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Most Anticipated Hip-Hop Artist of 2010: XV

January 6, 2010

Ladies and gentlemen, Wichita, Kansas is about to be put on the national hip-hop map! One of the hottest new artists in the game, XV, is doing big things in 2010, and HipHopForNerds.com plans to follow him every step of the way. The best part about this blog post though is that XV has already stirred up a storm in 2008 and 2009, so really this is less of a personal prediction and more of a statement of fact.

I’ve wrote about XV before. In late 2008 I blogged about a track he did with Ne-Yo and hyped up his future album release of The Kid With The Green Backpack. Unfortunately that project has yet to be released, but XV did something bigger in 2009. He released an all original mixtape called Everybody’s Nobody which was recently voted Mixtape Of The Year by DJBooth.net staff, and may have even earned him a rumored spot on XXL Magazine’s freshman class of ’10 list. His new music video for “Fall Out The Sky” has nearly 30,000 hits since September, he got to perform at the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors pre-party, and he is preparing to release even more new material this year.

Overall, I think XV has more talent than Drake or Kid Cudi if you are looking for a recent rookie to compare him to, but lyrically he isn’t quite there yet, and that may be the most important factor in him getting signed. This may also be the last year that we can hype XV up. If he doesn’t do something big after 3 straight years of independent domination, he may forever be independent. That doesn’t mean he still can’t make money, but I think he’ll surprise a lot of people this year regardless.

http://www.myspace.com/xtothev

http://www.thecoolniverse.com

http://www.twitter.com/xtothevizzy

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HipHopForNerds.com Top 5 Rap/Hip-Hop Albums of 2009 List

December 23, 2009

Jay-Z – “The Blueprint 3″ Is Our Album Of The Year Pick!

These lists are never easy to make, yet so easy to debate. The world of hip-hop is becoming so large that it’s pretty impossible to make any sort of universally accepted list. If you have followed this blog though, you should already have an idea of what my list will look like. HipHopForNerds.com has been a supporter of mostly mainstream hip-hop, as well as some independent stuff that you have probably never heard before. With that said, certain artists did not make it onto this blog or into this list because they simply were not in the pool of candidates I listened to. I listen to everything I can, but I know there are probably albums I have missed. Feel free to comment if you feel I’ve omitted an artist who should truly be in the top 5. With that said, here is my list of best rap albums of 2009.

1. Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3

I know the haters are gonna be mad about this one. I don’t really know why anyone expected a 40 year old man to release an album for the streets, but that has pretty much been the big criticism. Critics call this “white collar rap”, but it’s a lyrically eye opening album if you actually listen to the words. For once, Jay is taking a stand against some of the stupidity he once stood for. He tells us why all the things he once thought were cool are no longer cool, and he shares the story of how a poor drug dealer from Brooklyn became a global star. The production of the album puts this above Eminem’s Relapse on my list, and is definitely my favorite album of 2009. It is good music for anyone who cares to be successful in life. If you consider it bragging, well, Jay has a right to brag.

2. Eminem – Relapse

Relapse is not the best album of Eminem’s career, but it beats out his previous two (Encore & The Re-Up), and should be considered as an appetizer to what I anticipate will be the best album of his career in Relapse 2. Eminem sounded like a man only beginning to reach his prime on this album. Ever since he quit drinking and drugs, his flow has gotten quicker and more crisp. You could tell he had some rust to shake off, and a few of these tracks are filler material in his overall catalog, but if you’ve heard The Refill, you already know he’s only getting better. Expect Eminem to hold the top spot on next year’s list, but until then, go get that Refill!

3. Rick Ross – Deeper Than Rap

Ricky Ross didn’t receive the greatest review from me when the album initially dropped, but in hindsight, this really is a good album. Lyrically it’s nothing mind blowing, but the replay value, production, guest features, and energy of the album make it one of this year’s best. Add that to the fact that Ross nearly outsold 50 Cent’s album in the first week, and you’ve got an emerging star here. Can Ross keep it up next year? I have a feeling we’ve heard his best work already, but maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised by another one.

4. Kid Cudi – Man On The Moon: The End Of Day

Is it possible that being born and raised in Cleveland led to my inclusion of this album on my list? Possibly. The more likely reason though is that Cudi dominated the rookie class of 09 with his music and sales this year. Man On The Moon was the highest selling album of anyone in XXL magazine’s top 10 freshman list, and was one of the best selling rap albums of 2009 in general. It is very artsy and slow paced, but when your mood is down and you need some musical therapy, this album should do the trick. It was an impressive rookie release, and Cudi will likely shine again as it appears his label is already granting him a second album packed with even more star power.

5. MIMS – Guilt

If I went around the streets polling people on their top rap albums of the year, MIMS’ album probably wouldn’t even be on most top 20 lists. With that said, most people also haven’t given this album a chance. MIMS is the type of rapper who always releases fun, shallow, danceable singles which degrade his credibility, but his albums usually tell a different story. Guilt is one of my favorite albums this year because of it’s diversity and creativity. MIMS explores the rock genre just enough to add an alternative feel to the album, and you can tell he really made this one from the heart. This album should not be slept on. It hasn’t left my rotation since it dropped, and if you think I’m crazy, at least give it a listen.

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Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – 2009: The Comeback of the Decade?

November 25, 2009

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is undoubtedly one of the most influential and often imitated groups in hip-hop history. Even younger fans who don’t remember or even know who Bone is have been influenced by their music. Their influence is heard on radio and seen on music-television every day. They were the first to sing on a rap record; the first to mix harmony and flow; the first to spit their rhymes quicker than people could even understand what was being said. You can hear a bit of Bone in almost every modern act, from Flo’Rida to Ja Rule, The Dream, and Ludacris to name a few. They even impressed Jay-Z and Dame Dash so much that Jay-Z didn’t even compete against Bizzy Bone in a battle that Dame had arranged in New York. The story goes that when Bizzy finished rapping, Jay forfeited the battle and said “man I ain’t never heard no shit like that. Take the money”, and asked the most important question of the decade: “Who are you?”. They were BONE THUGS-N-HARMONY, and they were ready to take over the hip-hop world…and they did. E. 1999 Eternal, the group’s most popular album, was certified Diamond by the RIAA for going 10X platinum, and still, Bone is rarely mentioned amongst the greats, and barely known now. What happened?

For as great and historic as they are, Bone is probably one of the most dysfunctional music groups ever. As early as 1997 when The Art Of War was released, rumors began swirling of bad blood between Bizzy Bone and the rest of the group. Accused of being an alcoholic, missing promo spots, and not showing up to concerts, Bizzy Bone wasn’t exactly holding his weight with the group. On top of that, their fifth member Flesh-N-Bone wasn’t even signed by their label, and was limited to a few guest spots on their albums. By 2000, things seemed to have been worked out. Flesh signed with the group and appeared on their entire BTNHRessurection album, and Bizzy was back on good terms with the group. This didn’t last long, however. BTNHRessurection was their least successful album up to that point, Flesh caught a gun charge and was sentenced to a decade in prison, and Bizzy Bone was off again, on again with his antics. Bone also had issues with their label. The wife of Eazy-E, Tomika Wright, didn’t seem to have the business mind to keep Bone in the limelight. Most of their albums have been plagued by delays, and they’ve struggled to deliver true hit singles despite their overall great music.

Bone spent the next 7 years trying everything they could to stay relevant. They released another album, subsequently kicked Bizzy out of the group, cut ties with Ruthless Records, and signed to Interscope, released 2 more albums and an EP, and at the end of the day, managed only one hit single and one gold album throughout that entire span. Bone as a group has not been a national icon since the late 90′s, so its not hard to see now how they’ve been so easily forgotten.

One thing that kept Bone Thugs-N-Harmony in the game though was the impending release of Flesh-N-Bone from prison in the summer of 2008. Loyal Bone fans always believed that Flesh’s release would heal the wounds between Bizzy and the group, and that the 5 original thugs would eventually reunite for a major comeback. This is exactly where Bone is at right now. As the end of 2009 approaches, Bone is expected to release their highly anticipated reunion album, Uni5: The World’s Enemy via Warner Bros. Records and BTNH Worldwide. The album is expected to drop Dec. 22nd, and the group’s first single “See Me Shine” is already being called one of their best songs ever.

Most of the songs for their new album have already been leaked via a live online listening party last month. However, these low quality video clips merely provide a teaser to what may be one of the best Bone albums to date. A Warner Bros. representative was quoted as saying “this album is a major piece of art”, and the fact that Warner picked up Bone in the first place is a sign that some folks still believe in them.

Can Bone Thugs-N-Harmony make the comeback of the decade? Will the group survive long enough to take over the world again? Only time will tell. But as a Cleveland native and long time Bone fan, I cannot wait.

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Hip-Hop Artists Who Get On v.s. The Ones Who Don’t; It’s More Than Talent

August 7, 2009

xxl09

Late last year I started this blog with the intent of reviewing and showcasing a variety of up and coming rap stars, in addition to covering mainstream rap music. Being from Cleveland, I was hoping to discover a lot of local talent in the process. I put my contact info right there at the top, and within weeks started getting all kinds of mixtapes, singles, press releases, etc. e-mailed right to me from independent rappers looking for another outlet to be heard on. Eventually it got a little overwhelming and I’ve had to pick and choose when and who to showcase, but just seeing the grind in these guys makes me feel like their gonna do alright, regardless of if I’m even feeling the record.

And that my friends is the name of the game. When you hear a terrible song on the radio and think “how the heck did that dude get signed?”, it’s probably because his grind was unbelieveable. Likewise, when you hear an amazing song and then find out its by Joe so-and-so who works at Giant Eagle and drives an 89 Chevy Beretta, you think “how the heck is he NOT signed?”. Well, you guessed it. No grind. A local emcee named  Proph The Problem once told me, there might be tons of fans of your music out there; they just haven’t heard it yet. It was a simple but deep statement. More emcees should take note.

The depressing thing about this whole blog experience is that all of the promo materials I get are from out of town acts. Cleveland rappers have done absolutely nothing to seek me out for reviews or website features. The majority of Cleveland rap that I do write about is stuff I’ve sought out on my own. So now I’ve become the hustler because I’m promoting artists who are not really promoting themselves, knowing in the end neither of us will gain anything from it. At least when I blog about someone like R.H. Bless rhblessphoto from   Brooklyn, I know I’m one of dozens of other blogs contributing to building that buzz. It’s not like that when I want to write about Cleveland rappers. I’m just one little blog, and I can’t contribute to building a buzz that hasn’t even been born yet. So last night I went on a Twitter rant encouraging my peers to step up, and I’m sure I looked like an asshole in the end. What sparked that emotion in me was listening to all this great independent music by artists who had crazy grind, knowing one day they were gonna be getting on and I could look back and remember some blog I did about them when they first came up. And that’s a feeling I lack when it comes to rappers in my own city. When I hear a great record from them, I usually get hyped up initially, and then realize that record probably doesn’t have a press release, probably won’t be sent to blogs and websites outside of Cleveland, and will probably just die out and be forgotten like so many other great Cleveland rap songs.

When you hear a bad song make it on radio or a bad artist get a featured gig in New York and you know you’re a better artist, it’s time to re-evaluate why you are not where that artist is. I’ve been an active part of the Cleveland hip-hop scene going on 3 years now, and the same cats who were plotting moves in 2007 are still plotting today. They can’t even sell tickets to a local show let alone get on somewhere outside of Cleveland. Yet they have so much talent it kinda hurts to watch it go to waste. The buzz is not present because it was never created in the first place, and any good A&R would tell you the buzz is crucial.

So how can these artists change? How can they become like the ones who did make it big, the ones who do appear as rookies on XXL magazine every year? Emulate what worked for them. It starts with a web presence, a relationship with the fans, a gimmick, a look, something to set you apart and make the people want to get to know you better. When LMFAO walks off a plane and the first thought that comes to someones mind is “those guys look like their having a lot of fun”, then thats probably why they are where they are.

But if your MySpace page still has 2007 skins on it, and your blog gets updated once a week or less, and you’re not doing a lot of shows, and you’re not working on press kits and e-mail blasts, and you’ve never spent even 2 minutes with a fan and asked them what they liked about your music, and accepted criticism and got better from it… then you are destined to be nothing.  And if you’re sitting on music that you recorded months ago waiting for the “right time” to put it out, you probably missed that train months ago too.

Until then, I will accept what is and give to those who ask. When I get press kits and mixtapes and new music in my e-mail box, I’ll help whoever I can because they asked me too, and not because I had to go and find them for myself. I can’t do your dirty work.

- Nox

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Rapper “The Game” Needs A Reality Check

July 13, 2009

the_game_rap-2-468x494This is one of those rants that has been months in the making, but held back due to the fact I actually like much of  The Game’s music. The thing is, I also like Michael Jackson, Eminem, and Bizzy Bone music even if I don’t agree with their lifestyles, and I’ve also enjoyed plenty of movies that would not be morally acceptable by most people if the movie was real or somehow I was involved with it. So I decided it’s okay to finally come out and explain why I think The Game is the biggest deusche in the universe, and also to ask my readers why this dude hasn’t been cut off yet.

About 4-5 years ago this rapper named “The Game” popped out of nowhere on Aftermath Records and was basically Dr. Dre’s next invention. He had the best of the best producing and writing for him, and he was gonna be the next multiplatinum star. One thing that The Game didn’t have was a sense of when to shut up and just let the music work for him. Since day one he wanted to be a star and rapped as if he was a 10 year vet with nothing to lose. He put himself into a position of power and respect which he hadn’t yet earned, and probably to his surprise, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent weren’t gonna deal with it anymore so they cut him loose.

Since then, a Schizophrenic, bi-polar, manic depressive, or whatever you want to call it, emerged in his own aftermath of self destruction and idolization of the man who basically just told him to fuck off. His first post-Aftermath album “Doctor’s Advocate” was a great album aside from the billion Dr. Dre name drops, admittance that he was a fuck up, and worshiping of the man who gave him life in music even though The Game would ultimately screw him over. But the music was good, so we let him slide.

This is about the time retirement rumors surfaced…or should I say, were started by The Game. He claimed that he had done everything he needed to in music and was ready to go out after 3 albums when “L.A.X.” finally dropped. I’m sorry but 3 albums just doesn’t do it for me, and the only album he has made up to this point that even gets considered in the conversation of “classic” rap albums is “The Documentary” which was essentially a Dre and 50 Cent-created album anyways. So how can The Game retire and be considered one of the greatest ever after only 3 albums?

Well of course he’s not retiring! The Game made it perfectly clear that Interscope begged him to come back for a 4th album. He’s another rapper that constantly talks out of his ass. Throughout his feud with G-Unit he dissed them to the point of raping a dead horse, and then claimed responsibility for their decline in record sales. Does that sound like anyone else you know? How about Young Buck and Ja Rule? I could probably write the same article about those two cooks as well. Now he’s officially dissing Jay-Z on wax after years of doing it subliminally and claiming those lines weren’t about Jay. He goes back and forth between kissing ass and dissing the same people, and never seems to have his mind made up about anything.

He is also relentless about capitalizing on others’ death and misfortune. His Michael Jackson dedication was out of nowhere and just plain weird. Of all the rappers who could have done a very heartfelt MJ tribute, this dude has to fill a bath tub with water, sit in it with his clothes on, and kiss his own ass in between lines of dedication to MJ. I also find it interesting that this track was the first time we ever heard about MJ trying to stop the beef with 50 Cent, and of course he is no longer here to vouch for the fact that the conversation ever happened to begin with. Then of all the singers in the world, he chooses Chris Brown to do lead vocals. Now I know a lot of you felt that was a hearfelt dedication, but to me it smells like two losers trying to capitalize on MJ’s death to get fans back on their side…and noone said a word.

The fact is, The Game can say whatever he wants and apparently it hasn’t disturbed enough people yet to turn him into a Ja Rule. Like I said, I’ve always ejoyed The Game’s music, but as a person, he’s a flat out joke. How can anyone talk like they are God themselves and not get checked every now and again, even if it is by an insignificant blogger?

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Cleveland hip-hop producer goes national; Opens online beat store

July 1, 2009

Zup_redWhen discussing Cleveland hip-hop, that conversation usually ends at the Kickdrums or Kid Cudi. True, there ain’t alot happening with music in the rock n’ roll capital, but that doesn’t mean the city isn’t keeping it’s own secrets. For years, one of the best producers I’ve ever heard has been quietly doing business with local rap artists in Cleveland, picking up new clients by word of mouth only, and never charging more than $30 for an exclusive beat. He goes by the name of Zup, and for the first time ever is taking his production national with a new online beat store.

Zup began making beats in the early 2000′s for himself and his friends who were all rappers, but eventually he quit rapping in favor of becoming a great producer. He has contributed production to some of the hottest projects in the midwest including Mick Boogie and Terry Urban mixtapes, and has been helping local emcees get their careers off the ground for years. He often gave away free beats to emcees he thought had talent, or cut good deals for past paying customers. He was easily accessible and always willing to make a hit single for whoever asked.

Despite being hailed as one of the best though, he has never received a nomination for the Ohio Hip Hop Awards, and was actually making very little money. Though most people believe the OHHA is rigged anyway, it didn’t make sense. Truthfully though, the rappers who he looked out for most were not returning the favor, and kept Zup out of the spotlight and in their own little world.

His generosity was returned with glutony from fiending rappers who began asking him to produce entire mixtapes and albums with no pay check in site. In their mind they were doing him a favor by showcasing his production skills. In reality, they were wasting his time with insignificant projects and laziness. At least half of the beats he has customized for other rappers were never even used or released, and good beats were going to waste. Zup had enough of the B.S. and decided to stop doing favors and start making money. With that, a new beat store was launched today.

The Soundclick based store contains over 160 Zup beats which can be leased for $30.00 a piece, or purchased exclusively for $100.00. New beats will be posted at the top of each month, and deals will be offered to returning customers or those buying multiple beats.

If you thought the Kickdrums were hot, you’re gonna want to check out Zup. He may very well be the next to blow, and you can still get in on top notch production now before it’s too late.

Zup_beatbanner

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Is Young Money Ent. The Next BIG Hip-Hop Label Movement?

June 25, 2009

Young_Money_Entertainment

Throughout the history of hip hop, some big artists have attempted to branch off into the business world by starting their own imprints as subdivisions of major record labels. Cash Money Records and No Limit Records are two that often come to mind. The old Rockafella, the old Death Row, Disturbing The Peace, and Bad Boy also fall into this category of successful sub-labels. Even Wu-Tang can be considered here even though they were not actually a separate label, but a strong group nonetheless. There is one problem though. With the exception of Disturbing The Peace, most of the successful sub-labels were born in the 90′s. Since then, hip-hop groups and attempted sub-labels haven’t really made a splash at all. Just like in pro sports, you often need more than one superstar to sustain your team, and most of these sub-labels have suffered by a lack of true stars.

Grand Hustle probably had the most potential of any modern sub-label but Young Dro just didn’t have what it took to give T.I. a legitimate #2. Big Kuntry Kane flopped, P$C flopped as a group, and B.G. was never more than an affiliate. Speaking of B.G., he also tried the sub-label thing in an attempt to create a second coming of the Hot Boyz called “The Chopper City Boyz”. Although they released two albums, their highest debut was only 36,000 units sold and they never even came close to charting what the Hot Boyz did.

Lil Wayne tried to do the same thing with The Sqad, and aside from a pretty nice mixtape series, was largely unsuccessful with them too. The list goes on and on. G-Unit South? Bad Boy South? Heck even Shady Records! WHO has done anything even remotely close to what some rappers did with sub-labels in the 90′s?

It seems though that the time might finally be coming for a legitimate sub-label to emerge with Lil Wayne’s 2nd real attempt at creating a legitmate Young Money Ent. group movement. While we might have thought Curren$y was going to be the #2 guy, I think he would have ultimately become just another Young Dro anyways. What Lil Wayne has done is taken some of the most talked about young talent in hip-hop and put them all together on his label where they can get put on faster than anywhere else. Drake is the #2 guy even if they do consider him to be only an affiliate, but Tyga, Jae Millz, Gudda Gudda, Mack Maine, and everyone else I’m forgetting have all shown signs of potential too. Throw in Omarion for that R&B side and you might very well have a legitimate, dominant, sub-label in the making. Considering that a Young Money track has finally debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, there is nowhere left to go but up.

The question is, can this success be sustained? Can Young Money have a successful group album with multiple charting singles and a few big solo albums to compliment? Well, if you ever want to see another MAJOR sub-label in hip-hop, my money would be on Young Money for now.

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I Like Plies But…WHAT!?

June 19, 2009

plies-becky

What is Plies doing? Up until this point I had a lot of respect for Plies as an artist. Most people don’t because the only Plies tracks they’ve ever heard were from the radio, but Plies is like Mims in the sense that he is probably more of a true artist than most rappers we respect today. Unfortunately also like Mims, Plies does enough dumb things to lose potential fans, and today was one of those days.

Plies’ new single “Becky” came out this morning. When I saw the title I initially thought this track might be on some 2 Pac “Brenda’s Gotta Baby” vibe, but I was completely wrong. “Becky” is actually an entire track about getting head and getting laid, over a beat that I’m sure I’ve heard on a Plies album before. The track doesn’t have an ounce of substance, it is completely and overly degrading of women, and it basically makes Plies look like an ass.

People might hate me for saying this, but Plies DOES have the potential to be one of the best entertainers in this industry. He actually does remind me of 2 Pac in many ways, especially how he changes moods throughout a cd. He’s also consistent. He’s already on album #4 and I think his first one dropped in 07. That’s impressive. The only question left to answer is ‘why?’. Why does Plies want his audience to think he’s a moron? Why does Plies want to release tracks like “Becky” when he has the potential to release tracks like “Brenda’s Gotta Baby”? I just hope I don’t come to resent this guy. For now though, it looks like the next 2 Pac might end up just being the next V.I.C. instead.

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Jay-Z’s D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune) Means Nothing!

June 8, 2009

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I went out of town this weekend and intentionally avoided technology for most of that time. When I came back, hip-hop sites and blogs were all talking about the new Jay-Z track “Death Of Auto-Tune”. One promoter I know said on Twitter that he already knew of some rappers who were scrapping their own auto-tune material after hearing Jay’s track. People began debating whether or not Jay-Z would really kill it off with this one song. It’s been a heated 2 days to say the least.

The truth is, Jay’s track probably means nothing at all. It’s a stupid debate in the first place, and any rapper who scrapped their own auto-tune after hearing this track is a moron. Are you really gonna let Jay-Z tell you what to do with YOUR music? No true artist would ever alter their own work because another celebrity condemned it. The only ones who would are probably not cut out for this industry in the first place, and I wouldn’t consider them to be true artists.

What makes this song even more pointless is that Jay-Z already said it doesn’t apply to Kanye, Lil Wayne, or T-Pain because they know how to use it right. He said something about a track needing a good melody to justify auto-tune. So basically what he said is if you’re not Kanye or Wayne, you can’t possibly make hip-hop with melody. I’m sorry Jay but Lil Wayne is probably the biggest culprit of all in the ranks of artists who don’t use auto-tune right. Sometimes he can pull it off, but Wayne sounds no better on auto-tune than any other raspy voiced rapper who would ever try to use it.

All Jay-Z did this weekend was release a completely irrelevant song. Any rapper with a good singing voice such as B.o.B or Drake will still use auto-tune when appropriate, and underground rappers will still use it to make big local hits. There are many artists who abuse auto-tune, but there’s also many who are using it the right way, and if those artists let Jay-Z dictate their career’s, then they probably shouldn’t be here in the first place.

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UPDATE: Eminem’s RELAPSE Nowhere Near Carter 3 Sales

May 20, 2009

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It looks like I may have to eat my words and admit defeat. In an earlier blog I wrote which scored over 1,000 hits this week alone (thanks to my readers and Eminem), I posed the question of whether or not Eminem’s Relapse album would outsell Lil Wayne’s Carter3. I asked it two different ways; would Relapse have more first week sales?, and would Relapse have more overall sales when it was all said and done? I said “yes” to both, and I’ll definitely be wrong about at least one.

As it turns out, Relapse is only projected to sell approx 600-650k this week according to Hits Daily Double, which is usually a fairly accurate sales monitor. For them to be off by 350k or so would be shocking, so it looks like Lil Wayne will retain his crown for now.

This doesn’t mean that Relapse won’t ultimately sell more albums in the long run though. Lil Wayne had the benefit of 3 singles with videos in rotation before C3 even dropped. “Lollipop”, “Got Money”, and “A Milli” were all on top of the charts and in every rotation imaginable. What Carter 3 lacked was a solid single and video to follow up with. “Mrs. Officer” just wasn’t a hit. “Comfortable” might have been, but it ended up being a B-Side single with no video other than a small clip at the end of “Mrs. Officer”.

Eminem really only has one official single right now, and unless he tones down his videos and finds a way to make clean versions of his tracks, it’s doubtful that there will be many more. There is still potential for a longer stand on the charts though. With viral marketing and internet videos, Eminem could easily stay away from radio and television and still draw attention to himself with more online singles. Imagine what a video for “Deja’vu” would look like. Em also has the benefit of Relapse 2 being just around the corner. He’ll never have to stop promoting the first one, and maybe buzz for the second will create more sales for the first.

There’s really no way of predicting what will happen. Lil Wayne may be the best selling hip-hop artist of the last 5 years so far, but remember this: Lil Wayne’s best sales effort ever will likely be only slightly better than Eminem’s worst sales effort ever. Now what do you have to say about that?

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