Since many people are of the opinion that hip-hop is in some state of crisis (a debate decades old by this point, mind you), all kinds of discussions emerge with theories as to what ails our favorite culture. What’s interesting is when blame is placed on those who aren’t involved.
Rappers in particular are guilty of waxing poetic on how the absences of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. Think about it. How many times have you heard, “It would be different if Tupac was still around,” or, “that couldn’t go platinum if Biggie was still around.”?
Surely the rap game would be different – if not straight up better, if these legends were with us. Sadly, Tupac and Biggie aren’t the only hip-hop heads to die in the short history of this culture, so today we look at some of the amazing events – both good or bad – that we’ve missed because of those who’ve left us far too soon. And, for those who think this is a tired subject – forget it. Until the murderers of Tupac, Biggie and Jam Master Jay are brought to justice, there’s no room for silence.
Big L earning the expectations
Mainstream rap fans may not know, but Big L was 50 Cent long before 50 decided beats were better than bullets and started mauling mix tapes. Big L was an underground legend and Harlem’s answer to Jay Z. Hilarious, powerful and fearless, Big L dropped a couple of albums that make today’s spitters look downright sissy. He didn’t have the star power to take on the dominance of Death Row at its peak (only Biggie did), but Big L would certainly be platinum-plus right now, and Fabolous would be his Ja Rule. Another victim of senseless street violence in 1999, Big L’s murderer is also roaming free.
The Duets
Could you imagine The Game and 2Pac doing a song together over a Dr. Dre beat? Talk about thoughtful, heartfelt thuggery… What about Biggie spitting over a Kanye West track with Ludacris, or trading verses with Snoop while Pharell of the Neptunes sings the hook? Wow. The music we’re missing right now is crushing. How would 2Pac sound over a Scott Storch burner or one of The Alchemists’ brooding concoctions? What about Biggie with Eminem – for real? We could go on forever, and unfortunately we have no choice.
Bad Boy Records would still matter
I got much love for P. Diddy, I really do. But, can we all admit that Bad Boy hasn’t released an album that matters since Notorious B.I.G.’s magnum opus, Life After Death? G. Dep was somewhat overlooked and Carl Thomas has decent voice, but P. Diddy’s star power doesn’t equal great music. With Biggie on board, Bad Boy was home to The Lox – whose talent has never been matched with marketing muscle since leaving Bad Boy behind. Lil’ Kim would still be a rapper instead of a jailed starlet who's more plastic pimping, and any new artist on Bad Boy would get to mingle with a legend. Diddy’s brilliance is barely keeping this ship afloat, and the “Making The Band” phenomenon is losing steam – fast.
Eazy-E reconciling with Dr. Dre – and the return of N.W.A.
Do we really need a N.W.A. reunion? Of course not, which is why it would have been so much fun. The whole Dre back with Ice Cube thing was nice, but the real drama was between Dre and Eazy-E, and something about their combined presence, with Cube writing the lyrics, was magic. MC Ren was the added spice that’s pretty flavorless alone. No, Eazy didn’t have much talent; he was Mike Jones with more charisma and a Jheri curl. An N.W.A. reunion would have been all about the money, but it also would have been nice. It would also be nice if we celebrated Eazy-E’s memory by doing more to fight H.I.V and AIDS, but I digress.
A Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z album
Method Man and Redman made it happen, so logic says this was a foregone conclusion. No one had better chemistry with B.I.G. than Hova, and their rap-duo classic “Brooklyn’s Finest” from Jay’s debut makes that more than clear. “I Love the Dough” from Life After Death was marginal by comparison. So what? Jay Z and Biggie’s dynamic free-verse, battle rhymes, wit and priceless storytelling over the course of a whole album would have been unprecedented. Plus, there would have been no need for the Jay-Z/R Kelly debacles.
No 50 Cent Domination
Seriously, does 50 Cent get this many sales if 2Pac is still alive and dropping current material? Part of 50’s mainstream appeal is his Alpha-Thug status, and he could have never taken that title from Pac. 2Pac raised the bar on gangsta tales by adding keen insights, chilling prophecy and deep love for the ghettos he so poignantly narrated. 50 just loves our money. To be fair, 50 Cent once was a potent underground act who was merciless, funny and different. Now he follows pop-hop’s success model along with Fat Joe, et al. Can you imagine 2Pac following anything? You get the point.
Another Run DMC show
By all accounts, no DJ could orchestrate a rap show like Jam Master Jay. Run was certainly a huge personality and DMC offered a perfect barrel voiced foil, and the two were led through electric sets by the cuts, scratches and mixes of Jay. There were no DATs at Run DMC shows, and since Jam Master Jay’s murder we’ll never see another. DJ’s Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash get due props, but has any one DJ besides Jam Master Jay been a larger force in shaping the modern rap show? What a joy it would be to see how he did it one more time.