Steve Stoute lists his Top 5 Influential Artists in Hip Hop

influential is such a subjective term....

for me, Kanye west is not at all. maybe his production in the early 2000's. but his impact is shoes i guess.

but in Hiphop right now (my list)

Jay
Dre
Puff
Ross
Drake/Wayne
 
Steve Stoute :rolleyes

For the most part I agree with his influential list (as of right now) but he's really trying to downplay 50's impact on hip hop culture?? As far as jay being influential...I don't know. I would rank him top 5 because he's made a name for himself but jay always surrounded himself with the TRUE innovators and just leeched off of them
 
^^^

Jay is setting the blueprint for moving from rapper to business man in such a MAJOR way though.

jthegreat is right. It's so subjective we shouldn't even talk about it. Why is "influence" so important to everyone?

Is this right NOW? If so, what are Dre and Ross doing that's so "influential"?

I'm asking seriously. Not being a ****. I don't personally see it. Drake I can see with the R+B/Hip Hop fusion that Future and others also do.

And how do you put Pharrell in the same category as Ross and Drake?

Dude been doing it for well over a decade. Produced and wrote major rap records. Same with R+B records. "Frontin'" was massive.

Was the front man for a group that actually got love from an Alternative Rock audience (NERD), and is still going strong today. Worked with a ton of artists outside of the scope of rap.

And through that moved Urban music and style out of your standard hood ****. Skateboard P did that.

Was at the forefront of the sneaker boom. Set BAPE off. Came from Hip Hop and in 2005 was Esquire's "Best Dressed Man In The WORLD".

Steve is about business. So I take everything these dudes say with a grain of salt.

Don't let artists/executives dictate these kinds of things to you. How great they are or where things "rank".

Think for yourselves.
 
^^ fully agree with what you stated with pharrell. I've never been one to downplay pharrell. He's the original hip hop renaissance man. He's done it all and he did it first. As far as Jay setting the blueprint for business and hip hop, what has jay done that puff hasn't, from a business perspective that is...
 
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I think Roc Nation, Made In America and the Sports Agency set him apart.

Puff definitely doing his thing with Revolt.

But remember, Puff was always a businessman first. Jay was an ELITE rapper who could have just stayed in that lane but did so much more.
 
illphillip said:
I think Roc Nation, Made In America and the Sports Agency set him apart.

Puff definitely doing his thing with Revolt.

But remember, Puff was always a businessman first. Jay was an ELITE rapper who could have just stayed in that lane but did so much more.
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Elite... No.

A really good rapper who had the fortune of working with young producers who grew up to be Ski Beatz, Just Blaze, Kanye West...Yes.
 
I think Jay is elite. And he helped those guys as much as they helped him.

I agree with you on 50 as well. He was at the forefront of changing how artists promoted themselves and how their music was distributed via mixtapes.

That's why I can't tell if this is right now, or past decade or whatever. Because I'm confused by Dre unless were talking about turning headphones into a fashion accessory, which I guess deserves some acknowledgement.

Ross I'm still not sure about.
 
Jay did leach off everyone though. I still respect him as an artist. His business acumen is good too but, that's where it stops. Master P and the No Limit Army fathered a lot of stuff too (No Limit Sports), Birdman and Co. did a lot also. (I mentioned them because their influenced still resonate today). And, as far as the shoe culture, I would say Fat Joe and Skateboard P and Kanye did indeed change it. Musically, no one in Rap are doing anything that's been "groundbreaking" recently. Everything is being recycled. There's nothing new under the sun. Which, I respect because, there's only so many ways to do things nowadays. It's just, pay homage and give credit where due. 50 Cent did storm through and change the spectrum with Guerilla marketing. ALSO, People talk R&B'rap? It sucks how Ja Rule/Andre 3000 get little to no credit...

People LAUGH at Ja Rule but, he changed it. The most influential right now though, are Kanye, Jay, Wayne, Em, Drake, Kendrick from a "pure" rap standpoint.

In fashion influence? Other than Kanye who is obvious, I'd Say ASAP Rocky, PERIOD.
 
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illphillip said:
I think Jay is elite. And he helped those guys as much as they helped him.

I agree with you on 50 as well. He was at the forefront of changing how artists promoted themselves and how their music was distributed via mixtapes.

That's why I can't tell if this is right now, or past decade or whatever. Because I'm confused by Dre unless were talking about turning headphones into a fashion accessory, which I guess deserves some acknowledgement.

Ross I'm still not sure about.
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Ross influential in what realm?? his heat wave didn't start until after he Took Waka's formula and ran it for two years.... This guy really deserves an award for making himself look much more important then he is

and For The Record if we are gonna include cats like Ross Let's not act like this entire generation of rappers wasn't DIRECTLY influenced by DIPSET

From how crews are ran, to style, to adlibs, to this entire "Swag" rap
 
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I agree on Andre. I'd say that about music and fashion even. Not that he had people going off the deep end like he did, but he kind of made it OK to be completely left of center, and do you in the world of rap.

Common followed suit.

People clamed Erykah Badu for both.

Maybe she's the real "influencer" :lol:
 
someone please explain to me the obsession with Lil B I just dont understand it and am willing to listen
 
monstar said:
someone please explain to me the obsession with Lil B I just dont understand it and am willing to listen
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Some people like to have fun with their music and not be rappity rap rap all the time.

It's entertainment.

People aren't going to listen to Lil B for the same reasons they'd listen to NAS or somebody like that.

It's levels
 
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Dude said Jay wasn't an elite rapper

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But yea I don't really care who Stoute "says" is influential, he's too political with everything.
 
wait jay isn't an elite rapper??? SMH

Jay

Puff

Kanye

Pharrell

Dre

I would add Eminem/Dre ... eminem could really control alot if he was built like that, but he's a naural introvert without the drug use

he did say right NOW so i can see how 50 and wayne are left off
 
"Jay did leach off everyone though."

I will never understand this. or i would like someone to fully break it down.

i think the one unanimous thing that Jay took was Young Chris's whisper flow.

Maybe hopped on Drake's wave, but since when is featuring on a song seen that way?

Lol at lil B
 
I was on a flight last night so I missed Part 2. And those are the years I really wanted to see.

Need that re-run. But watching tonight.
 
Got the DVR set for that too. I guess that's about the Dre, Snoop, Pac and Big era. My earliest memories of rap. :pimp:
 
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