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Life & Arts

theRAPonHIp-hop

Life & Arts contributors Eli Jabbe and Dante Eglin discuss pertinent issues in the world of hip-hop culture today. 

Where are the quality MCs?

Dante Eglin: Brooklyn rapper AZ released his sixth studio album, The Format, Tuesday, while Houston's own Z-Ro dropped what is being billed as his farewell album, I'm Still Living. With little hype or anticipation from the masses, is this the ultimate representation of quality MC's being underrated?

Eli Jabbe: Both men are definitely skilled and talented, but it appears that career success may be heavily intertwined with luck. They haven't received much recognition outside their hardcore fans. With AZ's participation on the platinum-selling album The Firm, it appeared The Visualiza was in prime position for commercial success. After the Houston takeover of 2005, Z-Ro seemed to be ready to take his turn in the limelight, especially after his performance on Bun B's hit single "Get Throwed."

Eglin: AZ and Z-Ro are two quite similar examples of rappers who have consistently delivered quality music, yet have received little to no recognition from the masses. It would be easy to place the blame on the fans, but artist and repertoires and record companies are the ones at fault on this one. After AZ's legendary verse on "Life's a B… ," from Nas' debut album Illmatic, there's no legitimate reason why AZ should still be on virtual underground status 12 years later. And it's uncanny how Z-Ro can already have 10 albums under his belt and have no name recognition outside the Lone Star State.

Jabbe: Play "Mo' City Don Freestyle" at a party in Texas, sit back and watch the results. Z-Ro gets major love here, but outside the state he's a relative nobody. With AZ, he stole the show from Nas on their Illmatic collaboration and on The Firm. But this appears to be irrelevant in 2006. What you did ten years ago holds no clout. Fans are living in the moment and seem to have forgotten about the past.

Eglin: Exempting Tupac Amaru and Christopher Wallace …

Jabbe: We always hear that "Oh, hip-hop sucks," but there's plenty of quality music out there. BET, MTV and radio stations do not speak for the genre as a collective. Many promising flavors of hip-hop have yet to be tasted. Black Thought is one of the premier lyricists out right now, but no one checks for him. Mos Def, Talib, Common, etc. all seem to be taken for granted. And it doesn't appear to be based solely on lyrics.

Eglin: I always thought "The Mo' City Don" and AZ were two of the most underappreciated rappers, but my man Devin The Dude … I honestly don't think anybody can counter an argument against Devin being underrated because 95 percent of rap fans still don't even know who he is. Devin is the poster boy for the Rap-a-Lot syndrome. As much as I respect J. Prince, owner and founder of Rap-a-Lot Records, for what he has done for rap in Texas and in the South, signing a Rap-a-Lot contract is career suicide. They have a premier roster of talent, from Scarface, Bun B, Pimp C, Devin The Dude, Z-Ro, Yukmouth, and Trae. It is an unwritten rule, though, that your album will sell double-wood, regardless of how great it is. Check the Soundscan for Z-Ro's numbers on Let The Truth Be Told. Don't even get me started on Trill's performance on the chart.

Jabbe: Skills don't always equate to sales. Word to Chingy.

Eglin: As much as we've covered underappreciated artists, I think someone in particular has earned the right to get called out. I strongly believe that The Game has been rollin' shotgun with T.O. down in Dallas the past few weeks because, for some reason, he has managed to keep doing interviews every week with a foot lodged in his cheek.

Jabbe: Game told www.allhiphop.com that he is the source of his album being leaked two weeks early, as part of a strategic move. "It's like selling crack in the ‘hood, man. Anybody that ever sold drugs in the hood knows you gotta give a (person) a taste before they buy," Game said. I thought he was only outrageous in relation to his persistent name-dropping in songs, but apparently I was wrong. There's no way that leaking your album will boost sales. 

Eglin: What's interesting is that he's actually is a talented MC and has much potential to become the legend he thinks he already is. His performance on songs like "Still Cruisin'" with Eazy-E, "Certified Gangstas" with Jim Jones, "Dreams" on his debut album The Documentary, and his all-out lyrical massacre of the entire G-Unit stable on the 15 minute diss track "300 Bars and Runnin'" have proved that he is more than able to carry his own. But every time he builds credibility, he somehow proceeds to dismantle it with olive branch press conferences with 50 Cent, butterfly tattoos and other flip-flopping.

Jabbe: With Jayceon and Terrell's antics, I guess it's safe to say they must have the same publicist. 

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