Bow Wow is a joke in Hip Hop culture....
That is not an exxageration or an opinion. it is a fact. I'm not "hating" or "jocking". Seriously, consider for a second what i have to say.
In hip hop, first impression are EVERYTHING! Here are some examples..
Kanye entered the game as an innovator, and someone who goes against the stereotypical hip hop grain. He's always been seen that way. And to this day, he's looked at like, even when he's not doing something that innovative (ie, making an entire album using autotune...) hmm? Now not to downplay Ye's innovations. But its undeniable that using autotune for an entire album goes against his "rebellious, innovative" first impression and yet....
50 Cent entered the game trying to "Get Rich or Die Trying" but now, He "Got Rich and Stopped Trying" But some people still regard him as relevant...and I don't know why.
Common came in as "conscious" and people won't let him shed that image. His Last album was great, sonically, and fun! but because it was "boom bap" No one wanted to hear it...
I'm not here to duck Bow's work ethic or talent. I heard his verse over brown paper bag. It was decent. It's his image among hip hop heads that I'm addressing..
With this said, Bow Wow came into the game as "Lil" Bow Wow. A kid. He rapped about basket ball and girls wishing they were 14 so they could date him. Not that you can expect more from him at that age. the problem is that We can't forget that. It's like the whole hip hop community has access to his baby pictures of him naked in the bathtub playing with a gumby toy....and we can't erase that image because we're a first impression community.
Now...It's not impossible for him to erase that, but he has to WORK! Now, lets do some wikipedia research...
Wanted was released in 2005. Its first single was "Let Me Hold You",...
In 2006, The Price of Fame was released with the lead single "Shortie Like Mine",...
Bow Wow and Omarion released a collaborative album on December 11, 2007, Face Off. The first single was "Girlfriend"...
New Jack City II, his sixth album, was released in March 2009 .....The first official single, "You Can Get It All" featuring Johnta Austin, samples TLC's "Baby-Baby-Baby...
Notice a trend? Shad Gregory Moss (which i saw in my 3 minute wikipedia reseach...haha gregory.) talks about...NOTHING DIFFERENT THAN EXPECTED. Now one may say, "YOU PROBABLY HAVENT LISTENED TO HIS WHOLE ALBUM" the answer to that is "OF COURSE NOT" Look at his singles...they're not directed toward the hip hop community, or me, so why would i buy the album. Give a HIP HOP a reason to buy or at least even ilegally download you stuff so we can RESPECT YOU!!!! I'm not saying for him not to talk about what he wants, I'm just giving a reason for his reputation.
If Bow eexpects this Cash Money deal to make him relevant, he better work to shed his kiddie image....I'm talking only leaving the studio to eat and piss. Not to stay on twitter, and posting random, useless videos constantly, because Jay didnt get his rep like that, Wayne didnt get his rep like that, Wale, and the rest of the freshmen 10 (even charles hamilton, the internet-oversaturation-guru)didnt make their reps that way. And that's why people take them seriouly. Bow should slow down the non music related stuff and start making real, relevant, TIMELESS, classic music as he has yet to do. now I'll give him this, that last song "Regret" was a step in the right direction. Seriously, good real lyrics. No jive, but he'll have to be that good and better CONSISTENTLY to no longer be HipHop's punchline...
rant over.
