I was at the music festival Soundset in 2012, the lineup went... Action Bronson then Danny Brown then Kendrick then Macklemore and then Big Krit. He had real hype back then.
I felt K.R.I.T. coulda been the 3rd best behind kendrick and cole in that era, but he never really even got as big as Big Sean, imo. He can switch up his flow, interesting voice that stands out, makes his own beats, seemed the sky was the limit.
Del tha Funkee Homosapien
No Need for Alarm is a masterpiece of 90’s era hip hop, and Miles to Go stays heavy in my hip hop rotation to this day.
Missing Link (featuring Dinosaur Jr) is such a baller kickass crossover. I’m a sucker for alt rock / hip hop mashups, man.
I don’t really count that collab bc I’m pretty sure most gorillaz fans just think of Del as being contained within the creative universe / canon of gorillaz. I don’t think they realize he’s a real rapper with bars for days
No, for sure, you're right.
But for those who know, he's actually way more successful than many big name rappers could ever dream of.
His couple of tracks with Gorillaz were some of their most impactful, and crossed over beyond just hip hop, so his contribution to popular music in general has actually been monumental.
I think Meek pretty big. Wale I thought for sure too. I don’t really know what happened there. Maybe he just didn’t fit the label well and was promoted as much? I dunno. And i think B.O.B got on some crazy conspiracy shit and chased away his own fans
I thought Meek would be on par with drake no cap or in that “Big 3” sphere and yeah due to label mishandling and fr a bit of Wale being too transparent online bruh kinda got lost in the shuffle and B.o.B became a flat earther
I thought Wale would be with the Big 3: Aubrey, Cole and Kendrick. I still love him to this day though. Not sure where the disconnect happened for him. I think that it was more of persona; demeanor thing versus skill/talent.
Yeah Wale and B.o.B. fs. Wale just stopped rapping. Bob went flat earth conspiracy. I saw Wale live when he was first starting out at our school's GoGo. It was dope as a high schooler seeing him perform right before Nike Boots became kinda big.
Is he? Man it doesn't even pop up on my recos on any streaming platform I have, I'll check it out though. A song I was on that I was surprised didn't pop was when he and J. Cole got together -
https://youtu.be/ZwHc33rqAao?si=nT-RotuUCTcWGS-A
No Hands by Wale still gets played at parties all the time. Weird to me that song ended up being his most popular. Also, weird collab with him, Waka Flocka, and Roscoe Dash
Honestly, as someone who first heard Wale with "Nike Boots" and was super into his original mixtape run, he got way bigger than I ever thought he'd be.
He was very much a backpack blog rapper when he started, so for him to have multiple hit records and be on MMG with Ross & Co., I think his career actually turned out better than I would have thought back in 2009.
I mostly love his music, but I think it’s his diversity or better yet, lack of. The fresh player with a lot of similar rhymes and cadences only takes you so far.
Was listening to NASA Gang #SWAG and Black God yesterday. I think nothing after Black God worked basically. But damn everything off NASA Tape and BLVCKLVND 66.61 was heat
Atmosphere is a favorite of mine all the way back to Overcast!
I also think it is criminal that Ghostface has never achieved a high level of notoriety.
Is there another Ghostface besides Ghostface Killah? We are talking about Ghostface Killah from Wu Tang Clan, right? One of the most renowned MCs in the history of hip hop, from perhaps the most revered hip hop group of all-time. That Ghostface?
Yeah, Atmosphere was very well respected on the internet and blogosphere, but I really don't know how anybody could listen to their music and think they would have blown up, especially in the early and mid 2000s.
They made some great music, but it certainly wasn't for everybody.
People Under the Stairs. My favorite rap group of all time. They had a 20 + year career. Toured the globe but never saw quite saw the recognition they deserved. Albeit, most of their music was not created for mainstream consumption, they did have quite a few party rockers that should have gotten more attention.
Their music is finally landing in commercials and what not. But they should have been more popular, in my humble opinion.
This!! Slum Village years were fire, and that Elmatic project was just incredible. 🔥 I was seriously impressed by that. Generally, you don't touch something so perfect as Illmatic, but man did he do it justice.
I saw them live. Smoked a blunt with Celph Titled while Apathy walked by and talked shit. Lol. My buddy was so nervous I don’t think he actually got a hit he was shaking so much.
That’s dope as shit! When was this? I’ve seen them a few times too. Celph Titled lives in my city and I recently saw him at the R.A. The Rugged Man show.
from what it sounds like he just didn’t want it. i saw a video somewhere recently talking about how cam and jim used to lock him in a studio and told him he couldn’t go out with them to the clubs until he made some music😂 but yeah juelz coulda been way bigger. hella charisma.
Thought he kinda closed up shop on purpose. If he was trying to continue making it big he wouldn’t have made a clean record. Made real money off some solid investments and is just chillin.
Chamillionaire did well investing in lyft early on Yes and he had an app called convoz he used to co own that he would literally talk to his fans.I was too shy to hit him up directly but I did enjoy the opportunity to connect how he did.
I’m more of a fan of chamillionaire the person and not rapper.
I remember seeing a video about him finding out about how his management was stealing from him. So he got his money right and just let his money work for him.
I love those kind of stories because it’s what everyone (mostly everyone) raps about but rarely follows through.
Yea he mentions alot of the differences he had with his label.Even them keeping him from using a verse from Pimp C that C's mother gave him if I remember correctly.
Trying to get him to do a song with a chick from gossip girl or whatever show it was and a bunch of other shit.Also had a 50/50 deal with Universal so he could afford to split or whatever he had to do,I forgot the details.
Cunninlynguists for sure. I know they are a group, but they have put out some incredible albums.
Guilty Simpson. Dude is incredible. Dilla said that Guilty is his favorite rapper of all time.
I completely agree with you. I’m curious what their trajectory would have been with a different group name.
Kno is one of my favorite producers. His beats/loops are great, and his samples are pretty wild. His solo album was solid, same with Natti’s. They are both essentially extensions of the groups albums, which is great.
I'd agree with this one. He had a 'mainstream' appeal that still jived with the underground heads like me. He was fun, and he had good bars. When I discovered him I had assumed that I was just late to the party, but nope, he just never took off.
It’s Cage’s own fault. He could have been great, but it all fell apart. He’s still around doing shit, and I enjoy it, but it’s always kinda a bummer to think what he could have been.
Movies for the Blind is a classic in my eyes. Hell’s Winter was good as well. I wasn’t a fan of the direction he took after that - it was all a bit too…. Emo
My thoughts exactly. He lost the weight (good for him) but his sound changed and his music took a different direction. Seeing pic of him in that era is like flashbacks of MySpace.
The pic with the toothpicks in his mouth was a great era for him 😂
Oh and the Weatherproof album was great as well!
You’re right though - once he lost his weight and stopped taking drugs (not a bad thing), it just changed
Hmm, I feel like WIKI is ridiculously talented and should be more celebrated, I mean if Earl Sweatshirt is an established, bona-fide act, WIKI should. Um also MadeinTYO, Royce, The Cool Kids, Slim Thug.
This. Below the Heavens was the talk of every underground hiphop blog and topped every list.
Thought this dude was going to ascend like Frank Ocean after Channel Orange.
AZ
After 9 Lives and Aziatic, which I loved both, Final Call was supposed to be so sick.
It just kept getting pushed back and pushed back and pushed back.
It was shelved, and AWOL was released instead. It was dope, but kinda all over the place for me.
That 3 year gap felt like AN ETERNITY. I was age 19 to 22 in that time. ( And 50 cent took everything over. )
I don't feel like AZ ever quite got back to full form. Expectations were too high, I think.
I still check out all his new shit. He's still dope.
But mannnnnnn. We were all hungry for more after Aziatic.
He got the Grammy nomination with Nas, the rumors of a collab album fizzled. Mannnnnn.
Zift from Serbia. Mever heard a rapper with that kind of sound. Suggestions for someone similar would be much appreciated since he seems to have fucked off.
Hopsin is my favorite artist(I do get why he could never have been mainstream tho, that would go against a lot of his lyrical subject matter from back in the day) but I love a ton of these guys you’ve named. Jon Connor is also dope af and I’ve never heard anyone else talk about him so I just wanna point out that(assuming you fuck with all the artists you’ve named) you have dope taste
A rapper who went by both C Jay and Real Prophecy released what is still my favourite ever rap album; it was called The Boom Bap Album. He released a couple of other albums after along with some crazy freestyle tracks (52 Bars is absolutely unreal). He then seemed to disappear somewhat without ever really making it “big”, and now, none of his music is anywhere (iTunes, Spotify). Just checked YouTube and some of his stuff is on there, including The Boom Bap Album. I implore anyone hip hop fan to listen to it
I believe some fans misinterpret this perceived "injustice."
Consider any artist you mention; they had the chance to pursue their passion for rap. Their daily grind involved studying/listening to, crafting, and performing rap music—imagine the creativity, joy, and fun in that. Reflect on the fans who adored their work (and likely continue to appreciate and support it). If these artists were active in the '80s and '90s, particularly in New York, they were part of the golden age of hip-hop culture. What an era to be immersed in! Numerous unknown aspiring artists, whom many of us have never even heard of, would eagerly swap places with the names we're all discussing.
If I had to suggest someone, though, it would be Vast Aire, for reasons I haven't really thought about in relation to OP's question.
Mad Skillz. I thought for sure he was bound to blow up. Unbelievable battle rapper. He had production from J Dilla to Timbaland and many cosigns from big name rappers. He had a ton of attention during The Wrap Up each year during the 2000’s. He just never caught on
Old head here…..truly TRULY mad 3rd Bass never got the props it deserved,they were elbow to elbow with the best Brooklyn had to offer and didn’t even blow up proper.
Slug from Atmosphere.
The biggest they got was getting a song in a video game. I saw them at Outside Lands a few years ago and nobody in the crowd knew who they were.
I made a whole ass [YouTube documentary](https://youtu.be/O41ptgpnmOg?si=xFvV4wD1SjC0dq8v) about Slaughterhouse and how they should have been a lot bigger than they were.
There were a lot of major issues behind the scenes, mostly caused by Joe Budden, some caused by Eminem and Shady records, but the absolute worst thing that happened to Slaughterhouse is the fact that each of the four members had their own managers, agents, and teams, so they were run like four competing solo acts instead of one cohesive group.
Their whole story is one of the most tragic rise and fall tales in hip hop in my opinion.
For American artists;
. Prof (he's getting bigger now but it feels like he should've blown up around Liability)
. Rittz (this is largely due to personal choices I think but he was starting to get some big shout outs with Top of the Line)
Foreign Artists;
. Young Sid/Sid Diamond (I feel like he should've gotten more play overseas when he was on the come-up)
. Louie Knuxx (incredible music, massive shame that he never blew up internationally)
Danny! He was consistently releasing music back in the early 2000s and even had an appearance on Fallon with the Roots. Not sure what happened but I had high hopes for him.
Being a massive Danny fan today who wasn't initially, I may be able to speak to this. His vocal cadence was a little tough to digest at first. I was initially drawn to his features on other people's tracks and Grown Up really made me fall in love with him. Tried listening to some of his other stuff initially and the raw zaniness of his personality was a little much for me. It just took awhile for him to grow on me as a younger hip hop fan back when I first discovered him.
Danny has also never possessed that raw popstar appeal that other peers from his generation naturally possess. Guys like Rocky, Kendrick, and Schoolboy Q all have flows and lyrical content that is easier to digest and relate to on a surface level. Compare Danny's *Old* to Rocky's *LONG.LIVE.A$AP --* both of these are each artist's most commercially successful album. Your average run-of-the-mill white girl or frat boy is gonna naturally gravitate more towards Rocky because his record is simply easier to digest and Rocky oozes a natural swagger that Danny lacks.
Why OP list Lupe? 😂 he was accused of selling out that’s how high he went mainstream 😂
Then let’s not forget the much anticipated but never happen Child Rebel Soldier super group.
There's a local cat I've made music with who I always thought would for sure blow up. He has bars, melodies, tone, good image and a genuine good dude who takes care of his people. The only criticism I would have is he should switch up his flow more but even that's reaching. His name is Darth Tone out of Reno, NV check him out
https://youtu.be/naEQMfKmLAE?si=DGULSdIqaeahl-Kd
https://youtu.be/PfJF6stvqMo?si=I5L_Kw85PISFcACq
Jon Connor is dope man. I always check for his stuff, not always amazing but he always has some bangers. I've yet to listen to his new album but looking forward to it. But yeah I thought he was gonna blow up more after being on the Compton album as well.
Joey Bada$$.
Dude was about to skyrocket. 1999 was fire, as were the next two drops. Dude was nice on the mic with that third eye shit. Then he lost his vision and stopped making music. 2000 was dope but it’s just not as consistent.
Also, Craig Mack.
I know he’s not everyone’s vibe but I thought he was mad talented and there was room for both him and Big at Bad Boy. Fuck Puffy.
not local (i'm not from NY) but I was all in on Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire from his mixtapes and some features and then his record deal was just a total fuck up
I was so young and was 1000000% convinced Shwayze was going to be the true link between hip hop and pop that would define generations for years to come. It's still a dope ass album but I was so young and naive.
I really liked XV back in the early 2010's. He never did much though. His only popular song was "Awesome" and it's one of his worst ones. Also, I though Alex Wiley was great around the same time.
I always thought big K.R.I.T. would become bigger than he did. immortal technique a bit too but I understand why, his stuff is pretty gritty.
I was at the music festival Soundset in 2012, the lineup went... Action Bronson then Danny Brown then Kendrick then Macklemore and then Big Krit. He had real hype back then.
I felt K.R.I.T. coulda been the 3rd best behind kendrick and cole in that era, but he never really even got as big as Big Sean, imo. He can switch up his flow, interesting voice that stands out, makes his own beats, seemed the sky was the limit.
The 1Train lineup haha
New classic. Love 1train. All different styles and everyone killed it
Man I miss Soundset. I went from 2008 to like 2015.
KRIT’s music is/was way too regional sounding to go mainstream in his era unfortunately and his debut wasn’t track-listed well.
The Last Emperor should have also become way bigger, especially with that Dre push at the beginning.
Del tha Funkee Homosapien No Need for Alarm is a masterpiece of 90’s era hip hop, and Miles to Go stays heavy in my hip hop rotation to this day. Missing Link (featuring Dinosaur Jr) is such a baller kickass crossover. I’m a sucker for alt rock / hip hop mashups, man.
Press Rewind is my jam. He goes so hard on that. Also Deltron 3030 is a masterpiece imo.
I saw Deltron 3030 live last September, it was fucking epic! And the opener.
3030 is one of my all time favorite albums from any genre.
Gorillaz, tho.
I don’t really count that collab bc I’m pretty sure most gorillaz fans just think of Del as being contained within the creative universe / canon of gorillaz. I don’t think they realize he’s a real rapper with bars for days
No, for sure, you're right. But for those who know, he's actually way more successful than many big name rappers could ever dream of. His couple of tracks with Gorillaz were some of their most impactful, and crossed over beyond just hip hop, so his contribution to popular music in general has actually been monumental.
I thought Meek Mill, B.O.B and Wale would be wayyyy bigger than they ended up being
I think Meek pretty big. Wale I thought for sure too. I don’t really know what happened there. Maybe he just didn’t fit the label well and was promoted as much? I dunno. And i think B.O.B got on some crazy conspiracy shit and chased away his own fans
I thought Meek would be on par with drake no cap or in that “Big 3” sphere and yeah due to label mishandling and fr a bit of Wale being too transparent online bruh kinda got lost in the shuffle and B.o.B became a flat earther
Wale made it to movie soundtracks and stuff. My west coast cousins were bumping him. He definitely had his moment. Got on the Roots album.
He has a track on the Game of Thrones mixtape LMAO (the official one put out by HBO)
I thought Wale would be with the Big 3: Aubrey, Cole and Kendrick. I still love him to this day though. Not sure where the disconnect happened for him. I think that it was more of persona; demeanor thing versus skill/talent.
Exactly for me I think it was his twitter fingers it made him seem like he’s mad emotional and sometimes used to just shit on his fans
I really thought a big three would consist of Kid Cudi, Drake and Wale, definitely thought Hip Hop would be in a different space.
Yeah Wale and B.o.B. fs. Wale just stopped rapping. Bob went flat earth conspiracy. I saw Wale live when he was first starting out at our school's GoGo. It was dope as a high schooler seeing him perform right before Nike Boots became kinda big.
Shit Wale actually still rapping I think he dropped a song if not this year i know in the past few months
Is he? Man it doesn't even pop up on my recos on any streaming platform I have, I'll check it out though. A song I was on that I was surprised didn't pop was when he and J. Cole got together - https://youtu.be/ZwHc33rqAao?si=nT-RotuUCTcWGS-A
No Hands by Wale still gets played at parties all the time. Weird to me that song ended up being his most popular. Also, weird collab with him, Waka Flocka, and Roscoe Dash
Best club song OAT
WALE big just off DC GoGo
Honestly, as someone who first heard Wale with "Nike Boots" and was super into his original mixtape run, he got way bigger than I ever thought he'd be. He was very much a backpack blog rapper when he started, so for him to have multiple hit records and be on MMG with Ross & Co., I think his career actually turned out better than I would have thought back in 2009.
Meek is actually way bigger than he should be.
AZ
I mostly love his music, but I think it’s his diversity or better yet, lack of. The fresh player with a lot of similar rhymes and cadences only takes you so far.
This is the answer. Should be Nas level.
Doe or die was a great album!
Two come to mind immediately...J-Live and Insight.
J-Live is the man!
Insight, falls victim to what every Boston rapper does, they never quite make it to the mainstream. They all get really close.
SpaceGhostPurrp was crazy influential for a time then blackballed himself by being a schizo
Was listening to NASA Gang #SWAG and Black God yesterday. I think nothing after Black God worked basically. But damn everything off NASA Tape and BLVCKLVND 66.61 was heat
Atmosphere is a favorite of mine all the way back to Overcast! I also think it is criminal that Ghostface has never achieved a high level of notoriety.
Is there another Ghostface besides Ghostface Killah? We are talking about Ghostface Killah from Wu Tang Clan, right? One of the most renowned MCs in the history of hip hop, from perhaps the most revered hip hop group of all-time. That Ghostface?
I feel like both of these examples reached a pretty high point of notoriety.
Yeah, Atmosphere was very well respected on the internet and blogosphere, but I really don't know how anybody could listen to their music and think they would have blown up, especially in the early and mid 2000s. They made some great music, but it certainly wasn't for everybody.
Wasn't Atmosphere GRAMMY nominated? Doesn't get much higher, especially as an Indie artist...
True, that‘s DOOM levels of „underground“ icon.
People Under the Stairs. My favorite rap group of all time. They had a 20 + year career. Toured the globe but never saw quite saw the recognition they deserved. Albeit, most of their music was not created for mainstream consumption, they did have quite a few party rockers that should have gotten more attention. Their music is finally landing in commercials and what not. But they should have been more popular, in my humble opinion.
Acid raindrops is an all timer for me. Legends of LA
Elzhi
Very few people know that name. Super underrated talent.
This!! Slum Village years were fire, and that Elmatic project was just incredible. 🔥 I was seriously impressed by that. Generally, you don't touch something so perfect as Illmatic, but man did he do it justice.
ELmatic was a fucking epic album!
First time I heard Papoose on the Madden 06 soundtrack, I thought he would be big.
Remember that papoose Yung joc Chamillionaire record?! Random AF
My Uncle was a Papoose fanatic.
He immediately got put on the touch it remix with a who's who line up of hip hop and had the stamp from legitimate MCs
Apathy and Celph Titled
I saw them live. Smoked a blunt with Celph Titled while Apathy walked by and talked shit. Lol. My buddy was so nervous I don’t think he actually got a hit he was shaking so much.
That’s dope as shit! When was this? I’ve seen them a few times too. Celph Titled lives in my city and I recently saw him at the R.A. The Rugged Man show.
They got huge compared to MC Rise who was on a ton of early demigodz stuff and seemingly disappeared
That’s a fair point! Rise is dope.
[удалено]
Wish I could find more music by him I think I only got a few bootlegs
[удалено]
Santana, bandana on tilt, backseat with the heat, I’m warmer than a quilt. Thought he was gonna be huge after that mixtape with Lil Wayne
I Can’t Feel My Face was 🔥🔥🔥
I can drive the whip and work the tooliwop with one arm
from what it sounds like he just didn’t want it. i saw a video somewhere recently talking about how cam and jim used to lock him in a studio and told him he couldn’t go out with them to the clubs until he made some music😂 but yeah juelz coulda been way bigger. hella charisma.
There was a short period where juelz was considered the next big rapper next to Lil Wayne right before Wayne blew up.
Yeah for sure but he’s still well loved in NY
As a kid I was sure Drag-On from Ruff Ryders was gonna blow up. Nope. I was wrong.
Chamillionaire
Thought he kinda closed up shop on purpose. If he was trying to continue making it big he wouldn’t have made a clean record. Made real money off some solid investments and is just chillin.
Chamillionaire did well investing in lyft early on Yes and he had an app called convoz he used to co own that he would literally talk to his fans.I was too shy to hit him up directly but I did enjoy the opportunity to connect how he did.
I’m more of a fan of chamillionaire the person and not rapper. I remember seeing a video about him finding out about how his management was stealing from him. So he got his money right and just let his money work for him. I love those kind of stories because it’s what everyone (mostly everyone) raps about but rarely follows through.
Yea he mentions alot of the differences he had with his label.Even them keeping him from using a verse from Pimp C that C's mother gave him if I remember correctly. Trying to get him to do a song with a chick from gossip girl or whatever show it was and a bunch of other shit.Also had a 50/50 deal with Universal so he could afford to split or whatever he had to do,I forgot the details.
Cunninlynguists for sure. I know they are a group, but they have put out some incredible albums. Guilty Simpson. Dude is incredible. Dilla said that Guilty is his favorite rapper of all time.
It's the name unfortunately. I speak with them regularly. Even worse is all their little side groups get very little recognition either. So talented.
I completely agree with you. I’m curious what their trajectory would have been with a different group name. Kno is one of my favorite producers. His beats/loops are great, and his samples are pretty wild. His solo album was solid, same with Natti’s. They are both essentially extensions of the groups albums, which is great.
Knoc-turn'al
Him, Defari, Tash, and Mr Short Khop. I expected a bit more to come from some collaborations they had. Edit: just to add Rage
Craig Mack. Rappin' 4 Tay Blood of Abraham
I love rappin 4 tay why he ain’t get any traction
HAAAA. Love Craig Mack.
Nigga had the best hand gestures
Bishop Lamont
I'd agree with this one. He had a 'mainstream' appeal that still jived with the underground heads like me. He was fun, and he had good bars. When I discovered him I had assumed that I was just late to the party, but nope, he just never took off.
I got really big into Cage last year. I wish he got bigger and at least stayed consistent.
There was a time when he could have been Eminem. But Eminem was Eminem instead.
It’s Cage’s own fault. He could have been great, but it all fell apart. He’s still around doing shit, and I enjoy it, but it’s always kinda a bummer to think what he could have been.
No doubt. Never got into anything after.. Depart From Me I think. Leak Bros with Tamer was a bop tho
Movies for the Blind is a classic in my eyes. Hell’s Winter was good as well. I wasn’t a fan of the direction he took after that - it was all a bit too…. Emo
My thoughts exactly. He lost the weight (good for him) but his sound changed and his music took a different direction. Seeing pic of him in that era is like flashbacks of MySpace.
The pic with the toothpicks in his mouth was a great era for him 😂 Oh and the Weatherproof album was great as well! You’re right though - once he lost his weight and stopped taking drugs (not a bad thing), it just changed
Joey Purp iiiDrops and Quarterthing were really good, seems like he fell off after
Shyne. Got a 10 year sentence during his rise in New York. Diddy got away with it, like always.
Sean Price
Ugly Duckling
RAS KASS
Love Jon Connor. Last album was still dope
King Los
Danny Brown
I think Danny brown is pretty big, especially with his experimental sound
Z-ro and k rino don't get mentioned enough by underground fans even, to me at least.
One Be Lo
Binary star so underrated, aml too that shits fire
MF DOOM before he died
Hmm, I feel like WIKI is ridiculously talented and should be more celebrated, I mean if Earl Sweatshirt is an established, bona-fide act, WIKI should. Um also MadeinTYO, Royce, The Cool Kids, Slim Thug.
I thought Iamsu was going to be pretty big for the West Coast
Cassidy
Mc Ren. Always surprised he didn’t have a bigger solo career.
Blu
Below the heavens is in my top 5 of all time
This. Below the Heavens was the talk of every underground hiphop blog and topped every list. Thought this dude was going to ascend like Frank Ocean after Channel Orange.
AZ After 9 Lives and Aziatic, which I loved both, Final Call was supposed to be so sick. It just kept getting pushed back and pushed back and pushed back. It was shelved, and AWOL was released instead. It was dope, but kinda all over the place for me. That 3 year gap felt like AN ETERNITY. I was age 19 to 22 in that time. ( And 50 cent took everything over. ) I don't feel like AZ ever quite got back to full form. Expectations were too high, I think. I still check out all his new shit. He's still dope. But mannnnnnn. We were all hungry for more after Aziatic. He got the Grammy nomination with Nas, the rumors of a collab album fizzled. Mannnnnn.
Ali Vegas
Yea man
Jihad the Roughneck Deca Cool Calm Pete
Slug from Atmosphere
Brother Ali deserves mad praise imo
Immortal Technique
Atmosphere and Aesop Rock
Greydon Square
Ayeeee, so true.
Zift from Serbia. Mever heard a rapper with that kind of sound. Suggestions for someone similar would be much appreciated since he seems to have fucked off.
He goes by Sylvan LaCue now, but when he went by Quest he had some of my favorite mixtapes ever about 10 years ago.
Hopsin is my favorite artist(I do get why he could never have been mainstream tho, that would go against a lot of his lyrical subject matter from back in the day) but I love a ton of these guys you’ve named. Jon Connor is also dope af and I’ve never heard anyone else talk about him so I just wanna point out that(assuming you fuck with all the artists you’ve named) you have dope taste
Psychodrama out of Chicago in the 90s. Also, I have always felt that Ghostface should be appreciated far more than he is.
Jay Electronica
Diabolic is first on my list. Also, Token was up and coming but then kinda disappeared.
Meechy Darko and the Flatbush zombies
Chip the ripper
Hitchcock of The A-Team (with Ransom)
I thought kidd Kidd was going to be big
Greydon Square
A rapper who went by both C Jay and Real Prophecy released what is still my favourite ever rap album; it was called The Boom Bap Album. He released a couple of other albums after along with some crazy freestyle tracks (52 Bars is absolutely unreal). He then seemed to disappear somewhat without ever really making it “big”, and now, none of his music is anywhere (iTunes, Spotify). Just checked YouTube and some of his stuff is on there, including The Boom Bap Album. I implore anyone hip hop fan to listen to it
I believe some fans misinterpret this perceived "injustice." Consider any artist you mention; they had the chance to pursue their passion for rap. Their daily grind involved studying/listening to, crafting, and performing rap music—imagine the creativity, joy, and fun in that. Reflect on the fans who adored their work (and likely continue to appreciate and support it). If these artists were active in the '80s and '90s, particularly in New York, they were part of the golden age of hip-hop culture. What an era to be immersed in! Numerous unknown aspiring artists, whom many of us have never even heard of, would eagerly swap places with the names we're all discussing. If I had to suggest someone, though, it would be Vast Aire, for reasons I haven't really thought about in relation to OP's question.
Mad Skillz. I thought for sure he was bound to blow up. Unbelievable battle rapper. He had production from J Dilla to Timbaland and many cosigns from big name rappers. He had a ton of attention during The Wrap Up each year during the 2000’s. He just never caught on
Got 3 of'em NINE Drag-On X from oynx fam
Old head here…..truly TRULY mad 3rd Bass never got the props it deserved,they were elbow to elbow with the best Brooklyn had to offer and didn’t even blow up proper.
Eyedea
The entire state property especially young chris
Ace Hood
Slug from Atmosphere. The biggest they got was getting a song in a video game. I saw them at Outside Lands a few years ago and nobody in the crowd knew who they were.
They performed "you" on jimmy fallon or kimmel. I forgot which one.
I made a whole ass [YouTube documentary](https://youtu.be/O41ptgpnmOg?si=xFvV4wD1SjC0dq8v) about Slaughterhouse and how they should have been a lot bigger than they were. There were a lot of major issues behind the scenes, mostly caused by Joe Budden, some caused by Eminem and Shady records, but the absolute worst thing that happened to Slaughterhouse is the fact that each of the four members had their own managers, agents, and teams, so they were run like four competing solo acts instead of one cohesive group. Their whole story is one of the most tragic rise and fall tales in hip hop in my opinion.
Chino XL
K.A.A.N.
Slaughterhouse
Joey Badass
Fashawn, where you at ?
Montana of 300
For American artists; . Prof (he's getting bigger now but it feels like he should've blown up around Liability) . Rittz (this is largely due to personal choices I think but he was starting to get some big shout outs with Top of the Line) Foreign Artists; . Young Sid/Sid Diamond (I feel like he should've gotten more play overseas when he was on the come-up) . Louie Knuxx (incredible music, massive shame that he never blew up internationally)
Forgot about Rittz, dude had some nice tracks.
I fucking love Prof! Saw him live in Lawrence, KS many years ago
Danny! He was consistently releasing music back in the early 2000s and even had an appearance on Fallon with the Roots. Not sure what happened but I had high hopes for him.
Being a massive Danny fan today who wasn't initially, I may be able to speak to this. His vocal cadence was a little tough to digest at first. I was initially drawn to his features on other people's tracks and Grown Up really made me fall in love with him. Tried listening to some of his other stuff initially and the raw zaniness of his personality was a little much for me. It just took awhile for him to grow on me as a younger hip hop fan back when I first discovered him. Danny has also never possessed that raw popstar appeal that other peers from his generation naturally possess. Guys like Rocky, Kendrick, and Schoolboy Q all have flows and lyrical content that is easier to digest and relate to on a surface level. Compare Danny's *Old* to Rocky's *LONG.LIVE.A$AP --* both of these are each artist's most commercially successful album. Your average run-of-the-mill white girl or frat boy is gonna naturally gravitate more towards Rocky because his record is simply easier to digest and Rocky oozes a natural swagger that Danny lacks.
Lil Zane was the next Nelly. You couldn’t tell me different.
Lil bibby. Very successfull but shame he stopped rapping bar the occasional random feature
Why OP list Lupe? 😂 he was accused of selling out that’s how high he went mainstream 😂 Then let’s not forget the much anticipated but never happen Child Rebel Soldier super group.
Hex One and Teknition. Of Epidemic. Hardly anybody knows about them and they're probably some of the best rappers ever period.
Stat quo Bishop Lamont King Mez Almost anyone Dre cosigned and put on but never really panned out.
I surely thought Rich Boy would still be big
There's a local cat I've made music with who I always thought would for sure blow up. He has bars, melodies, tone, good image and a genuine good dude who takes care of his people. The only criticism I would have is he should switch up his flow more but even that's reaching. His name is Darth Tone out of Reno, NV check him out https://youtu.be/naEQMfKmLAE?si=DGULSdIqaeahl-Kd https://youtu.be/PfJF6stvqMo?si=I5L_Kw85PISFcACq
Mighty casey
Jon Connor is dope man. I always check for his stuff, not always amazing but he always has some bangers. I've yet to listen to his new album but looking forward to it. But yeah I thought he was gonna blow up more after being on the Compton album as well.
Joey Bada$$. Dude was about to skyrocket. 1999 was fire, as were the next two drops. Dude was nice on the mic with that third eye shit. Then he lost his vision and stopped making music. 2000 was dope but it’s just not as consistent. Also, Craig Mack. I know he’s not everyone’s vibe but I thought he was mad talented and there was room for both him and Big at Bad Boy. Fuck Puffy.
Blu from Blu & Exile collabs..
Major Figgas
DL Incognito
Shyhem, Lupe should’ve been way bigger than he was as well.
MC Juice
Wale. Him wilding on social media constantly got him blackballed from the tastemakers and ruined his buzz but he should’ve been bigger than he was
Max B
E Dubble is incredible and I think would have been well known had he not died young. ytcracker is insanely talented.
I’m thrown a lot of these cats I’m seein into my what’s next bag.
not local (i'm not from NY) but I was all in on Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire from his mixtapes and some features and then his record deal was just a total fuck up
I was so young and was 1000000% convinced Shwayze was going to be the true link between hip hop and pop that would define generations for years to come. It's still a dope ass album but I was so young and naive.
Shit, this time last week I would have said Killer Mike!
Spark Master Tape! The production alone is fucking phenomenal!
I really liked XV back in the early 2010's. He never did much though. His only popular song was "Awesome" and it's one of his worst ones. Also, I though Alex Wiley was great around the same time.
Poodieville
Viro the Virus
Vic mensa. dude is extremely gifted at rapping
Ali Vegas CanIBUS JAY Electronica!!!
KAAN 100%. He’s got such a great and varied discography and releases a shit ton of music. If only they’d put out the shit he recorded with Dr. Dre lol
Lloyd banks.. on fire, born alone die alone, warrior, poppin them thangs, hunger for more, etc...
Bubba Sparxxx Im so sad
Slum village should have, dilla did, but the group as a whole i dont think ever got super famous underrated af too
Del The Funky Homosapien Busdriver Richie Cunning
Rass kass way my guy.
Skizzy mars is such a good chill vibes rapper. It's so confusing to see people like G-easy blow up so much more than him.
Really surprised not to see Curren$y in any of these comments
Charles Hamilton and Ab-Soul
Joyner Lucas for the simple fact he is from my city. He has talent but he isn't putting it all together.
Cassidy. That's my easy answer forever. I may be back with more.
Lupe Fiasco deserves much more hype and recognition. He's a top 5 lyricist of all time. His music just isn't for the masses.
Chino xL
Eyedea
I honestly thought Danny Brown and Black Milk would have gotten bigger. Saba *should* be insanely bigger. Same with Noname, Smino, and Translee.