1998
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.
What up? Welcome to the 8th Annual New Jack Hip Hop Awards. I've been hosting them since its inception in 1991 with the help of several dedicated hip hop headz. Some call me the Homeboy From hell. You may call me Charles.
This past year was an odd one for the awards. With my recent graduation (that's Dr. From hell to you) and moving and all that, it was very hard for me to run the awards the way I usually do.
Aside from my ridiculous schedule, hip hop itself has been changing dramatically. As "mainstream" hiphop turns twenty, we find hiphop fragmenting into several parts, far more fractious and at odds with one another than even the somewhat idealized categories that we use for the awards.
Hip Hop headz are older... and some of hiphop is beginning to strongly reflect that. But hip hop is also younger. Those headz in their thirties and even forties seem to be clashing in the marketplace with the young'uns in their teens and twenties.
Hip Hop is getting more regional. Once there was Hip Hop, and it was all east coast. After ten to twenty years (depending upon how you want to count), the West Coast exploded. That was about ten(!) years ago. Since then, though, we've developed mid western styles, a seattle scene, miami bass, nawlins hiphop, and the hip hop of the dirty south (ridiculed and ignored just five years ago), to mention a few from just the states.
Hip Hop is also getting even more mainstream. It's getting more commercial. For some this is a bad thing. For others, it's okay. Even with the big labels focusing on commerically viable hip hop, the underground scene is on a tear. Mos Def and Talib Kweli are big stars, especially on the east coast... but they are essentially underground artists, and managing to stay that way.
Oh, and don't get me started on mp3. The music industry is changing and hip hop is in the middle of it, as we wind down the end of the century. I'd say that 1999 and 2000 promise to be interesting years. But then, so was 1998.
Phattest Progressive/Jazz Rap Group
| 34.0% | The Roots |
| 27.7% | Outkast |
| 22.3% | Black Star |
| 12.8% | A Tribe Called Quest |
| 3.2% | Black Eyed Peas |
As has become a tradition since 1995, our first Jack of the day goes to The Roots. Ever since Do You Want More?!, the Roots have owned this category.
Still, there was actual competition this year. The Roots took last year with over 45% of the vote. This year both Outkast and Black Star gave them a run for their money. In fact Osei tells me that both also-rans had significant leads early on.
Another change this year was the performance of A Tribe Called Quest. They were the original leaders in this category and could always be counted on for at least second place. This year, they have fallen way down... and I don't think they can get back up (although, EPMD made a reunion album, so who knows?).
Phattest Progressive/Jazz Male Rapper
| 25.8% | Aceyalone |
| 24.8% | Common |
| 17.2% | Black Thought |
| 17.2% | Mos Def |
| 8.5% | Guru |
| 6.5% | Talib Kweli |
This was a close and exciting race. It was as down to the wire as you can get, but in the end, it was Aceylone with the upset victory over defending champ Common (the artist formerly known as Sense).
Otherwise the race was less tense. Mos Def was in it for a while, but at the end of the day settles for a tie with The Roots' Black Thought. Neither Guru nor Talib Kweli had much of a change, but they did okay, considering. Traditional favorites from the inventors of the category like ATCQ and De La Soul are nowhere to seen. I think the torch has been passed on.
Phattest Progressive/Jazz Female Rapper
| 76.7% | Lauryn Hill |
| 12.8% | Bahamadia |
| 10.5% | What What |
So, I have this dream that one day there will be a real race for a female category. Alas, few have even heard of Bahamadia or the phattalicious What, What, so I suppose it's no surprise that Lauryn walked away with this one, our first majority victory of the day.
Phattest Progressive/Jazz Rap Single
| 37.6% | "Definition" by Black Star |
| 21.5% | "The Guidelines" by Aceyalone |
| 20.5% | "Adrenaline" by The Roots |
| 12.9% | "Find A Way" by A Tribe Called Quest |
| 7.5% | "Joints And Jams" by Black Eyed Peas |
Last year, Mos Def made a respectable splash in this category and threatened to make some noise this year. His move from well-respected underground MC to co-leader of the popular underground scene as a part of Black Star is worth noting.
Black Star was in control from the first vote. No one else had a chance. Acey and The Roots had an interesting race, but that's about all else there is to say.
Phattest Progressive/Jazz Rap Album
| 33.3% | Aquemini by Outkast |
| 25.7% | Mos Def And Talib Kweli Are... by Black Star |
| 23.7% | A Book Of Human Language by Aceyalone |
| 10.8% | The Love Moment by A Tribe Called Quest |
| 6.5% | Behind The Front by Black Eyed Peas |
So, who saw this coming? I surely didn't.
Last year, it was obvious who was going to win, and win big (Common who ended up taking it with 2/3 of the vote). This year, I would have bet on Black Star. Big Boi and Andre proved me wrong, though.
They didn't exactly dominate, but they were consistent, taking pretty much each round with a few more votes than everyone else. That wins you awards in the end.
In the meantime, Mos Def and Talib Kweli also did respectable business, just ahead of that other underground fav, Acey. Meanwhile, the former kings ATCQ eke out a victory over newcomers BEP.
Phattest Crossover Group
| 40.9% | Outkast |
| 24.6% | Beastie Boys |
| 19.4% | Jurassic 5 |
| 9.7% | Goodie Mob |
| 5.4% | Black Eye Peas |
...and another victory from my homeboys from, well, just down the street where I grew up. Hmmm. This isn't exactly a slaughter, but I think Outkast has made the point. The more interesting race was for second betwixt the old school Beastie Boys and the new school-old school J5. There was a definite battle, but in the end, the older old school takes second.
Fletch tells me that he looked through the last seven years worth of awards and noted that whenever the Beasties are up for an award, they take second. He thinks that shows something profound about our society. He's probably right, but I'm not sure what it says.
Phattest Crossover Male Rapper
| 35.6% | Black Thought |
| 32.2% | Mos Def |
| 20.0% | Jay Z |
| 12.2% | Big Punisher |
You know, from the four who went for this award last year, only Jay-Z returns. I don't see Wyclef, Common or LL. I'm not even sure they were nominated.
Jay Z and Big Pun did well considering the popularity of their competition, but this year it's all about Black Thought and Mos Def. Their race was fairly close, all the way up until the end, but the Jack goes to Black Thought.
Phattest Crossover Female Rapper
| 85.1% | Lauryn Hill |
| 14.9% | Missy Elliot |
I don't even want to discuss it. Lauryn wins three years in a row. Will this ever be a contest? Won't somebody with more estrogen than testosterone come and save hip hop? I just want a little diversity, nowhutimsayin?
Phattest Crossover Rap Single
| 53.3% | "Rosa Parks" by Outkast |
| 18.9% | "Doo Wop (That Thing)" by Lauryn Hill |
| 15.6% | "Lost Ones" by Lauryn Hill |
| 12.2% | "Ghetto Superstar" by Pras, Mya, & Ol' Dirty Bastard |
Hmmm. You know, no one from last year's contestants made the cut this year. Does that say something about the crossover category? Anyway, Outkast decides to make some more noise this year, taking a rare majority win. Even the Lauryn Hill juggarnaut fell before them (go ahead, combine her, she doesn't even come close).
Lastly, The Beastie Boys deserve a mention for a few write-in votes.
Phattest Crossover Rap Album
| 38.0% | Aquemini by Outkast |
| 35.9% | The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill |
| 20.7% | Hello Nasty by Beastie Boys |
| 5.4% | Behind the Front by Black Eyed Peas |
Hmmm. Naturally, the Beastie Boys decide to ignore Fletch's observation: they hit a fairly distant third. At the end of the day, this was between Outkast and Lauryn Hill, and it was Outkast's day in court. Perhaps Lauryn will appeal--she did get a late surge to make it close--and try for a victory next year.
Phattest Braggadocio Group
| 41.7% | Hieroglyphics |
| 25.3% | The Roots |
| 22.0% | Def Squad |
| 11.0% | Black Star |
So let me say up front that of all the categories in this year's awards, Braggadocio surprised me the most. It begins here. If you'd asked me, I would have guessed that The Roots or Black Star would take it. In fact, I would have been hard pressed to decide who would do worse, Hieroglyphics or Def Squad.
But, no, the Hieros took this one with authority. Further, they had it from vote one. And Def Squad did much better than the otherwise popular Black Star. What the hell do I know?
Now, I suppose it should be said that The Roots did try to take things back during the second half of the voting. In fact that won the last batch or so... but it was too little, too late.
Phattest Braggadocio Male Rapper
| 48.2% | KRS-ONE |
| 20.0% | Busta Rhymes |
| 14.2% | Method Man |
| 9.4% | Jay-Z |
| 8.2% | Big Punisher |
I suppose this was the only one that didn't surprise me at all. Of course KRS-ONE was going to win. And he did. He had the first and last vote, and as you can tell, many of them in between.
Busta does pretty respectable, given that he was up against the T'cha, but it was no contest. The only other thing worth mentioning is the many write-ins for Del, tha Funky Homosapien. Beyond that, take it out of the oven, it's done.
Phattest Braggadocio Female Rapper
| 52.4% | Lauryn Hill |
| 25.6% | Rah Diggah |
| 15.9% | Missy Elliot |
| 6.1% | Mia X |
Now, of course, the outcome of this race didn't surprise me either. I mean, hey, Lauryn Hill wins a female category. Someone call 911. On the other hand, the impressive performance of Rah Diggah did manage to surprise me. The numbers don't show it, but in fact, Rah was winning the competition early on (when suddenly in the middle Lauryn just took every single vote).
Lauryn may have taken another easy majority victory, but at least there was some suspense for the first hour or two. Notable write-ins, by the way, include What What and Bahamadia.
Phattest Braggadocio Rap Single
| 34.7% | "You Know My Steez" by Gangstarr |
| 23.5% | "Body Rock" by Mos Def featuring Q-Tip & Trash |
| 22.4% | "Tru Master" by Pete Rock |
| 19.4% | "Definition" by Black Starr |
Was I the only one surprised by this? I mean Gangstarr's album must have dropped at the beginning of the year, and it didn't even get much airplay. You'd've thought heads would have forgotten about them by the time December and January came around. But no, they win by a nice comfortable margin.
Mos Def's indy single did pretty well, too, winning many of the final votes. He managed to just edge out Pete Rock's effort. I suppose that if Mos Def counts the Black Starr votes for his own, he can claim that he took the vote anyway. Not bad.
Phattest Braggadocio Rap Album
| 42.0% | Third Eye Vision by Hieroglyphics |
| 25.0% | Mos Def & Talib Kweli by Black Starr |
| 17.0% | When Disaster Strikes by Busta Rhymes |
| 16.0% | Capitol Punishment by Big Punisher |
It's all Hiero, all the time. I was more than a bit surprised by the impressive victory here, but I'll admit that it warms this old heart to see them do well. A victory over Black Starr is not to be taken lightly, as this seems to be their year.
Biggest Sellout
| 41.4% | War by Ice Cube |
| 37.9% | Rassassination by Ras Kass |
| 20.7% | Hard Knock Life by Jay Z |
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Headz are ruthless and unforgiving. Once Ice Cube was the epitome of keeping it real. Now he's being dissed by everyone. Damn... and I've always liked him, too.
Weakest Rapper
| 30.7% | Mase for various things |
| 27.2% | Puff Daddy for various things |
| 15.9% | The Last Don by Master P |
| 12.5% | Big Willie Style and "Miami" by Will Smith |
| 8.0% | Nore by Noreaga |
| 5.7% | It's Dark and Hell is Hot by DMX |
The student surpasses the teacher. Mase must be so proud. After years dwelling in Puffy's shadow, he was finally able to take the spotlight. I always knew that if he kept on doing what he was doing and insisted on never blinking that he'd steal Puff's thunder.
Biggest Disappointment
| 30.4% | Can I Bus by Canibus |
| 25.8% | Rasassination by Ras Kass |
| 21.4% | The Love Movement by A Tribe Called Quest |
| 9.0% | The Game is to be Sold, Not to be Told by Snoop Doggy Dog |
| 6.7% | Make it Reign by Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz |
| 6.7% | War by Ice Cube |
Ruthless. Left, right, left, right, you're toothless.
Last year Canibus won phattest new hiphopster. This year, he fails to live up to his own hype and expectations. Damn. I'm all embarrassed for him.
Most Overrated Rapper
| 34.8% | It's Dark and Hell is Hot by DMX |
| 33.8% | Can-I-Bus by Canibus |
| 31.4% | Hard Knock Life by Jay Z |
I'm tempted to just call this a tie. The votes were pretty much split evenly. I think given another week of votes we'd of have a different order. Most impressive... or something.
Lamest Lyric
| 44.8% | Master P for "Uhhh" |
| 39.1% | DMX for rapping about raping a 15 year old on "X-Is Coming" |
| 16.1% | Jay Z for "I've been spending 100's since they had small faces" |
This started out close, but eventually someone decided that DMX's line were more vile than lame. I think that once you make that decision, you're pretty much forced to go to "Uhhh."
Also worth mentioning is Nore, who got a write-in on general gp, but also for several specific lines, including: "Our whips got navigation, yours just have carbonation" which means something to someone, but not to most of us.
Phattest Lyric
| 54.3% | "Respiration" by Black Star |
| 19.8% | "Me and Jesus the Pimp in a 79 Granada Last Night" by The Coup |
| 18.5% | "3 Card Molly" by Golden State Warriors |
| 7.4% | "Busterismology" by The Coup |
Apparently the race for first was interesting for at least the first few minutes of the awards. Then, suddenly, it just wasn't. Black Star had a cake walk and took a clear-cut majority win. On the other hand, the race for second was in doubt until the end. The Coup staged, well, a coup and stole second place from GSW.
Most Slammin' Beat
| 45.0% | "Tru Master" by Pete Rock f/ Inspectah Deck and Kurupt |
| 18.8% | "Fortified Live" by Reflection Eternal |
| 18.8% | "Cha Cha Cha" by Flipmode Squad |
| 10.0% | "101 Pianos" by Lewis Parker |
| 7.5% | "I Dare You" by Black Rob |
You know, I'm even sure how eligible "Fortified Live" is for this year's awards. In any case, it remains one of my favorite songs of the last five years, so I'm happy it took second.
Still, it's a bit of a hollow victory, with Pete Rock taking the jack with about 2.5 times the number of votes.
Funniest Rap
| 45.9% | "I Just Don't Give a F*ck" by Eminem |
| 20.0% | "Cars and Shoes" by The Coup |
| 18.8% | "Children's Story" by BlackStar |
| 8.2% | "Repo Man Sings For You" by The Coup |
| 7.1% | "Primer" by Atmosphere |
Proving that thin blonds and cussin' are always funny, Eminem takes a definitive victory. As Malko put it: "Eminem got the majority of the votes from the beginning, and the only question was 'by how much would he win'?"
Still there were a lot of tracks to choose from. Boots and the The Coup did fairly well, garnering 28.2% of the vote overall, mostly for the hilarious "Cars and Shoes" off Steal This Album. Black Star showed off their diverse talents and pulled down many a vote. Even Atmosphere--who I'll bet is mostly unknown--pulled in a decent number.
Everyone's a winner.
Phattest Remix
| 37.8% | "The Militia" by Gang Starr featuring Rakim and WC |
| 31.7% | "Travellin' Man" by DJ Honda and Mos Def |
| 30.5% | "Are you that Somebody" by Aaliyah featuring Danja Mowf and Crew |
Gang Starr moved slowly from the bottom of the pack to take first. Still, this was a close one all the way around. I'll admit that I was partial to the Danja Mowf effort on the Aaliyah remix, but I can't say I'm upset with Gang Starr's come from behind victory.
Phattest Turntablist/DJ
| 30.0% | DJ Premier for Moment of Truth by Gang Starr |
| 25.6% | Wave Twisters by Q-Bert |
| 15.6% | Anti-Theft Device by Mix Master Mike |
| 14.4% | Cut Chemist |
| 14.4% | Pete Rock for Soul Survivor |
I think our counter said it best:
"Maybe this category should be renamed after DJ Premier. No matter what he puts out, it could be a children's book in which he did the illustrations for, he would still get votes. But his work on Moment of Truth is warranted, but it would have been nice to see one of the other nominees take it, as all of them were equally deserving."
Phattest Producer(s)
| 42.0% | Organized Noize for Aquemeni, etc... |
| 40.0% | DJ Premier for Moment of Truth |
| 7.4% | Pete Rock for Soul Survivor |
| 4.2% | Lewis Parker for Masquerades and Silhouettes |
| 4.2% | DJ Hi-Tek, Shawn J. for Mos Def and Talib Kweli are... by Black Star |
| 2.2% | Boots for Steal This Album |
It was a battle for top spot. Premier was trying to recapture the Jack, and held the early lead, but in the end the team behind Outkast, among other southernplayas, snapped it up. I'm proud of 'em.
There were some other nominees, too, but even together they didn't make much noise this time around.
Best fusion of Hip-Hop with non-Hip-Hop
| 40.0% | The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill |
| 21.1% | Hello Nasty album by Beastie Boys |
| 18.9% | "Chonkyfire" by Outkast |
| 15.6% | Ozomatli |
| 4.4% | DJ Spooky |
Hmmm. Fletch's Beastie Boy observation is borne out. Although it seemed to start out as a race between Lauryn and Outkast, Lauryn eventually took a huge lead while the Beasties kinda snuck into second. Meanwhile, less well-known Ozomatli did fairly well, and eked out a few more votes than DJ Spooky.
Phattest Non-USA Artist
| 34.2% | "Northern Touch" by Rascalz f/ Choclair, Checkmate, Kardinal, Thrust |
| 25.0% | Lewis Parker (UK) |
| 21.1% | DJ Krush |
| 19.7% | MC Solaar |
Ha! MC Solaar (who used to own this category, probably on the strength of name recognition from one single he did with Gangstarr) does pretty well in final numbers... but it isn't enough to overcome the pull of gravity. He's in last place. Meanwhile last year's runner up, Choclaire finally tastes new jack victory as a part of the team that did "Northern Touch". I like it.
Phattest Reggae Hip Hop artist
| 50.0% | "Who Am I" by Beenie Man |
| 30.6% | My eXperience by Bounty Killer |
| 19.4% | Inna Heights by Buju Banton |
Well, at least I saw this one coming. Not quite a majority, but as close as you can get. The song crossed over into mainstream hiphop, so it should be no surprise that hip hop headz voted for it so overwhelmingly.
Keepin' It Real
| 29.5% | Mos Def & Talib Kweli |
| 25.0% | Gangstarr |
| 20.5% | Outkast |
| 11.4% | Boots |
| 9.1% | KRS-ONE |
| 4.5% | Jay-Z |
Just to remind you, this award is for the artist (MC, DJ, whatever) who made him or herself most accessible to the public... gave most to the community and otherwise avoided the biggest pitfall of fame: losing touch. I'm not sure how one determines such a thing, but there you go.
Apparently, the most in touch folks this year are Mos Def & Talib Kweli, also known as Black Star. Gangstarr does surprise business and takes a solid second with Outkast not feeling too bad about spot #3. Things get worse from that point down, although if anybody keeps it real, it has to be KRS-ONE and Boots.
Oh, and there's Jay-Z, who barely got as many votes as write-in Public Enemy.
Provider of Phattest Samples
| 28.1% | "Don't Let it Go to Your Head" used by Brand Nubian |
| 25.8% | The Annie sample in "Hard Knock Life" by Jay Z |
| 24.7% | Ornette Coleman for "Book of Human Language" off Aceyalone's album. |
| 12.4% | The "Spiderman" interpolation in "Here We Come" by Timbaland |
| 9.0% | James Brown: "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved" in "Ghetto Supastar" |
Pretty much a three-way tie, but in the end "Don't Let It Go To Your Head" (I guess that's Jean Carn's version) took first place. Right behind is Annie, if you can imagine such a thing, and Ornette Coleman. Yep, Jay-Z beats out Aceyalone.
Most Innovative Use of a Sample
| 28.5% | Jay-Z using the chorus from Annie on "Hard Knock Life" |
| 26.4% | "Lesson 6" by Cut Chemist |
| 24.2% | Hitchcock music used in "Gimme Some More" by Busta Rhymes |
| 14.3% | The ticking clock on "Grandfather time clock" by Aceyalone |
| 5.5% | Cam'ron's used of "The Night Court" sample |
| 1.1% | The same sample done 7 ways on "Timber" by Coldcut & Hexstatic. |
...twice! Now Malko thinks "Hard Knock Life" was both the most irritating and the most played song of the year. I'm hard pressed to disagree with him. At first I was a bit surprised that the sample is considered innovative... but then I realized that the very use of the sample itself was about as mind-boggling as the use of the Partridge Family tune by Nice and Smooth many years ago. If you're willing to do something that different, and make it more-or-less work, I'm happy to see you win.
And on that note, we end The Eighth Annual New Jack Hip Hop Awards, part the first.
Things are looking interesting. Surprises left and right and few clear leaders so far. I guess it's Outkast's and Black Star's to lose... but then there's Gang Starr.
Hmmm. I'll see you tommorrow.
Peace.