Mid-Year Thoughts

I really haven't had much to say (and neither has Pro or Freq or Jug (ha!) apparently)...Plus, I've been mad busy.

For whatever it's worth, I still haven't heard the Lil' Wayne album. I think the only album I've really listened to that has come out in '08 was Fat Joe...And it was actually kind of hot.

That being said, I really had a feeling that the G-Unit album wasn't going to do well. As much as they are playing the 3 singles in NY (plus those Mr. Cee/50 Cent mixtape joints), they are nowhere to be found on the charts (big shout to Ron Browz by the way). For whatever reason, those songs didn't break nationally. And the marketing campaign didn't really take on a mind of it's own. Maybe too much time was spent on the G-Unit/Young Buck dispute, and not enough time building awareness that the album was coming out.

But honestly, I really consider 50 Cent part of the new school or new wave of rappers. Even though he was on that Onyx album back in 90 whatever and "How to Rob" came out in '99 (I had it, plus "Money By Any Means" feat. NORE, on my first mixtape - ID4 - which came out 9 years ago on July 4 (part of me is like, "Only 9 years ago?" - the other part is like, "Holy shit! 9 years ago! I'm old")), I feel like he has a younger fanbase. Not Soulja Boy/Lil' Mama young, but young nonetheless. He didn't really make it big until '03.

Same with Wayne. He's been around for over a decade. But I feel like he was big in the South (I mean, shit, he did go platinum in like '99) until the last couple of years, when he became more of a national (international?) star.

Yet Wayne goes platinum in a week, but the G Unit album will probably not go gold. I guess Wayne was all over the place (guest spots, mixtapes, etc.) and promoting this album for years. 50 might be complacement. After all, he does have that Vitamin Water money. But he did promote this album -- he has thisis50.com, the free mixtapes, the Young Buck controversy (we all know that that taped phone call was released to coincide with the album). For whatever reason, "Lollipop," and then/now "A Milli" hit big nationally. I have no idea why "Rider Pt. 2" didn't hit. That joint was hot. Plus 50 used the vocorder. And then "I Like the Way She Do It" (the girl song) didn't hit either. "Straight Outta Southside" is definitely a New York song...I don't know if they're going to even do a new single.

But Coldplay did 700. Shit, Plies did 250. But I give it to Plies, he has released some solid (albeit generic) "girl" singles and they have hit. I think 50 needs another "In Da Club" or "21 Questions." Something that the girls will like. Maybe he needs T-Pain or Ne-Yo (weird how 50 hasn't collabed with them) for the single for the next album. Interestingly enough, the joint he did with Akon, which I liked, wasn't a girl song. Had it been, it might have taken "Curtis" over the top. I think I'm on to something. Sha - holla at me.

Bottom line. I have no idea how to market rap albums anymore (did I ever?). I don't think anyone in the industry knows either. The worst thing that possibly could have happened was Wayne going plat in a week. You know the execs are now scrambling, because just when they thought album sales were done, Wayne does Brittney Spears ca. 1999 numbers. I think it was a fluke. The stars aligned and made it happen. Snoop might not even go gold. And he goes platinum every time out. Plus, "Sensual Seduction" was a huge hit.

It'll be interesting to see what Yung Berg does. I think he comes out next month. He desperately needs a single though cuz I think "Sexy Can I" was on the Ray J album. Yung Berg definitely has potential to do Plies numbers. Then again, at least album-sales-wise, Sean Kingston didn't do great.

It'll also be interesting to see what Nas does. I have a strong feeling he'll sell less than G Unit. As much as the album's getting marketed through the 'net (album title controversy, mixtape, releasing songs to the websites and on Digiwaxx), he doesn't have a single! Plus the album already leaked. We'll see how strong his fanbase is. I'll certainly buy it. But it'll be the first album I buy since Snoop came out in March (yikes!). Yes I bought Snoop. Ted should've sent me (or Frequency) free copies.

On a related note, did anyone notice that Rza dropped an album 2 weeks ago? I think it sold 5,000. Scary. Remember when every Wu release went at least gold? You know the Wu ain't the same anymore when I stop buying their releases. I used to collect Wu-related projects like baseball cards.

Thank God for Proctor & Gamble and LiveNation. I need to get me some of that money. It's the future. And probably the only way that album sales won't matter anymore. Forget the subscription service. On the other hand, it's leading to the demise of Hip-Hop. Nas' prediction was premature. But once you got rappers hawking deodorant for a deal, Hip-Hop will officially be beyond commercial. It will be dead.

If Soulja Boy didn't already kill it. HA!