What’s Harder: Your First or Eleventh Album?
This week, there has been a steady stream of comparisons between Raekwon and Jay-Z’s classic first albums and their latest releases. Long-time fans have been fairly critical, at least with Hova, about how The Blueprint 3 is nowhere near the high standards of The Blueprint or even Reasonable Doubt. Many critics feel that what got them so hyped about Jay in the first place – his flow, his bars, even the lyrical content – has (d)evolved over the course of 11 albums.
At the same time, Raekwon was largely celebrated because his latest album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, maintained the same core attributes that fans loved over a decade earlier. Rae essentially stuck to the same formula that birthed a hip-hop classic. He stayed true to a proven formula.
Which got me thinking to all the new jacks that are ready to drop their first album. Conventional wisdom states that the pressure is most intense for your first album: the artist is trying to carve out their own lane and secure a proper fan base with their first outing.
Of course, there’s less pressure to be in a position of a Jay-Z, who has proven beyond a doubt that he can move units. No label head is sweating him to make sure he does a “crossover” record to ensure it goes gold or platinum. But in terms of fan opinion and acceptance within the hip-hop community, established cats like Jay, Rae, Busta or Nasir are always wrestling with their legacies and past glories. They are under intense pressure to bring the same joints as they always have.
So you almost have to wonder if new artists like Charles Hamilton, Wale, Kid Cudi and even Joell Ortiz sort of have it easy. They essentially have a blank slate to craft whatever vision they want to. They aren’t tied down to fan expectations of who they are – because fans or potential fans essentially don’t know who they are.
In some ways, they virtually have nothing to lose. They don’t have an established sound or image, at least not yet. On the other hand, every time a vet steps in the booth, they have to weigh how their next album will impact their existing legacy. Lots of pressure for an established artist. They have a lot to lose.
So, I’m now wondering if it gets easier or harder as your career path unfolds.
Tags: Charles Hamilton, Jay-Z, Joell Ortiz, Kid Cudi, Raekwon, Wale
Man, F that yo. Jay-Z’s last album (Blueprint 3) was that deal. Rae Kwon is great tho, don’t get me wrong. But my man Jay-Z is doing his thing mos def.