new classics?

awhile back, i had this brilliant idea to compose this huge post dicussing who was gonna drop the next classic hip-hop LP.who was gonna revive that real, raw shit, and bring the game back to a respectable level. i had a bunch of possibles, based on past catalog strength, current circumstances, hunger level, and probably some other shit that escapes me right now. i'll throw a couple names around that i had considered candidates at the time that i was cooking up the idea.i should probably explain that i only consider maybe 50 hip-hop albums classics, ever. kanye doesn't have a classic yet, in my opinion. *ducks* he has 3 very good, almost classic albums, but in my humble opinion, 0 classics. just to give you an idea of where i'm setting the bar here.




- kanye - first, you can't front on kanye's past catalog. plus there was swift-gate, which if nothing else, gives yeezy an extra chip on his shoulder. throw in the fact that he has promised a return to that classic sound (i.e- not auto tune, emo hip-pop)and you have what very well may be a classic on our hands...




- madvillain - those that know me know that i am an unapologetic DOOM stan, and a big fan of madlib's work, so it should come as no suprise that madvillain is my favorite hip-hop album evar. oh wait..that is a suprise? well, i didn't say it was the BEST, just that it's my favorite. (but really, i do think it's the best)so i'm not even gonna go into why i think the next MV album could be the next classic. i don't wanna go into stan mode like that for y'all.




- jay electronica - at the time i was originaly kicking this idea around, jay elec-Hanukkah had the biggest buzz in hip-hop fresh off the scorching "exhibit-c". fans were anxiously awaiting his "act II" mixtape with just blaze, and a possible album release, and it seemed like a foregone conclusion that jay e's debut would be the next "illmatic".. funny how quick the tables can turn.6 months later, we have no mixtape, no album, and only a handful of songs to even discuss. not to mention that the blog scene that was pretty much responsible for his monumental buzz, has now turned against him for his shitty work ethic and ass backwards strategy for releasing music. some even doubt the existence of "act II" altogether. liberate that shit jay. your killing yourself.




- lil wayne/T.I - i only threw these 2 in the mix because tip was about to get out, and weezy was about to go in, and i thought that a yyear in the bing alone would sharpen the skills of any mc to the point that they could drop a heat rock upon release. but.. if TI's latest shit is any indicator of what happens to your bars in the joint, it's not looking good..




-andre3000 - what can i say about 3 stacks that you don't already know? it's been too long, his features over the last few years have been on some incredible new level, even for him, and i think all of us have been wondering what he would be capable of on his own. but the last time we heard from andre? yeah.. he was convering a beatles song for a nike check. thanks.




-blu - #latepass on this dude. very creative type of cat and is no joke on the boards, as well as on the mic. i slept on blu for way too long, don't make the same mistake. already in his catalog are a couple of really great LP's (jonson and johnson, and "below the heavens" with exile)and i could definitely see him taking the next step and dropping a game changer. if only the mainstream would be there to take notice.


anyway.. there were others that i thought could drop a gem on the game, but i can't remember them now. and i guess all of them are still a strong contender, if they ever decide to get to it and drop some shit (looking at you, jay elec)but the reason i decided to revisit this idea, is because there has been some really good shit dropping lately, and i felt that i should give it some attention. and you should too. but if your reading this, you probably already are.

rick ross, curren$y,the roots, and big boi all dropped seriously good albums in the past couple weeks. (ross' actually doesn't come out for a week, but the album just leaked. not to mention that nahright has leaked pretty much every song on the album anyway)are they classics? time will tell. i don't think a classic can be crowned until we as a fanbase are able to see how an LP ages. but i'll be damned if 3 artists who i hadn't even considered capable of producing a decent album have come along and dropped crack to the feinding hip-hop nation. 2010 could go down as one of the best years for new hip-hop in a long time.with the strength of the releases so far, and the promise of what's to come in the months to follow, hip-hop is oficially no longer dead. we should be thankful that good music (no kanye) is finally making it's way back to the forefront.