To Make A King
By : M Dogg
In Hip-Hop, the title king carries so much meaning, much of which does not include rap music. Meaning; if you are truly a king, then you are more than likely considered the best by your peers at, that could be a graffiti artist or any other art form. Each region has their own king, and within that region, there are so-called kings of style, kings of throw-ups (speed) and so on.

In Hip-Hop, an art form that thrives on skill and persona; a king means you are the best, and mass appeal need not enter the equation. As in anything there is a Predecessor and as such to win the honor “King” you have to battle the old king unless the Predecessor retires or stops doing what he is doing, then you can go after the crown. Many have tried to bring this concept over and apply it to rap; the results have not always stayed consistent with the historical meaning of Hip-Hop.


Since rap began with boosting over break beats, rappers have made claims to be kings. In 1995, after Nas, Notorious B.I.G. and the Wu Tang Clan all released classic albums in 1993-4, The Source crowned Biggie as the King of New York. On the west at this point the top three rappers were 2Pac, Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg, but none of them were claiming king. It wasn’t until Snoop Dogg went independent from his No Limit deal that he started to claim king of the west, but this is because to be king was completely different then when The Source ‘independently’ crowned Biggie. On March 9th, 1997, the crown was changed, and after that you can argue that there was no king, but in many aspects, it just changed, just like the business.


For 2 years, there was a king in Hip-Hop, and being the most popular rapper from New York, and having enough skills to compete with any other rapper, it was pretty much undisputed. Biggie’s reign on the top was looked at as something to reach for. Biggie was the king, and although members of the Wu Tang Clan and Nas were challengers, people in New York would tell you that Biggie Smalls was the illest. So when he died in 1997, the throne was empty and heads turned looking at the two best rappers of the time, Nas and Jay-Z. But Nas didn’t drop albums as frequently as Jay-Z; Jigga was almost crowned by default of volume of material. Out west, if there was a king, then 2Pac was that man in 1995-6, but his death left a void that was not filled until 1999 when Snoop Dogg came home from his exile to New Orleans to form Tha Eastsidaz, a group that showed unity in rival gangs in Long Beach, as well as forming his own record label. This was the key and most important factor for Snoop and Jay-Z in the late 90’s, early 00’s, as it soon became apparent that their record labels would be the most important part of holding on to their respective crowns.


Both Jay-Z and Snoop would wave their CEO status as their claim to be king. Remember though that this was not how Biggie was originally crowned, in this case Jay-Z and Snoop were showing how their CEO status makes them king. The whole meaning of king was now challenged, the image of 2Pac and Biggie battling was out, and the image of Jay-Z and Snoop signing checks, and others gaining their fame through the two kings replaced it. Of course the Bling-Era in rap music was tailored made for the two kings on top. Jay-Z adapted to the Bling Era, as did Snoop Dogg on the westcoast with his pimp cup and his outrageous crew that included Bishop Don Juan and his Uncle June Bug. In the Gangsta Rap Era, Snoop was seen with Warren G., Nate Dogg and his Dogg Pound crew and gangstas at his side. In the Bling-Era, Snoop showcased more of a character and shows off his “Bo$$” credibility. Between 1999 and 2001, being king took on a completely different meaning than 1995 when Biggie was crowned. After all even though Biggie was artistically free, Puffy was the CEO yet between 1999 and 2001, Biggie maybe better than Jay-Z, but he wouldn’t be seen as a boss as was the image Jay-Z could portray. Both Snoop and Jigga were on top of their respective coasts in 2001, peaking with Snoop releasing Tha Eastsidaz album, and Jay-Z releasing his classic Blueprint. Then came the most important battle since Biggie released Who Shot Ya’ and ‘Pac released Hit ‘Em Up.


The crown was challenged on the East Coast. Reputations were on the line as was the title “King of New York,” who else but the two best - were at each others throat. The beginning was classic, Jay-Z calling out Nas after ripping apart Mobb Deep at a concert. Nas responded with a freestyle diss, sort of a warm up, then Jay-Z killed Nas with a classic diss record that will be remembered for years to come. The only thing is…Nas responded back with a song was will also be remembered for decades; now we have a battle. A radio vote from New York’s Hot 97 said Nas had won, even after Jay-Z made good on his threat and released Super Ugly. So by popular demand and public feeling Nas was the king - or so we thought. Even though Nas did everything kings in this new era do, start Ill Will Records, gain creative freedom (how else was Columbia Records going to allow “Street’s Disciple” to be released without following the formula) and established himself as King Of New York it never quite looked comfortable. No doubt Nas was popular, as the streets of New York were very supportive of their new king, yet it was not the same throne and security that Biggie possessed.


This is the reason I made this Junkyard, exactly who is the King of New York, the Westcoast, the Bay, the South, and why do we care so much when the crown does not exist. If the crown does exist, then Cam’ron would have talked about Nas in the recent Source magazine (currently 100% Benzino free, which I had to read to believe) rather than Jay-Z when he mentioned beating someone to become king. And for an error like that, Nas would rip Cam’ron a new one. But then again, Killa Cam has been dissing both, especially Nas, for a while now, and neither has responded, so why respond to this. Especially because both Nas and Jay-Z will tell you, the crown is not real. Popular opinion may say that it is so and so and so is on top, but never does any rapper ever really have claim to the title king, except Biggie.


With Biggie, everything was different, he was one of the most skilled emcees of his era, he had the best flow, his lyrical content was second to non in New York, and he had very few peers. So when the Source, which was the most respected magazine in 1995, crowned him king, then he must be the king. After him, no one has truly been king, people tried to say Jay-Z was the king, but when Nas won, it was ignored that it was for the King of New York. Nas claims he is the King of New York, and has not been beating for the crown but is it true? Kingship is in the eye of the beholder clearly. Snoop claims King of the Westcoast, and with good reason. Yet in reality no one but Snoop and Game have ever claimed to be king; so does saying it mean you are it – of course not. So with that, who is the king of each region, why do people claim the crown, and why did I just waste time writing this?


The talk of being the king has been running through the Hip-Hop world since Big died. New York was mourning the lost of its king, and Jay-Z was hungry for the crown. It was a perfect match, except the beef with Nas messed up those plans - not for Hip-Hop though. With Hip-Hop at an all time low, Nas beat Jay-Z, and made way for more conscious acts to be seen in the mainstream. The success he had in the commercial world allowed talented artist to be heard again, and for a short while, Hip-Hop seemed to be going back to its old school roots. The events of 2001 show how much the top spot affected the rest of the Hip-Hop world. With Nas defeating the supposed king, and taking the supposed crown, the rest of Hip-Hop followed a more political twist. Stillmatic had songs like Rule and What Goes Around, so songs like Why from Jadakiss, and artists like Kanye West and even a more recently Xzibit had room to talk about their feelings on George Bush and politics once again. When Nas did it, it was still taboo, as 9/11 just happened and emcees were on some patriotic message, or just ignoring politics all together. Nas was the leader of the resurgence in political rap.


On the west, Snoop was without doubt king. Ice Cube wasn’t active anymore, and basically Snoop was the only westcoast artist that had anything going on the mainstream. The state of the west, like Nas on the east, reflected what Snoop was doing. Where Snoop led, the rest of the west followed, though this was not the hungry Snoop of 1993, this was the Snoop that had fled to New Orleans; the Snoop that was being challenged by unknown artist throughout the west. Basically Snoop represented the west that you saw post 2001, and that’s an un-united environment where weaker rappers were barking up the established rappers tree, and trying to bring back that old school west only to have people not really feel it. Eventually Snoop left his westcoast roots to work with other artists, and it took Dre’s protégée, The Game, to bring in a new west opportunity. With Snoop hinting at leaving the game, it seems that this has allowed younger rappers to make a new west movement, after Snoop and the late 90’s, early 2000’s west is fading out. Not to knock on Snoop, I think he is one of the greatest rappers, and his career is one that most every rapper dreams of. However like Sonny in the Godfather, he wasn’t a good Don.


This article was mainly written because on both coasts, there seems huge movement at the top. Who is king is still as much an un-answered question as the day after March 9th. In the west, Snoop is fading into history as one of the best rappers ever to come from the LA area, and in the east Nas is cementing his legacy as one of the top 5 greatest rappers ever. Both rappers are not as active, and both are slowly leaving their self-proclaimed thrones for the younger generations. Since 2001, I will say both have affected their coast for the better. Though I may not always agree with Snoop, he has tried to help unite the westcoast, and in the last 2 years, he has truly acted like a westcoast elder. As for Nas, since he beat Jay-Z in the battle of 2001, eastcoast rap has taken a turn for the better, more politics have entered the game, and skills have been highlighted as much as catchy beats. Each coast has a ‘fictional’ king, and now these two are close to the end of their great careers it leaves both coasts wide open for any young rapper to claim the throne, and say they are king. If that will ever be enough to settle the unrest after Biggies death, only time will tell; but time is the ultimate test.


Here is a look at the potential new “kings” of the coasts in question. In the west, E-40 –although far from a new artist - is the head of the Bay area movement, and the leader of the Hyphy movement gathering momentum. The Game is the latest skilled rapper from Dr. Dre’s camp, single-handedly battling 50 Cent and G-Unit with a vicious flow and venomous lyrics. Xzibit calls himself the King of LA now and I personally thought he would be king, but as of right now it looks like Xzibit is not taking off after his Pimp My Ride popularity. In the east you have Cam’ron who is dissing Jay-Z, and once dissed Nas, as he is trying to make a cast to the throne. With 50 Cent being the most popular rapper today, and his G-Unit army still making sales and noise they have a case in popularity stakes.


Lets just say that as Big said; compared to Nas or Snoop, or Ice Cube or Jay-Z, only 40 Waters can compete. But with that, there is no rapper right now ready to be king. Though the contenders think they are on top, each throne is not ready to be occupied. Right now, each rapper needs to prove themselves more as a leader before Nas and Snoop hand over any crowns. So root for your favorite rapper, because each king is finishing their legacies, the thrones are about to be empty. Something huge has to happen before anyone is crowned, and this could lead to a ring of albums being dropped that will be considered classics as each rapper wants to throw in their claim to the throne. So kick back, relax, and listen as we see how to make a king.


 

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