The Decade in Review part 3... 2003-2005... Hip-Hop International

[M Dogg™]

Leaving 2002, we were left with a year that would not be forgotten this decade. It was a year that I could actually turn on my radio and enjoy good music, all the Eminem and Nelly aside, there was actually more to hear, and real artist that were making an impact. When we left 2002 people were finally letting the Jay-Z/Nas beef end. After the year long struggle between two giants, Jay-Z was rumored to be retiring. What would happen to New York, Who would run the game like Jay-Z did? Well before we even asked the questions, it looked as if someone had the answers. In December 2002 we got the single, In Da Club by 50 Cent. Working with Dr. Dre and Eminem, 50 Cent had one of the most anticipated debut albums in Hip-Hop history. Spring boarding off his comical track Wanksta and then his hugely popular single, 50 Cent debuted at number 1 in early 2003, selling over 800,000 copies in one week and then ending the year at 6 million. But what stood out even more was his diss song to supposed Hip-Hop sell out Ja Rule, Back Down. Ignoring what we know in the future, in 2003 it looked like Hip-Hop's future was here. 50 Cent gave us an album that had street songs like Many Men and Don't Push Me, radio tracks like 21 Questions, club bangers like In Da Club and the Ja Rule diss Back Down. 2003 was shaping up to be the year of 50 Cent.

At the end of 2002, Lil' Jon and the East Side Boyz released Kings of Crunk. Well in early 2003 Get Low was officially released as a single, and a new movement was now full steam ahead. Before the South always had some clout, from Scarface, to Cash Money to No Limit, but what was about to happen was a full on invasion. Later in 2003 TI was release his second album Trap Muzik, and finally find himself in the mainstream. On the album, TI would claim he is the King of the South, a claim that would be challenged by Houston rapper Lil' Flip in 2004. Flip even went as far as to say Scarface gave him the blessing, and in 2004 released U Gotta Feel Me with radio hits Sunshine and Game Over. Though no official songs were released between them, their beef would elevate TI to bigger and better things.

2003 saw one of the most interesting beefs mutate into a huge war. Benzino in late 2002 hit Eminem with a track called Die Another Day, well that would barely get Marshal's attention, as he abused him with Nail in the Coffin. Well in 2003 Benzino wanted the beef to become more, as he needed the attention for his new album which featured the single Rock the Party. Well on Benzino's new album, he also included the Eminem/Shady Records diss track Die Another Day. Also included in the song was 50 Cent, and that's were things would get very interesting. Ja Rule would then get Eminem involved with his beef with 50 Cent with his track Loose Change. The rest of 2003 for Shady/Aftermath Records was essentially a two front war with Benzino and the Source magazine on one side and Ja Rule and Murder Inc. on the other side. Eventually Shady/Aftermath would come out victorious.

One of the saddest rumors of 2003 was the split of Outkast, and that was driven by the release Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. For years Outkast has stood as the standard for Hip-Hop groups, as they produced hit after hit and great album after great album. Well this next project were two separate albums from them, as Big Boi started his half of the project with a great single in I Love The Way You Move and Andre 3000 started off with Hey Yeah. With Outkast, the south was being represented, and Juvenile made a comeback to continue this southern trend with his single Slow Motion featuring Soulja Slim. Ludacris's album Chicken and Beer also provided with some of that good Southern music, and the Southern movement was in full swing. Hip-Hop was becoming more diverse, and the sound was now harder define, as all aspects of Hip Hop were being recognized.

2003 ended with the retirement of a legend, Jay-Z after suffering a horrible 2002 was now ready to hang it up. Jay Z usually released his album at the end of the year, so that the next year will be dominated by him. Well Excuse Me Miss was his one big hit, Jay-Z failed to follow up like he had so many times before. But then came the Black Album. 2003 ended with one of Hip-Hop's Greats saying good-bye. The Black Album was as good as it was hyped to be, with Jay-Z reaching back and giving everything he had. The end of 2003 may have ended one artist career, but not without helping another break out in 2004.

Kanye West released a single with Twista and Jamie Foxx at the end of the year called Slow Jamz. Well with Jay Z retiring, someone had to pick up the Roc, and that person was Kanye West, and in early 2004 he released the College Dropout to huge success and I can honestly say that the College Dropout was a 100% classic album. People I knew that were turned off by Hip Hop even said that album rekindled their love of the music.

Why did I call this Hip-Hop International? Well if you are looking at sales worldwide, well Hip Hop was always international so that's not it. It's because the music it's self in the United States was changing, and International music was now in the US. In 2004, we saw the rise of Reggaeton in the US, and the results are still in Hip Hop today. Eventually Lil' Jon was producing Reggaeton and the style of music here in the US was changing. Also though, Hip Hop was going global, as not only were artist in the US being played across the globe, artist from around the globe were now becoming mainstream in their own countries, as well as getting some shine in the US. The world was becoming smaller and smaller.

2004 ended with the comeback of Nas. It's hard to figure out what to think of Nas's Street's Disciple, as Nas was at a place after beating Jay Z that he could release whatever he wanted and it would sell off the strength of his name. So his new release was very much something you'd hear from an underground artist and he did not offer much for radio singles. Snoop Dogg continued his dominance on the west, as his album R&G came out in late 2004. Using a sound not familiar with west coast fans, Snoop used Pharrell of the Neptunes to produce his huge hit Drop It Like It's Hot. Eminem also ended 2004 sort of how Jay Z ended 2003, with a rumored retirement, that well, actually ended up being a retirement of his alter ego Slim Shady. In the song Toy Soldier though, he put to rest the war between Shady/Aftermath and Ja Rule and Benzino. He also began to have a more political message with his track Mosh. Along with Jadakiss, who's track Why hit a nerve with many Hip-Hop fans, Eminem and other in Hip-Hop started a movement that was anti-George Bush. TI kept his momentum going in 2004 with his single Bring 'Em Out, and D-12's beef with Royce da 5'9 was heating up, leading to a fight between Proof and Royce in 2005.

But 2005 would be known as a year 50 Cent caused all kinds of trouble. Starting in early 2005 when the Game would debut his long awaited album, The Documentary, 50 Cent's finger prints were all over the album with features in 3 of the 4 singles. 50 Cent wanting Game to play his part in the larger G-Unit family would soon realize that not everyone is seeing things his way. Shortly after the release of The Documentary, Game was dropped from G-Unit, and this would start a long beef between Game and G-Unit. The Game would then release the only diss that could save his career from being the next to be ended by 50 Cent, 300 Bars and Runnin', which was a classic diss that had to be done.

2005 would also be a huge year for Kanye West, as he did something he dreamed of doing, producing a Common album. This would be the rebirth of Common, who's 2002 album flopped but his new album BE would re energize the Chicago native. BE was a true classic and most could not argue that Kanye was on top of his game. This was proven by his second album, Late Registration, which experimented more with Hip-Hop and used different sounds other than Kanye's signature soul samples. In a year in which Common and Kanye released great albums, the Source, fresh off it war with Shady Records, discredited it's self even more by giving the only 5 mic award of the year to Lil' Kim's Naked Truth. Though Naked Truth was Lil' Kim's best album since her debut, there was no question it was not a classic. By XXL giving Common and Kanye XXL's, the credibility shift was now unquestioned in terms of the best magazine.

The south was now in full swing, Chamillionaire released his debut track, Ridin'. Chamillionaire was well on his way to a big career thanks to this track and his album the Sound of Revenge. In 2004 we were introduced to Akon with his song Lock'd Up. Well in 2005 he began doing hooks for other artist, and one that stands out is his track with new artist Young Geezy, Soul Survivor. The Ying Yang Twinz also came out with a unique song, Wait (The Whisper Song). After that song came out, a few artist tried to copy that style, but Ying Yang Twinz perfected it before anyone else could do it right. After releasing The Carter in 2004, Lil' Wayne was seeing his career make a comeback, and was featured on Destiny Child's Soldier track which allowed him to be seen in a wider audience. Late in 2005 Lil' Wayne released the Carter II, which featured Robin Thicke on a track. Robin Thicke was already featured on a Will Smith song, and now was becoming more into Hip-Hop. The south was the dominate region by the time 2005 came to a close.

But the talk of 2005 was not the south's dominance, it was 50 Cent. 50 Cent, fresh off of kicking the Game outta G-Unit as soon as he came in, released a track off his new album the Massacre called Piggy Bank. Taking shots at Nas, Jadakiss and Fat Joe, along with Cassidy in the video, 50 Cent made it his mission to war with everyone that he felt sided with Ja Rule in his beef with him. 50 Cent went from being the hungry underdog to the obsessed ruler who would destroy anyone who treated his dominance. Slowly though, Hip-Hop was changing. 2005 ended with 50 Cent warring with the world, and the south slowly taking over.

The Decade in Review part 3... 2006-2007... Hip-Hop is Dead

[Blasphemy]

Hip-Hop didn't die, it just went back into the underground. Good Read IMO.

[West Coast Veteran]

2003-2005 were definitely the 50 Cent years with Kanye West taking over in mid-late 2005...

[M Dogg™]

Hip-Hop didn't die, it just went back into the underground. Good Read IMO.

thanks. I will get to the underground part in part 4. But in 2006 Nas released Hip-Hop is Dead, and that was the kick off of the Hip-Hop is Dead era. It really wasn't dead, and as I'll explained, it really just changed. But was it a welcomed change?

[Blood$]

man 2003-2005 had HELLA dope releases... at least I remember copping mad albums during those years

+1, another dope read 

[LodiDodi]

Props! Looking forward to the 2006-2007 edition

[ToOoOoN!!!]

props  8 it was a good read