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Do Rap Careers Have A Shelf-Life?

Written by Von-Anise McCoy on December 11, 2009 10:47 am

ja-rule

The decade is dawning and now is the time that we will be bombarded with the most popular songs from 2000-present. And when we see the rappers/hip-hop artist on the list it begs the question, where are they now? Gone are the days of EPMD’s ‘I stick to underground, keep the crossover,’ because now crossover means big dollars once an artist gets mainstream airplay and endorsements. Where are many of the artists who started the decade out with the mainstream-pop appeal? They now have almost no airplay or can only do small underground venues.

B.G. On Gun Charge, “Another Conviction Will Send Me Away For Life”
If we use history as our guide, it seems that after about three years they will expire—like a bag of Doritos. Either the big bad, hit making “machine” kicks them out by no longer promoting and marketing their work as much, or the angst-ridden artist on the inside self-destructs and they become jail birds. Either way, Jay-Z and LL Cool J, two artists who enjoy success for ten plus years in the rap game, are the exceptions not the rule. We know that the fault can not always lay with the artist, maybe we (the audience) just moved on to the next big thing that was younger, more hunger, and even more hood then the last.  We ask you: Do Rappers Have A Shelf Life?

BETWEEN THE LINES: Should Rappers Go On Strike?

Let’s Take a Walk Down “where are they now” lane:

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  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Andrew_Young/ Andrew_Young

    No! I don’t think Rappers have a shelf life. The thing is that some rappers have a thought that is driven by a good feeling. Then you have rappers that have a vision that is driven by the love of what they do and a goal their trying to accomplish. 80% of rappers say “everybody else is rapping I can do it too”. While the other 20% says “I have to do this or it won’t be done”. A true MC doesn’t look to compete; True MCs look to meet the goals that are set before them. Tell Birdman to “Holla @ cha Boy” You heard me!

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/chictatious1/ chictatious1

    yes and its about time the retire the whole rap game lol! i cannot think of one person that really raps about anything worth listening to. leave it to i would change rap to classic rap and only play rappers from the 90s and prior. all of the other genres would remain the same, but we could do without some country songs. i like some country music not all, along with pop, rock and r&b.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/TAmour/ TAmour

    Simply answered. Yes, there is a shelf life to rap careers. Just like playing some sports.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Charmed2Def/ Charmed2Def

    Yes, barring a few exceptions (Snoop, Jay, LL, Ghostface, etc) it sure does have a shelf-life. I feel that rappers’ commercial success usually diminishes the hunger that may have made them prolific in the first place, degrading their final product, and making young core audiences (who are usually more concerned with raw energy, and media-programmed superficialities) lose interest. When an artist’s real-time contribution is limited to lyrics… it’s gotta be clever, innovative, and flawless, because it’s with this that the audience rounds off the artist’s worth. In other, more conventional genres, artists can lean on harmonies, rhythyms, elaborate solos, and a massive palette of passages and concepts; but a rapper is thrust in front of the masses with only a mic, the lines they speak, and how they speak them (and if there is a message, it often goes unnoticed). In my humble opinion, the best thing a rapper can do is learn how to channel their raw musicianship alongside their mic, whether it be through an instrument, or carefully controlled, concept-oriented production process. While I do think a lot of it relies on the message conveyed in their music, I can’t go into that because it seems like some of everything sells these days whether it be heartfelt, self-aggrandizing, violent, or superficial…

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/jazzwatch/ jazzwatch

    They need to bring back Singers who can sing and some instrmentalists who can play instruments…..then the rappers will be S.O.L., for shizzle….

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Gemini510/ Gemini510

    Clipse, Juvenile, and Chamillionaire all have new songs out now Von-Anise. Maybe not as hot as their previous songs, but they’re back on the scene.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/90alj06/ 90alj06

    I believe since some of these rappers are getting older and about to retire out the game, they should come together and form a hip-hop union where rap artist can have a pention to retire off of

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/WindChimes/ WindChimes

    I wish the Music Executives, Talent Agents and the music industry would “kill rap music” like they “killed” R&B to make room for hip hop 20 years ago. This negative-vibe music has ruined my generation by feeding stereotypes and low-income social ills of Black communities as “acting, being and living in Black skin;” when in fact, it has resulted in the destruction of the Black family, positive black male-female relationships and promoting learning to read, write and count. Wake up people, I’m sick of you sleepwalking.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Stan_Vinyl/ Stan_Vinyl

    Andre’ 3000 said it best…

    “Baby boy you only funky as yo last cut / You focus on the past, yo’ ass’ll be a has was”

    As long as you can make a song people will sit and listen to or dance to… you in there.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Schelby/ Schelby

    Most rappers have a shelf life. No one wants to see Ja Rule or half of those others up there still trying to trot out a dead style. Those who can’t adapt and those who aren’t truly creative need to move over.

    Hip hop has been washed up and dead for the last five years. They just haven’t figure that out yet. Rappers are still out there beating a dead horse. Nothing really new and innovative has come out of mainstream hip hop. All the really creative hip hop is stuck underground and on college radio because it doesn’t celebrate bling and beefs. Rap belongs to radio execs now who are still milking it and deciding what the styles and trends in music will be. They’ll rap as soon as it stops making the money they think it should be making. Those who have any success in the game now are just glad to be getting a paycheck and don’t really uphold the principles of true hip hop.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/KP_2G/ KP_2G

    “has what” stan_vinyl….that would be “has what”

    Rappers do have a shelf life…..I agree with Stan and Schelby. If you evolve with the styles, but stay true to what the origins of hip-hop are, ur good…

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Rockstarz08/ Rockstarz08

    YES RAPPERS HAVE A SHELF LIKE SO CALL IT…

    THE INDUSTRY DOES WHAT WE CALL A “FILTERING PROCESS”

    WHICH MEANS THAT WE GET A WHOLE BUNCH OF NEW ARTISTS SOME TALENTED AND SOME JUST POPULAR AND PUT THEM OUT IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE YEAR WHICH IS JAN-MARCH. IF THEY BOOM THEN THE RECORDS POP SECOND QUARTER AND THE MONEY FLOWS…
    IF THEY KEEP THE SECOND QUARTER BOOMING THE RECORDS WILL SELL ALL YEAR MEANING THAT THEY GET ANOTHER ALBUM TO RELEASE NEXT YEAR… OTHERWISE IT’S A DONE DEAL FOR THEM… PRIME EXAMPLES

    FILTERED AND DONE FOR:
    D4L,J-KWON,FRANCHISE BOYZ,SHOP BOYZ,A+,GORILLA BLACK,PETEY PABLO,LIL FLIP,STANKY LEG CREW,B-RICH,FAM LAY, ETC… THE LIST GOES ON GET ME…

    FILTERED AND SUCCESSFUL:
    T.I.,FABOLOUS,JEEZY,JUELZ SANTANA,LIL WAYNE,CASSIDY,T-PAIN,RICK ROSS,50 CENT,JADAKISS,REDMAN,GUCCI MANE(TOMMY BOY REVIEW EXCEPTION),
    LUDACRIS,MISSY ELLIOT, THE LIST GOES ON UNDERSTAND…

    THE FILTERING PROCESS… SO DEFINITELY A FACT… RAPPERS DO HAVE A SHELF LIFE WHEN UNDERGOING THE FILTERING PROCESS… WHO WILL FLOP IN 2010?

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