xxl magazine november 2007 issue cover

Like it or not, as far as industry leaders in hip-hop print media go, XXL is head of the class.

While Vibe seems to be targeting more of an R&B crowd these days, and The Source is stuck in a fight to regain its former glory, XXL is the one ‘zine that gets coverage outside the newsstands. Whether people are talking about YN’s overly-zealous fighting spirit, or Interscope supposedly paying them off for a cover spot, every issue at least has heads talking. For the better, or the worse.

Issue #97, however, just might have people scrappin.

In hip-hop culture, when it comes to artists and their talents, people like to have their own opinions. The individuality of your preference is what sets you apart from the next fan, and also what separates you from an average music listener. Over time, your opinions become stronger and more sensitive, and will eventually lead you in your listening.

Nowadays though, with the pool of rappers seemingly overflowing, it’s become harder and harder to distinguish those worth pulling out and those who need a floaty.

So, with so many choices to base your hip-hop independence on, and such little time to actually listen to all the music, XXL has decided to tell everyone who they need to be up on. They call these ten emcees, “Hip-Hop’s Next Superstars.”

I call that a bold-ass statement.

While a few of these rappers will definitely have prosperous careers ahead them, off-top, I can see some who might never even have a major album drop. There’s a couple of others who many would say didn’t deserve to have their first one hit the shelves, let alone the title “superstar.” And, since when can one single justify the rest of someone’s career?

Personally, aside from any bias I might have towards those guys, I think it’s just a huge marketing ploy to sell records and magazines.

Because of the clout XXL currently holds, they can influence who people listen to. With such high market saturation, along with help from their affiliation to certain labels, these ten rappers can and will be pushed more than a revolving door. And at that point, it doesn’t even matter whether these guys are actually talented.

If they’re getting any type of word of mouth, and they appeal to the casual listeners, they can be made into “superstars.”

As a fan of music, I have extremely strong feelings about the art form being represented the wrong way, especially when it comes to hip-hop. However, since I can’t write an essay about how corporations run the music industry, I’ll make a simple analogy. In an effort to let the big biz know that talent will always prevail over what’s simply “hot,” I leave you with one statement.

Harold Minor.

Loosies

Black Buddafly – Baby

Britney Spears Ft. AC – What Ya Sippin On

Busta Rhymes Ft. Akon & Shabba – Clear The Air

Chris Brown – Throwed

Gucci Mane Ft. La Chat – Stick’em Up

Mims – Fahrenheit 9.11

Nina Sky – Kicks & My New Dress

Sean Kingston Ft. Plies – Love Me (Remix)

Slim Thug – Theme Song (Hoggs On Da Grind)

T.I. Ft. Ciara – Goodbye My Dear (Prod. By T.I.)

The Dream Ft. Fabolous – Shawty Is A Ten (Remix)

Loosies