It's been stated numerous times that when Pac and Big died there was a void and that's how Jay Z became successful.
That's nonsense.
I agree there was a void. Two of the hottest rappers died at the top of their game. So there was room at the top for somebody new, or maybe a rapper that's been around for a while to step up and fill the void.
Puff Daddy
Master P
Snoop
Jay Z
DMX
Ja Rule
The Fugees (Wycleff/Canibus)
Eminem
Outkast
Black Star (Mos Def/Talib Kweli)
Big Pun
Wu Tang (Method Man)
Q-Tip
Busta Rhymes
Juvenile
LL Cool J
The Lox/Jadakiss
Nas
50 Cent
^^^All of those guys could have, and to some extent did, fill the void that was created by the deaths of Pac and Big.
The most obvious void filler was Puff Daddy and his No Way Out album that was full of hits and sold 7X platinum. If Big was the KONY, I think it's safe to say Puffy filled that void.
Master P blew up after the death of Pac & Big, at least in the Northeast. I remember seeing the No Limit ads in The Source and I thought their artwork was kinda cheesy, but I had never heard their music until I'm Bout It (remix) and later It Ain't My Fault and Make Em Say Uugghh which got heavy play on New York radio where I was living at the time.
All of the names I listed above came out around 97/98/99 and blew up, selling (multi)platinum.
There was a void. And there was room for somebody to take over. For whatever reason the people on the list made hits and had modest success, everybody was going platinum back then. But it was Jay Z and DMX, and later Eminem that did the most damage.
Anybody could have taken the crown. It could have been Method Man, or Busta, or Jadakiss, or even Snoop or Kurupt.
For whatever reason, Jay Z outlasted all of them. The reason he outlasted them has nothing to do with Big or Pac's death. His success in 97/98 could be attributed to Pac & Big's death, but it doesn't explain why his Blueprint 3 album went platinum in 2009. or why the 4:44 album went gold in 2017.
The fact remains that Jay took the crown and remained at the top after everybody else peaked and fell off.
That's nonsense.
I agree there was a void. Two of the hottest rappers died at the top of their game. So there was room at the top for somebody new, or maybe a rapper that's been around for a while to step up and fill the void.
Puff Daddy
Master P
Snoop
Jay Z
DMX
Ja Rule
The Fugees (Wycleff/Canibus)
Eminem
Outkast
Black Star (Mos Def/Talib Kweli)
Big Pun
Wu Tang (Method Man)
Q-Tip
Busta Rhymes
Juvenile
LL Cool J
The Lox/Jadakiss
Nas
50 Cent
^^^All of those guys could have, and to some extent did, fill the void that was created by the deaths of Pac and Big.
The most obvious void filler was Puff Daddy and his No Way Out album that was full of hits and sold 7X platinum. If Big was the KONY, I think it's safe to say Puffy filled that void.
Master P blew up after the death of Pac & Big, at least in the Northeast. I remember seeing the No Limit ads in The Source and I thought their artwork was kinda cheesy, but I had never heard their music until I'm Bout It (remix) and later It Ain't My Fault and Make Em Say Uugghh which got heavy play on New York radio where I was living at the time.
All of the names I listed above came out around 97/98/99 and blew up, selling (multi)platinum.
There was a void. And there was room for somebody to take over. For whatever reason the people on the list made hits and had modest success, everybody was going platinum back then. But it was Jay Z and DMX, and later Eminem that did the most damage.
Anybody could have taken the crown. It could have been Method Man, or Busta, or Jadakiss, or even Snoop or Kurupt.
For whatever reason, Jay Z outlasted all of them. The reason he outlasted them has nothing to do with Big or Pac's death. His success in 97/98 could be attributed to Pac & Big's death, but it doesn't explain why his Blueprint 3 album went platinum in 2009. or why the 4:44 album went gold in 2017.
The fact remains that Jay took the crown and remained at the top after everybody else peaked and fell off.
