Lupe Fiasco: The 2nd Coming of Nas

Oftentimes I theorize about Hip-Hop, and occasionally drop a gem or two. Despite what many believe, the culture & music is very cyclical. I've even made the analogy that Hip-Hop is nothing more than a high school cafeteria. Every superstar has a crew, and every few years, someone replaces a seat. For example; for every Busta Rhymes there's a Ludacris and for every Snoop, there's a Wiz Khalifa. You follow?

I guess Nasir Jones summed it up best on Stillmatic's "What Goes Around". Mr. Ether isn't exempt from a successor to carry his baton. Hell, if you're old enough to remember, even Nas was heralded as the second coming of Rakim. Which brings me to Lupe, who seems to be his heir apparent. I've followed both of them and their careers are eerily similar.

Let's begin with their 1st appearances, which were both features. Nas stole the show on Main Souce's "Live at the Barbeque" and was instantly immortalized for his shocking, "when I was 12, I went to hell for snuffing Jesus". Lupe's 1st big look came back in 2005 courtesy of Kanye on "Touch The Sky". Furthermore, both of their debut albums were both counter movements to the popular sound.

If there were ever a single Nas line that spoke volumes, it has to be on "Ether" when he recites "I am the truest/ name a rapper that I ain't influence". To fully grasp it, I'll put it in a tangible context for you. Pre-Illmatic, Hip-hop was popularized by Onyx's screaming, Das Efx's "bum stiggity", and Chip Fu's uber fast rhyming. Even Jay-Z was doing "that stuff". However, post-Illmatic, we saw a renaissance with more poetic flows and lyricism from Common, Biggie, Jay, Raekwon, and too many others to mention.

Lupe's Food & Liquor debuted while Nas defiantly claimed Hip-Hop was dead and Dem Franchize Boyz had the world "leaning with it and rocking with it". I've always felt this was the beginning of what I like to call the "Great Divide" which segmented the community and artistry into 2 distinct groups: lyrical Hip-Hop & non-lyrical Hip-Hop. As a direct result, people looked towards Lupe to be a savior of sorts, especially with the co-sign of Kanye and Jay-Z. Similarly, Nas must have felt the same pressure while crafting an album produced by the heavyweights of an era in DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor, and Q-Tip. Still following?

Ironically, the most interesting part of their journeys has to be the quest for mainstream appeal. Despite being critically acclaimed and viewed as perennial all-stars in the eyes of Hip-Hop purists, there's been a conscious effort by their labels to make them more appealing to the casual fan. For Nas, this meant pairing him with the Trackmasters, Lauryn Hill, video treatments based on Casino, and wearing pink suits. Lupe seems to be going through his own "Steve Stoute era" with the recent release of Lasers. While it marked a period of increased popularity for Nas by transforming him into "Escobar", he was also crucified by his diehard fans. The short term success became a long term fight for creative control and artistic integrity. It further escalated into disputes with his label Columbia and later Def Jam. Present day, Lupe's been going through the same thing with Atlantic and it's been well documented. It's taken the form of album delays, fan petitions, and what seems like outright discontent in interview

Drama aside, they're both 2 of the best lyricist Hip-Hop has ever seen. Lupe has also openly stated that Nas' "It Was Written" was very instrumental in him rapping. But if you need further proof of how similar they are, just listen to "All Black Everything" which strikes me as a modern day take on "If I Ruled The World". Just food for thought....

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My Top 10: Rap is Like the NBA: '94 Draft Edition

So in the past 3 years, XXL magazine has done 2 groundbreaking, yet controversial covers that give shine to up and comers. For some oddball reason, the Hip-Hop community, mostly frustrated artists, complain about their respective choices. I think that 1) the publication should be applauded because no other mag has done something so avant garde, and 2)the staff shouldn't be crucified for their choices because there must be a definitive criteria for consideration. Granted, they dropped the ball with the notable absence of Drizzy in '08, but the truth is, homie's buzz grew exponentially towards the later half of the year which could explain why he missed it. However, to put thing in perspective, I've compiled my Top 10 Draft for what many consider one of the last seminal years in Hip-Hop; 1994. The results may surprise you.

Criteria:
1: No SOLO releases prior to 1994 (Sorry Common & The Roots)
* Rank is based on overall buzz, hype, and relevance

1: Method Man - his team was unquestionably the biggest thing going in Hip-Hop at the time and everyone was anticipating his solo release after the gargantuan single based on his moniker

2: Nas - the underground rallied around him, mainstream hailed him the new Rakim to a post Das EFX/Onyx era, and he had the co-sign of every super producer of the time

3: Notorious B.I.G - The star power of Bad Boy captured the hearts of Hip-Hop fans with underground gems like "Party & Bullshit", "Dreams" and guest appearances alongside the Queen of R&B/Soul, Mary J. Blige

4: Jeru The Damaja - after countless appearances alongside Hip-Hop mainstays, Gangstarr, Jeru was set to release a classic produced exclusively by Preemo. Not to mention his single "Come Clean" sent waves through Hip-Hop

5: Warren G. - yup, we seem to have collectively forgotten that "Regulate" was one of the biggest records of the year, and it didn't hurt either that he was affiliated with Dr. Dre, Snoop, and Death Row.

6: Da Brat - Jermaine Dupri was set to prove that Kris Kross and TLC were no flukes, and he sure did with his female Snoop. Between "Give It To You" & "Funkdified", homegirl's debut was set to establish a new precedent for females.

7: OutKast - with a single whose title is too long to spell out, I'll just say that ATL's premier group brought an entirely new sound that hadn't been heard on a national level in Hip-Hop yet. Thank goodness for these 2 southern boys..

8: Craig Mack - Project Funk Da World may not have had the impact that he anticipated, but it produced 2 hits, 1 bonafied classic, and 1 of the best remixes ever in Hip-Hop. I'd be lying if I said that the Easy Mo Bee produced track "Flava In Ya Ear" still isn't DOPE as hell

9: Keith Murray - The Def Squad must have sure been proud when their fellow member broke out the gate with a classic like "The Most Beatifullest Thing In The World". Though he used words out of context, made little to no sense, his rhymes sure sounded ill.

10: Smif N Wessun - Though their debut wouldn't drop until '95, they sure rode the momentum of Black Moon. The singles "Bucktown", Wreckonize" and "Wone Time" were already certified underground classics, and the group would further penetrate the mainstream with the memorable back and forth on Mary's "I Love You"

So there you have it. Notice anything? For one there are some noticeable absences like M.O.P, who began making noise. There was also Mic Geronimo, who's single "It's Real" was smashing NY. AZ's appearance on ILLMATIC generated a similar buzz to Nas' on "Live at the Barbeque", but wasn't enough to qualify. Most notably is the man that would basically define the next 12-14 years in Hip-Hop, Mr. Sean Carter. Although he had singles that made noise, he wasn't THAT dude at that moment, and couldn't crack the top 10.

Just as in the NBA, it doesn't always pay to be "numero uno" or in the Top 10 at all a la Glenn Robinson, Kwame Brown, and "Mr. Ether" himself, Sam Bowie. Take note folks. You can get your panties in a bunch, but nobody can predict the future, not even XXL.

Go ahead and debate...........