Rappers that just never lived up to their expectations

Blockhead · Post by **Blockhead** » Wed May 11, 2011 12:15 pm

drizzle wrote:
Blockhead wrote:Bruin's issues was never about a shoddy work ethic. He had a family to support at a young age and was responsible. I wish he had made more music but you can't fault the dude for doing the right thing by his kids.

He had opportunities to do more but between that and a general distaste for the business side of music, he never pulled it together ike most of us hoped he would.
i heard he has like a ton of kids or something right?

i can certainly understand his preference to stick with his fam and reticense to get in deeper into a very unkind industry, but still.....

i wish he got onto the Jay Electronica 2 songs a year plan or something, we'd have some music and it would go a long way toward proliferating his already great mythological status

Oh, trust me, I agree completely. He's pound for pound one of the best to ever do it.

drizzle · Post by **drizzle** » Wed May 11, 2011 12:21 pm

does FT count?

dubs · Post by **dubs** » Wed May 11, 2011 12:24 pm

Aesop Rock.

I feel like if he would have gotten better beats maybe he would have gotten the shine he deserves.

Hair of the Dog · Post by **Hair of the Dog** » Wed May 11, 2011 12:26 pm

Despot.....and apologies to you if you read this

A Kid · Post by **A Kid** » Wed May 11, 2011 12:28 pm

drizzle wrote:i'm the

how y'all doin, what up

fuck now i want ribs though

truth i been listening to Clear Blue Skies almost daily for the last 6 months and it baffles me how good it still sounds and how Breeze really hasnt done anything notable at all...dude is almost like an urban legend.

also:
Juice
INS
Vakill
Pharoahe Monch(solo)
Rock(Heltah Skeltah)
Cuban Link
Lord Superb
and every good rapper of the 00's.

ardamus · Post by **ardamus** » Wed May 11, 2011 12:32 pm

Blockhead wrote:Bruin's issues was never about a shoddy work ethic. He had a family to support at a young age and was responsible. I wish he had made more music but you can't fault the dude for doing the right thing by his kids.

He had opportunities to do more but between that and a general distaste for the business side of music, he never pulled it together ike most of us hoped he would.

I remember that article. He had to do some craziness to take care of his kids, right?

dubs · Post by **dubs** » Wed May 11, 2011 12:32 pm

The Band.

Had a deep roster, should've been the next

with that many members. Fell short IMO.

Blockhead · Post by **Blockhead** » Wed May 11, 2011 12:41 pm

ardamus wrote:
Blockhead wrote:Bruin's issues was never about a shoddy work ethic. He had a family to support at a young age and was responsible. I wish he had made more music but you can't fault the dude for doing the right thing by his kids.

He had opportunities to do more but between that and a general distaste for the business side of music, he never pulled it together ike most of us hoped he would.
I remember that article. He had to do some craziness to take care of his kids, right?

I never read any article about it but it's probably right. I'm not 100% on what he was doing but I do recall a time when he was teaching full time and working at phat beats on the weekends.

step one · Post by **step one** » Wed May 11, 2011 12:53 pm

Echo Leader wrote:
Blockhead wrote:
step one wrote:is Mos Def an acceptable answer?
I'd say it's the best answer.
What would you guys consider to be the first instance of disappointment in Mos? New Danger?

I saw him live last night which is why he sprung to mind. I think its just that most people consider him a good/great rapper but considering its been 14 years since Universal Magnetic (to put it into perspective 'Reasonable Doubt' came out the year before) he doesnt really have that much standout material in his catalogue.

A Kid · Post by **A Kid** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:09 pm

can pretty much say that about every rapper who became an actor. odds are if they're making that hollywood money their albums are lacking around that time.

took Ice Cube like a decade to make a legit album after the mid 90s. look at Common's last few...the nerve of me considering him my favorite mc for most of my teenage years.

Blockhead · Post by **Blockhead** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:20 pm

^YEah but Cube made two classic albums. No matter how bad he got later on there is always that. That's pretty much reaching your expectations.

Kobe Bryant's Lazy Eye · Wed May 11, 2011 1:31 pm

future answer: J.Cole, Big Sean

YouTube · Post by **Philaflava** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:32 pm

Blockhead wrote:^YEah but Cube made two classic albums. No matter how bad he got later on there is always that. That's pretty much reaching your expectations.

You could argue 3 and I'm not including Kill @ Will.

Kid That's Lifeless · Post by **Kid That's Lifeless** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:38 pm

Kobe Bryant's Lazy Eye wrote:future answer: J.Cole, Big Sean

Who has high expectations for these nobodies?

Blockhead · Post by **Blockhead** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:38 pm

Philaflava wrote:
Blockhead wrote:^YEah but Cube made two classic albums. No matter how bad he got later on there is always that. That's pretty much reaching your expectations.
You could argue 3 and I'm not including Kill @ Will.

Sure (though I disagree) but the point till stands. If you've made only one classic album, expectations have been reached.

YouTube · Post by **Philaflava** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:40 pm

Thun · Post by **Thun** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:40 pm

Blockhead wrote:
Philaflava wrote:
Blockhead wrote:^YEah but Cube made two classic albums. No matter how bad he got later on there is always that. That's pretty much reaching your expectations.
You could argue 3 and I'm not including Kill @ Will.
Sure (though I disagree) but the point till stands. If you've made only one classic album, expectations have been reached.

What if it was expected that your classic debut would lead to more great work?

Blockhead · Post by **Blockhead** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:44 pm

Thun wrote:
Blockhead wrote:
Philaflava wrote:
Blockhead wrote:^YEah but Cube made two classic albums. No matter how bad he got later on there is always that. That's pretty much reaching your expectations.
You could argue 3 and I'm not including Kill @ Will.
Sure (though I disagree) but the point till stands. If you've made only one classic album, expectations have been reached.
What if it was expected that your classic debut would lead to more great work?

Then people set some unrealistic expectations for you. I mean, in a perfect world, we'd like all albums by all the artists we love to be masterpieces. But we all know that doesn't happen very often (if ever).

Is Nas a disappointment cause he never made an album nearly as good as Illmatic? Probably. But he still doesn't belong anywhere near this thread cause he did, in fact, make Illmatic.

I'm just saying, how can someone be THAT much of a disappointment if they've made an undeniably classic album?

shadowmaster · Post by **shadowmaster** » Wed May 11, 2011 1:58 pm

I know nobody will agree, and it's not fully up to the criteria established by the first post, but Method Man.

After the early Wu solos, he changed his flow forever, listen to Release Yo Delf or anything and he never did that kind of flow again, really.

He was never a failure but he never produced the solo lp he should have. Recording Tical on a tourbus or whatever isn't a good enough excuse, he could have made the pefect lp after that.

I like a lot of Tical but he was capable of more.

I can't stand Snoop, though, after The Murder Was The Case OST he was never the same again and I will never give him the time of day unless he's in a roast or something. He's a waste of space.

step one · Post by **step one** » Wed May 11, 2011 2:32 pm

Blockhead wrote:
Is Nas a disappointment cause he never made an album nearly as good as Illmatic? Probably. But he still doesn't belong anywhere near this thread cause he did, in fact, make Illmatic.

and even if his albums have been inconsistent he still made a shit load of great songs since Illmatic.

A Kid · Post by **A Kid** » Wed May 11, 2011 3:24 pm

Blockhead wrote:^YEah but Cube made two classic albums. No matter how bad he got later on there is always that. That's pretty much reaching your expectations.

oh i know, i wasnt arguing he didnt reach expectations, it was more aimed at Mos Def and other actors...they all fell off pretty much even if they exceeded expectations early on, they found a way to shit on future expectations...

COOLEHMAGAZINE · Post by **COOLEHMAGAZINE** » Wed May 11, 2011 3:33 pm

Why did anyone have great expectations for Royce? He was just a punchline MC...I guess maybe people expected better punchlines??? To me, he did exactly what I expected him to do, which is make a bunch of punchline rap songs most of which are neither bad nor great.

This Mos Def shit irks me. New Danger was a HUGE disappointment but BOBS is a dope album, Blackstar is a dope album...of course they are a bit dated but are people that ashamed of their one-time enjoyment of "underground rap" prior to becoming 3-6 MAfia fans a decade too late?

And honestly, the Ecstatic is great. Has anyone shitting on Mos here heard it? Maybe you have and you don't like it, I just am honestly curious if people gave it, or the stuff he did with Ski, any type of chance.

At least Mos is creative, he is not treading water or trying to re-do BOBS ad infinitum.

Brewin had kids and a very time & energy consuming career and was such a perfectionist that part-time rap was bound to go nowhere for him. I am sad we never got the music he was fully capable of continuing to make but I understand the reason why.

I nominate Jean Grae (Attack of The Attacking Things was a really promising debut) and Grand Puba. I also would throw in Scaramanga...he had the tools to be one of the best rappers of his era, IMO.

A Kid · Post by **A Kid** » Wed May 11, 2011 3:36 pm

never really considered Royce a punchline guy until maybe recent years when his crutch has been all the pop culture references...he's just one of those artists who had a good voice, good delivery, and didnt necessarily lack passion in his songs.

After Death Is Certain it was no surprise people had high hopes for him..not sure what happened but i blame alcohol and possibly yes men.

i agree with Scaramanga wtf happened to him?

Dids · Post by **Dids** » Wed May 11, 2011 3:43 pm

I think I understand/know why and there's some valid reasons- but every time I listen to their ep I'm surprised that Siah and Yesh didn't have a more impressive career than they did.

COOLEHMAGAZINE · Post by **COOLEHMAGAZINE** » Wed May 11, 2011 3:45 pm

Really Grand Puba is the #1 answer to this thread.

drizzle · Post by **drizzle** » Wed May 11, 2011 3:49 pm

A Kid wrote: i agree with Scaramanga wtf happened to him?

got hooked on strip club bait

zzzzing

but srsly though i agree

Busta Ry · Post by **Busta Ry** » Wed May 11, 2011 4:34 pm

I vote for Buckshot. Enta Da Stage is probably a top 5 hiphop LP for me personally and while it's certainly a classic in terms of production, and Buckshot may have been full of complete shit in terms of lyrical content, duke was just fierce on that record. I don't think he ever obtained that level of mic control again. In fact, I don't even think it's close. This was disappointing to me.

Guy who voted for Aesop. Personally, I think that Aesop has really hit his stride lately. There's been a slight shift in his flow that, to me, has him sounding better than ever. LOVE this record with Rob Sonic.

I've never been a huge Puba fan, but I can see how his solo effort is a disappointment.

I'd say Deck and Meth both are big disappointments on the solo tip.

Blockhead · Post by **Blockhead** » Wed May 11, 2011 4:36 pm

COOLEHMAGAZINE wrote:
This Mos Def shit irks me. New Danger was a HUGE disappointment but BOBS is a dope album, Blackstar is a dope album...of course they are a bit dated but are people that ashamed of their one-time enjoyment of "underground rap" prior to becoming 3-6 MAfia fans a decade too late?

And honestly, the Ecstatic is great. Has anyone shitting on Mos here heard it? Maybe you have and you don't like it, I just am honestly curious if people gave it, or the stuff he did with Ski, any type of chance.

At least Mos is creative, he is not treading water or trying to re-do BOBS ad infinitum.

The thing about mos is that his potential is through the roof. Great voice, great flow, good lyrics and he's a musical minded guy.

My issue with Blackstar was 50% Kweli being terrible and 35% not liking the beats (outside of like 2 or 3 tracks). Mos , as talented as he is, can be a huge cornball. And that makes up the other 15% of my distaste for that album.

As for BOBS, It just bored the shit out of me. Perhaps it's more of a beats thing than a lyrics thing though (I'm a bit of stickler for that kinda shit). When it dropped, I was hyped for it, I copped it, wanted to love it, bumped it for week and never wanted to hear it again. And I was certainly not on some underground backlash tip when that came out. I just think that album wasn't very good or interesting. Also, his corniness grew stronger.

As for the last few albums, I'd be lying if I said I gave them anything more than a passing listen. One of them sounded like a terrible reggae/fusion record and the other didn't stand out as much of anything. If you have any particular songs I should peep, I'm all ears. I still think Mos is talented and can rap, I just haven't heard or seen much of either of those qualities throughout his recorded career.
IMO, His spots on Dave chappelle>>>>his recording career.

COOLEHMAGAZINE · Post by **COOLEHMAGAZINE** » Wed May 11, 2011 4:53 pm

Blockhead wrote:
COOLEHMAGAZINE wrote:
This Mos Def shit irks me. New Danger was a HUGE disappointment but BOBS is a dope album, Blackstar is a dope album...of course they are a bit dated but are people that ashamed of their one-time enjoyment of "underground rap" prior to becoming 3-6 MAfia fans a decade too late?

And honestly, the Ecstatic is great. Has anyone shitting on Mos here heard it? Maybe you have and you don't like it, I just am honestly curious if people gave it, or the stuff he did with Ski, any type of chance.

At least Mos is creative, he is not treading water or trying to re-do BOBS ad infinitum.

The thing about mos is that his potential is through the roof. Great voice, great flow, good lyrics and he's a musical minded guy.

My issue with Blackstar was 50% Kweli being terrible and 35% not liking the beats (outside of like 2 or 3 tracks). Mos , as talented as he is, can be a huge cornball. And that makes up the other 15% of my distaste for that album.

As for BOBS, It just bored the shit out of me. Perhaps it's more of a beats thing than a lyrics thing though (I'm a bit of stickler for that kinda shit). When it dropped, I was hyped for it, I copped it, wanted to love it, bumped it for week and never wanted to hear it again. And I was certainly not on some underground backlash tip when that came out. I just think that album wasn't very good or interesting. Also, his corniness grew stronger.

As for the last few albums, I'd be lying if I said I gave them anything more than a passing listen. One of them sounded like a terrible reggae/fusion record and the other didn't stand out as much of anything. If you have any particular songs I should peep, I'm all ears. I still think Mos is talented and can rap, I just haven't heard or seen much of either of those qualities throughout his recorded career.
IMO, His spots on Dave chappelle>>>>his recording career.

Mos Def- Priority http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkUs13bI ... re=related

Mos Def- White Drapes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob0Cy6BQv-s

Mos Def- Cream of the Planet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0F2_sAl ... re=related

Mos Def feat. Slick Rick prod. Madlib http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT-hYXqTN38

If you dont like this stuff or Blackstar/BOBS, then I think it's less about Mos failing to come through with good music, and more about your expecting a different type of music based on that first 12". Which is fine. It is an important distinction to me though. For example, I am not in love with Monch's new shit, but I also recognize that it isn't weak, it's just not what I hoped/thought he would be doing or really in my lane of what I want to hear.

As far as people saying Aesop, he might be the most consistent rapper of his era when it comes to making albums. They are not for everyone but they are all dope, in different ways. If anything, Labor Days, Float and Appleseed have not aged particularly well.

Blockhead · Post by **Blockhead** » Wed May 11, 2011 5:39 pm

^Some of those are cool.
I think, with me, it comes down to me not liking his beat choices. And he falls into that category of rappers (like black thought and newer nas) who i feel are incredibly talented but I never feel like listening to. Perhaps it's cause , lyrically, I'm not moved by them. They bore me. I dunno. I certainly would never say any of them are wack though , cause they obviously aren't.
But regardless of that, my initial excitement towards Mos, when he dropped, was as an MC. I had seen him at lyricist lounge parties, heard him on the radio and even had a few UTD songs before any of that other shit dropped. I was fan. He made two albums that, by all standards, were in the same vein as his first 12''. Most of his fans like all three. I just didn't like them. But that was not based on expectations. That era of Rawkus was pretty mind numbing to me for the most part and I feel like those albums (as well as the boring ass soundbombing compilations) spearheaded that whole style of underground rap.

Also, the person who mentioned Aesop in here was either joking or baiting me with "he needed better beats" line. I doubt he really had high expectations for Aesop that fell flat.