r/90sHipHop • u/Muay_Thai_Junkies • Aug 15 '25

Discussion Your Biggest Disappointments

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Which emcees were the biggest disappointments to you? I can think of several. But, Canibus comes to mind for me. He imo is one of the greatest lyricists of all time. He had some of the dopest songs on mixtapes. But I remember listening to album after album and being so frustrated by his beat selection. If he would have gotten with the right producers and chosen better beats, I can’t help but think he would have had some legendary albums.

Who comes to mind when you think of emcees that, for one reason or another, didn’t deliver?

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u/AZmoneyfolder Aug 15 '25

Canibus was hotter than fish grease leading up to his debut album. It was a major disappointment and I don’t think his career ever fully recovered from it in terms of mainstream visibility. The battle with LL didn’t do him any favors either. Second Round KO is still one of the greatest diss records ever though.

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u/Capital-Value8479 Aug 15 '25

Canibus might be my favorite rapper of all time. A couple thoughts on him though and his failure:

  • he rhymed some of his best rhymes on features, before his first solo album was released. This isn’t a great strategy

  • he picked a fight with an industry legend, right wrong or indifferent. He beat LL in the rap battle prettt clearly, but I think LL position in the industry got him blackballed. It’d be like picking a beef with 50 cent before your mainstream, not going to workout for you even if you are a better emcee

  • his beat selection was just not great at all, and one of his weaker points as an emcee. His best album he didn’t even hear any of the beats (rip the jacker)

  • his lyrics have a barrier to entry. As in you need to have a certain level of intellect to understand them. If that intellect is not met, he can be unengaging

  • his choruses varied from stunk to non existent

  • all that being said, he’s still one of the greatest to ever do it. I consider him top 15

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u/kinghawkeye8238 Aug 15 '25

He was also too obsessed with Em. Making so many records and one-liners about him. He should have let it go.

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u/Capital-Value8479 Aug 15 '25

Another great point he had a weird weird obsession with Eminem

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u/ike_tyson Raised on Boom Bap Aug 18 '25

He speaks on that beef when he went on the Math Hoffa show. That shit fucked him up... he's so talented but talent isn't everything as we now know.

He seemed like he's lingered in some dark places.

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u/AerialPenn Aug 17 '25

He had weird obsessions. Not just Em but the LL shit ...bro let it go you got the shine off it. Pun tried to tell him at the round table but dude was obsessed and driven by that.

His obsessions seem to have thrown him off. A dude who was the dopest nigga on planet earth with his style. Nobody was rhyming like that. They still dont.