Like I said previously, the age group that currently supports these artists (13-18) are still going to be fairly young in five and ten years and they’re still going to make up a majority of the consumer base. It’s this age group that some don’t even know about groups like Wu-Tang Clan or have ever listened to ‘Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’. They don’t recognize or connect with that album as being a classic because it wasn’t released during their time and embraced by their generation. But an album like ‘Tha Carter III’ will serve as their classic album because of how it was received by their generation and was released during their time as consumers. Because of their age it wouldn’t be expected for them to know about albums like ‘Illmatic’ or ‘Reasonable Doubt’ and the impact that they had on Hip-Hip music, but they most certainly will recognize ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ and ’souljaboytellem.com’ and the impact those albums had just because those are the albums of their generation, not the albums released in 1994 and 1996 before some were even born. Yes people respect the music of artists like Jay-Z, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, but people also respect the music of Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, and Soulja Boy because it’s different generations and each generation is defined by different artists and albums.

When speaking on the connection between longevity and orginality, you might have been better of discussing OutKast over Soulja Boy, if even for the simple fact of not ruffling so many feathers. Your point would have still connected. 3-Stacks and Big Boi have been original from day one:

1) Some of the first to come out and rep the “A” (southern legends)
2) Crazy fashion sense (mostly 3000 I guess)
3) Experimental but still bangin’ production (Aquemini, Stankonia)
4) Original and unconventional singles (Hey Ya, The Way You Move, Ms. Jackson, Rosa Parks etc.)
5) That whole double-single album concept (Speakerboxx/Love Below)
6) Period-piece major motion picture in Idlewild (another orginal sounding album)
7) Under saturation of the music market – basically the opposite of Wayne, they keep their features to a minimum (especially Andre) yet when they drop, the drop hard.

It’s crazy, because as none of these methods are really as quick and direct as simple “mixtapes” and “viral videos,” it seems as OutKast has simply developed a slow and well-crafted method of keeping themselves relevant through their originality. If, or when, it happens, a new OutKast album would be extremely hyped and looked forward to by hip-hop heads and the common-folk alike.

Even by keeping themselves to a minimum in the biz, they frequently pop up on critics’ end-of-year lists for both verses and singles (Intnl Player’s Anthem, Royal Flush, Art of Storytellin’ 4, and pretty much ANYthing Andre-3000 contributes to). It’s also pretty hard to find ANYone out there who has some serious hate on for these cats (as opposed to your two examples) – meaning they’ve even stayed away from using the traditional (and extremely UNorginial) tried and true method of controversy from propelling their legendary status.

I know they were on your list, but they might be one of the best examples (if not THE best). And the fact that they can remain lyrical powerhouses and respected southern artists in today’s music climate is really a true testament to their popularity, longevity and most of all: Originality.

Questions?

People are going to start figuring out their marketing schemes and get turned off by it. And the only reason I speak on Wayne is because in this past year, I say about 25% of his fan base has moved on. The dude cancels concerts left and right for no good reason. The majority of 50, Wayne, and Soulja Boy fans are in my opinion just people who want to be in the “popular” crowd. They will eventually move on to whatever’s the next type of music to get hyped.

The same is going to happen to them that has happened to Nelly, Ja Rule, Master P, Coolio, DMX, Lil Kim, etc.

Plus he hasn’t made a real great album since then.

Are you kidding?? Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and 50 Cent will still be recognized five years and even ten years from now in the music industry. Most of the kids that these major labels market and promote to now will be in their 20’s five and ten years from now, which means they will still be a major part of the consumer base. If they are the main ones that are supporting artists like Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and 50 Cent how would these artists not be remembered. They will still be heavily supported by the fans they have now, those fans will just be older but no major difference other than that.

“Yo, this is straight BS”… Thanks Anonymous, appreciate that. I guess Kanye was correct when he said “If everybody think it’s right, you’re doing something wrong”. True that speaking to the listener on a personal level is a key aspect for an artist when evaluating their skill level and ability, but not so much when it comes to how much success they achieve as an artist. How many rappers nowadays are speaking to the listeners on a personal level and getting nowhere in their careers… Many! I’m not talking or debating lyrical content with this post in any way (did you see “Crank That” and make that assumption), I’m talking about an artist being original in their styles, methods, etc. So many artists claim to “speak to the listeners” yet their speaking about the exact same topics and themes. I think I would rather listen to an artist that speaks about an original topic or at least modifies it so that it’s just taken as the exact same thing another artist spoke about in their song. How can being original ever lead to being the same as everybody else? If you’re original you’re different from the rest. Definitely don’t see how being original as an artist is a technique of force. Being original just put emphasis on you as an artist in being different from every other artist in the industry. Since we’re quoting Drake here, “Transitioning from fitting in to standing out” – “Say What’s Real” (read: Originality). Funny how this is BS when this song is basically talking about an artist making the transition from being just another individual to seeing success as an artist when a line about being original and different from the rest is so quotable within.