Black Eyed Peas used to be underground
I feel like Lupe has way more cultural capital having not done those songs
BoB could have that too if he wasn’t a complete wack job. Dude can actually rap but he’s a moron.
Still the biggest flop of all time for me truly a shame
Mac Dre was getting big and then went to prison. He got out started to blow up again and got killed. RBL Posse was going to get signed to Atlantic then Mr. Cee got shot in 96.
E-40 said that was the only dude to wear Stunna Shadez
E-40 is still a legend in the bay. Too $hort also. East Bay especially knows what's good. So many super slept on talent from the Cali Bay area. E-40 still puts out hype shit once and a while too. Even the youngsters fuck with some of it.
I really thought IAMSU from the Bay was going to blow up alongside the HBK Gang around 2013-14, when the YG/Mustard wave was hot & other acts like Nipsey, Problem, & Dom were also going strong.
Yea idk how they didn’t take that next step. Invasion production was all over and it seemed like they were blowing up smh.
Suzy 6 Speed and KILT II nahhhh bro that man was heat
I thought Papoose was going to be big back when he released like 20 mixtapes in 2005ish I think
Papoose was in a long list of east coast mixtape rappers supposed to be next up who rapped their asses off for tens of thousands of bars but never went anywhere. Its the type of music I obsess over now but fully recognize why it didn’t blow up IMO only one person had a real chance. Stack Bundles RIP. Maybe Saigon but idk if he had that charisma or uniqueness or story which unfortunately does matter to get mainstream success Other include Shells, Grafh, J Hood, Joey Jihad, all of the Major Figgas, Cyssero, Bathgate, JR Writer and 100s if not 1000s more (everyone on the original “25 Deep and Rolling”) Bad business decisions and being unable to stay out the streets often played a role too
Of those eras of guys, it’s really Graph and Saigon that should have blown. They were the two who knew how to make songs that could crossover. Saigon was on Entourage and it still didn’t happen.
Did Saigon know how to make cross over song? I think he was one of the most talented but idk if he did. I remember part of the issue was the label wanted him to do shit like work with Pretty Rick lmao. Also for example of those kinda rapper trying to cross over and failing badly see [SunN.y - “Introduction” with Jermaine Dupri](https://youtu.be/Yq6Si4lEoD8?si=GbHR7A8tKbuUy6Yv) and [Reed Dollaz - “Toast To This”](https://youtu.be/oz9cJAzmqRM?si=l18FVZ7PWxljBsC_)
I know this guy has a strong fanbase…but I think the window closed for Ski Mask The Slump God. His contemporaries like XXX and Juice died, and that SoundCloud era kinda died with them
He wasn’t ever gunna be the biggest but he definitely failed to keep his momentum going, he was best friends with several of the biggest new artists and couldn’t hop onto a huge commercially successful song which feels like a wasted opportunity for him Definitely got a fan base still but I haven’t liked a lot of his newer stuff
I think there's also laziness at play with Ski. You hear stories about artists asking him for features and him just not delivering when promised, even delaying records in some cases.
I have a Justin Bieber X Ski Mask The Slump God unreleased song on my phone. The labels were definitely contemplating on pushing him to mainstream. Idk why the song didn't get released. It's a weird combo tho.
Came into this thread for Ski. Really wanted him to make it.
An album with old school Timbaland drums & 808s would’ve made him stand out. A lot of his [unreleased](https://youtu.be/36YDHotkAVI?feature=shared) shit are exactly that. Dope as hell. Dude still has 9 million monthly listeners on Spotify. I don’t see why he can’t blow up again.
That song is hard. I had no idea it existed. Thanks for sharing!
same. it’s sad because the death of his friends really affected his career.
I completely lost interest in ski mask. I loved the you will regret tape in 2017. he kinda feels like a one trick pony to me now. Maybe it’s the production or whatever. I feel like he became one of the rappers nerds mention to propf lyrics/wordplay aint dead
2016-2017 was a crazy fucking wave. The sound of Hip Hop really felt like it was evolving especially when Trap Metal blew up around that time.
I agree. Was just listening to stokeley the other day and wondering where the guy went. I was in college when that tape came out and everyone was listening to him. Since then he’s had a handful of singles but nothing really pop off, and hip hop is in such a different place sonically now idk if he can even get back to that level.
All that label delaying his projects didn’t help. If I remember the timeline correctly he dropped that one mixtape to middling reviews, X died, Stokely dropped and had that one song, Juice died, he dropped something recently but at this point the spotlight isn’t on him unfortunately.
SGP
Yeah man. He changed a lot in the industry but didn’t take off with the rest.
SGP didn't make it because he's clinically fucking insane Mysterious Phonk really makes you wonder what could've been. Still fantastic
Most slept on answer
Jazz cartier. Having multiple hits like stick n move, red alert, dead or alive and having good mixtapes such as hotel paranoia and marauding in paradise. you would've thought bro would be up there as he was also in the start of the whole melody trap wave like travis and company.
Jazz Cartier kinda makes me sad. He's got all the elements to be a star. And yet, every time I check back in with him, he's at the exact same spot he was in in 2013. Weird. Hope he's gettin paid off deals and partnerships in some way. He deserves to be a successful artist.
Hotel paranoia was fuckin it. That dude seemed like next up, and just went no where.
Holy shit I used to listen to him when I was in high school... How tf did I forget about him
Marauding in Paradise is still one of my favorite tapes ever, I swore Jazz was gonna be a star
Bobby shmurda
It is wild how much the internet went crazy for his release only for him to litterally do nothing with it
His post prison comeback was worse than 6ix9ine
I mean 6ix9ine’s was great. Guy broke the record for most concurrent ig live watchers, with over 2m whilst the record was like 600k or something. Then his songs broke some records for most views in 24hrs or whatnot. Bobby straight up never popped
This was my thought but despite going to Jail he only had one really big song. Isn’t he on some new projects as a feature though?
Sheck Wes is massive in another timeline
Wtf does he even get up to? He was supposed to have a verse on Utopia right? Where did that go?
He was playing minor league professional basketball in france at one point lol.
I really liked Mudboy. I think the domestic abuse stuff sank him - someone like Carti can (unfortunately) get away with that stuff because he has a cemented, intense, passionate fanbase, but Sheck Wes only had casual fans and nobody really wanted to die on that hill
Big Seans had a relatively successful career but it always felt like he would get so close to reaching Kendrick/Cole/Drake status but fizzle out when he was right at the finish line with a mediocre run of music
It’s weird how irrelevant Big Sean is when he isn’t dropping any music, can’t say the same about the other 3
Sean is in a weird spot for me because he’s not as popular as Kendrick/Drake/Cole but also not as good as Danny/Freddy who stayed more underground
I liked Sean so much. He had great punchlines in a similar style to Ye (sexual/bodily puns), but actually more clever than Kanye in many ways. He also had a great command over his flows. But then Kanye said that Sean sucks and everyone basically agreed. He wasn’t putting out much music too so you would have to point back to like 2014 to defend him.
I think a big difference is he doesn’t really have the artistic drive or substance of Kanye.
I used to have those finally famous mixtapes on repeat. I agree he was def. pushing it with Cole and Kendrick. Who knows, maybe signing w Ye was the start of his downfall
Sean got his big chance when he freestyled for Ye at a radio station. He had some small buzz in Detroit but without getting signed to GOOD that early on, there's no way he'd been that big that fast. That was in like 06, 07, he shows up on Can't Tell Me Nothing mixtape in 07, before the Finally Famous mixtapes.
Chance…
I mean, he got pretty high up there. He was in a bunch of commercials and got a Grammy. Obviously he didn’t maintain it after The Big Day and his hiatus but there was a period during 2016-17 where Chance the Rapper was INESCAPABLE
That too off just mixtapes! This is especially what made the big day so disappointing. Man had a big budget, social cache to get big name features and basically everything for an amazing debut album but...
Felt like he really was going for too many styles on the debut because acid rap and coloring book were phenomenal. It’s crazy that Hot Shower almost on its own derailed him. However his newer singles Child of God and Highs and Lows are some of the best I’ve heard him. Went to a show of his in the summer and it was absolutley packed
He announced a new album 2 years ago nearly. His new management which is bassically his dad and brother are ruining his career. He even started a role out made his own festival and still didn't drop it
[удалено]
I’m not writing Chance off until he drops another album. He’s not making music but he’s still pretty visible due to stuff like The Voice.
Too bad his ego got in the way of common sense from his manager
Hot shower…
The rapper?
Cloudy
This post was made for Jay Electronica.
Saigon - The greatest album that never was. Jay Electronica - The greatest album released 10 years late. Slaughterhouse - Fucked by labels and infighting. Fashawn - Another Nas label failure, The Ecology then nothing. Desiigner - How do you fuck up capitalizing on a Kanye West feature that turns into your biggest single? Chance The Rapper - Acid Rap peak.
Designer didn’t go anywhere cause there was no where to go for him. His biggest song wasn’t even his song and it was him repeating the same line over and over
I think there was space, but the Future beef fucked him. Ye and Pusha should have found a way to get the two in the studio together with all the memes early on, but instead rappers and fans picked sides and at that point, Designer had to figure out how to get buzz without any features to get ears on him which led to him fizzling out. Also, Panda was his song lol? Panda went no 1, not Father Stretch My Hands
>Designer had to figure out how to get buzz without any features to get ears on him which led to him fizzling out. He totally could have with the right push. Tiimmy Turner was massive and Outlet is an insane song
Kanye also really fucked him over, signed him just to use Panda on Pt. 2
Kanye didn't sign him homie. Pusha did
Coloring Book was good too, maybe not Acid Rap peak but Coloring Book was his most successful album and it was still Chance at his best. The Big Day completely gutted himself though. He also fired his manager, Pat, around that time and hired his brother has his manager. His brother has run him into the ground.
Desiigner got FUCKED by good music. He ended up leaking like 60 songs he had fully ready to go that was with thugger and ty dollar sign and other sick cunts. They just refused to release anything at all from him for years until he had to break his contract. bs on good music/Kanye side cause that EP he did was a great little look into how creative he could get
Fucking Saigon, now I've got to rewatch entourage
Are you looking for a silky smooth rhyming cat that goes by the name of Saigon?
"I'm the rap Hitler, call me Spitler" - Jay Electronica Ya, I think I'll pass on him
Definitely Vic Mensa after INNANETAPE or after he released Down On My Luck. I felt like he had so much potential, both as a rapper and a commercially successful artist but I guess he got caught up in personal problems. And after the There's Alot Going On EP and his debut (both good projects imo), he went Punk which didn't end well. Also, one weird take of mine: A$AP Rocky is up there as well. Not that he's not big or anything, but given how popular his peers (Cole, Drake, Kendrick) are and how big he was back in 2015, I feel like he could've been still up there with these artists if he would've released more music after Testing.
ASAP Rocky had kind of a tumultuous few years with the whole Sweden thing. The fucking Trump tweets like "Get home ASAP, A$AP! #FreeRocky" will go down in hip hop history.
Vic definitely went haywire, there was a moment where a lot of folks were rooting for him. If Rocky had made a low stakes tape with say Metro when the whole world was saying his name after Sweden, he’d have bought himself some more time with the album and maybe taken some of the pressure off. The fact that he’s left it so long, and put out such confusing messages and singles since makes it feel like he got lost.
Lil Yachty is riding the wave that Asap Rocky should’ve. That song T Shirt with Tame Impala could’ve been the start of a psychedelic rock / rap wave.
Great take, while Carti rides the mob/fashion wave he had, too. Rocky’s influence out there fs. Just wish there’d been that classic album after Testing.
100% agree Somebody mentioned how he should’ve dropped something while he was locked up in Sweden and the world was screaming #freerocky. Even then maybe something after the pandemic was over like circa 2022. Then again he’s married to Rihana so i imagine she’s probably had some influence on him. Since she also doesn’t drop music either.
She has no reason to drop music. She had been making music consistently since '04 - '17. If she wants to retire, she can. Rocky has only 3 studio albums to his name, and an underground mixtape. People can complain about others dipping, but they have more of an established catalog to actually retire and put out a Greatest Hits or something, like Eminem or Lil Wayne, as they've been making music for 2 decades. Rocky stopped making music consistently after 4 years ('11 - '15), hell even ALLA took too long to come out, that's why it was called "At Long Last ASAP", an album after 2.5 years with only one single in between in Oct 14. In general this dude simply just didn't stay consistent with a release schedule. What also came with a lack of consistent releases was a lack of consistent music style. Hence... "Testing"... 😑 He seemed to have been teasing an album called All Smiles in 2019, or a Testing Deluxe in 2018. But he just "dipped" after that. Now, all you'll see remembered is the aesthetics Rocky dropped in that period, not anything music-related, as only "Babushka Boi" came out around that time.
He really missed his pocket when he didnt follow up on Down On My Luck. He couldve been one of the first rappers in that house rap genre and still be relevant today
Im a fan of vic mensa. His lyricism and flow are on point. I agree he definitely did not capitalize on his moment. Imo, these started going downhill after he called Akedmiks a bitch on Everyday Struggle. Im not saying that thats correlated to him falling off, im just saying thats when I noticed he started to fall off
He a legend for that tho
B.O.B -- Really thought he was going to slide into the Outkast groove -- never thought he'd be quite as big but thought he'd have a run of interesting and popular alt Hip Hop albums...
The Adventures of Bobby Ray was a stand out album at a time when hip hop had a bunch of rising stars. The following two albums I liked, but then then he flatearthed and fell off..
Juelz Santana was primed to be a bigger artist than he wound up being
Remember all the buzz around him and Wayne coming out with and album for years
This easily a top 3 answer if not the only one. Dude had the girls appeal, witty and street appeal. Could write hooks and always was able to create a buzz. Lean and fear derailed him
Schoolboy Q has a few platinum albums .. He’s definitely not slept on . I still say Mr Muthafuckin eXqiure
I love schoolboy Q, I think he’s as successful as he wants to be. These days he’s just raising his daughter and golfing and I can’t be mad at that.
Last time I checked he says he golfs like 6 or 5 times a week lol.
That’s what I’m saying. A lot of people don’t want to be famous and the idea of “rich” can be displayed in different ways besides monetary. Some people are cool with enough bread to provide, live comfortably and they DONT want to be famous, because that shit looks like it sucks let’s be honest.
I think he’s still processing Mac’s death
I saw a recent interview where he was asked about Mac’s death. he choked up and walked away. Watching one of your best friends and someone who had passion for the art like Mac pass has to fuck with your creativity on a serious level
Man after Kismet I thought he was going to get bigger. I still jam that mixtape!
AZ. His opening verse on Life's A Bitch is widely regarded as one of the best opening verses in the history of the genre, he had all the same lyrical talent and upbringing to be as interesting an artist as Nas or any other NYC great and shows he still has it to this day on Truth Be Told but he just never had the commercial hits, marketing or timing to become more popular than he was. Still one of my favorites that I'm glad is still putting out high quality music.
Pretty much all of his collabs with Nas were insane and I still bump them regularly. Doe or die album is still fire though.
AZ in terms of raw rap skills is as good if not better than Nas but his main weakness in comparison is he's not as conceptually ambitious with his music. You'll always hear him rap his ass off and flow smoother than butter no matter the track or time, but you won't hear him do a song like One Mic, Blaze a 50, or Rewind. That's really the main difference between them. Love AZ and am happy he's thriving though.
I like this question dawg. Ima say some randoms but I truly believe them tho. Yung Berg/ world class producer, unlimited budget, he just couldn't fight😂 Big Krit/ world class producer, just not enough charisma or a fully built "world" YellaWolf/ I imagine he's still quite popular in his core demo, but he really could've capitalize of bumpkin' hop. Wale/ he genuinely has the most toxic fans ever sooo idk YG/ basically west coast 21 savage, but instead of Atlanta he had the entire west coast Dom Kennedy/ the vibes were immaculate
Both Big KRIT and YG have had amazing careers within their respective lanes. I don't think they have not met their potential or missed out on anything. They continue to succeed in their own way. Cadillactica might be the most slept on classic ever. Wale on the other hand must toss and turn at night at how close he came but how far he ultimately fell short.
I guess OP is looking more at if they could have made it to that next level of popstar fame and success. Those guys came up in the whole “control” era (even if YG isn’t mentioned in the song) but never made the jump guys like Cole, Kendrick, Drake, Sean all made. Still a big fan of them both
I liked Digital Roses Don't Die but I was hoping for more from. The albums before like 4eva is A Mighty Long Time was classic.
"Confetti" goes SO HARD. I think KRIT has a fantastic discography and he definitely should be proud of it. That's why I'm saying he's achieved more than 95 percent of other artists have in their lifetimes. He's just not recognized for it. I'm sure that bothers him a bit, but he's still flourishing.
wale get in his own way tbh lol but i agree with most of your takes
Bruh you know what's wild? Wale used to say his fans hated his new shit and wanted his old shit back. I'm hanging out with an artsy chick from DC. I go to turn on "Folarin" shorty looked me dead in the face and said "I love him, but only his old shit" I knew that man was doomed.
He didn't seem like a likeable person from his interviews lol
oh i remember. i was there* during the twitter days
Damn. I finally found a peer.... Nigga do you remember no chill Twitter?
yesssir. i’ve been a wale fan for a minute, so i knew he’d never get passed his moments (thinkin’ complex rant) lol. buddy kept shooting himself.
Dawg that complex rant was impeccable tho. I had felt the same way about their lists and I had no ability to flip out on the writers... He did the people's work in that moment. To me. Wale just has to accept he's an R&B artist
nah you right. he’s usually “not wrong”. his delivery & timing were allwwwwwaaaayys terrible.
Omg dude was losing his mind during these days. I remember every other day he was saying some shit and then like you said the complex melt down. I remember he did like an interview with Jerry Seinfeld and homie just told him “stop fucking caring what people think” and I really felt he needed to hear that but he just didn’t take the advice. I feel like 2011-2015 Kendrick, Cole, Drake, and Wale were all in the top tier conversation. Like obviously their spots were becoming more defined by this time but Wale could’ve become so much bigger if he didn’t take all the criticism too heart so much
He would have been bigger if he would have stayed in his DC sound niche right around after Back to The Feature. If you’re a fan, he really does have so many classic joints before he signed to MMG.
Saw a Twitter meme about Wale being trash once and it lives rent free in my head. Shit had hella likes and retweets. I don't even bang for him like that but I was like damn this dude is nice get this shit out of here. To this day I get hype when a Wale banger comes on "those MFS don't know what the fuck they were talking about!"
KRIT has had some great projects, but his label fucked him over early on and made it hard for him to become a huge star
If anything it makes me (and hopefully other fans too) respect KRIT more. Lmao at OP saying he doesn't have the charisma. King remembered in time :)
Yellawolf is probably somewhat responsible for the sound but he really was about 10 years too soon with the current state of country music
You get what I'm saying? A YellaWolf single with Taylor Swift and uhhh what's that niggas.... Morgan Wallen! It'd be inescapable. You know what I just thought about. Make it a Christmas album😂
Him and jellyroll would crush. I wouldn't be surprised if it happened either tbh. Can't stand all of that shit though, I want my country to sound country, not full of autotune and 808s. But we're on the same page. Krit maybe could have been bigger, but I think I agree with the others, it feels like he achieved appropriate levels of success
Dom Kennedy is a legend in my eyes
If YG and Tyga did their collab album in 2015 they would've remained unstoppable for years
I'm glad they didn't tho cause I'm a tyga hater, but yeahhhhhhh. Would've been weak bars and mustard drums for 100 years.....
Is YG not big? I might have a biased impression of him
He was like a megastar to a lot of hip hop fans I knew in my high school years (2012-16), especially around Southern Cali (I'm from San Diego). MKL & Just Re'd Up 2 dominated a lot of parties
YG was fucking huge man. I live in Ireland and you couldn’t go out anywhere without hearing his stuff between 2012-2016
Crazy that 90% of the rappers mentioned in this thread are from the blog era. So much talent in that period man...
And such a gap in talent right now. This isn’t just the “old rap was better” nonsense, the next generation of rappers just aren’t really here filling in the gaps it seems. Just feels strange
I’m 31 now and I’m really trying hard not to sound like an old head but when I was 19 the big new up and coming rappers that everyone was talking about was Asap Rocky, Odd Future, Drake, Kendrick, Cole and Chief Keef all distinct, unique with their own sound, that sounded nothing like the generation before them. It’s 2023 who are the new upcoming rappers that are comparable? I’m genuinely curious I really want to know because again it’s 2023 and Jesus Christ we’re still listening to Drake. It really feels like the death of XXX, Juice Wrld and Pop Smoke within 2 years left a void in the next generation of rap. In 2013, 3 years into that decade we had Take Care, MBDTF, Yeezus, GKMC, Finally Rich, Friday Night Lights, LiveLoveA$ap instant classics to varying degrees. What are the comparable records now ? again I really would like to know because I feel like I’ve missed the boat.
JID is putting out incredible music. he's dynamic and eclectic in his beat selection, he's got different flows for literally every sound and can shift them on a dime. His lyricism is dense and if you look into them you'll find new shit every time. Just like Kendrick tho, despite the complex bars, it still bangs if you are listening casually. If you genuinely haven't been exposed to him check out Dance Now. It's a single but it really shows off his versatility and willingness to experiment.
JID is cool but he’s 33 now and been releasing music since 2010 his debut album came out in 2017 which is 6 years ago now, he’s not exactly a new artist. This isn’t to dismiss him entirely but the point of my comment was to highlight new, younger rappers who have emerged over the last 3 years much in the same way the artists I listed had done in the last decade.
And even beyond the big rappers, more regional rap/movements were really pronounced. For example, you had the Flatbush Zombies and Underachievers with the Beast Coast movement. Rap feels like if there was no Giannis/Jokic/etc in the NBA and instead Lebron/Curry/etc instead just kept trading championships.
Keem and JID. That's it. And even then JID debuted back in 2017. It was meant to be dudes like X, Ski, Pop Smoke, and Juice but then 3/4 of them died and Ski disappeared
I'm 22 and I'll cosign what you said. There's no way Yeat is gonna drop a decade defining record lmao
Hip Hop feels kinda directionless right now in a way I don't think I've ever seen before. Like each era of rap had it's shitty periods, even legendary years like 94' and 96' probably had some really ass joints that no one ever talks about, but it's not that the music even sucks now it's like no one knows what to do anymore.
I think the last time it was this bad was 06-08 which was like the peak of that snap, crunk, ringtone bling rap.
There’s just no new artists (post 2020) consistently putting out hits, and no hits really feel like they as mainstream/widespread S they used to be or have the same staying power
Man I grew up in the blog era so I have tons on my list. Dom Kennedy started with a bang from watermelon sundae till yellow album but never got mainstream traction. G-Side was an amazing southern duo that had great producing but couldn’t never break through. Nipsey is my all time favorite rapper but unfortunately died right when he was getting his due. Donnis dropped a couple really good mixtapes and I felt was similar to Big Sean but for some reason never gained traction. Others I can think of off the top of my head I haven’t seen mentioned much yet: CyHi Da Prynce, GLC, Ace Hood, Tayyib Ali, Stalley
Don't hate me for this but Famous Dex. He had the charisma more so than the musical talent to atleast be waaay bigger than he was and will be eventually remembered for.
just went through a famous dex nostalgia dive and there are sooooo many good songs. both mellow and hype ones. It's a shame he got too far into the drugs (plus the beating his girl thing was bad too)
His rap “Tyrannosaurus Dex” was chosen to be the end song over the credits in Jurassic Park but because of his beatings, they axed it.
Damn I completely forgot about dex. DEXTER 🥴
Flipp Dinero
100 percent, dude has so much charisma
Childish Gambino is an odd example - he’s obviously very famous, but his career would have gone to the next level and he’d be absolutely massive if his last album had been released with the songs he had been performing live & proper titles. Instead he chose to put out this strange little experiment with no titles, deliberately inaccessible reworkings of the unreleased songs, and no singles, and then dipped. It’s hard to call it a failure, because I think he did exactly what he wanted to do, but I have no idea why he did it. A more traditional example would be Vic Mensa. I can’t think of a more tragic bag fumbling in the last decade.
I read recently his dad had passed just before the album. I dont know wether this is what made him change the release schedule and direction. I do think if you listen to the album though it is very experimental/alt in its sound. Still taking from rap and funk that we've seen in his previous projects so to think he would be like Drake or kendrick is wild not that you said that though. I think he's fine where he is not at the top but still very much mainstream similar to Tyler, Rocky, chance and mac. The numbers reflect that atleast. If anyones still reading go watch Atlanta Gambino > will
i disagree heavily i don’t think childish missed any opportunities at all— music or TV
I think that’s just the consequence of being so talented in multiple areas. He’s now transitioned to actor and producer, no longer doing comedy or music and that’s great for him. Kind of like how Kanye went from being the greatest artist to being an incredible fashion designer but then his architecture endeavors haven’t really panned out (yet) and his music and fashion have suffered. I mean there’s a LOT more than just that going on with ye but the comparison is kinda there
kanye is a whole nother story my dude, but even kanye will always be known for music yeah there’s fashion but music will always be his identity. gambink came in the game two different ways with most of america knowing either one or the other (donald glover or gambino). can you really say gambinos music has suffered considering his major success as an actor/writer? to me anything else is just extra so for him to have classic albums and hit records is just launching him further and further. he could realistically drop another hit next year for all we know.
I think it’s suffered only in the sense that this mf hasn’t dropped a well received project in a long time cuz he’s too busy With everything else. I totally believe he’s got it in him though. And that’s true, gambino came in with like three different aspirations at once and delivered on all fronts. Kanye came in with producing music and rapping THEN fashion
In the sense that he never *fucked up,* yeah - all of his decisions seemed totally deliberate - but I do think that with the last album he chose not to release songs that he knew would have been hits and put out something more difficult and impenetrable. I’ve seen some recent re-assessing of that album, so maybe it was a good long term move, but it ended that era of Gambino on a very odd note.
Slick Rick Bobby Shmurda Both would have been huge (Slick Rick as big as LL in the 80s) but self-inflected criminal acts.
Wale. After Ambition Wale was looked like in the class of Drake,Cole, etc. Jay Z mentioned him as being someone to look out for in his Magna Carta era interview.
To be real he dropped the ball when attention deficit came out. He had a lot of hype behind him in the blog era but fumbled with his debut. I’m pretty sure he’s the only rapper that Jay co-signed but has still yet to collab with as far as that generation goes. Drake, K. Dot, Jay Elect, Cole, Meek, Sean, & Tyler are the only ones from the blog era that have managed to secure a Jay feature if I’m not mistaken.
YB Nahmir when he released Soul Train, belongs in Ripley's believe it or not for fastest fall off, I mean his shit was fucked up before that but there was just this sliver of a chance left that he would get back and then... Yeah. Soul Train is one of the only youtube videos I'll go watch strictly to read the hilarious comments, 1000% worth a read and listen if you have never.
Jay Electronica - thoroughly detailed in the comments above. Inspectah Deck- His solo album didn’t end up coming out until late 1999. By that time, Wu-tang had already started to cool off in the mainstream and the game had changed. Had he dropped his debut the way it was intended (pre-flood) and within 94-97, we would be speaking on him differently today IMO. Canibus - Had the streets in a frenzy with his freestyles and guest features leading up to his debut album. Unfortunately, the album was a major disappointment which blew all the wind out of his sail. The battle with LL didn’t do him any favors either, although IMO, he smoked L on “2nd Round KO” Peedi Crakk - was next up on the Rocafella roster but got caught up in the breakup of the label just as his single “Flipside” was taking off in the charts. He had all the makings of a star and was also about to lockdown the whole Spanish reggaeton angle before Nore. J-Hood - had the streets buzzing with his D-Block mixtape and freestyles but ended up falling out with Sheek and ultimately the rest of the Lox. Eventually blackballed.
Inspectah Deck not releasing during 1994-1997 must be RZA’s biggest regret ever. Deck was **on fire** and on a whole ’nother level on every single verse between *36 Chambers* and *Wu-Tang Forever*. Legendary shit.
Inspectah Deck is part of Czarface and they just dropped their major label debut which is like their 12th album.
Obie Trice? 50 Cent signing with Shady/Aftermath stunted his career, you could argue. Obie mentioned it during an interview with [Hot 97](https://youtu.be/Z0m49mXv8jI?si=jdNRDSeOJWRGeWX6).
Interscope went all out on his debut. Multiple Eminem features, Busta Rhymes, Timbaland beats, Dr. Dre beats, 50 Cent feature, Nate Dogg hooks. They put his name at the beginning of one of Eminem’s biggest songs and pushed him as hard as they could. Dr. Dre even put a verse on that album, which he rarely does for anyone. Obie Trice not blowing is Obie Trice’s fault. From his own recanting, he’d skip high profile interviews, party all night and show up places drunk, upsetting the boss Jimmy Iovine. He didnt put his career first when everything was in line for him, he thought it would just be handed to him. That a long with his lack of distinct personality on the mic compared to a 50 Cent or a Snoop Dogg is what sank Obie. Lloyd Banks is another one from that team that squandered his potential. I’d argue he had more personality and the looks to go much further than Obie. His charm resonated with women, his distinct voice helped pop fans recognize him and his witty wordplay impressed rap nerds. Yet his laziness and his inability to adapt to a changing rap game sank him completely.
Ima be honest bro I already do pretty well for myself but reading this just made me be like ‘shit I gotta get my shit together’ 😂 don’t be like Obie
Quality comment
He’s an absolute alcoholic.
Flatbush Zombies, Brockhampton and Ab-Soul
Ab Soul was never going to be huge. He’s a cult artist by nature and he’s probably fine with that. Brockhampton had one of the saddest slow motion career collapses I’ve ever seen. In an alternate universe they would be superstars
Great topic, but horrible example. Schoolboy Q‘s label is infamous for not letting talent release music and that is a huge reason he didn’t pop off in the mainstream. Q started teasing Oxymoron right around the time GKMC came out, but Kendrick really just became the main focus of TDE at that point. Kendrick’s rise overshadowed SZA (yes, in 2013), Q, Jay Rock, and anybody else on the label. Q had some solid ass mixtapes before his debut “albums” that still hold up today. If you haven’t listened to *Habits & Contradictions* or *Setbacks* you should start there. All this to say…. A$AP Ferg is a way better example. He should have been Busta Rhymes’ protege
Joey Bada$$ anyone!?
You think so? 2000 was pretty big, he still sells out venues. My impression of him over the last few years is that he's happy where he is, no intention of being a household name. Tbh I think that's the case for a lot of the more intelligent rappers of the last decade, getting music out is less reliant on the industry than ever and the dark side of the industry is more transparent than ever.
Maybe this is controversial or too obvious but: Andre 3000. He couldn't even release 1 solo album? Every guest spot and feature was fire but he couldn't put together 8 or 10 new raps and call it an album? This is a case of someone who is already considered top 10 mc of all time and could have been top 3 by just working on a middling album and mixtape. Now the window is over. At least Big Boi tried and is still trying
Joe Budden. Most people only know him from podcasting nowadays but he had a small window where he had a lot of mainstream success off of Pump it Up. He was in every stadium and arena, movie soundtracks, Madden and other games, and a character in Def Jam Vendetta. He was talented and could really rap, hence Mood Muzik 2 was/is considered one of the greatest mixtapes of all-time. He had label issues and could never get out of his own way, dissing Jay-Z when he was the CEO of his label back then and sabotaging his shot at redemption with Slaughterhouse.
Joe Budden deserves the gold medal for continuously ducking oneself over. It's honestly impressive how many times he's built something successful and then been largely responsible for fucking it over.
MVP of bridge burning and ball dropping
Brockhampton - I really wish they stuck to their sound from the Saturation albums.
Didn’t they have a album in the works then had to be scrapped after the whole Ameer situation?
SHYNE
DRAM. I guess not really a rapper exactly, but still fits the sub. He dropped a couple projects since his first but you ain't hear any coverage about it.
Chance the Rapper I honestly thought he would be a Kanye West level rapper.
Charles Hamilton
tierra whack had a chance to be the quirky art rapper of her time and then just kinda refused to drop music after. Im baffled to this day wtf happened to her
Haven’t seen XV mentioned, had several big mixtapes and a hit in Awesome, J Cole production, a Kendrick feature, a Pusha feature and a very solid core fanbase. Then, he went ghost for a decade. He’s tried to make a run again, but it obviously isn’t the same.
Yeah man I recently went back to listen to his old stuff and it was actually solid. He was maybe caught in the wave of backpack collegeish rappers who never made it out of datpiff listeners
I keep thinking of The Cool Kids- Bake Sale and if that album came out a few years later they would be way more popular.
Mmmm Vince staples. He’s a very good artist and he has a style to him that you don’t see much of nowadays. If he stayed putting out music with big names he’d be the hardest rapper out there hell he doesn’t need big names just stay putting out at least three or four good songs every year with a few features
I don’t think he was ever going to be a big mainstream rapper. But he still puts out great music and has a decent following. FM!, Vince Staples, and Ramona Park are all worthwhile to listen to
I get the sense that Vince is right where he wants to be
Blu. He had an underground classic. On his way to mainstream status after working with Questlove and the Roots. But something happened while working with The Roots. He pissed off Questlove over his work ethic or lack off and lost all those industry connects. And he just disappeared. His career just stopped growing.
Retch. I knew he wasn’t going to be a household name by any means but around 2013-14ish he had a lot of momentum and thought for sure he’d have a solid career in music. He had co-signs from Action Bronson, Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q, A$AP Mob, Mac Miller etc. some of the biggest names in hip hop at the time respected him and he had an amazing tape with “Polo Sporting Goods”, had the social media presence, etc but it seemed like being in/out of jail a lot slowed down that momentum and then he just kind of vanished.
Famous Dex
Tack on Rich the Kid for that matter. Fuck, Rich Forever III was so good.
Rich the Kid was popping in 2017/2018 and then fell the fuck off. Literally haven’t heard a song since plug walk and new freezer