There was a time when a rapper being incarcerated meant the end of his career. Your label pulled out of the deal. You lost whatever endorsements you had. And fans were forced to listen to whatever material was out or hope that some unreleased tracks were leaked. But the line is not so black in white apparently. Over the last couple of years there have been many high-profile rappers who have been locked up, guilty or not. One of the greatest strengths of hip hop is the ability to evolve and be creative. The marketing side is no exception.
I wonder sometimes if these rappers go to jail on purpose. Because the industry has gotten so good at marketing them while they do their time. Its like they never left. For example, Lil Wayne was just released from jail after completing a year. Weeks before going in, he recorded new music videos, guest appearances, and even had a full length CD released while behind bars. Add in his weekly letters to his fans and you have a brilliant marketing plan. Gucci Mane and T.I. (who is doing another 11 months for probation violation with No Mercy on the way) have also yielded success from this.
But some are not as lucky and are not able to regain the shine they once had. G.Dep did a year in jail and did dropped him from 8 album deal. Due to Beanie Siegel's jail woes, The B. Coming fell short of expectations. The now deported Shyne has been in jail so long that he seems a little out of touch with the times. Though Siegel and Shyne have managed to secure major label deals, the damage is done. But with all the success, why is so hard to stay out of jail? Is it the result of trying to live up to their street credibility, or are the Hip Hop Police really out to make examples of these guys?
Maybe there should be a contractual clause in all record deals for rappers to relocate to the suburbs upon completion of their first album. It worked for 50 cent....
11/18/10
11/13/10
Bow Wow: Look Past The Name
Yeah I know what you're thinking.....but bear with me.
I, like many, have written this guy off for many years because..well..he has not done anything worth talking about for a while. All I remember is a little boy with cornrows rapping to little girls. Though he is the butt of many jokes now, not many people were selling records like this guy did at that time. Like it or not he deserves respect for that. But success is sometimes a double-edge sword. He did it so well as a little kid, that no one really sees him as a credible MC-including himself at times- Exhibit A. Now he's pigeon-holed himself. He even retired from the game once upon a time (no one noticed). With a couple of albums tanking the last couple of years who would disagree?
Which brings me to now....
Despite his troubles with his place in hip hop, he still believes that we haven't see the real him. He's been really consistent with that message for many years now. I think that he is still trying to find who he is and that my friends is hip hop- the ability to grow and reinvent oneself. Each of us, including rappers, try to find a piece of ourselves in the music. That's why we stay up to ridiculous hours on the Internet listening to new songs or why we pull Cd's out of our collections and listen to them again. We are searching for that feeling we got the first time. I think Bow Wow is doing that as well. He's still hungry despite the skeptics and critics. That's why he's got the deal with Cash Money.
Maybe he deserves a second chance to prove himself worthy of the respect of his peers. Look how many chances we give Kanye after he makes a total ass of himself (making dope music does help) I'm not saying that I will buy a CD but I am curious to see if he can make a lane for himself on such a crowded roster.
Valid point? Waste of time? Floor is yours.
I, like many, have written this guy off for many years because..well..he has not done anything worth talking about for a while. All I remember is a little boy with cornrows rapping to little girls. Though he is the butt of many jokes now, not many people were selling records like this guy did at that time. Like it or not he deserves respect for that. But success is sometimes a double-edge sword. He did it so well as a little kid, that no one really sees him as a credible MC-including himself at times- Exhibit A. Now he's pigeon-holed himself. He even retired from the game once upon a time (no one noticed). With a couple of albums tanking the last couple of years who would disagree?
Which brings me to now....
Despite his troubles with his place in hip hop, he still believes that we haven't see the real him. He's been really consistent with that message for many years now. I think that he is still trying to find who he is and that my friends is hip hop- the ability to grow and reinvent oneself. Each of us, including rappers, try to find a piece of ourselves in the music. That's why we stay up to ridiculous hours on the Internet listening to new songs or why we pull Cd's out of our collections and listen to them again. We are searching for that feeling we got the first time. I think Bow Wow is doing that as well. He's still hungry despite the skeptics and critics. That's why he's got the deal with Cash Money.
Maybe he deserves a second chance to prove himself worthy of the respect of his peers. Look how many chances we give Kanye after he makes a total ass of himself (making dope music does help) I'm not saying that I will buy a CD but I am curious to see if he can make a lane for himself on such a crowded roster.
Valid point? Waste of time? Floor is yours.
11/8/10
Nicki Minaj: Hype or Hip Hop?
To be honest, I haven't listened to a lot of her music (except a couple of songs from videos I see on TV). Like most people, I know enough to give my two cents on her position and what her existence means. Before I wrote this, I wanted to give her an honest chance by listening to some of her music. It wouldn't be fair to write my opinion based on limited info and no actual body of work. Since Pink Friday is not out yet, that leaves mixtapes as my only option. So I went on datpiff.com, searched her and the first one that came up I listened to, Beam Me Up, Scotty.
Upon listening, the first thing I notice was her confidence. She honestly believes she is the best which is a typical asset of most rappers. Even if you don't have everything you are bragging about in the song, it gets the listener's attention . Combine that with well known beats, familiar samples, and you get the gist. I really set out listening to this thinking that maybe there is something about this girl I'm missing. Is there more to her than this hyper-sexualized, random persona? Maybe there is more potential than her top singles indicate.
Ladies and gentleman the answer is.............no Now let's get down to business since my theory seems to be confirmed. Back in 2008, while randomly navigating Worldstarhiphop (that site is addictive), I happened to find Nicki Minaj. Upon watching the video, I dismissed her as another Lil' Kim/Foxy Brown clone using that road paved by both MCs to make a name for herself. Good for her. Nothing wrong with that. Two years later we have the finished project.... yes, project. The reason that the Nicki Minaj we see bears no resemblance to the Nicki of two years ago is thanks to Lil Wayne. I strongly believe that Wayne modeled her after himself in order to sell records and to do that, you need two things: a great marketing plan and a mysterious persona that makes you so weird that no one can classify you. And it has been a complete success.
Nicki Minaj is getting attention because she has marketed herself as an artist who can not be labeled. Which is fancy way of saying, due to the fact that she is not confident that she can deliver a hot 16 on every record, she sings (autotune) a song here and there. Some of you might say, "Well, she's just trying to transcend hip hop and become an artist that has cross over appeal". To that I say, you can't transcend to the next phase til you conquer the first. I don't even think she knows who she is hence, the new personalities every other week and the bisexual undertones. Though I haven't been able to get a straight bio from anywhere online, the little that I did find points to a girl in Queens who made up personalities to deal with an abusive father and an unstable home.
But I can't blame it all on her. What female rapper wasn't influenced by Kim and Foxy? They were some of the best to do it. I just don't think you can claim the throne if there is no one there to contest you. No one there to force you to raise the bar. I read on sohh.com last week that she is afraid of what she might sell the first week. The reason is, she doubts that she will be able to top her own hype. A problem that Drake faced not to long ago ( less than 500,000 units the first week with that buzz?). Like it or not, we made Nicki Minaj by buying records from rappers with mediocre talent. So the mega-conglomerate, record companies think that this is what we want. Nicki Minaj's true potential ( if there is any) remains to be seen. I know she will move lots of units when the album drops, but I don't see where she goes from here. Who knows? Maybe this will set the tone for one of the many underground female MCs to move to the forefront.
Maybethe less crazy Lauryn Hill will come back...... ?
Maybe we will all have no choice but to hear, "It's Barbie Bitch" for the next couple years.
What are your thoughts? Am I looking at this all wrong? Should I be happy that there is a female MC that is able to build buzz equal to that of her male counterparts once again?
Talk amongst yourselves...I'm listening
Upon listening, the first thing I notice was her confidence. She honestly believes she is the best which is a typical asset of most rappers. Even if you don't have everything you are bragging about in the song, it gets the listener's attention . Combine that with well known beats, familiar samples, and you get the gist. I really set out listening to this thinking that maybe there is something about this girl I'm missing. Is there more to her than this hyper-sexualized, random persona? Maybe there is more potential than her top singles indicate.
Ladies and gentleman the answer is.............no Now let's get down to business since my theory seems to be confirmed. Back in 2008, while randomly navigating Worldstarhiphop (that site is addictive), I happened to find Nicki Minaj. Upon watching the video, I dismissed her as another Lil' Kim/Foxy Brown clone using that road paved by both MCs to make a name for herself. Good for her. Nothing wrong with that. Two years later we have the finished project.... yes, project. The reason that the Nicki Minaj we see bears no resemblance to the Nicki of two years ago is thanks to Lil Wayne. I strongly believe that Wayne modeled her after himself in order to sell records and to do that, you need two things: a great marketing plan and a mysterious persona that makes you so weird that no one can classify you. And it has been a complete success.
Nicki Minaj is getting attention because she has marketed herself as an artist who can not be labeled. Which is fancy way of saying, due to the fact that she is not confident that she can deliver a hot 16 on every record, she sings (autotune) a song here and there. Some of you might say, "Well, she's just trying to transcend hip hop and become an artist that has cross over appeal". To that I say, you can't transcend to the next phase til you conquer the first. I don't even think she knows who she is hence, the new personalities every other week and the bisexual undertones. Though I haven't been able to get a straight bio from anywhere online, the little that I did find points to a girl in Queens who made up personalities to deal with an abusive father and an unstable home.
But I can't blame it all on her. What female rapper wasn't influenced by Kim and Foxy? They were some of the best to do it. I just don't think you can claim the throne if there is no one there to contest you. No one there to force you to raise the bar. I read on sohh.com last week that she is afraid of what she might sell the first week. The reason is, she doubts that she will be able to top her own hype. A problem that Drake faced not to long ago ( less than 500,000 units the first week with that buzz?). Like it or not, we made Nicki Minaj by buying records from rappers with mediocre talent. So the mega-conglomerate, record companies think that this is what we want. Nicki Minaj's true potential ( if there is any) remains to be seen. I know she will move lots of units when the album drops, but I don't see where she goes from here. Who knows? Maybe this will set the tone for one of the many underground female MCs to move to the forefront.
Maybe
Maybe we will all have no choice but to hear, "It's Barbie Bitch" for the next couple years.
What are your thoughts? Am I looking at this all wrong? Should I be happy that there is a female MC that is able to build buzz equal to that of her male counterparts once again?
Talk amongst yourselves...I'm listening
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