5 Weakest Links in Great Rap Groups
The weak link. The butt of everyone’s jokes. That one artist who looks stunted next to other members. Nearly every hip-hop group has a weak link, but they’re harder to find in the great ones. Join me and Joe Abay as we pick 5 weak links in 5 great rap groups.
5. Fat Joe (DITC):
Fat Joe, through some bizarre coincidence, ended up with one of the illest hip-hop crews in hip-hop. This was before Fat Joe met Big Pun. For some reason, Fat Joe was a better MC when he was associated with Big Pun. In retrospect, his skill took a nosedive again after Big Pun died. Sheer coincidence? I think not. Oh did i mention he wasted countless classic DJ Premier(still continues too) and Diamond D beats. A.G. should of rocked the “Flow Joe” beat, and Nas(shit, even Group Home) should of gotten “The Shit Is Real Remix” beat.
4. J-Hood (D-Block)
The original LOX was a hard-hitting combo, and the inclusion of J-hood in D-Block is mind-boggling to me. He had no memorable lines, never released a solo album, and ended up dissing D-block in the end, thereby biting the hand that fed him. Still, I doubt anyone was really holding their breath for J-Hood’s solo album.
3. Turk (The Hot Boy$)
I never cared about Turk. Juvenile, B.G. and even Lil Wayne were the backbone of Hot Boy$ back then. I just thought Turk was just some dude they grabbed to fill a spot. They probably thought three Hot Boys would just be ludicrous. Most people don’t even remember Turk. And when the tried, the conversation usually went like this: “That one dude who was in the Hot Boy$. No, not Lil Wayne. Not B.G. His name started with a T or something. He did a solo album. No, I didn’t buy it, but he definetely released one. What happened to that guy?”
2. Sir Scratch & K-Cut in Main Source
Large Professor was deft both as the primary producer and as a rapper. Sir Scratch & K-Cut weren’t completely irrelevant in Main Source, but Large P could have easily done the album without them. For evidence of Extra P’s well-grounded talent, look no further than his first solo album.
Bottom Line: Large Professor > Mikey D, Sir Scratch, K-Cut
1. Pras (The Fugees)
Hey, remember when you bought Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and Wyclef’s The Carnival and you bumped them until the CD couldn’t play anymore? Those two albums were among the best hip-hop albums of the 90s. You can’t make that same argument about Pras’ solo albums, Ghetto Supastar and Win, Lose, or Draw. Pras’ weakness, though downplayed on group albums, seemed painfully obvious when he had no Lauryn or Clef to hide behind. [Words by Joe Abay & Rizoh]
(dis)Honorable Mention:
- U-God (Wu-Tang)
