Feel Good to Be Beatin' a Real Goon, Don'a?

At least, I think that's what he said in "Shawty". Well, ok, enough griping outta me on this blog. I did promise you guys a glimpse into the future, right? I'm supposed to be telling you where things are headed in the next couple of years.

Well, here's my next prediction. Plies is going to be the next big thing. He's next. He's on, so wipe him down. My cousin and I were having a discussion recently about who would be the next big thing in the game now that gangsta rap-- NOT HIP HOP-- is officially dead. (Oops, oh yeah, there's another prediction for you-- Gangsta rap is dead.) Nas & co. gave the wrong diagnosis to the wrong patient. Because gangsta has become so tied in with hip hop's image, some people began to mistake the two for total versions of one another. So yeah, address your flowers & condolensces c.o. gangsta rip, not hip hop. The music really has gotten tired. It's getting so having a rap sheet is more of a qualifier for the music than being an actually TALENTED lyricist. But it's about to change. Remember who said it first. Now don't get me wrong, talking greasy on a beat will NEVER go out of style, but if you don't have ANYTHING ELSE to bring to the table, it's not going to sell. Some big name hip hop cd's from some big name "gangsta" artists *cough*CURTIS*cough* are going to flop, hard.

Whew, so anyway, my cousin disagreed somewhat. He said that it still has life, but it's going to take someone who just takes the ignorance of it to awhole 'nother level.

Enter Plies. Man, this dude is one of the grimiest artists i've seen to hit the scene in quite some time. I know we're in a recessed market and everything, but expect his debut to do 2 milly, just like Jeezy's. Plus, in an era where there are legions of "studio" gangstas running around, I really do genuinely believe that Plies has at least done some of the stuff he raps about. And oddly enough, even though his lyrics are really gully and street, he actually does have some real rhyming abilities as well. So yah, big ups to Plies, and early congrats for that multi-platinum plaque. (Quote me on that; I guarantee you it's going to happen.)

What's really going to be the deciding factor, though, is what he does for an encore.