Disclaimer: I guarantee this will make some of you furious but this is hip hop. If you don't have the confidence to have a discussion on music, stay away from forums or commit dat 
9th Wonder and his collaborators do not get enough credit for birthing "regular nikka rap"
In 03/04, music was as glitzy and gangsta as possible. People we had no idea about like Little Brother, Murs, and Median were bubbling online. And not even huge online. Just among those in the know.
Kanye comes out and survives simply because he has that Jay-Z cosign (the streets, mainstream) and the Common/Talib Kweli/Mos Def/Dave Chappelle cosign (the "conscious"). Around this time he also collaborated with Little Brother on the gem I See Now. There is absolutely no doubt that Kanye took some pages from the Little Brother playbook. But with his teddy bear marketing, became far larger than them.
The fact is - Kanye proved there was a massive appetite for regular nikka rap. So a feeling that came from a genuine place now gets usurped by big business. That 'independent' feel now becomes 'independent through studio'. And don't get mad - this happened in the film business, too. You got movies that are claiming independent being financed and created by studios, trying to use the 'organic' card.
So here comes Drake, who dupes Phonte (if you didn't know better, you'd swear this was Drake rapping), J Cole, who dupes Kanye, and Ducktales, who dupes Lil Wayne/Lupe/Eminem
But the fact of the matter is that Murs, Median and others did regular nikka rap better. They had actual quotables and Murs made cacs furious in real-time (while Kendrick and J Cole are shook to def).
Murs has 4 tracks that destroy anything Kendrick and J Cole have ever released.
Median has 2
When Murs/Median/Little Brother were out, we thought they were dope. They weren't the craziest thing we ever heard, but we thought they were solid. The 9th beats were above average and the rappers were average. C rating. And I'm not saying C rating as of 2004. I'm talking all-time. Not wack. Had a cool line here and there that meant something. They weren't fukking with B tier rappers like Smif N Wessun, Ras Kass, etc. And certainly not A-list potential like Nas, Jay-Z, Snoop, etc.
Kendrick and J Cole are worse than Murs and Median. Vocally. Lyrically. Even production (but that's arguable).
So when people say Kendrick/J Cole are slightly above average, they're really not. They're actually D tier rappers, except with A level marketing. I'm talking D-tier in terms of comparing them to the greatest hip hop we've heard since the genre started.
You can keep forcing it. They are not goats - don't be delusional. I'm a Rocky fan. Discography wise, he's one of my favorite rappers ever. In terms of "skills", whether it be saying something or having a diversity of flows, he's a C-tier rapper with B- vocal delivery. (I knew you were going there
) It's possible to be a fan of Cole and Kendrick while being objective. You can ever prefer them to A tier rappers discography but putting them as A-tier rappers is laughable and offensive.
Fall for marketing hook, line and sinker, brehs
*takes a SirBiatch bow*
9th Wonder and his collaborators do not get enough credit for birthing "regular nikka rap"
In 03/04, music was as glitzy and gangsta as possible. People we had no idea about like Little Brother, Murs, and Median were bubbling online. And not even huge online. Just among those in the know.
Kanye comes out and survives simply because he has that Jay-Z cosign (the streets, mainstream) and the Common/Talib Kweli/Mos Def/Dave Chappelle cosign (the "conscious"). Around this time he also collaborated with Little Brother on the gem I See Now. There is absolutely no doubt that Kanye took some pages from the Little Brother playbook. But with his teddy bear marketing, became far larger than them.
The fact is - Kanye proved there was a massive appetite for regular nikka rap. So a feeling that came from a genuine place now gets usurped by big business. That 'independent' feel now becomes 'independent through studio'. And don't get mad - this happened in the film business, too. You got movies that are claiming independent being financed and created by studios, trying to use the 'organic' card.
So here comes Drake, who dupes Phonte (if you didn't know better, you'd swear this was Drake rapping), J Cole, who dupes Kanye, and Ducktales, who dupes Lil Wayne/Lupe/Eminem
But the fact of the matter is that Murs, Median and others did regular nikka rap better. They had actual quotables and Murs made cacs furious in real-time (while Kendrick and J Cole are shook to def).
Murs has 4 tracks that destroy anything Kendrick and J Cole have ever released.
The Animal
And This is For
Yesterday and Today
Love and Appreciate
And This is For
Yesterday and Today
Love and Appreciate
Median has 2
How Big is Your World
Relectric Relaxation
Relectric Relaxation
When Murs/Median/Little Brother were out, we thought they were dope. They weren't the craziest thing we ever heard, but we thought they were solid. The 9th beats were above average and the rappers were average. C rating. And I'm not saying C rating as of 2004. I'm talking all-time. Not wack. Had a cool line here and there that meant something. They weren't fukking with B tier rappers like Smif N Wessun, Ras Kass, etc. And certainly not A-list potential like Nas, Jay-Z, Snoop, etc.
Kendrick and J Cole are worse than Murs and Median. Vocally. Lyrically. Even production (but that's arguable).
So when people say Kendrick/J Cole are slightly above average, they're really not. They're actually D tier rappers, except with A level marketing. I'm talking D-tier in terms of comparing them to the greatest hip hop we've heard since the genre started.
You can keep forcing it. They are not goats - don't be delusional. I'm a Rocky fan. Discography wise, he's one of my favorite rappers ever. In terms of "skills", whether it be saying something or having a diversity of flows, he's a C-tier rapper with B- vocal delivery. (I knew you were going there
) It's possible to be a fan of Cole and Kendrick while being objective. You can ever prefer them to A tier rappers discography but putting them as A-tier rappers is laughable and offensive.Fall for marketing hook, line and sinker, brehs
*takes a SirBiatch bow*
to me from day one.
His stance was correct and brave from what I remember.
I ain't listen to Murs since he got a haircut. I did have his project with 9th Wonder on rotation though.
video though.
