Hopsin's Legacy

[Man1x]

I can name 5 rappers better than Royce... Redman, Nas, Raekwon, Method Man, Hopsin and Prodigy

Hopsin? Really?

Menzo, you beat me to it. On a side note, this allows me to finally say something...this forum dickrides Hopsin too much. What has he done that's an impressive innovation to the game except for gaining instant success with a captivating style that, I might add, has a overwhelming resemblance to the Slim Shady style? Don't get me wrong, I know Slim Shady and Hopsin are immensely different, but at the same time they are very similar. I mean, if you listened to Hopsin only once you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. You have to listen to him until the point you can distinguish his voice from Eminem's old voice to realize he is different, that was how it was for me. By that time (I had listened to half of RAW) I heard the distinctions and similarities. Yes, when I finally realized this I loved him and he was a fad for me for a while, but then I realized if he keeps doing what he is doing he won't be remembered at all. He won't have a legend status for sure, and if he is remembered he will be remembered as the slightly above average rapper that had a beef with Ruthless Records. I mean, who here honestly thinks RAW brought anything new to the table? It only brought some enjoyable music for the time being, but it could be easily replaced by the next album release you're anticipating. Just my opinion.

"You a fad, that means you somethin that we already had, but once you're gone you don't come back."
- Dr. Dre

In summary, if he keeps doing exactly what he is doing he will be a nobody in the history of rap that might only be remembered for beefing with Ruthless Records and Eazy-E's wife. However, beefs that don't have a major impact are easily forgotten, and who seriously thinks that an underground rapper beefing with a washed up label that hasn't had a major impact since the days of N.W.A will be important to remember. I mean, ask any current Eminem or Jay-Z fan who they have beefed with. Ask anyone who Dr. Dre or 50 Cent beefed with, and I'm of course talking about occasional rap listeners. What I'm trying to say is that if Hopsin doesn't do something innovative and new on Knock Madness, he will have a small but long career that will end with him probably only being known by underground rap fans. Then, once some time has passed these fans will find a new underground hero and forget about Hopsin due to the fact his music so far hasn't carried a lasting impact. I mean, everyone since 2Pac has talked about the Illuminati, and a lot of new era rappers are against drugs and alcohol. His personality can only take him so far, and funny only lasts for the moment. Memorable music that carries deeper message than taking down a record label, getting revenge ("Been there, done that." - Dr. Dre), being against drugs and alcohol, etc. is what gets you remembered by music listeners. Besides, other rappers and other artists in other genres I find have covered Hopsin's subject matter much better than Hopsin has covered it. That is up to opinion, but I feel 2Pac, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, & Jay-Z have gone ten times deeper into these subjects than Hopsin has. I just personally believe he is entangled in a mind state where he thinks multi-syllable rhyme schemes is everything, and that is everything if you follow what Eminem tells the public. I bring that up because Eminem had a large impact on Hopsin (it did on Tyler too and you see how he nit picks everything), but what Eminem doesn't mention is the depth and feelings that songs should have and that the overall sound matters the most (Eminem knows this, but we all know he doesn't mention it). He is in his own world, Hopsin that is, and needs to wake the fuck up. I personally would suggest him to take that Rolling Stone Magazine critic to heart and tell him to improve from it, but he just shrugs it off as a mainstream hater. The critic partly is a hater, but he carries some truth. That being said, Hopsin is the best freshman this year, but that's not saying much when the group is filled to the brim with shit. Food for thought, discuss.

[Solace]

Uh, he's a guy in his young 20's who's put out 2 albums from his basement. It doesn't take a huge couple of paragraphs to realize he's still a beginner in sense of style and has a long time to grow/evolve.

[Man1x]

Uh, he's a guy in his young 20's who's put out 2 albums from his basement. It doesn't take a huge couple of paragraphs to realize he's still a beginner in sense of style and has a long time to grow/evolve.

That being said, I bring up Kendrick Lamar. He is younger than Hopsin and has made a timeless classic (debatable) in Section.80. Granted, Kendrick Lamar was picked up on an indie label quickly after his first release and he can't produce (to my knowledge) but he has gone much more deeper with his music than Hopsin has so far. Honestly, Kendrick is going as deep as Pac and Jay-Z on his best songs with a lyrical sharpness that mirrors Nas. He also carries his own, unique style that does have Pac influence but it is still very different. I mean, Hopsin is doing something amazing in that he is starting from scratch on everything and I won't take that away from him, but who really doesn't start from scratch except Willow Smith?

[Solace]

Your opinion of Hopsin and his future and his legacy should not be determined by the fact that you find Kendrick Lamar more talented and accomplished than him though lol. I mean, Kendrick is completely irrelevant to Hopsin's success. Completely two different entities. Both can do well in hip hop, even if one does much better.

[Man1x]

Your opinion of Hopsin and his future and his legacy should not be determined by the fact that you find Kendrick Lamar more talented and accomplished than him though lol. I mean, Kendrick is completely irrelevant to Hopsin's success. Completely two different entities. Both can do well in hip hop, even if one does much better.

Point taken, but I'm just approaching it from a stand point where you can have a debate. You mentioned young 20s so I mentioned another rapper in their young twenties. I could also bring up Dizzy here, because lately he is out preforming Hopsin. Another person I could mention is Jon Connor, he does everything Hopsin does even though he is older. It all comes down to opinion, and I'm just giving you mine. Hopsin is good, but if he doesn't change course he may gain some popularity in the mainstream. However, I could see him being easily forgotten.

[Solace]

I suppose you're right about the young 20s thing, but I don't see what you mean by outperforming Hop. They've only done two things together, the first track Funk Volume 2012 w/DJ Hoppa, SwizZz, Hop, and Dizzy, and then that uh Backpack Cypher thing where Hopsin was being a complete bitch and wasted that opportunity to spit a dope verse. But those two things don't really constitute as "lately outperforming Hopsin", do they?

[Chet Starr]

He doesn't have a legacy to me, but I'm the smallest Hopsin fan on here

He has the talent to do something that will leave a small mark on the game. I hope he doesn't waste it

[Man1x]

I suppose you're right about the young 20s thing, but I don't see what you mean by outperforming Hop. They've only done two things together, the first track Funk Volume 2012 w/DJ Hoppa, SwizZz, Hop, and Dizzy, and then that uh Backpack Cypher thing where Hopsin was being a complete bitch and wasted that opportunity to spit a dope verse. But those two things don't really constitute as "lately outperforming Hopsin", do they?

Ya, I just feel Fuck Your Opinion, and his verses on these were better than Hop Madness and Hopsin's verses on these cyphers. I can understand Hopsin not doing to good on the last one, however, if he has girl problems.

He doesn't have a legacy to me, but I'm the smallest Hopsin fan on here

He has the talent to do something that will leave a small mark on the game. I hope he doesn't waste it

I'm a Hopsin fan but I agree with the rest.

@Miller, Hopsin has talent but he is just touching on things that have been over done, to me that's a waste of talent. In terms of talking about your life, ya other artists do it but everyone has a different life so personal issues never get old. I would, however, like to see him approach these personal issues in a unique way. For example, how Eminem expressed his feelings towards Kim in Kim. And no, I'm not saying he has to do something like Kim, I just want him to be more original.

Edit: And that Rolling Stone critic kind of represents the mainstream hip hop listener to me. If Hopsin breaks out of the underground and doesn''t switch it up I could see a lot of Slim Shady comparisons coming his way quick, and we just know it will piss him off. We all know there are differences but they are not to apparent to an occasional listener. They tend to only scratch the surface. However, in my mind, everything lays on the shoulders of Knock Madness in terms of how his career will pan out. I wish him the best of luck, but I'm just being honest.

[Man1x]

^ For the most part I agree with you Menzo. He has talent, but I just feel it can be better put to use. Yes RAW was good for what it was intended to be, and look where it has got him now. However, he has so much more potential, maybe more than any artist before him. He doesn't require a major label to gain access to his audience. I feel that his problem at this stage is, and he has already said it, that he feels he has already made it. I just feel he has lost his grind and doesn't feel the need to continue the struggle to the top. I don't know if that true, just a thought. However I know this, RAW is not and should not be his pinnacle, he can go so much further, and it's not even funny.

[8milestyle]

My biggest fear and seemingly probable one is the fact that he dumped every emotional and life traumatic experience he had ALL on RAW. Really, what is he gonna talk about now? Fans on his dick? I feel like he's sitting in his basement twiddling this thumbs and overthinking what to do

I think this is it. RAW was definitely impressive. I actually think Am I A Psycho is his most impressive verse to date - the flow, energy, lyrical ability were top notch. But I feel like he might be starting to run out of ideas. Man1x has it right. He hasn't done anything memorable to this point, and I actually think he lacks creativity. You can't listen to Hopsin nonstop like you could other artists... You just don't feel that passion and connect with him enough. I feel like his work needs to be more inspired... shit like Heather Nicole, and even his lyrics hating on Ruthless, are his best.

Eminem had that ability to captivate listeners out of pure shock and wit, and either that factor has been overdone at this point and Em was skilled enough to pioneer it, or Hopsin just isn't able to hit that level. I guess we'll see on Knock Madness.

[Slim Fiasco]

Hopsin has a very good delivery, excellent intonation patterns, flow patterns, and he really excels in that department. That's what separates him from most artists, and even though his style reminds us of Em's, you can't argue that he's got the rhyming and flowing parts on lock. To me, this is enough, and everything else is a bonus.

What's also good about him, is that he's real close with his fan base. He gives updates on the regular, is open for interaction, and welcomes you to holler if ya see him. This makes me appreciate him even more, and I love that he brings honesty to the table. You don't really get this with other artists (who are as good or better than Hop), they all feel like strangers. He also gives amazing performances from what I've seen on video.

On the flip side, his image has some problems. I think it's too underground so to say, and he just doesn't have that bigger-than-music persona. I think he lacks that soulful leaders-of-the-new-school aspect to his sound. Or simply said that Golden Age era aspect. I believe that Elzhi and Kendrick do have that, and that's the advantage they probably have in comparison to Hop. This is also a problem with a whole lot of other artists. Be it Royce, Joe Budden, or J. Cole; I just can't see them next to the Jay-Zs, Nases, 2Pacs etc.

And at the end of the day, I'm fine with that. Not everybody can reach such level and have such charisma, and not everybody has the luck of the right circumstances. So to sum it up, I think it depends on what do you expect from artists, and I think you should adjust your enthusiasm for new music to that. You can't expect every movie to be as good as the Godfather, so you better have that on mind or you're in for a disappointment.

[flyingmonkey10]

just wait for a year or two to pass and let's revisit this, i think it's a tad too early even though everyone brings up great points

[Hopsin]

haha some of youguys are bashing me hard. its all good though. Ill explain everything. first off. my computer did crash, but i got it fixed 2 weeks later..

Anyways, yeah i sound like em alot in my songs, so what. ive always sounded like him from day one. according to people who told me that years ago, im not even supposed to be this far in the rap game. so the em situation is not an issue anymore. many notice the resemblance, but it doesnt hold me back. as far as me falling off, NO. I feel the same way you feel though. Its time for me to stop playing around. i know this, ive known this even before raw came out. when you goole or youtube "hopsin" you see a bunch of goofy video n shit. it was good to build my buzz off of that because i needed shock value to get eyes on me since i have no other source of promo (radio, tv and so on). as an online artist who wants to be successful, its my job to think of way to get attention to match up to the hype other artist's get who have deals, you know? so when i am wearing a diaper, or telling fans to stop riding my dick, or dancing in my room dressing up as characters, its POOR MANS MARKETING. it works GREAT! now that i have received the attention i want, i can do what i really came to do.
The reason Knock madness has been pushed back is because FV isnt ran by 20 people at a label. its just me my business parter. Now when people see a new artist, they dont know the business behind the artist usually, they just assume the artist is "doin it big" i guess. FV is getting bigger, but the business behind us is still small. we are learning the game. so when i pre maturely said my single was gonna drop last sept because i HONESTLY THOUGHT I WAS GONNA HAVE IT DONE! but little did i know that i had more tour offers than i expected. shit is moving right now for me. so the time i was gonna set aside for K.M was pushed over due to shows and being on the road. you gotta remember, i may seem big at times, but im just a motherfucker like youguys whos learning shit. i dont know what to expect out of fame. ive never done it before. i dont have dr. dre, eminem or anyone to say "this is how you do this, heres how you do that". i have to learn. I recently just got home 4 days ago, im am not touring or doin any serious shows for a few months now because that shit fucks up my music when im not here in my basement. i wrote hop madness in an airport in canada on my cell phone..ill never do that AGAIN! i didnt have time to mix it and get it sounding how i wanted it to sound because i had tours set up. but i recently got a personal assistant who help me become more organized and get shit together. I completely understand the way you all feel, but giving you my point of view on it. this fame game is weird and im learning. now if i were on a major, and im giving out dates left and right that dont happen, then that would be HORRIBLE because a major should know the ins and outs of the game already. im workin hard on knock madness right now. im glad you all keep it real though. it lets me know i better not slip up, haha.
i can assure you that i have much to speak about. ive lives soo much life since i made raw. life never stops happening until you die, why would i not have anything to rap about?? c'mon son. Imi still in the stages of "this nigga hopsin needs to prove himself before i add him to the legend list, understandable!! i agree. i got shit to prove still. in your eyes im just the goody multi syllable rapper who wants attention. what you will see in the future is a message from god.
i didnt have time to go over this and read it to make sure spelled and wrote shit right, so just take it as what it. you get the point. just give me time.

[Hopsin]

i know youguys are frustrated, so am i. trust me haha. but i apologize for causing that and not keeping my word on releases. the album will be as real as it gets though. this new album will discuss alot of topics dealing with self motivation, rappers pretending the whole "rapper life" is bigger than what it really is, God, satan's control over the world, love, x girlfriends haha, drugs and alcohol abuse, government fucking up the minds in our society and mind over matter..oh yeah, and dick riders! haha

[Trimss]

i know youguys are frustrated, so am i. trust me haha. but i apologize for causing that and not keeping my word on releases. the album will be as real as it gets though. this new album will discuss alot of topics dealing with self motivation, rappers pretending the whole "rapper life" is bigger than what it really is, God, satan's control over the world, love, x girlfriends haha, drugs and alcohol abuse, government fucking up the minds in our society and mind over matter..oh yeah, and dick riders! haha

Haha damn I didn't even know he still was on this forum. Try not to fall into the conspiracies theories and be another Immortal Technique though.. Keep being the witty fuck you are.

I know you probably don't like when people tell you what to do and such things, but Lowkey is a dope rapper.. If you can get him on Knock Madness, on a song about governement and shit like that I think most of us would bust a nut.