Is XXL Mag The Kiss of Death For New Artists?
Probably not. But maybe.
Now, right off, props to XXL magazine. I actually think that they are a far superior product – good columns, on point reviews, all of that. However, I’m wondering if being labeled “the next big thing” in XXL is akin to winning the “Best New Artist” Grammy: it deads your career before it even begins.
What set me off was the new cover of the December issue of the mag, which has been all over the Internets. It features the “Freshmen” of 2008: Wale, B.O.B., Asher Roth, Charles Hamilton, Cory Gunz, Blu, Mickey Factz, Ace Hood, Curren$y and Kid Kudi.
Admittedly, I’ve heard of all of them, but I have not heard all of them. There’s only 24 hours in a day, fam.
Its difficult to say for sure whether any of these dudes will really be a lasting figure in hip-hop: most of them grind on the mixtapes, but as we all know everyone and their mother has a mixtape (keep an eye out for my 3-yr old daughter, Soph Banga, and her mixtape – online in December!). So, its yet to be seen if these guys can translate their spot into a lasting position in hip-hop.
But if I were them, I’d be worried about going the same route as the last crop of “new sensations.” Last year, XXL Magazine crowned the “Leaders Of the New School” in their November issue: Saigon, Lupe Fiasco, Plies, Rich Boy, Lil Boosie, Gorilla Zoe, Joell Ortiz and Papoose.
Thankfully, they’ve dropped the “Leaders Of The New School” title. As someone who was around during the original “L.O.N.S.” era, that’s not a title that should be bestowed lightly. Now, if you look at the list, only three artists – Plies, Boosie and Lupe – have really done anything major. The rest are still on the mixtape/digital release tip, having not really gone anywhere in 365.
Yiu know what happens with high expectations. So, I wonder if I would want to be in the new “class”? Obviously, any publicity is good publicity and XXL gets in front of a lot of eyes. But would I want to be sold as “the next big thing” if I wasn’t sure that I has the horses to do it? I’d want to make sure my marketing, promotion and sales plan was tight before I’d start waving around magazine covers.
So far, an XXL co-sign hasn’t really translated into success for almost all of the artists on the come-up featured on the cover.
Maybe you may want to say “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Tags: Asher Roth, Blu, BoB, Charles Hamilton, Cory Gunz, Freshmen, Mickey Factz, Wale, XXL Magazine
