Future King of Hip Hop?

[shookones99]

"The majority of hip hop fans can't relate to growing up poor in the ghetto, guns, violence, crime."

Yeah but suburbia still listens. I mean how do explain all those kids with SUVS screaming "Thug Life" out of their windows!

You're right, maybe I'm just speaking for myself... There's too much image and not enough substance.  I just think that there will be a new wave of non gangsta rap that takes over. 

Way too much image and WAY too little substance.  I know I'm repeating myself but LUPE is the truth!

[JR Giddens]

Hip Hop is dying. It is just digitally altered R&B nowadays. Way too many cookie cutter "rappers" like Lil Wayne are making it mainstream.

Haha, it really is only a matter of time before Lil Wayne finds his way into every rap/hip hop conversation had on this board.

Oh and PS, Saigon and 36 chambers should never be mentioned in the same breath.  No one will ever match that.

Saigon has loads of substance and image. Perfect combo. He goes hard and knowledgeable on the same track.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdwDWHTtHls&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqM01y0o9mg
LOL yeah no album will ever be on par with 36 chambers. It's impossible. But Saigon could def make an album a notch below Illmatic or 36 chambers which could be the best rap album this decade

[JR Giddens]

"I just think that there will be a new wave of non gangsta rap that takes over."

What do you mean. We already have that new wave. It's called pop rap. Check TI, Rick Ross, and yung berg

[shookones99]

"I just think that there will be a new wave of non gangsta rap that takes over."

What do you mean. We already have that new wave. It's called pop rap. Check TI, Rick Ross, and yung berg

And those dudes are terrible.  TI is OK but he generally makes pretty wack music.

[JSD]

Ill Bill just dropped one of the rawest albums I've heard in years. Has anyone heard this?

[ek.]

I laugh when I hear people talk about who the next Biggie/Nas/Pac is. Those guys dropped their classic stuff 10 plus years ago - hip-hop is so much different now! No one cares about a hot 16 anymore - its all about the catchy chorus plus T-Pain vocoder. 5 years ago it was all about the catchy chorus plus Neptunes beat. 3 years ago it was all about making a song you can dance too, with a catchy chorus.

As an underground hip-hop fan myself, my fave releases in 2008 have been Elzhi - The Preface, Reks (Boston artist) - Grey Hairs and J-Live - Then What Happened? These three albums have probably sold, combined, 20,000 copies to date. Illmatic, Ready to Die, 36 Chambers, Strickly 4 My - each of these classics went platinum.

So to say some Philly gangsta rapper, who can't even press one official release (im talking about Saigon), is going to be the next "King of Rap" is (pardon the pun) Ludacris. Seriously, "Greatest Story Never Told"  has been promised for 5 plus years now and no major label will press it because Saigon has about as much commercial appeal as a swastika. Too short, no fashion sense, terrible actor, cliche rap topics, beats by a producer that was hot 5 years ago and as off the map as mars.. sorry folks it aint happening.

Is this a good criteria for what makes a good hip-hop artist? Of course not - but in my opinion to be the "King of Rap" you have to have the masses recognize you as the King, which is why (SADLY) the new King is Lil Weezey.

Hip-hop is dead, sadly. True fans don't buy their favorites from their local record store - instead they download from their favorite torrent site. They only people buying anymore are under 18's, chicks and club DJ's. Gee I wonder why mainstream rap sucks so much?

[Redz]

 True fans don't buy their favorites from their local record store - instead they download from their favorite torrent site. They only people buying anymore are under 18's, chicks and club DJ's. Gee I wonder why mainstream rap sucks so much?

TP for the local record store.

Well written.  I don't know much about hip-hop, but enjoyed the post.

[shookones99]

I laugh when I hear people talk about who the next Biggie/Nas/Pac is. Those guys dropped their classic stuff 10 plus years ago - hip-hop is so much different now! No one cares about a hot 16 anymore - its all about the catchy chorus plus T-Pain vocoder. 5 years ago it was all about the catchy chorus plus Neptunes beat. 3 years ago it was all about making a song you can dance too, with a catchy chorus.

As an underground hip-hop fan myself, my fave releases in 2008 have been Elzhi - The Preface, Reks (Boston artist) - Grey Hairs and J-Live - Then What Happened? These three albums have probably sold, combined, 20,000 copies to date. Illmatic, Ready to Die, 36 Chambers, Strickly 4 My - each of these classics went platinum.

So to say some Philly gangsta rapper, who can't even press one official release (im talking about Saigon), is going to be the next "King of Rap" is (pardon the pun) Ludacris. Seriously, "Greatest Story Never Told"  has been promised for 5 plus years now and no major label will press it because Saigon has about as much commercial appeal as a swastika. Too short, no fashion sense, terrible actor, cliche rap topics, beats by a producer that was hot 5 years ago and as off the map as mars.. sorry folks it aint happening.

Is this a good criteria for what makes a good hip-hop artist? Of course not - but in my opinion to be the "King of Rap" you have to have the masses recognize you as the King, which is why (SADLY) the new King is Lil Weezey.

Hip-hop is dead, sadly. True fans don't buy their favorites from their local record store - instead they download from their favorite torrent site. They only people buying anymore are under 18's, chicks and club DJ's. Gee I wonder why mainstream rap sucks so much?

Hip Hop is (pardon the pun) Mos Def not dead and it will never will be.  Just cause the best rappers nowadays don't get on the radio or sell as many records as the best rappers from back in the day doesn't mean they arent out there.  The only difference is if you wanna hear good hip hop now you gotta go out and find it.  And so what.   Ya it would be nice to turn on the radio and hear Talib or Ghostface rather than Jeezy or Rick Ross but it's just not the case.  It doesn't mean hip hop is dead tho it just means that our society no longer wants to hear music that makes them think.  They just wanna dance.

I listen to Reks and Terminology and Lif and Ak they are all still making good music.  The fact that good hip hop is still coming out means that there is no way hip hop could be dead.  The reason people download albums from the internet is because it is free.  10 years ago you could not get any album you wanted off the internet and listen to it 5 minutes later.

[ek.]

For those unfamiliar. Reks hails from Lawrence, support this local talent folks!

http://www.youtube.com/v/S77ktp5KcJ4&hl=en&fs=1

http://www.youtube.com/v/fBjQYJpXPFY&hl=en&fs=1

http://www.youtube.com/v/AjiVFrUuHlw&hl=en&fs=1

http://www.youtube.com/v/qUrb7OnQLYc&hl=en&fs=1

Spread the word and support our own!

edit- wow i am not very good @ posting youtube vids.

[MBz]

If Lupe decides to keep making albums he'll be the king, but if he does only come out with one more album and retires, it'll be pretty tough for him to be the king of hip hop.

[steve]

"I just think that there will be a new wave of non gangsta rap that takes over."

What do you mean. We already have that new wave. It's called pop rap. Check TI, Rick Ross, and yung berg

You really think those guys have taken over? 

When was the last guy that had rhymes that made you say, "How the hell did he think of that?"  The next guy that fills that void won't be gangsta rap.  That's my prediction.  Only because when your a gangsta rapper you limit yourself to talking about how much money you have and how badass you are.  That's cool for a few tracks but for an entire CD?   

That guy will be the future king of hip hop. 

[blazingarrow]

Yeah, Weezy is it right now. I don't feel him, but he's the king right now, as far as commercial goes.

If you want to put blame on anyone for the non release of Greatest Story Never Told, put it on the label. He's on a major label, and it's hard to put out a major label album these days unless you're already established.

The Roots had to do a collab with the Fall Out Boy kid, or Def Jam was going to straight up drop them.

[blazingarrow]

"The majority of hip hop fans can't relate to growing up poor in the ghetto, guns, violence, crime."

Yeah but suburbia still listens. I mean how do explain all those kids with SUVS screaming "Thug Life" out of their windows!

You're right, maybe I'm just speaking for myself... There's too much image and not enough substance.  I just think that there will be a new wave of non gangsta rap that takes over. 

Way too much image and WAY too little substance.  I know I'm repeating myself but LUPE is the truth!

It's called hipster rap. Some of it's good, some of it is terrible.

Lupe is in the middle. I can see the dude has some talent, but he's soft.

I'm not talking about lyrical content either. I've been mistaken for a 50 Cent supporter a few times already, as if not feeling Lupe instantly means you like G Unit and only want to hear music about guns/violence/money.

I mean some hip hop is just soft. There's no other way to put it.

Guru and De La Soul never made thug music, but they made hip hop with some THUMP to it.

Or maybe I'm just getting too old.

[shookones99]

"The majority of hip hop fans can't relate to growing up poor in the ghetto, guns, violence, crime."

Yeah but suburbia still listens. I mean how do explain all those kids with SUVS screaming "Thug Life" out of their windows!

You're right, maybe I'm just speaking for myself... There's too much image and not enough substance.  I just think that there will be a new wave of non gangsta rap that takes over. 

Way too much image and WAY too little substance.  I know I'm repeating myself but LUPE is the truth!

It's called hipster rap. Some of it's good, some of it is terrible.

Lupe is in the middle. I can see the dude has some talent, but he's soft.

I'm not talking about lyrical content either. I've been mistaken for a 50 Cent supporter a few times already, as if not feeling Lupe instantly means you like G Unit and only want to hear music about guns/violence/money.

I mean some hip hop is just soft. There's no other way to put it.

Guru and De La Soul never made thug music, but they made hip hop with some THUMP to it.

Or maybe I'm just getting too old.

Ya I hear what you're saying.  Guru had the best producer ever tho.  Lupe's beats are soft but he is just tryin to take hip hop in a new direction.  He is tryin to bring in a whole new style and make people focus on his lyrics rather than his beats.  You gotta respect that.

But I feel you.  Lupe is definitly lacking with the THUMP.

[blazingarrow]

"The majority of hip hop fans can't relate to growing up poor in the ghetto, guns, violence, crime."

Yeah but suburbia still listens. I mean how do explain all those kids with SUVS screaming "Thug Life" out of their windows!

You're right, maybe I'm just speaking for myself... There's too much image and not enough substance.  I just think that there will be a new wave of non gangsta rap that takes over. 

Way too much image and WAY too little substance.  I know I'm repeating myself but LUPE is the truth!

It's called hipster rap. Some of it's good, some of it is terrible.

Lupe is in the middle. I can see the dude has some talent, but he's soft.

I'm not talking about lyrical content either. I've been mistaken for a 50 Cent supporter a few times already, as if not feeling Lupe instantly means you like G Unit and only want to hear music about guns/violence/money.

I mean some hip hop is just soft. There's no other way to put it.

Guru and De La Soul never made thug music, but they made hip hop with some THUMP to it.

Or maybe I'm just getting too old.

Ya I hear what you're saying.  Guru had the best producer ever tho.  Lupe's beats are soft but he is just tryin to take hip hop in a new direction.  He is tryin to bring in a whole new style and make people focus on his lyrics rather than his beats.  You gotta respect that.

But I feel you.  Lupe is definitly lacking with the THUMP.

He has his moments, like American Terrorist.

You just gave me an idea for a new thread...

Are today's producers killing hip hop?