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The MCs who held it down during the second half of '04 ...
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The mixtape DJs who spun vinyl into 'hood platinum ...
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— by Shaheem Reid
You saw who had the mean mixtape hustle in the first half of 2004, now find out who maintained, who stepped their game up, and who fell off in the second half.
Recognized, Respected And Reliable (MCs): During the second half of 2004, these guys kept their weight up and kept the market on fire
Rhyme Slugger: D-Block
Scouting Report: You would think the whole crew, not just Jadakiss, had albums out this year, that's how much D-Block were heard throughout '04. Styles P, especially, has been on a freestyle rampage the last couple of months as he tries to set the stage for his upcoming Time Is Money LP. There's no need to speak on Kiss, the champ has been able to hold onto his belt with no problemo.
The Weigh In: "I feel like I'm the mixtape artist of the year every year," Styles P said. "If you check out the work, the track sheet, I'm running circles around these [industry] dudes, easy. As long as people give me the recognition, I'm like, 'F--- it.' "
"It's everywhere, it's promo," Jada added about his crew's various mixtape appearances. "I've been getting a lot of love everywhere. The love is beautiful, man. The love is what I do it for. I always keep a buzz."
Rhyme Slugger: The Game/ G-Unit.
Scouting Report: As 2004 progressed, Game easily emerged as not just "a member of the G-Unit," but as a certified star in the making. He had the drama (various mixtapes beefs with everyone from Joe Budden to Memphis Bleek to Yukmouth), the story and more importantly the music. Everyone has been calling for a video for "Higher" since the beginning of the fall, and "How We Do" is guaranteed to blow your speakers, plus let's not forget "Westside Story." Meanwhile, his boys made sure their words were continuously heard on the underground circuit. Please, Sha Money, unleash Yayo!
The Weigh In: "I got mixtapes coming every week for you," Game said with a smile. "I do it 'cause I love it. The underground mixtape circuit is where I find my hunger, where I get to go against my competition. ... You can't even put out your mixtapes unless I'm on it. I'm holding it down."
Rhyme Slugger: Nas
Scouting Report: Mr. Jones was simply the strongest lyricist on the mic and probably the most adventurous in the studio. Listening to the fictitious "Sekou Story" and "Live Now" brings to mind just as many vivid visuals as an episode of "The Wire." There's no way to get past "Coon Picnic" without pressing rewind at least three times in one verse, and "Suicide Bounce" was just an onslaught of piercing vocals.
The Weigh In: "I'm done with risks. Not completely done, but I'm done with making the whole project a risk," Nas declared about his administering of music. "I say that, but even when I try not to make it risky, it's still risky. I think if it ain't like that, it's nothing. If you don't feel it, if it's not controversial, it's not naturally from the heart, it don't move me. I try to make music that moves me, that I'm not hearing out there. It's easy to do 'cause it's not too many people that are concerned with doing what they feel. It's easy to make a hit record, but it's harder to maintain without using the hitmaking formula everybody uses. I always like a challenge."
Rhyme Slugger: T.I.
Scouting Report: T.I. continued to have a love affair with the 'hood as anticipation built for his Urban Legend LP. "ASAP," "Bring Em Out" and "U Don't Know" proved his King of the South claim was no lie, and his Down With the King edition of DJ Drama's Gangsta Grillz mixtape series was one of the year's most talked about.
The Weigh In: "I wrote that song when I was locked up," Tip explained of "Praying for Help," one of his most poignant records. "That song was just me talking out loud, thinking out loud. Sometimes you feel like, 'Why me? Why ain't nobody else going through what I'm going through? Why ain't nobody else gotta carry the load I gotta carry?' It all boils down to: With special privileges come special responsibilities. I feel that I'm one of the few artists that has a real impact and who really still cares about the streets, who really is active in the community nowadays. It ain't many people who are making moves like that."
Rhyme Slugger: The Diplomats
Scouting Report: Cam'ron flooded the streets with a series of songs, from "Shake" to "Down and Out," and continued to make sure his crew stayed well fed. J.R. Writer and Hell Rell both signed solo deals with Koch Records, and the Dips as a collective released an official mixtape on Koch as well. Meanwhile, Juelz Santana resurfaced (with his 5-year-old nephew and another anthem), and Jim Jones proved he was no one-hit wonder.
The Weigh In: "I think that's maybe 2 years old," Cam said of "Down and Out," the most recent of his musical assailments. "It's the second song I recorded for [Come Home With Me]. You hear that song today and it still moves you. I laid it down. My stuff is timeless."
Best Of The Rest
Mobb Deep: Their album was dope, but it just came and went. Still, the Mobb stayed relevant with freestyles and appearances on the album from their brother from another mother, Alchemist. Speaking of Al, the Mobb will have to hold each other down in 2005 'cause it doesn't look like their feud with Littles is going anywhere, and they even sparked it back up with Keith Murray.
Fat Joe: Joe didn't play fair in the second half of the year. Commercially, the whole world was leaning back, then dude up and dropped the remix with Mase and Slim Shady. And while the mainstream was cuddling with him as their new darling, the big homie showed that he's still at the forefront of the underground with "Here's a Little Story" and "Victim."
Ludacris: Undeniably Cris displayed the most style on the mic this year — just listen to "Suga," the remix of "Red Light" and "Lovers and Friends," but we'll let him speak for himself. "I think everybody should feel like they're the number one rapper in the game, so do I feel like I'm the number one rapper in the game? Hell yeah!"
Fabolous: "Breathe" was a much welcomed monster, and Fab proved that his fitted thinking cap can churn out metaphors with ease. The freestyles came in abundance once again, even if his LP hasn't posted major SoundScan units yet. Stop sleeping.
Slim Thug: He ain't here to trick or treat, nah he ain't heard of that. And up until a few months ago, many of us ain't heard of him. Slim Thugger, though, has come up from the bottom, not only landing a deal with Star Trak, spreading his popularity across the nation. The bootleg of his Already Platinum is in fact 'hood platinum, and even Jay-Z took notice, rapping on the remixed "I Ain't Heard of That."
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Photo: MTV News
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