Slim Charles
All Star
The Listening and Minstrel Show were two of my most played albums in high school. Main issue to me was they just didn't have a hit to be bigger. There's nothing more complicated to it. Whether they were nice guys or not doesn't matter.
Their label certainly didn't know how best to use them and yeh if they came out 10 years later they probably become bigger (and of course they helped pave the way). But fundamentally where was the song that was going to see them blow up.
Kanye was a similar bracket of artist compared to the stuff that was huge back then and Kanye blew up a year before Minstrel Show. Obviously helped he had co signs but Kanye came through with Through the Wire, Jesus Walks and All Falls Down. Not saying LB could do that level of a hit but to go from underground to mainstream and you're putting out music in the catchy ringtone BS era then the music gotta hit. Problem was Lovin It was a nice little single if you're in the underground but if you're coming out on a major label then it's got to be better to me (it's a great song though just not a hit). They needed something I wouldn't call gimmicky but something that grabs your attention and have people pivot to you.
Secondly, doing a loose concept album for your second album seemed like a bad decision. Or if you do it go all in for the attention. BET and that will stop caring if it makes money for them. But instead you call an album the Minstrel Show and then the lead single is Lovin It. The Minstrel Show title gave them noise. So if you're going to do that go all in. Not saying copy it, but an example that could have hit back then is like The Roots What They Do vid. Instead the label cooked up some half assed video with fairly usual undeground music bars.
Cheatin perhaps not best as it's not them rapping but an example of a song of theirs of the Minstrel Show that would have got attention because of how funny it was.
Their label certainly didn't know how best to use them and yeh if they came out 10 years later they probably become bigger (and of course they helped pave the way). But fundamentally where was the song that was going to see them blow up.
Kanye was a similar bracket of artist compared to the stuff that was huge back then and Kanye blew up a year before Minstrel Show. Obviously helped he had co signs but Kanye came through with Through the Wire, Jesus Walks and All Falls Down. Not saying LB could do that level of a hit but to go from underground to mainstream and you're putting out music in the catchy ringtone BS era then the music gotta hit. Problem was Lovin It was a nice little single if you're in the underground but if you're coming out on a major label then it's got to be better to me (it's a great song though just not a hit). They needed something I wouldn't call gimmicky but something that grabs your attention and have people pivot to you.
Secondly, doing a loose concept album for your second album seemed like a bad decision. Or if you do it go all in for the attention. BET and that will stop caring if it makes money for them. But instead you call an album the Minstrel Show and then the lead single is Lovin It. The Minstrel Show title gave them noise. So if you're going to do that go all in. Not saying copy it, but an example that could have hit back then is like The Roots What They Do vid. Instead the label cooked up some half assed video with fairly usual undeground music bars.
Cheatin perhaps not best as it's not them rapping but an example of a song of theirs of the Minstrel Show that would have got attention because of how funny it was.