Career Enders?
written by Just K
written by Just K
I wonder if Rick Ross knows what he’s up against by going toe-to-toe with Pimpin’ Curly. Everybody knows that 50 Cent ended Ja Rule’s career. Didn’t even take him that long to be honest. I can’t even remember the last time a Ja Rule album release was even worth mentioning. In some people’s minds, 50 Cent wrapped up Fat Joe’s career as well. This is what happens when you come out the public loser of a beef: you go away. Jay-Z took Mobb Deep out when he put Prodigy on the screen. LL took Canibus out. If Rick Ross knows what’s good for him…umm…
If Rick Ross knows what’s good for him he’ll make a good CD regardless of what happens with the rap beef. A battle doesn’t end careers. Bad music after a battle does.
We’ll start with Ja Rule. This’ll be rather quick. His lead singles from “The Last Temptation” (the album that was out during the 50 – Ja feud) were Thug Lovin’ featuring Bobby Brown and Mesmerize featuring Ashanti. And as bad as the song was, the video to Mesmerize was actually worse. Those songs alone were enough for people to turn away from Jeffrey Atkins. 50 was nothing more than something else to look at once people had already started turning their heads.
As for Fat Joe – Fat Joe usually doesn’t do big numbers. During the commercial peak of his career (and back when albums were selling) his best selling CD went platinum after like five months. No knock on his music at all, but he’s never really been a big unit pusher. He’s not going selling a billion records post-50 and he wasn’t selling a billion pre-50.
The Jay and Nas beef didn’t end anyone’s careers. If you throw Mobb Deep into the mix, they still went gold after the ballerina pic, which was ok considering they had just started moving toward commercial territory (never thought I would’ve seen a Mobb Deep song featuring 112, but it was there). And, again, Mobb Deep wasn’t a group that went platinum regularly. A gold album was kind of their norm. After that, record label and stylistic changes really held them back (recall the random song with Lil’ Jon). Toss in the fact they signed to 50 Cent after the infamous “do your lil’ ass like Jay did Mobb Deep” line and there you have it. Reduced sales.
I refuse to discuss Canibus any further. It takes me to an emotional place that I rather not revisit at this time.
Long story short, the best way to survive a beef is to do exactly what you were doing before the beef: making good music. The end.
7 comments:
Great point because I'll make the argument that 50 didn't really end Ja's career at all. If Ja kept making Venni Vetti Vicci music, he would have been just fine. 50 had his say but the Fed case probably did just as much damage.
50 Cent had no effect on Fat Joe, if anything it helped keep the spotlight on him a little longer.
Mobb Deep was heading for the abyss they were in with or without the twinkle toes pic.
Ur right the only way to survive a battle is to keep makign dope music.
As much as i don't like Ross, that Mafia Music is ridiculous... Damn
I thought it was a no-brainer, but I constantly hear people saying 50 Cent ended this guy's career or that guy's career. The closest 50 comes to putting a huge pause in a career is if an artist beefing w/ 50 was signed to Interscope. Their albums gets put on serious pause.
Besides that, it's not the battle. It's the music.
Well I think its sexier to say "50 ended his career" than "Ja abandoned his core audience with his attempts to crossover into a wider audience but failed when the singing/ harmonizing formula got stale and the federal case put a halt with the marketing and producing of murder inc music"
50 may have been in the right place and was the perfect substitution for Ja's softer style, but he wasn't the reason.
While I agree in theory that 50 cent alone does not "end careers" I will say that he makes people look at his opponents very differently a la Pac with Big and Jay. Ja put out "Clap Back" which I heard the other day and that shit was hard, period. He was spittin, the beat was hard, etc but it seems like it fell on deaf ears. So I feel like Ja did put out good music after his beef, but nobody was trying to hear a "hard" song from a dude 50 had coined as a crooner. Much like people are gonna look sideways at Rick Ross' tales of ballerificness after 50 calls him out for not being close the baller he claims to be.
Point taken. Cuz no one even wanted to hear that Blood in my Eye album. 50 did make Ja look real foolish (no pun).
Solid point on Stuart. I definitely don't think 50 helped, but after so much time crooning with Lil' Mo and Ashanti and such, Clap Back was kind of like "hey, remember me? I'm the guy that abandoned you. It's Murdaaaa."
Yeah, with or without 50 I don't think I would've bought it. The song did get solid rotation, though. I don't know what it was like in NY, but the song got play down in the DMV. We thought the song was hot, but there was no way we would f*** with a whole album of his.
50 def makes people look at his opponents differently. I was a huge rick ross fan before all of this C.O. stuff started.
I have two beefs with Ross that make me side with 50 on this:
1.) Ross said he denied being a C.O. at first because he felt as though it was no ones business and that he didnt lock anyone up. That's fine I guess but I think it would have made more sense to own up to it in the beginning instead of deny it, then admit to it. That hurt his credibility alot.
2.) Ross chose to ride the coat-tails of DJ Khalid and Fat Joe. He labels Joe as his connect to NYC. He could have worked with 50 and been connected on a global level as opposed to just having a link in NY. Be it as it may he left 50 no choice.
You have to be a strong artist to beat 50. Lil Wayne prob has the best chance because he is so far to the left and his fan base is way bigger than Ross. Wayne sings, etc. lol. He's gone pop. 50's done some pop worthy singles too. Ross hasn't yet demonstrated the ability to do that and he calls his self going up against one of the best to ever do it.
Ross has been doing his thing but he needs more people. Because the WE don't believe you Officer Rickyyyyy-yyyyyy. lol..
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