The result you’d get, and the rapper hip-hop got, was 50 Cent. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators. distinctive, radio-friendly voice that at the same time doesn’t convey softness (think Snoop, Biggie)Īnd to top it off, you’d provide top shelf production.mainstream-ready charisma (think Eazy-E) while maintaining an intimidating presence (think DMX).storybook, cred-legitimating upbringing (mixing the violent past of the Wu-Tang Clan, the street mentality of Nas, and the drug-dealing background of Jay Z).In 2003, if you were to construct a rapper in a lab, with the sole intent of revitalizing hip-hop along these lines, you’d implement these characteristics: What was missing was a rapper who could appeal to both styles simultaneously. Jay Z was carrying the torch for a while but came to easily outgrow the streets. Over at Def Jam, DMX was finding lots of success by projecting a rabid, growling, unleashed style of hardcore rap (with the occasional prayer interlude - you know, for forgiveness - thrown in). Yet his street-level attempts - trying to get Mase to tap into his “Murda Mase” roots on certain tracks signing The Lox, a gansta-ish outfit led by street-favorite Jadakiss and inserting the odd hardcore track into Bad Boy releases - didn’t quite pan out. had “Juicy” on the same album as “Gimme the Loot” “Hypnotize” on the same album as “Notorious Thugs.” When Biggie was tragically gunned down, a few months after 2pac suffered the same fate, Puff Daddy struck gold with radio-friendly tribute tracks. And the rap game itself has gone back and forth between the two styles. N.W.A.’s breakthrough demonstrated it wasn’t just “graffiti and breakdance” hip-hop that could find a way through, but certifiably angry, gangsta rap - hip-hop of a grittier, grimier variety - could sell out stadiums and put out platinum records.Įver since, hip-hop artists with a potential for dual citizenship have oscillated between the two approaches. Run D.M.C.’s commercial breakthrough showed rap’s mainstream viability.