#7 COMMON
#2 THE GAME
#4 FAT JOE
Like we always do about this time: XXL’s 10 Most Anticipated Hip-Hop Albums of 2005. Kanye West took ’04, but who got next? Place your bets. Put your money where your mouth is!
#10 saigon
Title:The Greatest Story Never Told
Label: Fort Knox/Atlantic
Album #: One
Quarter: Third
Began Recording: December, 2004
Beats: Just Blaze (“Preacher”), Scram Jones (“The Color Purple”), Digga (“Contraband Part 2”), Alchemist
Features: To Be Determined
First Single: TBD
FYI: This past year saw Saigon’s unsigned hype translate into a heavy industry stamp of approval when he became the first artist to sign with super-producer Just Blaze’s Atlantic-distributed Fort Knox Entertainment. Despite his big-business backing, Sai intends to continue down his path to righteousness. “Every-body talks about how the hood is fucked up,” he says. “But nobody talks about any solutions. I’ve been in jail my whole life, I done shot people, I done did everything these muthafuckas is trying to glorify—and I’m telling you it’s not right. Rap is just a stepping-stone for me. I wanna be a Black leader. I wanna put the weight of the Black people on my shoulder. I’m ready for that responsibility.”
Streets Wanna Know:Is the mainstream ready for Saigon’s real talk?
“You can teach the hood and still sell records, you just have to come with some dope music. The track might get you on the dance floor, ’cause that’s what Just Blaze knows how to do. We can’t lose, man. I should be number one: the most anticipated!”
#9 little brother
Title:The Minstrel Show
Label: Atlantic
Album #: Two
Quarter: Third
Began Recording: December, 2003
Beats: 9th Wonder (“Beautiful Morning,” “The Becoming,” “Not Enough (More),” “Hiding Place,” “Slow It Down,” “Loving It,” “All for You,” “Sincerely Yours,” “Still Lives Through”), Khrysis (“Watch Me”)
Features: Elzhi from Slum Village (“Hiding Place”), Joe Scudda and Yazarah (“Loving It”), Darien Brockington (“All for You”)
First Single: TBD
FYI: The album’s title alludes to what Little Brother sees as the state of hip-hop today. “When you see artists on TV,” says MC Phonte, “you’re not seeing actual Black people or Black life, you’re seeing a caricature. We’re saying that if cats don’t get their shit together and start making some real music of substance, that’s all the fuck this shit is gonna be. Instead of an instrument of healing, hip-hop is gonna be an instrument that steadily breaks us down and enforces the stereotypes that folks wanna push on us.”
Streets Wanna Know:Will side projects take away from group work?
“Do not be concerned,” says Phonte’s partner, Rapper Big Pooh. “Little Brother’s not breaking up. We’re more than a recording group, we’re like a family. Basically, the solo projects were a release. When you’re working as a group, you compromise. On my album I got to do me. When Phonte did [Foreign Exchange] with Nicolay, he got to make the whole album how he wanted it.”
#8 beanie sigel
Title: The B. Coming
Label: Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam
Album #: Third
Quarter: Second
Began Recording: June, 2002
Beats: The Neptunes (“Don’t Stop”), DJ Scratch (“Purple Rain”), Just Blaze (“Bread and Butter”), Chad West (“Gotta Have It”), Heavy D (“Feel It in the Air”), Aqua (“Can’t Go on this Way”), Buckwild (“Look at Me Now”), Ruggedness (“Lord Have Mercy”), Neckbones (“Wanted”), Spike and Jamal (“Once Again It’s On”), Boola (“Tales of a Hustler Part II,” “Flatline,” “Oh Daddy”), Ty Fiffe (“Change Gonna Come”), Bink (“One Shot Deal”)
Features: Jay-Z (“Once Again It’s On”), Redman (“One Shot Deal”), Sadat X and Grand Puba (“Bread and Butter”), Snoop Dogg (“Don’t Stop”), Twista (“Gotta Have It”), Peedi Crakk (“Gotta Have It,” “Flatline”), Bun B (“Purple Rain”), Cam’ron (“Wanted”), Freeway (“Can’t Go on this Way”), Young Chris (“Oh Daddy,” “Can’t Go on this Way”), Rell (“Look at Me Now,” “Change Gonna Come”), Asia and Ashley (“Lord Have Mercy”), Melissa (“Feel It in the Air”), Oschino and Sparks (“Tales of a Hustler Part II”)
First Single: “Don’t Stop”
FYI: The circumstances surrounding the recording of the somber mixtape hit “Feel It in the Air” explain why Beanie’s spidey sense was tingling. “That was the night his friend got murdered,” says Beanie A&R Big Face Gary. “He came to New York and instead of him doing anything crazy, he just went to the studio and vented on the song.”
Streets Wanna Know:Will Beanie’s time behind bars hurt his sales?
“Beans is gonna come out in time to promote his album. The game needs him. We delivered a great album. I think it’s really going to be inspirational.”
#7 common
Title:Be
Label: Geffen
Album #: Six
Quarter: Second
Began Recording: Fall 2003
Beats: Kanye West (“Faithful,” “Go,” “Food,” “Chi-City”) and Jay Dilla (“It’s Your World”). “The sound is raw and soulful with drums that really knock,” says Com. “Kanye and Jay have been bringin’ this type of music. This is what I want, I’m not takin’ the other stuff.”
Features: John Legend and Bilal
(“Faithful”), Bilal and Roy Hargrove (“It’s Your World”), Kanye West (“Food,” “Go”), John Mayer (“Go”), DJ A-Trak and DJ Dummy (“Chi-City”)
First Single: “Go”
FYI: The first single was inspired by
Common, Kanye and John Mayer seeing the movie Ray. “‘Go’ is about going back to your fantasy. The funny part is we came into the studio after me, Kanye and John Mayer went to see Ray and Kanye started makin’ that beat and started messin’ with this chant. John came with an idea like, ‘Why don’t you talk about a fantasy or somethin’?’ The first thought was to talk about a girl that you used to go with, and I was like, ‘Oh, hell naw!’”
Streets Wanna Know:Will the mainstream success of Kanye West translate to more acceptance for Common?
“I think it’s definitely becoming more acceptable to be a raw, conscious artist. We’ve been getting some good hip-hop songs comin’ out and the masses are accepting them, so now they’re more open to creative hip-hop or hip-hop that ain’t strictly what they’re used to. People are more open to lyrics that may be uplifting or just aware, lyrics that are talking about somethin’ that’s social and political.”