There’s been a disturbing new trend in rap lately.
No, not that. Lots of long-forgotten acts are rising from the dead and finding shelter under the soggy umbrella of Cash Money Records. It’s like Walking Dead went hip hop. But don’t take my word for it. From killerhiphop.com:
“Weezy F. called into Lenny Green’s “Kissing After Dark” radio show last night, and revealed that Cash Money had signed Limp Bizkit to the label. According to Wayne, Birdman is also about to sign Ashanti.”
As you probably know by now, Cash Money/Young Money (it’s all the same – Birdman has his hands in all their pockets) recently signed Busta Rhymes, Mystikal, and the lovely Christina Milian.
Here’s the bigger question: Who in their right mind would want to join this crew?
They’re the Justice League of suck.
Well, let’s be real. It’s easy to see why a fading star would want to rub elbows with the new hot crew du jour. But I’m not down with it. It’s sad; hip hop was once renowned for its innovation but now it’s becoming a culture of followers instead of leaders. I remember a time when artists would create their OWN crews.
Remember Nas’ Bravehearts? Nelly’s St. Lunatics? Biggie’s Junior M.A.F.I.A.? Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Dynasty? Ludacris’ DTP gang? The hundreds of splinter cells that emerged from The Wu-Tang Clan? Even Busta had his Flipmode Squad before he became Lil Wayne’s personal assistant.
True, a lot of the members of those cliques can be found stocking shelves at your nearest Target, but there are definitely success stories. The big guns helped expand their brand by looking out for the little guy. Meanwhile, young artists got a chance to shine on the big stage. And many times, it worked. Biggie made Lil Kim a star. Jay-Z molded Kanye West from backpacking producer to loudmouthed mega star. Dr. Dre brought on Eminem, who later brought on 50 Cent. More recently, Jay served as a great launching pad for J. Cole. And we know what Lil Wayne did for Drake and Nicki Minaj.
I’ll never forgive him for Icki Garbaj.
On the other hand, what’s the success rate of an established artist who fell under the wing of another established artist? About as slim as leftovers at Rick Rawse’s house. Remember when Snoop Dogg teamed with No Limit? Of course you don’t.
Rakim’s stint with Dr. Dre was just as disastrous. And that highly anticipated Mobb Deep album with G-Unit was more of a setback than a jump start.
Veterans of the game should be trendsetters, not toy soldiers for the flavor of the month. I truly wish Busta, Ashanti and Christina well on their comebacks. Mystikal and Limp Bizkit, eh. But if history has shown us anything they’ll likely just help finance Birdman’s new solid-gold airplane.
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