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By: Mark T Wilson
Over the years, Hip Hop artists have come together to collab not only on songs but albums as well. Think back to Method Man and Redman. Then you had Jay Z and Kanye West, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, Eminem and Royce Da 5’9, and others. But what happened to some of the ones fans have pawned for over the years and were never able to get? There have been many great solo artists but imagine a KRS-One and MC Shan album. Or, focus on the impact of an album for women that Cardi B and Nicki Minaj would have done. These are just some of the few that Hip Hop has missed out on. Let’s explore others.
Here Are 5 Hip Hop Collab Albums We Were Robbed Of
The Commission (Biggie, Jay Z, Lil Cease, Charlie Baltimore)
This album should have taken place but never came to light due to the death of Biggie smalls. The rumored members of the group were Biggie, Jay Z, Lil Cease, and Charlie Baltimore. At the time of the group coming together, Big was at the top of his game and Jay was getting ready to burst into stardom. Charlie, in her own right, was holding her own and if you add in Lil Ceases, The Commission would have shut the Hip Hop game down.
According to Dame Dash, the idea was for Big to fulfill his album obligations to Bay Boy and then release The Commission album under Rocafella Records. While that may not have sat well with Puff Daddy, there was no denying the chemistry that Jay and Big had in the studio. Throughout the years, both rappers have made references to the supergroup but time was not on their side. Hip Hop heads missed out on what could have been one of the greatest Hip Hop albums ever recorded in terms of lyrics and production.
Big and Pac
Before we go down this path, let’s remember these two MCs were actually friends at some point. But an album in their earlier years would not have been as impactful as an album after that nonsense of a West/East Coast beef. There had to be one person in their camp that could have helped squash their differences and bring these two together. As great as The Commission would have been, a joint album with Biggie and Pac would have been in The Smithsonian somewhere.
Name 2 other Hip Hop artists with bigger impacts on the genre. 2 different styles, 2 different subject matters, and 2 different coasts. What could have been? Imagine the producers who would have come out for this project. At the time, it was Dr. Dre and DJ Premier but I’m pretty sure RZA and a few others would have thrown their hat into the ring as well. Could you imagine the guest appearances in that album? Nas, Jay Z, Wu, Snoop. The list goes on.
Thelma and Louise (Lil Kim, Foxy Brown)
It all began with MCs such as Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Yo Yo, Monie Love, and others. But it was Foxy Brown and Lil Kim that set the stage for what we see now as far as most female MCs. These two were a force to be dealt with in the early ’90s in their solo careers. Foxy was with The Firm while also having ties to Jay Z. Lil Kim was a member of Junior Mafia who was under Biggie. As solo artists, they made their lane in Hip Hop.
But there were talks that the two would collab on an album titled ‘Thelma and Louise’. While it never happened, a large portion of that would be due to their beef. If these women could have found a way to put their differences aside, that collaboration would have been a treasure to behind during the ’90s.
The Murderers (Jay Z, DMX, Ja Rule)
Irv Gotti is a damn fool. I don’t mean to come down on the guy but how do you have three of the top MCs at one point under you and you still don’t manage to get an album that was not only talked about amongst the fans but the artists themselves? Hell, they even photoshoot for the the cover of a magazine? How do you mess that up? Of course, there were rumors that the three of them did not get along but when in the booth, they don’t need to be the best of friends.
Jay Z, Ja Rule, and DMX all came up under the Gotti umbrella, and that Murderers album would have been a blessing for Hip Hop. The Commission was for the streets but The Murderers was for the masses. Jay was huge, X was huge, and Ja was getting set to explode. While Murder Inc would be born from this, many forget that the Murderers were an actual group at first. Talk about being robbed of something special.
Big Daddy Kane and Rakim
While there was never any real talk of these two great MCs joining forces for an album, there should have been. During their heyday, who was labeled as the best? It’s the same comparison that we give between Big and Pac then Nas and Jay. It was Big Daddy Kane and there was Rakim. Both from NYC but it was like they were together but still separated by their greatness.
Imagine what a 12-track album would have been like if they would have come to terms to do one. Kane was a wicked wordsmith and Rakim was the poetic storyteller. If there was ever an album to bring together men and women, this was the one. Hip Hop was not ready for this collab and I guess that’s why we never got it. But we can damn sure dream.
