Simply put, this list of people still generate public interest on some level and I don't understand why. For example Nas will make the list next year if Nigger isn't incredible, and Common is one more less than stellar album away from me feeling the same way about him.
Start the drumroll, and we're off...
10)Mos Def
Perhaps the biggest waste of potential we’ve seen in the post “Bad Boy vs. backpacker” era, Mos Def went from leading the underground to barely mattering after blowing up. I gave Mos the #10 slot because I still care about his career more than the other nine names that will follow. Black Star? Classic. Black On Both Sides? Classic. He’s a champion of sorts for black manhood, having proved you can get your money without being a jigaboo who sells destruction to your people. I’m not mad at the direction Black Dante has taken towards acting and hosting weekly celebrations of boho pastimes for HBO, I even applauded how he spread his musical wings on The New Danger, and his community outreach with Katrina efforts and the like has been truly commendable. But Tru3 Magic? That shit right there? That shit right there? © Katt Williams, dude completely lost me. It was an unfocused effort that came without artwork, he’s shown no signs of wanting to make groundbreaking music again, and that was 4th quarter of 2006. To paraphrase the great philosopher of our time Sean John Combs, “If Mos don’t give a fuck, fuck it why should I?” Supposedly he’ll be coming out again this year with at least a few songs produced by Kanye West, but I’m not holding my breath for a miracle.
9)David Banner
It truly hurts my heart not to care about David Banner anymore. His debut Mississippi: The Album really impacted me on a personal level when it dropped, as it was pure concern for our race and a conscious voice mixed in with the crunk music I had come to love attending college in the South. He intended for "Cadillac on 22’s" to change the world, and when that didn’t go over as planned he changed direction to become the sex crazed killing coon that the industry wants to see him be. I’ll give him one more shot with this next album he’s about to put out, but I don’t foresee Banner coming back with anything I’ll really be able to feel.
8)Ludacris
I know a good rapper when I hear one, and I’ve never been impressed by Ludacris like that. Don’t get me wrong, he makes possibly the best songs of any rapper that I don’t like and I’ll grant the audience that he’s one hell of an entertainer. Entertainment value is cool for what it is, but I don’t place a premium on that when it’s used to bamboozle people into taking you serious as an artist. Lyrically he doesn’t say a whole lot, his career has functioned as the dude who makes memorable songs for crowd participation when a DJ briefly mutes the record. He’s pretty much worn thin with me because I can’t see him doing anything he hasn’t already pulled off (the club record, hype record, girl take them panties off record). I know he did the “Runaway” song that won him the Grammy, but saying that a brief hiatus from comedic records qualifies Luda as a good MC is like giving Nore props for making a serious record (for the record I love Nore, but no one upholds him as one of the best doing it). Perhaps this all stems from the South not having many mainstream lyricists and people settling for lowered expectations. The new Usher record that I’ve heard all of 1.5 times isn’t making a strong case for your boy either.
7)Eve
I used to really dig this woman. Even though Black Thought wrote her lyrics on “You Got Me” she sounded fly, and her appearance on the "Butterflies Remix" was some dream wife shit. I enjoyed her debut album and appearances on the early Ruff Ryders compilations. Her introduction to rap was an incredible joint off of the Bulworth soundtrack, “Let Me Blow Your Mind?” Forget about it, that’s one of my favorite post golden age female records ever (Kim, Foxy, Eve, Trina, Jackie O, and whoever else). Taking on acting career and trying to come back hasn’t worked in her favor. The “Tambourine” record doesn’t ring bells over here (but I guess I'm with it if women like it in the club). Forgetting the streets and going the silly route, she’s earned her place in the “I don’t care” category.
6)Lil Kim
I haven’t really felt her after Hardcore, every album after that she’s been as good as the beat she’s given. “I Came Back For You” was heat, “Lighters Up” was a club banger, but she cant make complete albums anymore. Kim won’t fade away for anything, as she has a loyal female audience that rides for her no matter what. I guess she’s been good for sexual liberation (97% of black women age 24-30 know “Not Tonight” verbatim, I’ve seen it with my own eyes) but the quality of her music has greatly declined over time, and now she’s just coming off as an artist struggling to maintain relevancy not to mention a damaged woman with image issues. The song I heard from her forthcoming release produced by The ARE isn’t hitting to me at all.
Stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3
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