That whole scene was crazy. Like others said, I also think it's crazy that Meek was the one who made it out. Reed Dollaz, Joey Jihad, Slaughter Rico, some others I don't remember anymore, had a lot of at least internet buzz. But they were more YouTube freestyle rappers, they had trouble putting together actual recorded music that caught on with people.
slaughter rico made great music, if you listened to his stuff outside of just his freestyles.
anyway, its time to dead this stigma.
just because your music isnt being pushed by the industry, it doesnt mean that your music didnt catch on with the people. it just means that you dont have the right money, people, labels, etc behind you, if any of the aforementioned at all.
while there are some guys who didnt have the tracks, there are plenty who did. some even had chit on smash with their music. just because they werent on radio or TV, means nothing. meanwhile, yall let these plans thru the door cuz they had big money & big politics behind them.