Why Crooked I and Rakim may never drop on their current labels

[TheSheriff]

You all say it's cause at the Row they're lazy etc; at Aftermath, Dre is too much of a perfectionist.

The second is reasonably correct, but is never placed in a context.

With the first, is' because of this:

If Crooked I drops and flops, Death Row will DIE. Suge's a real businessman, whatever else you say. He doesn't wanna risk that. And if it succeeds, Tha Row might rise again, or it might not. Either way, if it succeeds, I will probably leave. And Suge doesn't want that either.

It's not a satisfactory situation for Marion Knight, but it's the best he can salvage until he can scrounge the guts to take a risk in this respect.

Dre has the same problems, except he's paranoid. If Rakim did truly flop (which is VERY unlikely), he has two other artists he can rely upon to sell millions (Em, 50) and severals friends (Snoop, now Warren, as well as Nate etc) who can keep him well regarded.

[STILLDRE IS THE GODFATHER]

rakim will drop and sell well by the end of the year hopefully if he was unhappy he would have left

crooked i will not drop on death row in a year i can see him on doggystyle screamin fuk suge knight death row lol

[T-Dogg]

Good points, especially the Crooked I situation. I'm not so sure about Rakim though. You said that Rakim is VERY unlikely to flop, which is true in the sense that all the old fans and the hardcore hip-hop heads will undoubtly buy the album, but I think that it's also VERY unlikely that Ra will sell as many units as Em's and 50's records have sold (separately, I mean). Let's face it - to the majority of todays mainstream hip-hop audience Ra is, pretty much, a nobody. He and Dre really need to make that awesome album that they say they're making for Ra to be able to win over the NEW audience and yet again prove why he's the God.

[Don Rizzle]

if u read mellow mans post rakim and dre were happy with the album and gave it to jimmy and he gave it back saying put in some hooks and thats y hes not out yet, with all the hype and time over this record i can't see it not coming out. its not like king t n all the others cos they were never on that level of mc was weather deserved or not.

[TheSheriff]

I think you mean to say they were never recognized as MCs of the same order as Rakim, whether they deserved to be or not.

If that is the case, I agree. King T is one of my personal favourites.

[KING VerbalAssaulta]

i've known this for a while...especially Rakim...also...we'll never see a cube album on aftermath either....all so sad but true

[R-Tistic]

I KNOW crooked I won't sell, and also I KNOW death row is through. They have NO CHANCE IN HELL to sell. They haven't gone platinum since what, 96, 97?? And we all know that they only sold then because of their roster. Nobody knows or cares about their artists now. Crooked I will be happy to sell 100,000. To tell that truth, I think that Snoop and them dissin Tha Row gives them notariety, which is probly why they do it, just because a big name is dissin them and gettin their name "out there" because half of my homeboys will be like "who is spider locc or eastwood?"

[TheSheriff]

I dunno bout Better Dayz, which was DR, but UTEOT, which was joint, went Plat eventually.

[R-Tistic]

I dunno bout Better Dayz, which was DR, but UTEOT, which was joint, went Plat eventually.

iite thats true. but even at that, they haven't gone platinum with rappers that are signed with em now. Goin only platinum with 2pac, and not goin platinum with dpg and snoop is already bad, so how the hell will eastwood sell? Kurupt didn't sell that much when he was solo and still with DPG so without them, he reallllly is nothin.

[Hatesrats™]

*(Not knocking Obie Trice but....)

What is sad...
is the fact that everyone know's both Rakim & Crooked I can shitt on Obie Trice in every which way that can be...but yet they will not be able to sell as much records as he will..I wonder why?
Even tho Ra also has the Dre connection, ImO Obie will triple his unit's, unless Em' litter's his (Ra's) lp with guest shot's like he will on Obie's. (Cause most Em fan's will only buy O.Trice cause of his Shady affiliation)

(Crooked I & Darin Vegas)
Peep's complain about how bad the beats are and wanna hear quality rhymes....
then go and complain about the beat's when the samples drop I.E: "Westcosanostra mix-tape"
and go & overlook the word's.

A million mc's are better and sell less than the "Top" doggs but then again popular and dope are usualy not in the same catagory which also belong's placed in the opinion shelf.

They will drop maybe this year/early next year and will be great cd's ImO..how can they go wrong. easily the most anticipated lp's in years.

Hatesrats 2oooTre

[PLANT]

*(Not knocking Obie Trice but....)

What is sad...
is the fact that everyone know's both Rakim & Crooked I can shitt on Obie Trice in every which way that can be...but yet they will not be able to sell as much records as he will..I wonder why?

Hatesrats 2oooTre

Prolly because Eminem isnt fucking stupid and he knows that when an artist is hot he drops their albums unlike Dre and Death Row who just let these albums sit on the shelf while Crooked I and Rakim become less anticipated.

[Bigg AG]

Owen ur smart. im out!!!

[o g s u e s o n e]

I dunno bout Better Dayz, which was DR, but UTEOT, which was joint, went Plat eventually.

u can call em deathrow albums cuz the exe is suge and the logo is on the back BUT that re no really death row albums at all. UTEOT was more deathrow than better days which was not nearly a dr release. there re no dr artists, no dr production.

[KingRichard]

I mean Rakim is Rakim he will sell to any real Hip Hop head anyway. But following Tupac, Snoop, Dre, 50 Cent, Eminem....


Do Crooked I and Rakim have in CHARISMA?

Have a think because that's what gets you mainstream success.

[Danté Williams]

U kiddin? Does 50 have charisma?? Man, he doesnt even open his mouth to rap!

To sell you gots ta have that fucking Shady enterprise behind you no matter if you're dope (like Ra) or wack (like 50) cuz the rap aficionado knows dat, but the general public is STUPID and buys that shit they see on TV.