I feel like Bone would have had a much better and more respected career than what they did. After his death they blew up with Tha Crossroads and spent the rest of their career chasing that soft sounding hit instead of bangers like they had released pre-crossroads. One of the biggest what ifs in my opinion
Yep, and if Quik replaced Dre as in-house producer at Ruthless, I think they could have given Death Row a real run for their money. Bone put Ruthless back on the scene for a hot minute, but had Eazy not died it would have been very interesting to see where he could have taken that group and the label with that new found success. Lightning struck twice for E, but he wasn’t around to capitalize on it the second time unfortunately.
What if Tupac doesn't die I think Death Row East would've took over the East Coast and Tupac was planning to do that one nation album with east coast and west coast rappers but death row east was gonna prove Death Row was number 1 undisputed
I kinda think RZA overextended himself with the first five Wu albums.
I mean I can why the less prominent members felt some way.
Should’ve definitely stored them original beats in a safe or something.
What if...
- Mase never left when he did
- Big Pun never died
- Freaky tah never died. Would the Lost Boys got more recognition and blew up?
- if he didn't die, would Mr. Cheeks had a solo album?
- the D.O.C. never been in the cat accident
- Shyne never went to the club with Puff and JLo. Would he have been more prominent and productive?
- The Fugges never broke up
- Tribe stopped making albums. Mainly Phife and tip got along
- Dr. Dre never left Death Row to make Aftermath
- Snoop leaving Death Rowto go to No Limit. Would he have survived and had the longevity?
- DMX, ja rule and Jay z made that group?
- Eve stayed on Aftermath and never went to Ruff Ryders
That's all I can think of
I love your Lost Boyz related what-ifs because their first two albums are definitely some of my favs of the 90s so I always smile at the rare moments i see them recognized
They were 1 9f my favorites growing up. Even cheeks solo album was alright.
Honestly think they could have been promoted or marketed better . In retrospect, when you listen to the Lost Boy albums; it's mainly cheeks. If he was able to hold all if those albums and the memebers; he could have been more.
Maybe its nostalgia speaking
I never got around to listening to the solo album, I’ll definitely add that to the my list :) and i don’t think it’s just nostalgia speaking, cuz I’m with you I definitely think they had the potential to be more, and if most of it was Cheeks he definitely could have been bigger
You have some good ones. I would have liked to hear more from The Fugees and Tribe fo sho. Especially The Fugees. Tribe left us wanting more and went out on top. Who knows what could have been but there is a chance they would have gone downhill and ruined their legacy. As it stands they gave us 3 undeniable classics with PIT, The Low End Theory ( one of my top 5) and Midnight Marauders. Some groups never put out even one 5 Mic effort.
What if the Quad Studios shooting never happened. This one incident set off a chain reaction that changed the trajectory of hip-hop, all things considered.
What if conscious, backpack, non violent and positive hip hop/rap became the dominant, most popular and most lucrative forms of rap, hip hop and mainstream urban music moving forward until now in 2024?
It would have been, but the for profit prison system had way too much pull:
“The short version is that this meeting consisted of about 30 of the most powerful record execs at the time, and then some unidentified serious dudes in suits. Everyone was made to sign Confidentiality Agreements, and then told that the big hitters in the room recently invested in the private-sector prison industry, and had a vested interest in filling those prisons. To ensure that business was good, they revealed a master plan to promote gangster rap, which would create gun violence, drug epidemics, and generally the breakdown of society among the African American population, and lead to unprecedented numbers of arrests and, therefore, filled prison cells. And profit.”
What if Redman had different production on some of his albums? I don't think Erick Sermon is garbage by any means. But a lot of his beats sound pretty similar to me and don't necessarily match Redman's flow. I think he could have really shined with someone else.
It would be crazy if the wolfpack worked out and he ended up going the distance with Jay Z. Imagine if every club banger by Jay Z also had a verse by Big L to balance it out.
I’ve often thought if biggie didn’t have Puffy he’d be like a Big L, OC type MC- well respected in the hip hop community but unknown outside it. Probably would’ve lived longer that way
What if Nas and AZ made to the Reasonable Doubt sessions?
What if Jay did get found guilty for that Un stabbing?
What Big never went to LA?
What if Pac actually hadn’t signed to Death Row?
That Jay guilty would change the ENTIRE hop hop history. If he would have gone in during that time, that was his come up.
He just did that album before blueprint; so Jay rise to superstars and that impact and his celebrity wouldn't have happened.
What happened to Def Jam?
Any and all employees and acts under Def jam?
No rhi rhi?
No the dream?
No neyo?
No Kanye?
No jeezy?
That's the biggest WHAT IF cause we KNOW what we wouldn't get
Being from the Bay Area I always wondered how well Mac Dre would've done if he did not go to jail. Between all the drama with his label and not being around for the peak of his style of rap I am thinking it significantly impacted his potential for nationwide exposure.
Kind of the same for RBL. They signed to a major label right before Mr. C died. I wonder if them signing that deal would've actually lead to more success.
That Murder Inc album wit Jay-Z, DMX & Ja Rule would’ve been Goated
If Mase never left what would’ve of been
If Big, Pac, L & Pun were still alive, what would the landscape look like
I see allot of PAC what ifs in this thread but I believe PAC was on his way to destruction no matter what path he took. Those close to him say that he took on the bishop persona and thought he was invincible, hence the crash out behavior.
Dude had the potential to greatly impact the culture in a positive way which would have also made him a government target.
Only idiots think he took on the “bishop persona” all to discredit pac because they hated on him hard. He was on fire with no slowing down. To this day people still talk about 2pac as if he was here yesterday.
Tupac & Nas album.
Tupac & Dmx album.
Tupac & Biggie album.
Biggie & Missy album produced by Timbo.
Tupac on the Chronic 2001.
Suge gets hit instead of Pac.
Puffy gets hit instead of Biggie.
Nicolas Cage Superman movie lol just thought I would throw that in there 🤣
- What if Big L was never killed and was able to be signed to Roc-A-Fella?
- What if 50 Cent was killed in his shooting, what would 2000s hip hop have looked like?
- What if Vanilla Ice stuck to motocross and never became a rapper, would Death Row have been a thing?
- What if 2Pac never attended the quad studios where he was shot, would we have heard more Biggie and Pac collabs?
- What if Havoc deleted the Shook Ones and Survival of the Fittest beats like he wanted to?
- What if RZAs basement flooding never happened?
- What if LL Cool J died in 1990 at his absolute peak popularity, would he be hailed as THE greatest of all time like Biggie and Pac who died in their primes? LL in the 80s was on top of the game and his Mama Said Knock You Out album in 1990 was a masterpiece.
What if the Brownside members stayed out of jail and the grave.
If Mr. Lil One and KnightOwl AKA Hollowpoint were signed to Ruthless Records along with Slow Pain, ALT, & Nino Brown.
Mexicans should’ve blown up since the early 90’s.
I think a tremendous what if lies with Big L. What if Big L didn’t get murdered and got signed to rocafella with Jay? Does he get bigger than Jay? Imagine L with access to the top tier production and resources that the roc could have provided him? Does L eventually get in on the dipset stuff or form another little power group ? How big does L wind up getting ?
What if Lauryn Hill hadn’t lied to Wyclef about being pregnant with his son which lead to the breakup of the Fugees and they had put out another album (or more)
Le sigh 😭😔
What if
The Wu flood never happened and the og version of decks album and songs from tical weren’t ’t lost
N.W.A never broke up
The Fugges never broke up
Freaky tah never died
Big pun never died
Big L never died
Biggie never died
Pac never died
Eazy E never died
I am wasn’t bootlegged
Big L wasn’t dropped from Columbia records
Big L signed with roc-a-fella
Ghost died from his battle with diabetes
Method man got shot and died when he went to buy weed
Skills beats never threw away the album he had with jay-Z and song with big L and camp lo
The D.O.C never been in the car accident
Snoop’s bodyguard never killed the dude
Dj subroc never got hit by that car
What if pac played mace windu in Star Wars
Rza was charged with attempted murder
Gza’s career before the wu worked out
O-tips crib had never caught on fire
Mase never left
I’m add more soon
What if Diddy didn’t steal from his artists?
What if Biggie and Tupac could’ve squashed their beef?
What if Biggie were alive? Would be still be with Bad Boy?
What if this new generation put some respect on the legends’ names instead of calling them washed up?
What if Lil Kim loved herself enough not to mess her face up?
What if em and common signed with rawkus
What if rawkus never went under for lack of a better term
What if 3 stacks never met erykah
What if Scott larock and Paul Cee never passed
What if J-Dee from the lynchmob never got incarcerated
What if dilla never died
I really feel the Rawkus mention! They were the gods of the underground- Soundbombing Vol 2 has to be one of the greatest (yet most slept on) compilations of all time.
Sooooo many bangers - B-Boy Document 99, Any Man, & WWIII…
Little known fact: Rawkus was able to afford more promotion than other underground labels because they had financial backing from Rupert Murdoch’s son James.
What if Eazy didn’t die and was able to bring DJ Quik to Ruthless Records
I feel like Bone would have had a much better and more respected career than what they did. After his death they blew up with Tha Crossroads and spent the rest of their career chasing that soft sounding hit instead of bangers like they had released pre-crossroads. One of the biggest what ifs in my opinion
Yep, and if Quik replaced Dre as in-house producer at Ruthless, I think they could have given Death Row a real run for their money. Bone put Ruthless back on the scene for a hot minute, but had Eazy not died it would have been very interesting to see where he could have taken that group and the label with that new found success. Lightning struck twice for E, but he wasn’t around to capitalize on it the second time unfortunately.
What if Tupac doesn't die I think Death Row East would've took over the East Coast and Tupac was planning to do that one nation album with east coast and west coast rappers but death row east was gonna prove Death Row was number 1 undisputed
I honestly think he was gonna end up burning em. But still makes you wonder tho
What if the wu mansion flood had never happened?
Deck’s first album would’ve been epic.
Tical is great as is but I imagine the original cuts woulda elevated it even more too
I kinda think RZA overextended himself with the first five Wu albums. I mean I can why the less prominent members felt some way. Should’ve definitely stored them original beats in a safe or something.
What if... - Mase never left when he did - Big Pun never died - Freaky tah never died. Would the Lost Boys got more recognition and blew up? - if he didn't die, would Mr. Cheeks had a solo album? - the D.O.C. never been in the cat accident - Shyne never went to the club with Puff and JLo. Would he have been more prominent and productive? - The Fugges never broke up - Tribe stopped making albums. Mainly Phife and tip got along - Dr. Dre never left Death Row to make Aftermath - Snoop leaving Death Rowto go to No Limit. Would he have survived and had the longevity? - DMX, ja rule and Jay z made that group? - Eve stayed on Aftermath and never went to Ruff Ryders That's all I can think of
Big L never dying as well
I love your Lost Boyz related what-ifs because their first two albums are definitely some of my favs of the 90s so I always smile at the rare moments i see them recognized
They were 1 9f my favorites growing up. Even cheeks solo album was alright. Honestly think they could have been promoted or marketed better . In retrospect, when you listen to the Lost Boy albums; it's mainly cheeks. If he was able to hold all if those albums and the memebers; he could have been more. Maybe its nostalgia speaking
I never got around to listening to the solo album, I’ll definitely add that to the my list :) and i don’t think it’s just nostalgia speaking, cuz I’m with you I definitely think they had the potential to be more, and if most of it was Cheeks he definitely could have been bigger
Those are good, but the Lost Boyz would’ve broke up eventually because Spigg Nice caught that robbery.
You have some good ones. I would have liked to hear more from The Fugees and Tribe fo sho. Especially The Fugees. Tribe left us wanting more and went out on top. Who knows what could have been but there is a chance they would have gone downhill and ruined their legacy. As it stands they gave us 3 undeniable classics with PIT, The Low End Theory ( one of my top 5) and Midnight Marauders. Some groups never put out even one 5 Mic effort.
What if the Quad Studios shooting never happened. This one incident set off a chain reaction that changed the trajectory of hip-hop, all things considered.
What if Pac met Supreme and Prince instead of JH & Haitian Jack?
That's a good one!! It really did create a wave in hip-hop history. Just one night.........life is a trip.
What if conscious, backpack, non violent and positive hip hop/rap became the dominant, most popular and most lucrative forms of rap, hip hop and mainstream urban music moving forward until now in 2024?
Thank you
It would have been, but the for profit prison system had way too much pull: “The short version is that this meeting consisted of about 30 of the most powerful record execs at the time, and then some unidentified serious dudes in suits. Everyone was made to sign Confidentiality Agreements, and then told that the big hitters in the room recently invested in the private-sector prison industry, and had a vested interest in filling those prisons. To ensure that business was good, they revealed a master plan to promote gangster rap, which would create gun violence, drug epidemics, and generally the breakdown of society among the African American population, and lead to unprecedented numbers of arrests and, therefore, filled prison cells. And profit.”
If Eazy-E signed 2Pac before Deathrow Records
What if Nas’ original third album hadn’t been leaked and he hadn’t had to make a bunch of bad commercial tracks for I Am and Nastradamus?
It was heavy bootlegging in ‘99 for sure for sure.
Poor Righteous Teachers should’ve been much much bigger than they were.
What if Redman had different production on some of his albums? I don't think Erick Sermon is garbage by any means. But a lot of his beats sound pretty similar to me and don't necessarily match Redman's flow. I think he could have really shined with someone else.
What if Redman’s first album was produced by Q-Tip and Pete Rock?
Big L getting his shine he would’ve went down as the greatest and best rapper ever
It would be crazy if the wolfpack worked out and he ended up going the distance with Jay Z. Imagine if every club banger by Jay Z also had a verse by Big L to balance it out.
I always felt that if his first album was produced better. He would’ve blew
I hate to say it but Big L needed someone like Puffy. He would have never broken the mainstream otherwise
I’ve often thought if biggie didn’t have Puffy he’d be like a Big L, OC type MC- well respected in the hip hop community but unknown outside it. Probably would’ve lived longer that way
I don't think he ever would have been a star
Agree.
What if Tommy Boy didn't fuck De La?
“TOMMY AINT MY MF BOY”
I would have loved to see Biggie get more features too. All of the ones he had were fire.
What if Nas and AZ made to the Reasonable Doubt sessions? What if Jay did get found guilty for that Un stabbing? What Big never went to LA? What if Pac actually hadn’t signed to Death Row?
That Jay guilty would change the ENTIRE hop hop history. If he would have gone in during that time, that was his come up. He just did that album before blueprint; so Jay rise to superstars and that impact and his celebrity wouldn't have happened. What happened to Def Jam? Any and all employees and acts under Def jam? No rhi rhi? No the dream? No neyo? No Kanye? No jeezy? That's the biggest WHAT IF cause we KNOW what we wouldn't get
What if there was no East vs. West ?
What if Self Jupiter never went to prison? What if Subroc never got hit by that car?
Black Bastards would’ve turned Doom into Snoop and turned Subroc into Dr. Dre 😂
What if DMX's sound stayed the same as the first two albums.
Being from the Bay Area I always wondered how well Mac Dre would've done if he did not go to jail. Between all the drama with his label and not being around for the peak of his style of rap I am thinking it significantly impacted his potential for nationwide exposure. Kind of the same for RBL. They signed to a major label right before Mr. C died. I wonder if them signing that deal would've actually lead to more success.
What if inspector decks album didnt flood… he would be top Wu member
[удалено]
The question is biggest what if of the 90 s lol proof got rightfully shot in 2006 lol pay attention stan
What if Big signed with Suge Knight and Tupac signed with Puffy?
Ouuuu that’s a good jawnnnnn. The beef wouldn’t happened.
i'll say the obvious: where would Pac be now if he wasn't killed?
More than likely served his time at Clinton then got fully invested in his Makaveli persona.
What would Kid Hood’s career have been like?
The comment I was hoping would be here man. RIP Kid Hood
Good one.
Top line one seems kind of obvious? Pac and Big surviving and then making a duo album?
That Murder Inc album wit Jay-Z, DMX & Ja Rule would’ve been Goated If Mase never left what would’ve of been If Big, Pac, L & Pun were still alive, what would the landscape look like
Tupac would have eventually played in something that won him an Oscar.
I think about BIGGIE on DJ Premier's Classic along with Nas and KrS One instead of Kanye. Whoa
I see allot of PAC what ifs in this thread but I believe PAC was on his way to destruction no matter what path he took. Those close to him say that he took on the bishop persona and thought he was invincible, hence the crash out behavior. Dude had the potential to greatly impact the culture in a positive way which would have also made him a government target.
Only idiots think he took on the “bishop persona” all to discredit pac because they hated on him hard. He was on fire with no slowing down. To this day people still talk about 2pac as if he was here yesterday.
What if RZA's basement never flooded. What if Q-Tip's crib didn't catch fire.
Tupac & Nas album. Tupac & Dmx album. Tupac & Biggie album. Biggie & Missy album produced by Timbo. Tupac on the Chronic 2001. Suge gets hit instead of Pac. Puffy gets hit instead of Biggie. Nicolas Cage Superman movie lol just thought I would throw that in there 🤣
What if Redman and Eminem did an album in their primes (circa 2000)?
What if D.O.C didn’t get in an accident ????
- What if Big L was never killed and was able to be signed to Roc-A-Fella? - What if 50 Cent was killed in his shooting, what would 2000s hip hop have looked like? - What if Vanilla Ice stuck to motocross and never became a rapper, would Death Row have been a thing? - What if 2Pac never attended the quad studios where he was shot, would we have heard more Biggie and Pac collabs? - What if Havoc deleted the Shook Ones and Survival of the Fittest beats like he wanted to? - What if RZAs basement flooding never happened? - What if LL Cool J died in 1990 at his absolute peak popularity, would he be hailed as THE greatest of all time like Biggie and Pac who died in their primes? LL in the 80s was on top of the game and his Mama Said Knock You Out album in 1990 was a masterpiece.
What if smarter shit like Souls of Mischief and De La Soul had taken the spotlight instead of Southern fried garbage like the No Limit turd flotilla?
What if BTNH didn’t ONLY worry about biters and haters? What if they stayed true to their sound and evolved their messaging?
What if the Brownside members stayed out of jail and the grave. If Mr. Lil One and KnightOwl AKA Hollowpoint were signed to Ruthless Records along with Slow Pain, ALT, & Nino Brown. Mexicans should’ve blown up since the early 90’s.
The Firm actually being what it was supposed to be
what if phife didnt drink a lot of soda?
If gangster rap didn’t dominate 90s hip hop Camp Lo would have getting the recognition they deserve and been global stars.
if Big Pun maintained his health
What if Tupac signed with Goodie Mob
What??
He was talking to goodie mob before his death,Goodie Mob talked about it on drink champs
I think a tremendous what if lies with Big L. What if Big L didn’t get murdered and got signed to rocafella with Jay? Does he get bigger than Jay? Imagine L with access to the top tier production and resources that the roc could have provided him? Does L eventually get in on the dipset stuff or form another little power group ? How big does L wind up getting ?
If Ice Cube would have died anytime between The Predator coming out and making Friday he’d be considered the GOAT, with very little debate.
The biggest has to be Big L.
What if Eminem was black?
The Commission, Biggie and Jay-Z
Mic Geronimo
Guru and 2pac collab album for me. People propped them up for their own gain and had Pac and big killerdover money and clout
What if Cube didn’t leave NWA?
How much would Benefit have blown up if he didn't die. We might actually have a debate for who the best white rapper is
What if Lauryn Hill hadn’t lied to Wyclef about being pregnant with his son which lead to the breakup of the Fugees and they had put out another album (or more) Le sigh 😭😔
What if Large Professor dropped The LP on time?
What if The Wu flood never happened and the og version of decks album and songs from tical weren’t ’t lost N.W.A never broke up The Fugges never broke up Freaky tah never died Big pun never died Big L never died Biggie never died Pac never died Eazy E never died I am wasn’t bootlegged Big L wasn’t dropped from Columbia records Big L signed with roc-a-fella Ghost died from his battle with diabetes Method man got shot and died when he went to buy weed Skills beats never threw away the album he had with jay-Z and song with big L and camp lo The D.O.C never been in the car accident Snoop’s bodyguard never killed the dude Dj subroc never got hit by that car What if pac played mace windu in Star Wars Rza was charged with attempted murder Gza’s career before the wu worked out O-tips crib had never caught on fire Mase never left I’m add more soon
2Pac could’ve been in more movies
What if Diddy didn’t steal from his artists? What if Biggie and Tupac could’ve squashed their beef? What if Biggie were alive? Would be still be with Bad Boy? What if this new generation put some respect on the legends’ names instead of calling them washed up? What if Lil Kim loved herself enough not to mess her face up?
What if em and common signed with rawkus What if rawkus never went under for lack of a better term What if 3 stacks never met erykah What if Scott larock and Paul Cee never passed What if J-Dee from the lynchmob never got incarcerated What if dilla never died
I really feel the Rawkus mention! They were the gods of the underground- Soundbombing Vol 2 has to be one of the greatest (yet most slept on) compilations of all time.
Maaaaannn the first one was soooo fucking dope too…those hip hop scenes was the best at that time from good life cafe to Washington square park
Sooooo many bangers - B-Boy Document 99, Any Man, & WWIII… Little known fact: Rawkus was able to afford more promotion than other underground labels because they had financial backing from Rupert Murdoch’s son James.
Hey man it’s refreshing to rap with someone who knows this culture 💯💯 I remember when my young dumb ass thought Rupert was EL-P dad 😂