1997
So.
What is the New Jack Hip Hop Awards?
Many years ago, everyone on alt.rap and the funky-music mailing list was bitchin' about how lame the Grammy's were in general, and especially how weak they were when it came to rap and hiphop.
Thus was born the New Jack Hip Hop Awards.
You decide on the categories. You nominate. You vote. All we do is count and give out the Jacks. So, don't blame us.
So, let's see. I've been hosting the New Jack Hip Hop Awards since its inception in 1991 with the help of many interested and involved hip hop headz. Some call me the Homeboy From hell. You may call me Charles.
One of the more interesting things about 1997 was how it pointed out how old hiphop is becoming. Not only have we seen a return of Rakim and EPMD, to remind us that they first hit the scene over ten years ago, but we've also seen a maturing of the hiphop artist. As s/he has gotten older, the music has come to reflect that. And as s/he has gotten older, so has the audience. Some of that has played out in the NJHHA recently, with votes for gangsta stuff slowly giving way to a more reflective and personal kind of hiphop.
On the other hand, a new generation of headz have come of age. Their classics come from Wu-Tang Clan, early Nas and the like, not Public Enemy or a Tribe Called Quest, much less Run-DMC or Rakim. Mix these new headz in with the wider "mainstream" audience--a more casual hip hop listener--and you have a clash of tastes, styles and expectations.
All of which is on display in this year's awards. It's certainly made for an interesting ride for the counters and more than a few atypical results. Follow me, and see what I mean.
Phattest Progressive/Jazz Rap Group
| 45.5% | The Roots |
| 20.5% | A Tribe Called Quest |
| 17.0% | De La Soul |
| 9.0% | Organized Konfusion |
| 8.0% | Lateef The Truthspeaker & Lyrx Born (Latryx) |
And our first Jack of the day goes to The Roots. With Do You Want More?!, the extremely popular Illadelph Halflife (winner of last year's phattest album of the year), and the recent re-release of their first underground album, Organix, this live jazz/hip-hop band has owned this category since 1995.
Second place again goes to A Tribe Called Quest. ATCQ as you will recall owned this category from 1991-1994, and has managed to come in second every year since then.
This was never really a contest. The order was determined from the start and it stayed that way. In fact, this looks much like last year's results.
Phattest Progressive/Jazz Male Rapper
| 48.9% | Common |
| 13.6% | Wyclef Jean |
| 11.4% | Mos Def |
| 10.2% | Black Thought (of the Roots) |
| 10.2% | Guru |
| 5.7% | Plug Oneder Why (aka Plug One, Posdonus of De La Soul) |
Last time Common (the artist formerly known as Sense) came in last place in this category, getting fewer than half of the votes of Q-Tip, last year's winner. My how times have changed. Common--who wasn't that well known outside of a few dedicated fans and headz who appreciated "I Used to Love H.E.R" off Resurrection--has come into his own, almost snatching the first majority victory of the day.
Meanwhile, everyone else was left to duke it out for second. That was finally won by that Fugee refugee Wyclef. Traditional favorites from Tribe and De La Soul were nowhere to be seen, except for Plug One. On the other hand, underground artist Mos Def does fairly well, all things considered.
Phattest Progressive/Jazz Female Rapper
| 42.4% | Lauryn Hill |
| 23.5% | Erykah Badu |
| 20.0% | Bahamadia |
| 9.4% | What What (of Natural Resource) |
| 4.7% | Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot |
Meanwhile, Lauryn Hill easily takes the female award. As opposed to previous years, there were plenty of runners from which to choose. Newcomer Erykah Badu does pretty well for a soul diva, but is closely followed by Bahamadia. Bringing up the rear are What What and Missy Elliot.
BTW, for those of you who don't know, I'm told that we should really watch out for What What in the next year. She's supposed to be all that and a bowl of warm soup on a cold Chicago day.
Phattest Progressive/Jazz Rap Single
| 48.2% | "Retrospect for Life" by Common |
| 24.7% | "Luchini" by Camp Lo |
| 15.3% | "Universal Magnetic" by Mos Def |
| 11.8% | "Balcony Beach" by Lateef The Truthspeaker & Lyrx Born |
No contest. Common had it from day one. There's nothing to see here. Move along.
Well, that's not completely true. After all, Camp Lo made a respectable splash, as did underground notables Mos Def and Lateef&Lyrx. Nowhere to be seen, of course, are De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Us3 and The Roots.
Phattest Progressive/Jazz Rap Album
| 69.9% | One Day It'll All Make Sense by Common |
| 10.9% | Latryx by Lateef The Truthspeaker & Lyrx Born |
| 9.6% | Equinox by Organized Konfusion |
| 9.6% | Music Evolution by Buckshot LeFonque |
Speaking of no contest....
Well, well, well. I think it's safe to say that Common dominated the Progressive/Jazz category as much as was possible for him to do, and he takes the big Jack home with serious authority (and our first majority victory of the day). His lead was so huge that his votes from the first batch or two alone sealed his victory.
That's pretty impressive.
Of course, everyone is a winner... it doesn't matter whether you win or lose, blah blah blah. Still, the other votes don't seem worth talking about. I will mention a write-in for Us3's last effort, Broadway and 52nd, but that's just out of kindness.
Phattest Crossover Group
| 67.5% | The Roots |
| 14.5% | Bone Thugs 'n' Harmony |
| 10.8% | Timberland and Magoo |
| 7.2% | Rage Against the Machine |
...and we have another slaughter. The first vote was for the Roots and the last vote was for the Roots. BTH managed a nice second over Timbaland and Magoo who in turn managed to maintain some distance between themselves and RATM (as their fans call them). Not shown is the write in for Cru.
Phattest Crossover Male Rapper
| 41.2% | Wyclef Jean |
| 29.4% | Common |
| 16.5% | LL Cool J |
| 12.9% | Jay-Z |
Yeah, you were expecting this weren't you? Just to prove that Common has competition from someone somewhere, Wyclef gets first place. This is fine revenge from his poor last place showing in the 1996 awards. And all this without Lauryn Hill.
Phattest Crossover Female Rapper
| 66.7% | Lauryn Hill |
| 25.9% | Missy Elliot |
| 7.4% | Lil' Kim |
And speaking of Lauryn Hill, it's all about domination, and Ms Hill is easily doing it here. She owned this category last year and she owns it this year. Missy Elliot does pretty well considering, but Lil Kim is all alone in the single digits (unless you count write-in Queen Pen). Maybe Lil Kim will get her revenge in the nasty category.
As Fletch notes this was never a race, but then it never is. Some young lady takes charge for a year and no one else comes close. Soon, though, I suspect this category will heat up.
Phattest Crossover Rap Single
| 41.3% | "4,3,2,1" by LL Cool J & Method Man, Canibus, Redman, Master P and DMX |
| 31.2% | "Mo Money, Mo Problems" by Notorious B.I.G. feat Mase, Puff Daddy |
| 27.5% | "We Trying To Stay Alive" by Wyclef Jean |
Ah. Mr. Smith finally gets some respect in the Crossover category. His me-and-my-friends cut takes a solid first place, defeating the Puff Daddy machine as well as the popular Wyclef.
This was a pretty good race with LL only pulling ahead toward the end. Also in the race were write-ins "Tell Me What You Want" by Mase, "Phone Tap" by the Firm, and "Respect for Life" by Common with Lauryn Hill.
Phattest Crossover Rap Album
| 41.7% | The Carnival by Wyclef Jean |
| 33.3% | One Day It Will All Make Sense by Common |
| 13.1% | No Way Out by Puff Daddy |
| 11.9% | Life After Death by Notorious B.I.G. |
Common managed a surge toward the end, but Wyclef had a comfortable margin. By contrast, neither Puff "I'm all you see" Daddy nor Notorious BIG ever had a chance. As Fletch says, just because it crosses over doesn't mean it's gonna do well, even in the Crossover category.
Phattest Braggadocio Group
| 34.5% | Tha Alkaholiks |
| 27.6% | Wu-Tang Clan |
| 17.2% | Company Flow |
| 16.1% | EPMD |
| 4.6% | Organized Konfusion |
It's the Liks, baby, it's the Liks. Alkaholiks take it from defending champs Wu-Tang Clan with a comfortable margin and nothing left to question.
Phattest Braggadocio Male Rapper
| 32.5% | Rakim |
| 30.1% | Redman |
| 20.5% | KRS-ONE |
| 9.6% | Busta Rhymes |
| 7.3% | Common |
It's Rakin, baby, it's Rakim. The lyrical master takes the category smoothly from defending champion Redman. Busta Rhymes is near the bottom with the more reflective Common and write-in Cannibus.
Phattest Braggadocio Female Rapper
| 38.3% | Lauryn Hill |
| 20.9% | Lil Kim |
| 14.0% | Bahamadia |
| 14.0% | Da Brat |
| 12.8% | Missy Elliot |
So, naturally, Ms. Hill proves that a defending champion can still win, taking a decisive win for most ego-stroking raptress. The Queen Bee takes second place with a comfortable lead over the rest of the pack.
Phattest Braggadocio Rap Single
| 36.0% | "Guess Who's Back" by Rakim |
| 19.8% | "Step Into A World" by KRS-ONE |
| 17.4% | "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See" by Busta Rhymes |
| 14.0% | "Triumph" by Wu-Tang Clan |
| 12.8% | "The Ultimate" by Artifacts |
Busta Rhymes--last year's winner--finds himself just able to hold on to third place. Meanwhile, the Old Skool is runnin' things, with Rakim and KRS-ONE taking the top two spots.
Phattest Braggadocio Rap Album
| 37.2% | The 18th Letter by Rakim |
| 19.2% | Funcrusher Plus by Company Flow |
| 17.9% | Likwidation by Tha Alkaholiks |
| 14.1% | Back In Business by EPMD |
| 11.6% | I Got Next by KRS-ONE |
Speaking of Rakim, he manages a sweep with a nice win for The 18th Letter. In second place are none other than Company Flow, which is fairly impressive for an underground grouo. Meanwhile it's the Liks baby standing in front of the EPMD and KRS-ONE.
Biggest Sellout
| 46.8% | Nas "Escobar" for various things |
| 33.8% | Puff Daddy for No Way Out |
| 19.4% | Mic Geronimo for Vendetta |
Headz are ruthless and unforgiving. Not too long ago Nas was on top of the Hip Hop Respect List. Now he's considered a big sell out.
Of course, headz puzzle me, too. How can Puff really be a sell out if he never sold out anything? I mean I kinda get the write in for KRS-ONE for working with Puffy, at least in the abstract, but why Puffy himself? Hasn't he always been the way he is?
I dunno, I guess I must bow to the will of the masses.
Weakest Rapper
| 65.8% | Puffy for, well, everything |
| 34.2% | Mase for Harlem World and various guest spots |
Speaking of Puffy, he's on top of the world again with a pretty spectacular "victory" over protege MC "Who needs to blink?" Mase.
Biggest Disappointment
| 29.6% | Phenomenon by LL Cool J |
| 26.8% | Wu-Tang Forever by Wu-Tang Clan |
| 21.1% | Back in Business by EPMD |
| 15.5% | The 18th Letterby Rakim |
| 7.0% | The Pick, the Sickle, and the Shovel by Gravediggaz |
Ah, poor LL. After some respect for his lyrical virtuosity in "4,3,2,1" (in my opinion, anyway), he finds out that the rest of his 1997 effort has done naught but disappoint. And, again, the ruthless headz express their views about the latest Wu-Tang effort, especially near the end of the voting.
This is pretty much the tightest race in this group of awards with strong, um, support for both EPMD and Rakim in their comeback efforts. Also worth mentioning are write-ins for KRS-ONE and Puff Daddy.
Most Overrated Rapper
| 36.4% | Puff Daddy for No Way Out |
| 26.0% | Master P for Ghetto D |
| 23.4% | Mase for Harlem World |
| 14.2% | Canibus in various cameos |
Here we go again. Hey, I'm the impartial counter, you know? Still, even if I agree that Puff Daddy is one of he wackest mic managers out there, I have to wonder if anyone actually thinks he's any good? If no one thinks he's any good as a rapper, how can he be overrated?
Or maybe I'm just outta touch.
Anyway, Master P "unnnnnh"'s his way into second place, barely ahead of Harlem "I'll blink if you pay me" Mase and the popular newcomer Canibus. Company Flow, a popular underground group, also managed a few write-ins.
Lamest Lyric
| 47.4% | "I'm the macaroni with the cheese" by Puff Daddy |
| 34.6% | "Uh huh" by Puff Daddy |
| 17.9% | "...your worst nightmare sqaured... that's double..." by Common with Canibus, mathematicians |
From Kang: "This was always a two lyric race. The Common/Canibus line didn't get nominated by many and it showed in the votes. Sometimes it was close, but the macaroni line stayed confident the whole way through."
That is a pretty lame line. I'm not sure if it's as lame as last year's winner "She said she wants to be a lawyer/in other words shorty studies law" by the Lost Boys on "Renee," but it was pretty weak.
Anyway, that ends that.
Phattest Lyric
| 32.5% | "Retrospect For Life" by Common |
| 29.1% | "Step Into A World" by KRS-ONE |
| 19.8% | "Making A Name For Ourselves" by Common featuring Canibus |
| 18.6% | "4,3,2,1" by LL Cool J & Method Man, Canibus, Redman, Master P and DMX |
Now this was a close race all the way through. And no wonder. These are all good efforts. In the end though, someone has to win, and it was Common who takes a squeaky first and a solid third. Once again, LL the continually dissed acquits himself with a strong showing.
Wu-Tang Clan and Jurassic 5 manage write-ins, and in this category that's certainly worth mentioning.
Most Slammin' Beat
| 43.7% | "Step Into A World" by KRS-ONE |
| 19.5% | "Da Joint" by EPMD |
| 19.5% | "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See" by Busta Rhymes |
| 17.3% | "It's All About The Benjamins" by Puff Daddy |
This was much less of a contest, at least for first. KRS-ONE had this one wrapped up from day one. The race for second was much more interesting with hip hop heroes EPMD and Busta Rhymes tying for second. And then there's Puff Daddy(!) who may have come in last, but at least didn't get wiped out. Well, it does have a nice beat and you can dance to it, so....
Funniest Rap
| 67.8% | "Champagne" by Chris Rock |
| 20.7% | "I'm Not A Player" by Big Punisher |
| 11.5% | "Men in Black" by Will Smith |
Well, what can I say? "Champagne" is hilarious and has a funny video, too.
Phattest Remix
| 32.5% | "Jazzy Belle" by Outkast |
| 28.9% | "4,3,2,1" by LL Cool J & Method Man, Canibus, Redman, Master P and DMX |
| 19.3% | "Music Makes Me High" by Lost Boyz |
| 19.3% | "It's All About The Benjamins" by Puffy Daddy |
So close, so close... and yet so far away for LL and company. In the end, it was the jewel of the Dirty South, Atlanta, representing the true hiphop (true, true). Also representing are write-ins Lauryn Hill for "Sweetest Thing (Mahogany remix)" and EPMD for "Never Seen Before."
Phattest DJ
| 56.6% | DJ Premier for various |
| 30.1% | X-Pressions by X-Men [X-Ecutioners] |
| 13.3% | Mix Tape Vol. 2 by Funkmaster Flex |
At one point this was a contest, but near the end Premier must have called up his boys, because everyone started voting for him. Our counter warns us not to sleep on our second placers, though, despite the majority victory for Premier.
Others not to sleep on according to the write-ins are DJ Shadow, DJ Clue and Q-Bert & the Invisibl Scratch Picklz.
Phattest Producer(s)
| 32.2% | NO I.D. for Accept Your Own and Be Yourself & One Day It'll All Make Sense by Common |
| 31.1% | DJ Premier for various |
| 30.0% | RZA for Wu-Tang Forever |
| 6.7% | Company Flow for Funcrusher Plus |
And down to the wire it is. This is all but a three-way tie for first, with last year's first and second place winners trying to return for glory. In the end though, it is the versatile NO ID who gets the Jack.
Best fusion of Hip-Hop with non-Hip-Hop
| 46.3% | The Carnival by Wyclef Jean |
| 15.9% | Portishead |
| 13.4% | "Digital" by KRS-ONE and Goldie |
| 13.4% | "Benjamins Rock Remix" by Puff Daddy |
| 6.1% | Music Evolution by Buckshot Le Fonque |
| 4.9% | "Diesel Power" by Prodigy with Kool Keith |
Hey, it's that Wyclef guy again. This was no contest. On the other hand, Portishead did take second place, which is kinda interesting considering that you'd think many of the voters might not have heard of them.
Phattest Non-USA Artist
| 51.4% | Brick House (EP) by Saukrates |
| 25.7% | "What it Takes" by Choclaire |
| 22.9% | Cash Crop by Rascalz |
And we have a majority victory for Saukrates. There is very little else to say.
Phattest Reggae Hip Hop artist
| 49.3% | My Experience Vol.1 by Bounty Killer |
| 26.0% | Ghetto Gold and Platinum Respect by Mad Lion |
| 24.7% | "Fly" by Supacat with Sugar Ray |
And another race along the same lines. Mad Lion's album barely makes it past Supacat's guest shot single.
Keepin' It Real
| 38.3% | Roots |
| 28.4% | Rakim |
| 19.8% | KRS-ONE |
| 4.9% | X-men (X-ecutioners) |
| 4.9% | Busta Rhymes |
| 3.7% | LL Cool J |
Write-ins include Chuck D and Ras Kass. Of course, I still don't know what this category means exactly, but I expect that whatever it is The Roots are doing it.
Provider of Phattest Samples
| 52.2% | "I'm Coming Out" by Diana Ross used in "Mo Money Mo Problems" by B.I.G. |
| 24.7% | Stevie Wonder |
| 15.9% | "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash used in "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" by Puff Daddy |
| 7.2% | "Every Breath You Take" by Sting used in "I'll be Missing You" by Puffy |
Stevie Wonder fans all voted at once near the end to bring him into second place, but the Puff machine still manages first (and third and fourth). Roy Ayers also managed a write-in.
Most Innovative Use of a Sample
| 48.8% | "Rapture" by KRS-ONE |
| 18.3% | "High Noon" by DJ Shadow |
| 17.1% | The transformers on "Be Alert" by 7L & Esoteric |
| 15.8% | Puff Daddy for various, um, reworkings, like "The Message", "Every Breath You Take", & "Let's Dance" |
...and we end our first day with the T'cha, KRS-ONE, taking a commanding lead for his cool use of "Rapture" in his big single of the year. The rest come very close to splitting second, but it is DJ Shadow who takes it. BTW, the most vocal voters seemed to be for 7L & Esoteric. So, don't sleep.
And that ends The Seventh Annual New Jack Hip Hop Awards, part the first. What do we have? Common and Wyclef seem to be in charge so far with KRS-ONE looking like a strong bet, too.
Well, we'll see tommorrow. I'll see you then. I'm going to sleep.
Peace.