Fall Into The...

The Gap
written by Just K

Every few years an MC or two will come along and alter the lyrical landscape. Whether it’s the quality of lyrics or the way in which they’re delivered. The spotlight is pointed directly at them because they’re “nice” or “ill” or “sick” or “dope” or whatever other synonym you can find for an MC that delivers amazing lyrics in an amazing way. For example, we had Rakim and Big Daddy Kane in the late 80s. Then we had Big and Pac in the early to mid-90s.

Then we have the gap. Then I’m not 100% sure what happened after that.

First we’ll start with young Canibus. The kid had a buzz like none other. He had people talking with his radio spots and a few well-placed features. He approached the microphone with a big-@$ dictionary and the precision of an architect. With punchlines that made you tap your homey to left and yell, “oooooooh, did he just say that?” and stop the cassette to rewind it, Canibus was on the way. Then “4, 3, 2, 1” happened.

For the record, I had no idea LL was talking about Canibus until Canibus pointed out that LL was talking about Canibus, but I imagine it can be hard for a real MC to back down from an invitation to battle, whether subliminal or not. This is where it gets tricky. Canibus released “2nd Round K.O.” and LL released a response. Supposedly, LL won the battle. Funny thing is, everyone can remember Canibus’s song, but no can really remember uncle L’s. How does that work you may ask? It’s amazing how far legendary status can carry someone (seriously, ask Jay-Z how many rappers he got the privilege of ignoring because he’s a legend). If only that was the end of Canibus’s issues.

Then Canibus released a second single called “I Honor U.” The song served as a dedication to his mother while also explaining in great scientific detail how the egg and sperm that produced him were united. If it sounds pretty bad, that’s because it is. And to seal the deal, Canibus put together some of the illest verses with some of the saddest beats and horrible choruses and called it an album. After that, the “Human Rubik’s Cube” never really got a second chance.

The other guy whose career wrapped upped too early was Big Punisher. Just when I thought a playa couldn’t get any bigger than Biggie, I remember seeing this gigantic Latino cat rapping fast as hell over an O’Jays sample. It wasn’t so fast that I couldn’t understand him, but fast enough that there was a delayed understanding of how great dude was. I didn’t start getting hyped over his first verse until the hook. He had rhymes, rhymes, and more rhymes. Rhymed half bars, whole bars, stringed rhymes together, alliterations, his famous tongue twister (Dead in the middle of Little Italy little did we know that we riddled some middleman who didn't do diddily), multis, whatever. And if you want to talk about a vast vocabulary, dude rapped like he and Canibus were reading from similar dictionaries. Dude was that nice. He dropped an arguably classic debut that had way too many rewind moments. Pun was really rapping and he was really marketable. He was the first Latin to go platinum.

We already know how this story ends.

Every time I hear a fan with the radio on saying, “this never would’ve happened if Big and Pac were here,” I always wonder what would’ve happened if we didn’t have the gap.