Why did no one want to sign Jay-Z?
Options
Comments
-
Well, I'm sure he doesn't mind now. Just like Em & Kanye probably don't mind as well as all the other rich ? that couldn't get on at first. Why couldn't Jordan make his varsity team in the 10th grade? ? happens & people hate themselves for not being able to forsee he would become who he is right now. Ask Steve Stoute about Alicia Keys & what about the people that didn't want to sign Destiny's Child. I like how you cats try to find slick ways to hate on the ? MC. Much respect
-
PanchoYoSancho wrote: »'Reasonable Doubt' sold nearly a million and a half copies.
How does that classify as 'Double wood'.
n 96 reasonable doubt sold DOUBLE WOOD j didnt become hot until 2yrz after TUPAC DIED & a yr after BIG was dead -
Well, I'm sure he doesn't mind now. Just like Em & Kanye probably don't mind as well as all the other rich ? that couldn't get on at first. Why couldn't Jordan make his varsity team in the 10th grade? ? happens & people hate themselves for not being able to forsee he would become who he is right now. Ask Steve Stoute about Alicia Keys & what about the people that didn't want to sign Destiny's Child. I like how you cats try to find slick ways to hate on the ? MC. Much respect
The answers would still be they just weren't good or ready at that particular time. There's nothing wrong with that at all. Sometimes it takes one person to invest the time or give a person a shot. Which, isn't based on talent alone. With that said, it's disturbing that you took some of the posts to heart and refer to Jayz as the ? MC. Scary stuff. Straight up. -
n 96 reasonable doubt sold DOUBLE WOOD j didnt become hot until 2yrz after TUPAC DIED & a yr after BIG was dead
not true...it went gold the year it came out...a couple mths after the fact. He wasn't doing Pac numbers in 95/96, but neither was Pac on his first joint. I'm a big Pac fan, but let's not act like dude was moving units on his first album. -
The answers would still be they just weren't good or ready at that particular time. There's nothing wrong with that at all. Sometimes it takes one person to invest the time or give a person a shot. Which, isn't based on talent alone. With that said, it's disturbing that you took some of the posts to heart and refer to Jayz as the ? MC. Scary stuff. Straight up.
Not really...that's your interpretation of the meaning. You could be right. The fact is we don't know. We can only speculate. If Kane thought he was nice, why wouldn't a record label? Then again, Kane fizzled pretty quickly as far as people anticipating his releases once he started making the love songs. It could be that they thought he wasn't ready, but again, we don't know.
And, I didn't take anything to heart. You say what you say & I say what I say. As far as the ? MC remark, it's comedy. He refers to himself as that. I just like to comment on people that use the same argument over & over about a dude who is pass the bs people keep bringing up. -
Not really...that's your interpretation of the meaning. You could be right. The fact is we don't know. We can only speculate. If Kane thought he was nice, why wouldn't a record label? Then again, Kane fizzled pretty quickly as far as people anticipating his releases once he started making the love songs. It could be that they thought he wasn't ready, but again, we don't know.
I might not be 100% right. But I think what I have typed is, 100% accurate. In so much that Dame has admitted that no one wanted to touch Jayz. I also think you have to take into consideration that Jay ? with Jaz-O, Kane, Irv, and others in the business. So, it wasn't just Kane's fizzling out that was the issue. You must consider this was a time when anyone who was nice on the MIC and had those kinds of connections were getting deals. It was Dame that saw the work ethic backed by some inkling of talent. However, Jayz's early work wasn't impressive. Just be honest with yourself. In fact I remember ? with that Original Flava ? way back but I don't remember Jayz at all. He never separated himself. Not because he didn't want to he just didn't have the talent. Take for Instance Busta Rhymes. LONS was HOT as Hell but everyone knew Busta was destined for stardom as solo artists. Same with ? , and ODB. Amongst all them dudes them dudes just had the it. Jayz didn't have the it. When Jay hooked up with a good manager and a person who was hell bent on making it -
I might not be 100% right. But I think what I have typed is, 100% accurate. In so much that Dame has admitted that no one wanted to touch Jayz. I also think you have to take into consideration that Jay ? with Jaz-O, Kane, Irv, and others in the business. So, it wasn't just Kane's fizzling out that was the issue. You must consider this was a time when anyone who was nice on the MIC and had those kinds of connections were getting deals. It was Dame that saw the work ethic backed by some inkling of talent. However, Jayz's early work wasn't impressive. Just be honest with yourself. In fact I remember ? with that Original Flava ? way back but I don't remember Jayz at all. He never separated himself. Not because he didn't want to he just didn't have the talent. Take for Instance Busta Rhymes. LONS was HOT as Hell but everyone knew Busta was destined for stardom as solo artists. Same with ? , and ODB. Amongst all them dudes them dudes just had the it. Jayz didn't have the it. When Jay hooked up with a good manager and a person who was hell bent on making it
Worse rappers than Jay had deals back then so again, you can only speculate. I'm not saying you're wrong, but you can't act like you know for sure is the only point I'm making. Also, I wasn't saying Kane's decline was part of the reason he didn't get on. I was just implying even if Kane thought he was nice that may have not meant a thing since Kane couldn't sustain his own successful due to a lack of direction with his own music or better yet, a lack of a desired direction by the fans. -
Worse rappers than Jay had deals back then so again, you can only speculate. I'm not saying you're wrong, but you can't act like you know for sure is the only point I'm making. Also, I wasn't saying Kane's decline was part of the reason he didn't get on. I was just implying even if Kane thought he was nice that may have not meant a thing since Kane couldn't sustain his own successful due to a lack of direction with his own music or better yet, a lack of a desired direction by the fans.
I guess it depends on how you define worse but I know what you mean. Gimmicky/corny underground rappers and Rakim/KRS/Kane/G Rap knockoffs were definitely signed to deals cause I bought a lot of that dumb ? then lol( i was a dj then). None of them had careers though, just an album or two if they were lucky. But til around 94 Jay was real derivative to the point where he didnt stand out at all. Rap already had jaz-O. Chip Fu from Fushnickens. Big L rapped fast too. And they all did it better than jay. Maybe thats why as an East Coast dude he was overlooked by labels b/c that niche was kinda filled already. I had Original Flavor record in 93 also, from off the A train..Ski an them was handing it out. I do remember Jay though, I remember laughing at that "80-per-cent-of-you-nig-gas-wit-deals-cant-see-me-wit-the-dough" flow. -
n 96 reasonable doubt sold DOUBLE WOOD j didnt become hot until 2yrz after TUPAC DIED & a yr after BIG was dead
So because the album didnt selling 5 million copies, it went double wood? -
i remember up until vol 2. hot 97 openly said jay was nice but he didn't have hooks. up until then he was good lyrics and laid back production
-
lol @ some of the posts in here, like calling RD double wood when it was a platinum record.
-
KeepinItHundred wrote: »lol @ some of the posts in here, like calling RD double wood when it was a platinum record.
it was considered a flop when it first came out..its not that hard to believe....the album didn't got plat until 2002... -
rd went wood....dame and jay bragged that they copped 50,000 copies just so it wudnt flop
lucky for jay, biggy died -
The Short answer is, he wasn't nice enough. Jay didn't have a rhyme style or the charisma to set himself apart from other MC's. Dame saw that Jay at least had the work ethic and desire to transform himself into a decent MC. And once Hip Hop took the turn to the Big Willie, Crystal popping persona it then made a way for MC's with average skill to enter as, long as they could pull off the Big Willie, Dope slinging gimmick.
Word, Jay-Z just a rapper with average skill with a gimmick? The hov hate on this site is incredible. -
G Mackin' It wrote: »it was considered a flop when it first came out..its not that hard to believe....the album didn't got plat until 2002...
Remind what of buzz Jay had and how many smash hit singles he had off the album. -
rd was a gold album shortly after its release .....even the dead presidents single went gold......i think that jay really came along with that fast rap ? at a time when the east coast was leaving that ? alone, so maybe thats why no one wanted to sign him.....he switched his ? up started his own label and the rest is history........
-
I dont understand the question
He signed to Def Jam lol -
Start trends buddy, not hop on them. Get it right!
lol, are you serious?
He was rapping like Das Efx/Fu Schnickens back then when no one wanted to sign him.
Afterwards, the mafioso / money rap became famous so he switched his style up on Reasonable Doubt.
He followed the Bad Boy / 80's sample remake trend on Vol. 1 with "Sunshine" & "I Know What Girls Like".
In '98, DMX was blowing up and the east coast / grimy scene was dominating rap so Jay Z hopped on that trend.
When Cash Money/No Limit, etc blew up, Jay Z hopped on and did songs with Juvenile and UGK.
Jay Z also hopped on the Lil Wayne trend and even got in good with him for a while, calling Weezy his "heir"
Jay Z did start some trends, but he's also known for hopping on what's "hot" and distancing himself from people he doesn't feel are relevant
*cough* Beanie Sigel, Foxy, etc *cough* -
thesynthesis wrote: »rd went wood....dame and jay bragged that they copped 50,000 copies just so it wudnt flop
lucky for jay, biggy died
Just to play off of this quote....its interesting how dame admitted that he himself bought 50,000 copies of RD in 96 but YET were all still convinced that the Carter 3 & 4 actually sold 1mil thier first weeks. Things that make you go hmmmmmm. -
Word, Jay-Z just a rapper with average skill with a gimmick? The hov hate on this site is incredible.
And the lack of reading comprehension and Hip Hop history is, even worse. -
anti stans say the silliest ? -
lmaooooooo
-
Jay-Z created his own label cuz no one wanted to sign him. Why? Did they think he was not good enough at the time?
no one is exempt to the struggle when trying to get on ... its what seperates the guys who will get on and the guys who wont ... most hit that wall and give ... the ones who continue to attack the wall will eventually either find a way over the wall or around the wall or just bust thier way right thru that ? ...
? even nas had a hard start ... peep his verse here ...
I'm with Akinyele in the street, trying to get us a deal
G Rap tried to get us to sign to Cold Chill
But Fly Ty didn't have the contract we wanted
Clark Kent just signed Das, he didn't want us
Russell said I sounded like G, the ? fronted
Reef and Matty C offered me a little money
? a little funny, feel a little laughter
Rebel of Hip-Hop coming through a white rapper
My boy MC Serch nevertheless
Took me to Columbia, back then CBS
Chris Schwartz, RuffHouse, he was the best man
Now bugging because the label had just dropped Def Jam
Could you picture Russell needing a check, man
But he smart, he plotted a plan for Polygram
Life is I'll, again life's a movie
Then, the roster's: Cypress Hill, Nas, and Fugees
Before I sold records, no promotion
The rap world like, what's all this commotion
Went plat', mad bottles I'm toasting
20/20 hindsight, but how did they know then
no one is exempt
and @ the end of the day goes to show that with hard work and dedication honestly i think anyone can get notice in this industry ... however the next step is actually being able to have longevity in the game ...
-
KeepinItHundred wrote: »lol @ some of the posts in here, like calling RD double wood when it was a platinum record.
it was considered a flop when it first came out..its not that hard to believe....the album didn't got plat until 2002...
Wtf?
No one thought reasonable doubt was a flop -
Nobody wanted to sign the ROC to the deal they wanted ... they wasn't selling numbers out the trunk like no limit and the buzz wasn't big enough. People in hip hop circles knew of Jay but the roc as a crew and / or label had no buzz . Priority took the chance cause they came off with the no limit, ruthless & the Wu to name a few. ... still wasn't the deal they wanted but It was the best at the time . The album dropped with little to no promotion in the summer of 96 with like 100 other other hip-hop albums
Took that album about 6 months to go gold and didn't go plat until after vol 1 dropped
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYfKMIdoJL0
