Hit & Miss: Hip-Hop’s Next Big Thing
Andrew ‘Hazard’ Hickey reminisces on the ‘Next Big Things’ that fulfilled the prophecy and those who didn’t
Words Andrew Hickey
HIT & MISS // HIP-HOP'S NEXT BIG THING. Scroll through the gallery to see them all.
HIT // EMINEM: The man born Marshall Mathers III is the living embodiment of hip-hop success. Who would’ve thought that a guy from a trailer park sharing his stage name with chocolate in a candy shell would become one of the most respected lyricists of all time? It was a long road for the man who went from non-descript rapper on his debut (Infinite) to household name. While a self-made artist Eminem has obviously benefitted from record label and media-created hysteria. The difference is that he always had the talent to back it up. Now that he has nothing to prove he can cruise along and release glorified drink coasters like 'Recovery'.
MISS // CHARLES HAMILTON:
For a glorious period, starting in 2006, hip-hop fans had a new hope in the form of an eccentric rapper obsessed with pink and Sonic The Hedgehog. Like many of his contemporaries, Charles Hamilton released an endless supply of mixtapes, with hit and miss results. Despite his scattershot approach there were nuggets of brilliance. Many hoped his deal with Interscope Records would allow him to realise his full potential. After his debut album was indefinitely shelved he went a little off the deep end, even penning a Stan-like open letter to Eminem. Now out of rehab and with the apparent help of Em himself he has a chance to prove himself all over again.
HIT // LUPE FIASCO:
In an era where intelligent lyrics are not greeted with wide mainstream success, Lupe Fiasco has forged his own path on his terms. From the moment he dropped his off-kilter flow on Touch The Sky expectations have been, pun intended, high. Those doubled after releasing his instant classic Food & Liquor. A prime example of being affected by record label politics he has waged a very public battle over the content and direction of his work, namely the lacklustre L.A.S.E.R.S. The way he has handled the situation since then speaks to his commitment to being a true artist.
MISS // PAPOOSE:
No name conjures up mid-2000s New York hip-hop like Papoose. The Big Apple was steadily losing its grip on the controls of hip-hop in the face of an onslaught from the Dirty South. As the antithesis of the snap and trap music dominating radio, Papoose was a throwback to a bygone era. With his clever wordplay and NY bravado he gained a groundswell of support from listeners and fellow artists. Like a true mixtape artist he burned himself and his fans out in short order. Being shelved by his label (Jive Records) and the drama surrounding his jailed wife Remy Ma didn’t help either.
HIT // THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G:
Pound for pound, and this man was as big as his name suggests, few have had as much of a cultural impact as Christopher ‘The Notorious B.I.G.’ Wallace. While some artists require extensive effort to realise their potential Biggie was ready from the moment he laid down his first demo. With a little polish and shine from the king of spin himself Diddy, The Notorious B.I.G. went on to have one of the most successful yet short-lived reigns at the top. Balancing street cred with commercial appeal he could go from lines like “hit you with the dick, make your kidneys shift” to paying tribute to his mother on the timeless 'Juicy'.
MISS // OBIE TRICE:
Obie we hardly knew ye. In some cases talent and powerful friends don’t necessarily equate to music industry success. Few artists could have asked for a better entry point into the game than Mr. Trice. As the popularity of Eminem was at all time high he debuted with the infamous “real name no gimmicks” line. Just as timing played into his favour it worked against him as his debut album was scheduled to drop in the wake of 50 Cent’s emergence. The sub-standard Got Some Teeth couldn’t compete with In Da Club. After two solid and enjoyable albums Obie retreated into the shadows. He is now looking to make his comeback with a new album.
HIT // WIZ KHALIFA:
Say what you will about Wiz Khalifa and his sing-songy stoner persona but he has found his formula to success after some stops and starts. First building his rep in the mid-2000s he was touted as being a breakthrough artist, signing a deal through Warner Bros. While his two studio efforts under the deal were successful the deal soured fairly quickly. Wiz went back to the independent grind before hitting it big with Black & Yellow, which is either about a football team or racial unity. Signed to a lucrative deal with Atlantic Records he is primed to continue his hit-making ways. As we know however long-term success is never a guarantee.
MISS // JADAKISS:
There is nothing more frustrating than unfulfilled potential. For some artists their failure to fully live up to the hype comes down to not having a clear artistic vision. Without those ingredients it’s hard to build a consistently successful career. Always touted as the key to The LOX, Jadakiss was bred to be the ‘next big thing’. Unlike his mentor Biggie, ol’ Al Qaeda Jada has struggled with satisfying his street audience and the charts. Lukewarm singles like Time’s Up did little to ingratiate him to either audience. Fellow LOX member Styles P has proven to be the group’s secret weapon, while Jada proved that he is much more effective as a supporting guest.
HIT // OUTKAST:
If Big Boi and Andre 3000 have proven anything it’s that being quirky and creative can actually result in a successful career. Novel concept I know. While they bordered on pretentious with the title of their first album, which I will not type out here, their chemistry and talent was instantly undeniable. With anthems like Rosa Parks and B.O.B (not the rapper) they became iconic in both hip-hop and mainstream circles. As a sign of their viability their record label was even willing to release the messy and self-indulgent Speakerboxxx/The Love Below double album. Even though they’ve teased us about a reunion that probably won’t happen at least we have some classics.
MISS // JIN:
The challenge of turning battle plaudits and mixtape love into a lasting career is a challenge many have faced. Hampered by a gimmicky lead single, which laboriously milked his Asian descent, Jin has struggled to get consistent love from the music game. She can be a cruel mistress. The fact that he hitched his wagon to hip-hop albatross Wyclef Jean and a past-its-prime Ruff Ryders did little to help his cause. After escaping his mainstream trap he embarked on a campaign to restore his credibility through a number of independent releases while mostly showcasing his bitterness, much like fellow battler-turned-Wyclef-protégé Canibus.
Since its humble beginnings in the 1970s, hip-hop has remained a youth movement. Even with over 40s like Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg still in the game, hip-hop is and always will be about what is brand new. Yesterday’s ‘fresh’ is today’s ‘swag’, what was considered state-of-the-art in the ’80s is seen as rudimentary today.
That may sound superficial on the surface but at the heart of it hip-hop fans just want to hear something unique that pushes the culture forward. Then you’ve got the record label perspective, which is more about cherry picking and exploiting new talent just to appear like they are on the cutting edge.
In this pursuit of never-ending youth, hip-hop has a habit of anointing young talent with the tag of being the ‘next big thing’. In many instances an artist will work their way up the mixtape and online circuit building up a base of loyal followers before labels have no choice but to pay attention. In other cases these artists will be a creation of the record label, bred to be the next in line for the throne.
Factors such as lack of support from the record label or the artist’s failure to make the most of their opportunity can affect their chances of making it. In many cases the artist does what they can but ultimately becomes a victim of the industry (think all of Slaughterhouse before they got signed).
With so many artists having come and gone over the years, we examine the careers of those who lived up to the hype as ‘hip-hop’s next big thing’ and those who didn’t. Forgot to mention someone? Let us know.
Keep up with Andrew Hickey’s Hit & Miss weekly column here.
HIT & MISS // HIP-HOP'S NEXT BIG THING. Scroll through the gallery to see them all.
HIT // EMINEM: The man born Marshall Mathers III is the living embodiment of hip-hop success. Who would’ve thought that a guy from a trailer park sharing his stage name with chocolate in a candy shell would become one of the most respected lyricists of all time? It was a long road for the man who went from non-descript rapper on his debut (Infinite) to household name. While a self-made artist Eminem has obviously benefitted from record label and media-created hysteria. The difference is that he always had the talent to back it up. Now that he has nothing to prove he can cruise along and release glorified drink coasters like 'Recovery'.
MISS // CHARLES HAMILTON:
For a glorious period, starting in 2006, hip-hop fans had a new hope in the form of an eccentric rapper obsessed with pink and Sonic The Hedgehog. Like many of his contemporaries, Charles Hamilton released an endless supply of mixtapes, with hit and miss results. Despite his scattershot approach there were nuggets of brilliance. Many hoped his deal with Interscope Records would allow him to realise his full potential. After his debut album was indefinitely shelved he went a little off the deep end, even penning a Stan-like open letter to Eminem. Now out of rehab and with the apparent help of Em himself he has a chance to prove himself all over again.
HIT // LUPE FIASCO:
In an era where intelligent lyrics are not greeted with wide mainstream success, Lupe Fiasco has forged his own path on his terms. From the moment he dropped his off-kilter flow on Touch The Sky expectations have been, pun intended, high. Those doubled after releasing his instant classic Food & Liquor. A prime example of being affected by record label politics he has waged a very public battle over the content and direction of his work, namely the lacklustre L.A.S.E.R.S. The way he has handled the situation since then speaks to his commitment to being a true artist.
MISS // PAPOOSE:
No name conjures up mid-2000s New York hip-hop like Papoose. The Big Apple was steadily losing its grip on the controls of hip-hop in the face of an onslaught from the Dirty South. As the antithesis of the snap and trap music dominating radio, Papoose was a throwback to a bygone era. With his clever wordplay and NY bravado he gained a groundswell of support from listeners and fellow artists. Like a true mixtape artist he burned himself and his fans out in short order. Being shelved by his label (Jive Records) and the drama surrounding his jailed wife Remy Ma didn’t help either.
HIT // THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G:
Pound for pound, and this man was as big as his name suggests, few have had as much of a cultural impact as Christopher ‘The Notorious B.I.G.’ Wallace. While some artists require extensive effort to realise their potential Biggie was ready from the moment he laid down his first demo. With a little polish and shine from the king of spin himself Diddy, The Notorious B.I.G. went on to have one of the most successful yet short-lived reigns at the top. Balancing street cred with commercial appeal he could go from lines like “hit you with the dick, make your kidneys shift” to paying tribute to his mother on the timeless 'Juicy'.
MISS // OBIE TRICE:
Obie we hardly knew ye. In some cases talent and powerful friends don’t necessarily equate to music industry success. Few artists could have asked for a better entry point into the game than Mr. Trice. As the popularity of Eminem was at all time high he debuted with the infamous “real name no gimmicks” line. Just as timing played into his favour it worked against him as his debut album was scheduled to drop in the wake of 50 Cent’s emergence. The sub-standard Got Some Teeth couldn’t compete with In Da Club. After two solid and enjoyable albums Obie retreated into the shadows. He is now looking to make his comeback with a new album.
HIT // WIZ KHALIFA:
Say what you will about Wiz Khalifa and his sing-songy stoner persona but he has found his formula to success after some stops and starts. First building his rep in the mid-2000s he was touted as being a breakthrough artist, signing a deal through Warner Bros. While his two studio efforts under the deal were successful the deal soured fairly quickly. Wiz went back to the independent grind before hitting it big with Black & Yellow, which is either about a football team or racial unity. Signed to a lucrative deal with Atlantic Records he is primed to continue his hit-making ways. As we know however long-term success is never a guarantee.
MISS // JADAKISS:
There is nothing more frustrating than unfulfilled potential. For some artists their failure to fully live up to the hype comes down to not having a clear artistic vision. Without those ingredients it’s hard to build a consistently successful career. Always touted as the key to The LOX, Jadakiss was bred to be the ‘next big thing’. Unlike his mentor Biggie, ol’ Al Qaeda Jada has struggled with satisfying his street audience and the charts. Lukewarm singles like Time’s Up did little to ingratiate him to either audience. Fellow LOX member Styles P has proven to be the group’s secret weapon, while Jada proved that he is much more effective as a supporting guest.
HIT // OUTKAST:
If Big Boi and Andre 3000 have proven anything it’s that being quirky and creative can actually result in a successful career. Novel concept I know. While they bordered on pretentious with the title of their first album, which I will not type out here, their chemistry and talent was instantly undeniable. With anthems like Rosa Parks and B.O.B (not the rapper) they became iconic in both hip-hop and mainstream circles. As a sign of their viability their record label was even willing to release the messy and self-indulgent Speakerboxxx/The Love Below double album. Even though they’ve teased us about a reunion that probably won’t happen at least we have some classics.
MISS // JIN:
The challenge of turning battle plaudits and mixtape love into a lasting career is a challenge many have faced. Hampered by a gimmicky lead single, which laboriously milked his Asian descent, Jin has struggled to get consistent love from the music game. She can be a cruel mistress. The fact that he hitched his wagon to hip-hop albatross Wyclef Jean and a past-its-prime Ruff Ryders did little to help his cause. After escaping his mainstream trap he embarked on a campaign to restore his credibility through a number of independent releases while mostly showcasing his bitterness, much like fellow battler-turned-Wyclef-protégé Canibus.
Since its humble beginnings in the 1970s, hip-hop has remained a youth movement. Even with over 40s like Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg still in the game, hip-hop is and always will be about what is brand new. Yesterday’s ‘fresh’ is today’s ‘swag’, what was considered state-of-the-art in the ’80s is seen as rudimentary today.
That may sound superficial on the surface but at the heart of it hip-hop fans just want to hear something unique that pushes the culture forward. Then you’ve got the record label perspective, which is more about cherry picking and exploiting new talent just to appear like they are on the cutting edge.
In this pursuit of never-ending youth, hip-hop has a habit of anointing young talent with the tag of being the ‘next big thing’. In many instances an artist will work their way up the mixtape and online circuit building up a base of loyal followers before labels have no choice but to pay attention. In other cases these artists will be a creation of the record label, bred to be the next in line for the throne.
Factors such as lack of support from the record label or the artist’s failure to make the most of their opportunity can affect their chances of making it. In many cases the artist does what they can but ultimately becomes a victim of the industry (think all of Slaughterhouse before they got signed).
With so many artists having come and gone over the years, we examine the careers of those who lived up to the hype as ‘hip-hop’s next big thing’ and those who didn’t. Forgot to mention someone? Let us know.
Keep up with Andrew Hickey’s Hit & Miss weekly column here.
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I'd add in that Saigon definitely needs a mention. That dude was given so much love and never made the cross over…