Music Commercial Hip Hop Thread

BootsyCollins

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2mufc0

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He posted on Instagram that's he's fine and recovering.
 

Carolina Red

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My heart stopped a bit reading this earlier.
Its strong indications that he actually was gearing up for an album release under 2021.

With this and the divorce i just hope he gets back on his feet.
He will be in my thoughts today. You as well btw, hope you are feeling ok.
Yeah no doubt! And thanks dude.
Just seen this, devastating news and I hope to god he pulls through, 2021 can't start like this. :(

On more news, the Snoop and Eminem beef definatley needs putting on the shelf right now!
Absolutely agreed. Do it for Dre
He posted on Instagram that's he's fine and recovering.
Very good news.
 

Lay

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Not a surprise is it? Hasn’t he always had woman beating allegations throughout his career?
 

lsd

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Nas finally won a Grammy for Best Rap Album with King's Disease. Great album and well overdue for him after losing out so many times to some very strange choices none stranger than fecking Macklemore beating him in 2013
 

Solius

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Who the hell is Lil Nas X and why is literally every new rapper the least imaginative when it comes to names. Surely they know they'll just be drowned out if they just add Lil in front of their name? It's so cliche.

And now this guy calls himself Lil Nas? So bizarre.
Funny how things change, I think he's quality now. The piss he's boiling is fantastic and MONTERO is such a catchy song.
 

villain

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His last few efforts haven't been great imo, or maybe I'm just over him.
Decent lyricist for sure, but his cult-like following coupled with his pseudo-intelligent raps are tiring, and have been since FHD.

I'll still listen to this album, but not expecting a whole lot - would love to be surprised though.
 

adexkola

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His last few efforts haven't been great imo, or maybe I'm just over him.
Decent lyricist for sure, but his cult-like following coupled with his pseudo-intelligent raps are tiring, and have been since FHD.

I'll still listen to this album, but not expecting a whole lot - would love to be surprised though.
Interesting :D
 

ha_rooney

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Looking forward to Cole’s release.

Also TDE is apparently dropping something this Friday (please be a Kendrick album)
 

adexkola

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You disagree?
I think there is a lot to unpack there, but (and this is just personal opinion) I try to give credit to artists who attempt to push the envelope, even if it sounds forced, a bit pretentious, or vapid. Plus, it's a nice counterbalance to the unabashed ignorant shit that currently dominates the waves, and that I guilty pleasure listen to from time to time.
 

Wednesday at Stoke

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I went to school and even college with a bunch of dudes who say the same things as Cole's philosophy 101 lyrics, I find it funny. You should take it as shit people say while smoking a doobie with friends. I doubt he means it as anything serious. H'es not Kendrick, never been and doesn't try to be.
 

villain

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I think there is a lot to unpack there, but (and this is just personal opinion) I try to give credit to artists who attempt to push the envelope, even if it sounds forced, a bit pretentious, or vapid. Plus, it's a nice counterbalance to the unabashed ignorant shit that currently dominates the waves, and that I guilty pleasure listen to from time to time.
I don't have any problem with that, my issue is that he's just.. not that good, smart or even well read (self admittedly) in the topics he raps about.
He's put himself in the same spaces occupied by the likes of Lupe, Black Thought, Nas, Kendrick, Killer Mike etc and he's at the lowest spectrum in terms of ability, versatility and knowledge but he's arguably the most popular out of all of them. (him and Kendrick are about tied) That speaks to his cult-like following, not his talent.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying he's a talentless bum, I just don't put him in the top tier that everyone else seems to put him in, I think he's below the best of the best, but better than most. His discography isn't really that great. His features? Fantastic, but a whole album of him rapping 3 verses with no features? Tiring. Nobody really talks about his albums except FHD, and when you add all of that up, to paraphrase Jay-z, that's 1 classic album in a 10 year average.

But because he's not rapping about the same things that 95% of other rappers rap about, he's given kudos automatically and that shouldn't be the case at all.
However he could come out with an absolute classic of an album next week to make me eat my words, so i'll just wait for that :D
He has the talent, i've been a fan since Young Simba, it's just frustrating that his (relative) mediocrity continues to get celebrated.

Also unabashed ignorant shit should never be considered a guilty pleasure! Don't let the elitists put you in a box.
 

Lay

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I don't have any problem with that, my issue is that he's just.. not that good, smart or even well read (self admittedly) in the topics he raps about.
He's put himself in the same spaces occupied by the likes of Lupe, Black Thought, Nas, Kendrick, Killer Mike etc and he's at the lowest spectrum in terms of ability, versatility and knowledge but he's arguably the most popular out of all of them. (him and Kendrick are about tied) That speaks to his cult-like following, not his talent.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying he's a talentless bum, I just don't put him in the top tier that everyone else seems to put him in, I think he's below the best of the best, but better than most. His discography isn't really that great. His features? Fantastic, but a whole album of him rapping 3 verses with no features? Tiring. Nobody really talks about his albums except FHD, and when you add all of that up, to paraphrase Jay-z, that's 1 classic album in a 10 year average.

But because he's not rapping about the same things that 95% of other rappers rap about, he's given kudos automatically and that shouldn't be the case at all.
However he could come out with an absolute classic of an album next week to make me eat my words, so i'll just wait for that :D
He has the talent, i've been a fan since Young Simba, it's just frustrating that his (relative) mediocrity continues to get celebrated.

Also unabashed ignorant shit should never be considered a guilty pleasure! Don't let the elitists put you in a box.
Agree with all this. I like him but he’s very simple a lot of the time. If people recall he was criticised for a lack of lyrical ability when he first came out because he added in swear words when he could have been more creative with his wordplay
 

villain

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Agree with all this. I like him but he’s very simple a lot of the time. If people recall he was criticised for a lack of lyrical ability when he first came out because he added in swear words when he could have been more creative with his wordplay
Glad to know i'm not the only one! Yeah this idea that he's a deep lyricist is insane to me, and that whole "it takes a certain level of intelligence to understand j.cole" era that his fans participated in just made me dizzy. He's a surface level rapper, with a few clever lines here & there.
 

adexkola

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I don't have any problem with that, my issue is that he's just.. not that good, smart or even well read (self admittedly) in the topics he raps about.
He's put himself in the same spaces occupied by the likes of Lupe, Black Thought, Nas, Kendrick, Killer Mike etc and he's at the lowest spectrum in terms of ability, versatility and knowledge but he's arguably the most popular out of all of them. (him and Kendrick are about tied) That speaks to his cult-like following, not his talent.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying he's a talentless bum, I just don't put him in the top tier that everyone else seems to put him in, I think he's below the best of the best, but better than most. His discography isn't really that great. His features? Fantastic, but a whole album of him rapping 3 verses with no features? Tiring. Nobody really talks about his albums except FHD, and when you add all of that up, to paraphrase Jay-z, that's 1 classic album in a 10 year average.

But because he's not rapping about the same things that 95% of other rappers rap about, he's given kudos automatically and that shouldn't be the case at all.
However he could come out with an absolute classic of an album next week to make me eat my words, so i'll just wait for that :D
He has the talent, i've been a fan since Young Simba, it's just frustrating that his (relative) mediocrity continues to get celebrated.

Also unabashed ignorant shit should never be considered a guilty pleasure! Don't let the elitists put you in a box.
I agree with the bolded. I think he actually has the most devoted fan base out of the Big 3, although the others are more mainstream. He is a good dude though so that helps. I remember his tour when he was selling tickets for a dollar. Brilliant PR move.

He's had an interesting career. His 3 mixtapes were cult classics. His guest appearances at the time wowed everyone. And then he signs with Jay-Z and... flops terribly. I'd put some blame on the label for trying to make him more radio friendly but Cole didn't help with basura bars. Then he disappears, grows his hair, and then... evolves? FHD was very good. KOD was a bit forced, still don't understand the album. Dreamville Compilation was good but wasn't his album per say. I'm interested to hear what this new one sounds like. That will determine whether he deserves to be a part of the Big 3, or relegated to Big Sean/Wale status. The latter won't happen regardless, because of his fans.

Regarding the ignorant shit, I can make the argument that the older ignorant shit was much better... That's the point I was trying to make. Pooh Shiesty can't hold a candle to 2005 Young Jeezy... But i digress :D
 

villain

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I agree with the bolded. I think he actually has the most devoted fan base out of the Big 3, although the others are more mainstream. He is a good dude though so that helps. I remember his tour when he was selling tickets for a dollar. Brilliant PR move.

He's had an interesting career. His 3 mixtapes were cult classics. His guest appearances at the time wowed everyone. And then he signs with Jay-Z and... flops terribly. I'd put some blame on the label for trying to make him more radio friendly but Cole didn't help with basura bars. Then he disappears, grows his hair, and then... evolves? FHD was very good. KOD was a bit forced, still don't understand the album. Dreamville Compilation was good but wasn't his album per say. I'm interested to hear what this new one sounds like. That will determine whether he deserves to be a part of the Big 3, or relegated to Big Sean/Wale status. The latter won't happen regardless, because of his fans.

Regarding the ignorant shit, I can make the argument that the older ignorant shit was much better... That's the point I was trying to make. Pooh Shiesty can't hold a candle to 2005 Young Jeezy... But i digress :D
Yeah I agree with that, his mixtapes were great and he's cultivated his following well, and yeah he definitely comes across as one of the better guys in hip-hop which is always a bonus. I'm waiting to see what direction he goes with this album and whether he'll stick with the 'no features' schtick.

05 Young Jeezy deserves to be hung in the rafters that's HOF level, very few can match the mixtape run he went on!
 

MyOnlySolskjaer

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His last few efforts haven't been great imo, or maybe I'm just over him.
Decent lyricist for sure, but his cult-like following coupled with his pseudo-intelligent raps are tiring, and have been since FHD.

I'll still listen to this album, but not expecting a whole lot - would love to be surprised though.
Do you take into account Revenge of the Dreamers III? Thought it was a pretty solid project, albeit all over the place at times, but better than the last couple of solo albums.
 

villain

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Do you take into account Revenge of the Dreamers III? Thought it was a pretty solid project, albeit all over the place at times, but better than the last couple of solo albums.
Yeah solid is about right, the album has some good cuts but mostly I was impressed by some of the artists on his label especially earthgang - under da sun, swivel, sacrifices & got me were my favourites on there.
I wouldn’t put it in his discography in the same way I wouldn’t put the black panther soundtrack in Kendrick’s though, I just consider the songs to be similar to songs where he features on, and j Cole’s features in the last 2/3 years have been really good. Just makes it more disappointing that his albums haven’t matched that energy.
 

villain

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The very least I’ll take this Friday is a soul album. If it’s isiah rashad I’ll just go back to assuming Kendrick never will release anything else.
Pretty sure it is Isiah Rashad :lol: but only a single & a video apparently, pretty terrible rollout if true.
Why do you think Kendrick won't release anything?
 

20solskjaer

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New Czarface and MF Doom album tomorrow, looking forward to that

never really expected Kendrick Lamar to drop so not really that dissapointed its only Isaiah
 

Solius

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I’m excited it’s Isaiah Rashad. I still listen to Cilvia Demo and TST regularly. New album has been long overdue.
 

Solius

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Also looking forward to Cole. Forest Hills Drive is a top tier album for me and I liked KOD a lot.
 

villain

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Yea Kendrick handles his roll outs and the build ups to his projects totally different than most A list rappers, not a single word comes out. You’ll hear rumblings about Hov and Drake, Kanye will start acting up again and saying outlandish shit. But we’re now passed the 4 year anniversary of damn, and we haven’t heard a peep.

I’m not claiming to be itk, it’s a friend of a friend of a friend, but Kendrick has been in the studio nonstop since then with Dre and a bunch of other producers (can’t comment on others since my guy doesn’t leak names, but I know it’s heavy hitters + Ali) still not even a loosie or half a leak has come out. While they worked on the BP album they also did cuts for him, and NOTHING has come out, not even a snippet. Even with Kanye and his bullshit, his music does not drop unless he wants it to, and even with him we literally got a whole other album leaked.Yea the pandemic fecked up plans I’m sure because everyone wants that touring money, I’m 95% sure that’s why Swaes pushed his album back multiple times, but feck off already drop some shit.

And finally, Q is on record saying he drops an album every 2 years. Crash Talk was ‘19, so he’s due. Soul’s album is also scheduled to release this year, and the goddess SZAhasn’t dropped since 17 either and shes BEEN making noise about dropping new shit. We joke, but if this rollout is for Isiah, then that’s another album thats on thecalendar. 4 albums in a year is stretching it for a spot like TDE. Yea Kendrick runs through Universal but 5 albums in one year is not going to happen.
Yeah I don't feel like Kendrick will release this year, but you said he'll never release anything else, that sounded just a bit dramatic is all.
I think 2022 he'll return, and I feel like TDE will make sure some of their B & C-list artists will get proper exposure to help grow their audiences.
SZA has already released 2 singles and been featured on a couple other songs so it looks like she's due to release this year (I hope). Maybe this Isiah roll out is the start to help grow some sales before he releases his album. SZA's album is due to go platinum as soon as she releases it because of the streaming rules and her singles - I wonder if they're looking to do something similar for Isiah.

Ultimately I dont think we can predict anything at this point, whatever schedule or expectations we had of any artist is gone and we're still trying to find a new normal going forward. We don't even know when they can start touring again and that's a main driver for income for a lot of these guys who aren't named SZA or Kendrick.
 

villain

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Oh no ever again is just my coping mechanism for another year with no Kendrick thought that was pretty clear sarcasm.

Funnily enough I think TDE is dogshit at building up artists, it just gets overlooked because no matter what label they were under Kendrick and Q would blow up. SZAis probably the most talented female artist in the game, Beyoncé level talented imo, but the way they build her up is awful. Streaming numbers just cover up the flaws in TDEs marketing. 90059 is up there in my favorite albums of the 10s, yet jay rock hasn’ made noise. Soul is a ghost at this point. Make a black hippy album, a TDE mixtape, do something to bring the hype up for these guys.
I'm both a Beyonce stan and a SZA stan, and while I agree SZA is the best out of the current/next generation of r&b girls, she's not Beyonce level talented. That's no slight to her of course, it's just that Beyonce is Beyonce for a reason. But SZA can definitely make a case to become legendary in the game, I just hope that TDE take advantage of her while she's in her prime and the current environment accommodates her alternative r&b. I think she can do a run of successive classic albums, similar to Kendrick, she's already got the cult following, she just needs more content.

I agree with the criticism of their marketing - TDE started off great but was largely off the back of Kendrick. Their process has been exposed in the last few years - so the next batch of releases is going to be interesting to watch, themselves and Dreamville need to establish their lesser known acts more, because they have some of the most talented people out right now.
But then at the same time it's hard to be too critical, not every record label is successful at promoting more than 3/4 acts at a time. Cash Money struggled, Ruff Ryders struggled, Death Row struggled etc GOOD Music & Rocafella/Rocnation is somewhere in between. Bad Boy & Def Jam are the exceptions not the rule.
There needs to be a better way to do this.
 

Solius

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Not in love with Isaiah single on first listen (not a fan of the feature either) but he's not really a single kind of artist if that makes sense. I pretty much listen to an entire album of his or nothing at all, most of the time unless it comes on shuffle. I'd say his only songs accessible enough to be worthy of being a single are Wats Wrong, Heavenly Father, 4r Da Squaw and Free Lunch. Maybe Banana.