The REAL Hip Hop Forecast For 2009!

I came to this site because I got a google alert about this article and while I somewhat agree with the focus on your article, I think if your forecast actually occurs we will see the final nail driven into hip hop's coffin. You see, 50 Cent, no matter what Eminem and Dr. Dre do, is a parasite. He feeds off the talent of other rappers and brings them down to his level by creating these unnecessary beefs that have proven off-putting for years. His ridiculous beefs with Nas and the Wu Tang Clan, for example, not only lead to him looking like a complete idiot and getting lyrically embarassed, it lead to unnecessary attention being paid on a beef that should have never existed and countless amounts of precious money, time and music to be wasted by all parties. Next up is Lil Wayne. While his last album sold a million dollars (and naturally some proof shows that his record label may have personally purchase a large amount of copies just to make it seem like he sold more than he did), this siphilitic creature has a more lukewarm following at the moment than you think. A much larger amount of people would rather see Lil Wayne fall off the face of the earth than would like to see him succeed in making a Carter IV. While he has shown he can be somewhat talented on tracks like "Georgia Bush," "Hustla Musik," and "Tie My Hands," tracks like "Lollipop" and "A Millie" are almost cringe-worthy and are off-putting for most people who have to endure his music exploding from speakers in a Range Rover a quarter mile away. I am not even going to get into M.I.A. We'll just leave it at that with her.

Now, in the midst of all this negativity, there are some strong points in your list that have to be taken into account. New talents such as Wale and Kid Cudi are somewhat strong prospects for the future and I have mixed feelings about Asher Roth. He's one I will have to just wait and see to call. But the praise ends there.

Now, when you say "forget back to the old school" I am a bit confused. You see, I was under the impression this meant stop focusing on old artists who are dropping new albums because we will be disappointed. To this I would have agreed fully, but in your list, Dr. Dre's album is very highly anticipated. If anyone is "old school" it is Dre. He's been around since 1982 with the World Class Wreckin' Cru and though he has reinvented his sound at least 3 or 4 times to stay relevant, he's still the same Dre and his new album is an extension to his classic Chronic series. What's more is you have 2 more well seasoned artists on your list in Jay-Z and Eminem. Though both wouldn't quite qualify for "old school" as that era ended in 1986 (maybe you should check your facts), they would definitely qualify for the uneducated listener's definition for the term. I mean Soulja Boy even said that 50 Cent is old school to him.

Now I agree that looking to old school artists for dope new albums is ignorant, though if and when they do it is a treat. Kool G Rap, KRS-One, the Wu Tang Clan, GZA and RZA (the lead Wu members), etc. have all recently released albums, all which have ranged between being OK albums to extraordinary door stoppers. We have also been awaiting a new album called the Seventh Seal by Rakim and a project by Raekwon called Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2. While Rakim has unreleased music from his stay at Aftermath records that can only be described as some of his best to date, along with odd jobs such as the DJ Premier produced remix of the Nike promotional track "Classic," whose name perfectly describe every part of that track except for Kanye's mediocre verse, other material including the music he is promoting on his MySpace page for the new album flat out suck. OB4CL2, on the same token, has a huge hype, and it may deliver. Rae is still hot, but should this, or any other seasoned artist for that matter, have their album hyped like this?

Last year, with solid releases from Nas, Q-Tip, Common and The Roots, new artists who made underrated masterpieces like Elzhi's "The Preface" and Invincible's "Shapeshifters" got overlooked. In 2007 a similar occurence could be noted. With so much focus being place on Common's "Finding Forever" at the time, underground classics such as Blu & Exile's "Below The Heavens" and Y-Society's "Travel At Your Own Pace" became diamonds in the rough. Neither album lead to any success commercially even though both were solid through and through. I'd go as far as to call "Below The Heavens" one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. Now, to stop with my roundabout venture in showing you how your list should really look, I will give you my point of view on this year finally.

Jay Electronica - the little know producer from Nas' album "Untitled" is also a rapper and has plans to release his first full length album in 2009. His style is very unique, which you will quickly notice upon listening to the drumless, bassless masterpiece that is "Queens Get The Money." And unlike most experimental artists, Jay is from Louisiana, the home of dull, formulaic hip hop (on the exception of Lil Wayne who just whines on a track and makes music that is utter drivel). If he drops in 2009, Jay is sure to make quite a splash. And before I forget, expect him on any future projects by his girlfriend Erykah Badu.

Blu - one half of duos Blu & Exile, Jonson & Johnson (Blu & Mainframe) and Crac Knuckles (Blu & Ta'raach), Blu has revealed plans for both a solo project and a follow up to his 2007 masterpiece with Exile, "Below The Heavens."

Damu The Fudgemunk - a new producer and disciple of such legends as DJ Premier, Pete Rock and Diamond D, Damu is one of the few young artists keeping turntables and MPC's alive. He has graced us with 2 free downloadable instrumental albums and has discussed plans for a follow up to his group Y-Society's 2007 success "Travel At Your Own Pace" with partner Insight from Boston.

The Big Hitters From Boston - artists such as the aforementioned Insight, Dagha (who graced us with an under-the-radar album called "The Divorce" last year), Mr. Lif, and the legendary Edo G are all well overdue for some attention. Maybe we can get at least one release from the city in Massachusetts and actually pay it it's due respects this time around.

Immortal Technique - we are still awaiting the highly anticipated "Middle Passage" from this man who is a reincarnation of Che Guevara. After a lukewarm and somewhat disappointing mixape album from him last year called the 3rd World, that saw Tech pretty much sounding like an angered teenager, hopefully "The Middle Passage" will see the return of one of the world's favorite underground hip hop acts. Oh, and Viva La Revolucion!