We’re not picking on “the future of rap” Plies, just taking a look at some of the rappers that were supposed to be the next big thing and never quite lived up to the expectations. Get angry because we included a guy you liked but never bought his CD therefore, poof, he doesn’t really exist to the masses after the jump.
We’ve already gone through the Canibus / Drake comparisons…he WAS hot….
Despite heavy promotion from MTV and the mixtape DJs Papoose never got to wear his street crown….
Lupe Fiasco got a co-sign from everyone from Jay-Z to Pharrell Williams and had a Drake like buzz by 2008, but despite maintaining a solid and loyal fanbase he’s yet to see the big stars, just some laser light.
Who should we remove, who should we add???
{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }
Drake is harmless, light skinned, ambigous, half-Jew boy who smiles a lot.
These fools… Piles, Canibus, etc. are brown to dark, hood looking except for Lupe.
Piles is just down right ugly and wants to be silly ignorant criminal hood ghetto goon. So why would anyone take your gold teeth wearing, need to hit a gym, midget height so serious when there is TI who’s lightskinned, pretty boi fine looks with midget height before you.
I really like Lupe. His rhymes are poetry. Piles talks about ghetto, discouraging shit that isn’t considered knowledge/education.
I agree with a lot of what you said. Although, I don’t think that skin complexion has as much to do with their lack of sells, because, 50 was the biggest thing to hit the rap world about 7 years ago & he has a dark complexion. I think that it has more to do with their lack of mainstream appeal, excluding Lupe.
It’s true that they never received the same marketing/promotional push that Drake has received, but, not only that; they never found that mainstream hit that made them inclusive & accessible to the general public. Personality sells more so than anything else nowadays, which Drake has an abundance of, in my opinion. People want artists to not only have talent; they want them to have that boy/girl next door charm. Simply put, they want someone that they can relate to.
Now, before I hear from Drake’s naysayers/haters, when I mention that Drake has personality/charisma/charm it’s mostly exuded in his lyrics, but, also in the fact that he is a recognizable face thanks to his TV appearances on Degrassi & constant interviews. He seems like a genuinely nice guy. That is HUGE with the younger crowd. Not everyone is a gangsta/killa/dope dealer, nor should they aspire to be those things.
Lupe has the ability to attain that level of success. He just has to become more accessible somehow & to find that one huge hit that is universally acceptable; similar to the way B.o.B has done with “Nothin’ On You”. That’s just my 2 cents.
I think that Drake’s success/appeal is largely due or correlated to the success that Kanye has experienced, because, he was the first hip hop artist to be entirely exposed with his passionate emotions that he exhibits via his music & all of his TV appearances. He speaks openly & honestly whenever he has the medium/forum to do so. His fans have that connection with him that most other artists haven’t personally witnessed, because of his accessibility.
I disagree with 50cent opinion. Yes he is dark but he’s muscular. He fits the “Mandingo” syndrome. Plus his first single was truly hot and he was riding Eninem and Dr Dre.
Light skin rules but they will allow one dark skin in here and there.
don’t think the skin complexion thing has a lot to do with it.
i think it has a lot more to do with the fact that drake is an RnB artist masquerading as a rapper. women buy music and black women preferentially consume RnB. all hues and levels of attractiveness sell RnB music. Neyo, Trey Songz, aforementioned Akon, Dream, John Legend – all these guys move units.
note rick ross. lead single last album had John Legend on it. this single has neyo on it. he stays with an RnB artist and makes glorified adult contemporary music.
here’s where drake has the game smashed – he only needs to guest on his own records.
the most pertinent and salient quote that reflects that the relevant minds realize this: “We gone be aight if we put Drake on every hooook!” Lil Wayne, Money to Blow.
Drake reresents more of the future of hip hop because he represents several things: the democratization of hip hop. before kanye hip hop was about alpha males. 50, hov, etc. these are all archetypal alpha males, etc. dudes you just should not fuck with.
kanye ushered in the era of beta dude – or “RN” – regular nigga – rap. kanye is not alpha by any conventional rap sense, but his heart’s in the right place and he dresses well (this by his own admission). so now you come even further centrist than that and the new hot rapper isn’t really a rapper in the conventional sense at all and is probably better @ hooks and melodies on a day to day basis than he is with flows.
guys like drake are the nail in the coffin for guys like 50. crack rap/alpha male rap is OVER.
EXACTLY! Those were the points that I was trying to convey, but, you summed it up perfectly. Thank you!
wow, blyx broke it down.
Ummmmm none of these rappers have ever come close 2 Drakes position.
Dayum is every1 anticipatin Drake 2 fail?… Im curious, cuz I luv da album.
I guess people want 2 se da nig fail so they can say they ws neva feelin him anyways. Side eye at the haters. SMDH!
Trust he gon pull numbers though
Yea Drake’s hype seems to be the real deal. Those listed above didn’t have half of what Drake has goin for him in terms of the machine and good promo.
Kid Cudi, Nicki Manaj, Jim Jones, Ace Hood, Lloyd Banks, Joe Buddens… and the list goez on and on
Damn i was going to say Buddens too.
Kid Cudi is one of the greats… not on this list of wack “rappers”.
Kid Cudi sucks…unless you’re into that whole androgyny thing.
Lol lol lol…Mega u jus went innnn on Cudi
Can’t argue with the list…the only one on here I remotely check for is Lupe…!!!
I CANNOT get with Plies! All he talks about is females and I’m a female and half the shit he says wouldn’t even get me to turn my head to talk to him….He might be too much for the masses…
Let’s see, I wouldn’t listen to a Plies album if they would pay me to download the material
Canibus is a battle rapper; which means he is a freestyler but when it comes to creating a collective item known as an album, he could never do
Papoose doesn’t have an appeal that will push towards the general population. Yes 50 Cent appears gritty to most but his appeal and charm crosses all boundaries. Yes rappers like Snoop Dogg are listed as Gangsta Rap but how many gangster rappers co-host a show on ESPN? His appeal crosses boundaries as well. Point is, Papoose doesn’t have an image that crosses any boundaries besides fans associated with his background.
Lupe Fiasco is an exception in my eyes because although his buzz was nowhere near the height of Drake, he has a crossover appeal due to his passion for rock and skateboarding. He’s actually great at freestyling and putting a collective album together. Very talented individual.
The way I see things currently with Drake, those backing his stardom are trying to make sure no matter what, he must generate a return on their investment. He is surely not the best thing since sliced bread but he’s an okay packaged rapper. The buzz surrounding him hasn’t been this way since the buzz overwhelming 50 Cent. Thing is, 50 succeeded, will Drake? We’ll find out next Tuesday
I completely agree.
I agree with everyone here about Lupe. He definitely shouldn’t be here but ehh. I feel he definitely outshines Drake lyrically, the buzz was definitely nowhere close to the clout surrounding Drake, when Lupe first appeared. The comparison isn’t there for me. I just don’t see it. And before anyone utilizes the phrase “hater,” why is it someone with a difference of opinion turns out as “hating?” This is 2010 people, leave the Bad Boy late 90s era in the 90s. If someone disagree, it means they disagree. Disagreement should not instantly relate to “hatred,” “hateraid” or any of these other gay terms associated with ones opinion.
Excellent point!
Man, Lupe’s first album got leaked and downloaded over 900 000 times, which is sad because he’s one of my favourite artists ever. I used to like Papoose back when he dropped Alphabetical Slaughter, but, as was said, he was unable to breakthrough to the masses.
Papoose displayed his crazy lyrical prowess, but, it lacked any traces of personality. No one wants to hear someone rhyme the phone book listings for 10 straight minutes. It’s quickly lost its appeal after the first listen. The same could be said for Canibus. It was intimidating. They never learned how to hone their lyrical skills into creating relatable songs. Lyrically, Eminem is still at the top of his game, similar to what Papoose & Canibus had during their brief exposures. He figured out how to craft great songs, by pulling from his personal life experiences & using a lot of creativity (personality) in his delivery. Coupled with fantastic production, he couldn’t fail.
couldnt fail? take a look at relapse and even encore are shit and I love the dude. But like he says on Recovery he was on drugs and shit and recovery is great
Realistically, critically & even self-admittedly, “Relapse” was Eminem’s worst album, which was definitely due to his drug usage. No doubt. (The word play was still there, he just wasn’t as focused.) Yet, it still sold millions… just not as many as his prior releases. Fortunately, he has recovered (no pun intended) from that, hopefully for good. He’s back to rhyming like he actually cares about rap again.
what about Saigon
Putting Lupe on this list is a joke.
Are u serious?? Lupe? He’s been voted to top MC list over and over again. The rest are lame but lupe is one of the nicest out & he’s been recognized as such.
lupe >drake
believe the hype
^Co-sign.
Lupe lyrically > Everyone.
DRAKE CD IS FUCKING FIRE FIRST OF ALL. FUCK ALL U HATERS. 2ND TAKE LUPE OFF THAT FUCKING LIST. GRANTED HE HASNT SEEN THE STARS AS MUCH AS HE SHOULD HE SHITS ON THE OTHER CANDIDATES AND IS AN INTELLIGENT DUDE. OH DID I MENTION THE DRAKE CD IS FUCKING FIYA? POST THAT TRACK WITH JIGGA AGAIN FOR NEONE THAT FORGOT.
Lupe gives the best live performance of any hip hop/rap act I have ever seen. I could care less about the album sales and a rapper’s appeal to the masses. Once the masses jump on the bandwagon these fools get huge heads and their music suffers. Lupe has reamained humble and has the best word play around also his humanitarian efforts convey his character. Lupe is in his own category compared to everybody on this list.
Plies is all the way retarded and has a voice that only a “bussit baby” could love or want to buy his CD. What I have heard of canibus is decent and lyrical and I like his name but he’s washed up. I think Pap has it and still could make it, alphabetical slaughter was nuts. Drake is just plain boring to me I’ll leave it at that. J. Cole is better than Drake lyrically but I doubt his rookie album will compete with Drake’s.
Young Buck, Cassidy, Charles Hamilton, Pharrell, Lil Wayne All over hyped but mainly Drake is the most over hyped ever.
Most underrated right now is probably Blu.
“Lupe gives the best live performance of any hip hop/rap act I have ever seen.”
I couldn’t agree more. I believe the concert he and Kanye had was rather amazing. First time seeing LKupe perform but he has great stage presence.
“Once the masses jump on the bandwagon these fools get huge heads and their music suffers.”
I could make a list in regards to artists that have suffered from this very sentence but you already have an idea. 50 Cent tops this list for me. He was great during the mixtape buzz and the first album but afterward, it all crumbled in my eyes since the entire world was slurping the nonsense he labels music. Before the entire planet knew who he was, I thought he was good but I could care less for any of his music after GRODT.
“Nothin’ On You” was originally slated to be given to Lupe, but, B.o.B’s label made sure that he received it instead. It would’ve been a great look for Lupe & could’ve potentially been the hit that made the masses take notice to his undeniable talent. Once you have everyone’s attention, your future success/longevity is based on what you do, thereafter. That’s what Lupe needs.
thats stupid.
Lupe is a great artist… one of the best, in fact. He just hasn’t found or hasn’t yet released that one hit that is going to take him to the next level of superstardom. Most people outside of the hip hop community still don’t have a clue about who he is, aside from maybe one or two songs. Which is a shame, because, he is incredibly talented & deserving of recognition & the accolades that it would bring him. The rap game needs Lupe… the world hasn’t discovered him yet. That is what a hit record would accomplish for him. That’s my point.
Lupe should not be on this list. He just never decided to sell himself out and make a “mainstream hit”. His music is truly art and is only enjoyed by people who appreciate hiphop and meaningful lyrics.
pap cannabis and plies were just too hardcore gangsta for the mainstream white girls to roll with so they just never caught on
superstar? not mainstream?
Lupe just wasn’t aggressive enough. But on the flip side he has a loyal following that may guarantee him more staying power.
Not entirely germane to the subject under discussion but does anybody know what happened to shorty lo?
Thelifefiles adding lupe to this list is a total fail he still as madd buzz and does sold out shows whenever he performs. How is that comparable to papoose?
but nice little quip about lasers.
As a canadian it’s so strange to hear so much talk about how Drake differs from other rappers without any mention of the fact that he’s the first successful canadian rapper to ever break into the US music market. and holy SH*T he ripped it a new a**hole without even having an album out. real good move to sell so far gone in stores though.
Lupe should be OFF that list. People that know good music will follow him. One factor is radio play. The radio station only plays catchy singles and they are always in heavy rotation. Lupe final album should be out soon!
i have never in my life see so many people agree with one thing on the net, so i guess lupe is the boss then, kool. good to know
Lupe deserves to be on the list because he did not live up to the hype that surrounded him. His lyrical abilities can not be denied but he didn’t really crack the market they way that we thought he would.
Drake is FIRE right now… Rap is tough. It’s like a FAST FOOD Era right now. We need a new track everyday. Drake and Lil Wayne seem to get that. And their verses are hot.
Also, Rap has evolved. It had that gangster shit during the 90s. Then Early 2K a little bit of singing or harmonizing was introduce. Like NAS’ track “The World is YOurs” he was singing on the hook. But that was before that type of music popped off. But then Ja Rule (who sucks but he did do it) and 50 Cent starting kinda singing on hooks (Many Men). Papoose would have made it in the 90′s, but an artist like Drake is popular because he can sing on his hooks and he will even sing or harmonize during his verses… His style has evolved along with HIPHOP itself. Some people hate change, But Rap/HipHOP has changed, i like to say evolve.
Lupe is the one Im rootin for he is the fucking shit just listen to them lyrics people every word he spits is fire. everyone who doesnt know him needs to download his last mixtape
also at the lady above me lupe Aint nearly as bad.
And baby girl, what does it matter where your purse from?
Your hair done, your nails did, your ass fat, but you’re dumb.
dude is just plain fuckin awesome.
Also K’naan needs some press as does J. cole
The sensitive rapper vs. the thug rapper is Plies & Drake. Cant wait for a Drake Ft. Plies Collab.
“i better find your lovin, i better find your heart ” chorus attracts female fans
rap attracts male fans and at the same time also tunes into their hidden emotions=Drakes formula.
drake does this effortlessly and his marketing is genius.
young women LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE..bad boys, thugs who take control!!! this is fact.
and women also love love love love guys who can share their emotions, still be masculine but sensitive and charming…
WE WANT THE COMBO.
DO NOT DESCREDIT PLIES because he doesn’t appeal to you… his formula & marketing is just as good as drakes without the big celeb backing, the acting credentials & with more of a southern following, and yet he is very successful.
HE APPEALS TO MOST WOMEN’S FANTASY OF the GOOD BAD BOY!! he sells more shows that lil wayne #beeleeedatt!!! and most women are not as stuck on physical appearances as males are….
DRAKE PLIES COLLABO Would be the BOMB.com
no comment on the others.
My biggest complaint regarding Plies is that his entire image is a facade. Not that I would prefer that he live out his thuggish rhymes, but, at the same time, I don’t think that he should portray a thuggish character & glorify a lifestyle that young impressionable minds look up to & could potentially emulate. Especially since he’s a college educated individual.
If you listen to him talking during some of his earlier interviews, he sounds very well educated. In contrast to his songs, you would think that he’s two different people entirely. It’s a complete contradiction. When he raps he sounds like a runaway slave; when he has the ability to sound intelligent, that’s a fail, in my opinion.
I would’ve never thought Drake would be as big as he is right now but I’ve come to believe that some things jus can’t rationally be explained. No one really knows who or why some artists are able to connect with their audience or how long the connection will last. I do know that some people just simply have “it” and others don’t.
Plies is one of the worst thing that happend in hip hop
papoose had the hype and he was ok but again he mostly rapped about ghetto and shit like that
Lupe still has it, it’s just that he wasn’t put out no music in long time, wait till he drops his new album he will be hype but yeah not hype like Drake
and thelifefiles why don’t u make a post about that seaport concert that drake was to perform and it turned into a riot and madness