Your Favorite White Boy

With some new Dre material dropping this week and the “Crack A Bottle” single (temporarily, word to Flo Rida) breaking digital sales records, Aftermath looks like a powerhouse right now.  But I can’t help but think that the label that Andre Young built could have become a hip-hop institution if its founder didn’t spend so much time focusing inward.

We all know that Dre is a genius behind the boards, but he also acts like a typical A-type personality in the boardroom.  There is a laundry list of artists that initially signed with Aftermath that could have made the label a diverse music dynasty with a solid bench rather than one with two franchise players in Eminem and 50 Cent guided by a visionary producer.  Just look at the artists that were either once signed to Aftermath or were so close we could taste it:

• Busta Rhymes
• Raekwon
• Nas
• Stat Quo
• Eve
• Rakim
• Joell Ortiz
• The Game

That’s a pretty damn impressive stable of artists.   Of course, through creative differences, impatience, disputes with the parent company or Dre’s shift in attitude, all have either left or never signed in the first place.  All of the above artists could have dropped classic joints with Dr. Dre either producing or guiding the projects.   With Fifty and Em in place, Aftermath could have been become an iconic and lasting part of hip-hop.

Unfortunately, Dre hasn’t learned from two important examples: Death Row Records and Bad Boy.  Both labels focused their future on one or two star artists, both of which were killed at the height of their careers.  And neither label was the same afterward.  Bad Boy eeked out some decent success, but it is not the trendsetting label it once was before Biggie was killed.  After ‘Pac died, Death Row went downhill very quickly.

We all hope Eminem and 50 Cent are alright, but you never know what’s lurking around the corner.  Either one could be gone tomorrow.  And then where would Dre be?  He’s in his 40s – he can’t be producing forever.  Maybe that’s his plan: that Aftermath goes with him once he leaves.  It clear he isn’t planning for a future after the “three-headed monster”.

And that’s a shame.  If hip-hop is to grow and to thrive, there need to be stable places that are dedicated to hip-hop where new artists can put out new material and add value to the rap music catalouge.  Stability is important if rappers are to weather the storm of declining record sales and a climate where executives won’t take risk on new talent and concepts.

Instead, Aftermath is a label with all its talent focused on only a few with very little bench strength.  Let’s hope Dr. Dre can pull a Quincy Jones and drop some of his best work in his 60’s and that Fifty and Em have at least 3-4 more albums in them.

Otherwise Dre will be leaving behind yet another doomed label.

Tags: 50 Cent, Aftermath Entertainment, Busta Rhymes, Dr Dre, Eminem, Eve, Joell Ortiz, Nas, Rakim, The Game