Top 5 Over Hyped MCs

Let’s use this basketball analogy: there have been plenty of players that were hyped prior to their entrance to NBA and their careers just didn’t amount to much more than just the hype. The same can be said for a number of Hip-Hop acts as well, there were a few rappers that came into the game with great expectation but just weren’t able to deliver on the hype…but then again hype does kill.

1)Shyne: I was once one of those people that thought Shyne was just the illest rapper in the world, when I heard him on Ma$e’s “Start From Scratch ”, but then his album drooped and I was greatly disappointed. His subject matter consisted of only two things: Busting guns, and selling drugs. The ultimate recipe for rap mediocrity. That man got signed because everyone thought that his voice resembled Biggie, but we all know it didn’t. All hype and no bang. On lighter note, Shyne is due for parole this summer, lets just hope that no one is dumb enough to sign him again. Koch Records will probably take him.

2)Memphis Bleek: Jay-Z told everyone on “Hard Knock Life” that Bleek was going to be a good rapper, a new and improved Jay-Z….weren’t we all fooled. For the average fan every time Memphis Bleek released an album we all hoped it was going to be decent because you clearly wanted to root for him, but Bleek could just never stand on the pedestal that Jay-Z put him on. His one hit record (Is That Your Chick) was overshadow by the appearance of Jay-Z, and there just isn’t much growth since his debut album. Four albums in and nothing to show for it. We can always look on the bright side, he’s still just one hit away.

3)Pappose: When the south was clearly taking Hip-Hop by storm Pappose was labeled as the next big thing in New York. He was going to save culture of Hip-Hop in NY, but a change has yet to come. He had lyrical skills but not much else. A few mixtapes here and there is all that man has to his name….that and his fight with Fat Joe. Pappose still has not dropped an album and at this point people can really care less .

4)Mack 10: Now some of you are probably thinking……”Mack 10?” if you grew up on the West Coast then you know that Mack 10 was going to be the next Don of the West Coast, but he has turned out to be one of the worst rappers to ever come out of the West. Even with the bakcing of legendary Ice Cube, Mack 10 was still boring and all of his albums sucked. Gang banging and low riders can get a little redundant and boring real quick. So where is Mack 10 now? I don’t know, but where ever he is, I hope his ass stay there.

5)Lil Wayne: Regardless of what you may think, Lil Wayne is all hype. People are now speaking of Lil Wayne as a “great” rapper, but the truth is, great rappers have a catalog with classic material and Lil Wayne has yet to produce a classic album. I will give Lil Wayne his props for being the hardest working man in all of Hip-Hop, you can’t turn on the radio without hearing one of his records, but the hype around his music is simply not justifiable. Making dope mixtapes does not mean as much as composing a great album, and before we can call him great he has to be able to construct an album that we can talk about in the same breath as “Illmatic”, “Ready to Die”, “Reasonable Doubt” and “The Low End Theory” . I pose the question, what makes this man so great beside punch-lines? Lil Wayne has not earned his stripes to be considered great, and although fans anticipate his releases, many of them are often disappointed in the final output. Lil Wayne is overrated!

And if you would like to see why I think 2Pac was overrated, then you need to check out Polished! For the details.

D.Essex!

Memo to Aubrey

Dear Aubrey Drake Rogers,

I gave up using the "n" word in my posts long ago, but in this case it seems appropriate. After watching your performance on the BET Awards last night, I felt the need to impart these three words of advice on you for the sake of your career.

Run, nigga. Run.

That's right. You need to pen the most heartfelt "Dear Wayne" letter you can come up with, get in Wheelchair Jimmy's chair and haul ass as quickly as possible.

And you know why. We all saw the uncomfortable look on your face as Wayne's pre-teen daughter and her crew jumped on the stage to get their boogie on as you and your comrades sang "I wish I could [eff] every girl in the world." You can fake your gangsta as much as you like. Sing your soulful "soo-woos" all over the world if you wish. (But for real where they do that at? Are there Bloods in the T-Dot?) Whatever makes you feel like a G is alright by me. But last night? Boo, your Degrassi was showing. Badly.

Or perhaps I should say thankfully. Your obvious disgust by the coonery you subjected yourself to gives me faith in you as a person. It lets me know that despite your best effort, you have yet to completely transform into whatever R&B thug stereotype the folks at Young Money are creating for you. It lets me know that it may not be too late to save you from the destructive path your career will take if you continue under the professional tutelage of a man who (and I quote) "sounds like he's been free basing Vicks Vapor Rub" and thinks it's kosher to kiss another grown man on the lips. No disrespect to the creative talents of Weezy F. Baby, but he couldn't direct me to a damn Sunoco, let alone stardom.

I've heard your music. I personally found "So Far Gone" to be one of the most well put together mixtapes I've heard in years. Album quality, truthfully. And you don't have to try that hard. Your vanilla complexion and green (or are they hazel) eyes are marketing gold. Add to that the fact that you've got some talent, are well-spoken (bilingual at that) and have acting chops, you can go pretty damn far without the assistance of the most Overhyped Rapper of All Time. Let's be real. You know good and damn well that you do not mesh with those other Young Money folks. You and your cute little cardigan had no place on that stage last night.

And for the love of the Sweet 8 lbs Baby Jesus, please find a label that will invest in teaching you how to perform. You're cute and charismatic as hell, but your live show? Hmm. Leaves a little something to be desired from what I've heard. And it has nothing to do with the Autotunes. I've seen T-Pain and Teddy Riley before him do some pretty entertaining shows with auto tune-assisted vocals. The whole standing on stage, waving your hand from left to right and "resting on pretty" as Tyra Banks would call it are a no go, Jimmy.

Please understand that I'm not hating. I'm actually a fan. And for that reason, I'm very concerned. You've got potential that if well guided, can result in a great career. But in the hands of Weezy's Effin Baby, well, I fear for you Aubrey. I really do.

Robin Monique aka "Mrs. Hip-Hop"

Back To The Feature Review

If it's not obvious by now the contributors of this blog are big Wale fan. About a year ago I was introduce to Wale via YouTube. I paid "BreakDown" no mind and kept it moving but then I kept hearing about him and the more I heard the more I became a fan, and once The Mixtape About Nothing dropped the rest was history.

For about three weeks Robin and I have been patently waiting for Wale's new mixtape Back To The Feature, and honestly it was very much worth the wait. For the average TRUE Hip-Hop fan this mixtape provides a sense of what real Hip-Hop should be: Dope beats, dope rhymes, less gun/gangsta talk and more thought provoking concepts in the music. The chemistry of 9th Wonder (who produced the majority of the mixtape) and Wale is evident on such tracks as "Tito Santana" and "Life's a Bitch". As a fan you can clearly hear the growth in Wale's lyrics, just check "Hot Shyt" and "Um Ricka" where he just comes out and murder the track. But the true gem of this mixtape comes in the story of "Goodbye" with none other than Jean Grae. This track in the words of Robin "is art imitating life".

To be a little picky....This mixtape has a one too many guest appearances. Not that I don't mind, but "The Sun" with Memphis Bleek and "Say It Again" with Royce the 5'9 was a little unnecessary, and the 9th Wonder proudction can get a little dull from time to time. Other than that you will have to search high and low to find many flaws in this mixtape. I can honestly say that I feel very comfortable with Wale being the future of Hip-Hop.

Other Highlights include "Sweating Out Weaves", "Warwick Avenue", "5 Minutes" and a host of others. Wale in many ways has set a standard for other rappers to follow. His mixtapes are better than many of these cats album, and although he has yet to drop his debut album, we can only hope his album is on the same level of his mixtapes. Lets keep our fingers cross.

Hip-Hop Christmas Eve

In case you don't know, thanks to the homie Dessex, I may be one of the biggest Wale fans ever. For months now, we've all waited with baited breath for this latest mixtape offering Back to the Feature, a collaboration between Wale, super producer 9th Wonder and a guest list (including Joe Budden, Black Thought, Jean Grae, Young Chris, Freeway, etc) that's been giving me wet dreams for the last month and a half.

Today's the day...

According to Wale's Twitter updates, Back to the Feature will be released at about "7ish" Eastern Standard Time this evening. Upon downloading, he's encouraging all of his fans to head to walemusic.com for an online listening session where you'll be able to interact with him as you take your first listen. Sure it's a Friday night and I'm typically out running the streets, but guess where I'll be?

It'll be Christmas Eve all day as I stalk-I mean monitor-the Twitter updates for more tidbits. I predict I'll spend the entire day singing "Wale baby, drop some Hip-Hop on the web please, for me..."

Robin Monique aka "Mrs. Hip-Hop"

Mixtape > Albums?

It used to be that artists used mixtapes as promotional tools for albums. They were typically hard to find and would contain a collection of freestyles, the album's lead single and maybe one or two additional leaked album tracks.

But in 2009, mixtapes have become more than a promotional tool. They've become an outlet of sorts. For rappers to experiment creatively without the boundaries and approval of the record labels. Artists now record material specifically for their mixtapes. The formula is simple. Grab some tracks, hole up in the studio for about three weeks, and the release is as simple as uploading to a file sharing site and dropping the link via blogs and Twitter. Boom. Product released.

Many people may say that mixtapes make it possible for the industry to be easily flooded with garbage. For the most part, I agree. When sub-par artist put out rushed work, the results can only be horrific. Or even when good artists throw together mixtapes and drop one every week (i.e. Lil Wayne circa 2007), the oversaturation hurts both the artist's brand and the industry.

But in an industry where the most talented artists often get overlooked for the more marketable acts, mixtapes have also become the Savior of Hip-Hop culture. While the mainstream music industry refuses to push quality music, getting tapped into mixtape culture is the best bet for a true hip-hop head in search of that real. It's due to mixtapes that I've discovered my latest collection of favorite artists and am back in love with Hip-Hop. Had I depended on radio and music television to provide me with listenable music, well, Hip-Hop would still be outside my door looking like the mops and brooms in those Swiffer commercials. I'm going to step all the way out on a ledge and say that I actually prefer mixtapes over major label releases. There's no pressure to make money back. No Soundscan to monitor. Just art for the sake of art, reaching the people in the most convenient medium. Of course the downloads are monitored, but people either "get it" or they don't. When the label gets involved, strings follow. All of a sudden, it becomes moreso about making back the marketing budget than giving the fans quality music. So when you present me with the option of tricking off $15.00 on watered down product or downloading that hot ish for the free, guess what I'm more likely to pick?

Even potentially great artists face this dilemma. As much as I love Wale and like Drake, their upcoming major releases make me nervous. How much real Wale will Interscope allow to show up on Attention Deficit? Will it hold up to the genius of Mixtape About Nothing? And what about Drake? Will his album stand up against So Far Gone? Will they let him be him, or will they turn him into a singing pretty boy gangsta? (The singing of "soo-woo" on his Friends With Money mixtape leads me to believe it's already in the works.) We'll all have to wait and see.

But in the meantime, what say you? Mixtapes or albums?

Robin Monique aka "Mrs. Hip-Hop"

All Quiet On The Western Front

No one would argue that Hip-Hop music begins and ends with New York (or the East Coast period), because that is the birth of this beloved culture. However, no one can undermine the contributions that the West Coast has made. Truth be told, the west coast is solely responsible for the hardcore image Hip-Hop is now known for. Gangsta rap was established by the pioneers of the west coast movement in Hip-Hop. As a west coast kid, I can clearly remember my older cousin knocking “Dopeman” in their rides, and the world went crazy when “Da Chronic” dropped because that was the West Coast “It Takes a Million To Hold Us Back” and at that time the West Coast finally had a voice and Cube, Dre, and others were at the forefront.

And it was even more evident with the birth of Death Row, and in came the Dogg Pound, 2pac and the rest of the crew. The West had Hip-Hop on its toes, not only due to the controversy, but the left side of the coast was actually making dope records to back it up the thug life image it displayed to the world. The world looked at the West with a different set of binoculars because it was like nothing the world had ever seen before. The aggression and harsh reality in which the rappers spoke with at the time drew listeners in, and kept them yearning for more.

There was actually a day and time when the West Coast dominated the Hip-Hop scene allowing almost no one to be heard….but those were the days, and this is reality….The West Coast just does not exist anymore in Hip-Hop. Besides The Game, there has not been any one on the west coast to make noise in Hip-Hop, and the drought is clearly evident. Just turn on the radio, or watch TV and see how many artists from the West Coast are making quality music. You would think in this current stage of self-destruction that Hip-Hop is in this would be the prime opportunity for the return of the hardcore to come to revive its self. Unfortunately, that has not taken place. Is it because the West doesn’t get any love? Or is it lack of talent? The answer could be a little bit of both.

People tend to forget just how influential the West was when Hip-Hop was at its zenith. NWA, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Too Short and even MC Hammer all held down in the late 80s and early 90s. Even in the prime days of Death Row, there was the Dogg Pound, Pac, Nate Dogg, Snogg Dog, Cube, West Side Connection, E-40, C-Bo and many others. Now we are left with Gurellia Black, (Whack) The Game (who is only nice when he puts his mind to it) and Murs (who is the dopiest West Coast lyricist, but will never get the love he deserves)

Has Hip-Hop gone so astray that the West has become that irrelevant? If so, that just goes to show you how much of a mess Hip-Hop really is.

J. Cole: Better Than Your Fav New Rapper

If you have a favorite amongst the current Freshman Class of Hip-Hop, I almost guarantee that he's got nothing on the Roc Nation signee J. Cole (I say "almost" in case your current fav is Wale, then there's a debate to be had).

So who is J. Cole? I'll spare you the entire bio and hit you with the more interesting facts.

Where He's From: Fayettville, NC. After being influenced by southern rap in his teens, Cole decided at age 18 that he wanted to move to New York to study the East Coast rap style. With no connects in the Big Apple, he applied to St. John's University with the intent to have a deal before he earned a degree. As life would have it, the degree came before the deal of a lifetime as the first signee on Jay-Z's Roc Nation imprint.

His Influences: Cole names Nas, Eminem Canibus and 2Pac among his favorite rappers.

His Sound: Cole's studies in NYC produced more than a degree, they also resulted in a rhyme style that is far more kin to East Coast cyphers than his North Carolina roots. He attacks beats in a way that will please fans of hardcore spitters. His lyrics depict the hood that made him from the perspective of a man on a mission to rise above. Charismatic enough to make the ladies smile every now and then, but I wouldn't call his music particularly "girl-friendly" (Unless of course, you're a girl like me who prefers lyrics, flows, storytelling and intricate rhyme patterns over catchy hooks and dance-friendly beats.)

Interesting Fact: On top of his rhyme skills, J. Cole produces music.

Don't Get It Twisted: I predict that with his light-skinned pretty boy look, he will draw immediate comparisons to up and coming hip-hop heartthrob Drake. And honestly, upon first listen, I did hear a slight similarity in their voices. The more I listened, however, the more I found J. Cole to be the superior MC. His brand of hip-hop is less commercial, with a far greater edge and consistent emotional and intellectual depth.

Get Familiar: You can catch up with J. Cole's earlier material on his American Dreamin' mixtape.

Current Heat: Yesterday, Cole dropped his much anticipated mixtape The Warm Up, which has both Dee and I bobbing our heads with the mean screw face and needs to be in your summer music collection. Our favorite tracks include Dreams, Heartache, and the motivational I Get Up.

- Robin Monique aka "Mrs. Hip-Hop"

I'm Back!!

Before I confuse you, I should tell you that this isn't Dee, but the homey Robin Monique.

So here's what had happened. Remember I said i was divorcing Hip-Hop? Well I did. Kicked him out, sent him packing, said bye-bye. But then he started coming back around every now and again. Had to admit that he was starting to look a little like his old sexy self. Flirting ensued and soon flirting resulted in Hip-Hop and I hooking up every now and again. Only on my terms, because I could not be sure if these changes were permanent or just game to reel me back in.

He stayed consistent. Stayed in my face. Didn't even have to reminisce about the past because the present was getting sweeter by the moment. And the next thing I knew... I was head over heels in love with Hip-Hop again. He's in my life full time now and I can tell you that homey is putting it down!

Now that Hip-Hop and I are again an item, I needed a place to profess my renewed love for him and so I hooked up with the homey Dee and decided to collab on Hip-Hop Connoisseur. We'll be updating some things design-wise over here within the next week or so. But please get ready for a one-two punch of superb Hip-Hop taste. Welcome to the new and improved Hip-Hop Connoisseur!