I remember after XV's amazing 'Everybody's Nobody' mixtape I was positive he was the next up. I felt like he had what it took to really blow up (he was a great artist with cross over appeal and what seemed like a dedicated fan base) and I championed him every chance i got. The next few tapes he released were still great but didnt quite measure up to what fans had come to expect.
A huge part of XV's rise was his producer Seven who i believe ended up leaving XV's side. XV picked up new in-house producers that never really measured up to the chemistry XV and Seven had. The hype Chiddy Bang had was wearing off long before Xaphoon decided to make the split but even though Chiddy had some bars I dont think anyone would have cared about him if he wasnt over awesome hip hop beats made out of flipped indie rock samples.
Donnis rose to fame with his song 'gone' and debut tape that followed. Donnis' problem was he made BETTER music after and I dont think his label and/or management knew how to market it. His mixtape Fashionably Late sounds like what a lot of people sound like now (Drake, Asap Rocky). It almost reminds me of Kanye's '808s & heartbreak'. When that came out people talked so much shit about the "boring production" "use of auto-tune from a rapper" "too sad" blah blah blah. Literally a year later Drake's 'So Far Gone' got praise from critics and fans for the same reason 808s got trashed. Kanye got shit on so no one had to after him (doubt this was what he had in mind, i dont think Kanye likes getting shitted on, literally or figuratively).
The case of The Cool Kids, they pretty much pioneered hip hop fashion as we know it today (for better or worse Lord Jamar). Chuck Inglish & Mikey Rocks came on the scene and changed everything, but not on a large enough scale. Half a a year later, the New Boyz came out. An essentially younger version of the Cool Kids with a major label and clothing brands (Hot Topic) backing them. After the "jerkin" hype wore off people started to act like the Cool Kids were old news and biting off the New Boyz (who wernt even hot anymore).
A few questions arise. Are you fucked if you try (or dont try) and be innovative? Are you cursed if people prematurely call you "next up"? Are the producers more important than the rappers themselves? Hard to say and I think this has been debated for a long time. If the beat isnt hot no one wants to listen to it but if the rapper sucks its the same conclusion (or is it.. Young Thug). Did mixtapes make it so that an artists best material is done before that artist is even signed? Remember when J Cole's debut album came out? Everyone acted like it was the worst album ever because it didnt live up to the three mixtapes he had put out prior.
Asher Roth has a different problem. He came up at the very end of record companies having any kind of control in the music industry. His "image" and identity pretty much seemed to be created, considering his interviews and freestyles never quite mirrored how his album perceived him to be. To this day I find myself arguing with people over whether or not Asher Roth is a good rapper. If you think he's whack you are not educated enough in his music. Not an opinion, this is a fact. The kid has skills, i.e. impeccable flows and word play, but will never get the credit he deserves or be taken seriously because of the image made to market him early on (before the internet proved consumers just want REAL). Since his rise he has tried to do everything he can to erase what people perceive him to be but amazing mixtape after amazing mixtape cant erase what we were told he was.
Some people from then have stayed around (Drake & J Cole being the real mainstays, keep in mind Kendrick came up a few years after).
Oh yeah, remember Fashawn or Mickey Factz? Maybe that XXL Freshman cover is a curse (B.O.B. & Wale are doing okay). Also in a few years will people like ASAP Rocky fall into this trap? It already seems like people like Freddie Gibbs are (which saddens me deeply, you gotta love Gangsta Gibbs!).
Who knows? I dont. All I know is we need to stop saying who's "next up" (including myself) because I have never been right (except for Kendrick Lamar, GO TDE GO!). Instead Future has had a moderately lasting career and who would have ever thought that could be possible when he first emerged as the guy who terribly sung "Tony Montana". Just let shit pan out. listen to what you like, dont listen to what you dont like. Yes, I am talking to myself as well as you all.
.jpg)
