Grand Puba...why doesn't he make any lists for favorite emcee?

[Newark88]

In 1992 he was my favorite rapper along with Treach and a young Reggie Noble.

 

[get these nets]

People say he was incredible in the early 90s but it's very rare people bring him up or put him on their list as one of their favorite emcees.

Why don't people mention Grand Puba coli?

when he split from brand nubian, he released a trash album while they produced a classic without him

puba had the crown for a good stretch with features and for outshining jamar and derrick x, but I get the impression that his solo was trash because he was more interested in cashing that solo advance check then in producing a good album

brand nubian doesn't get the props or the domestic/int. tour money they deserve because in their hey day......Puba was unprofessional, wouldn't show for gigs

 

[DANJ!]

He's more comparable to an athlete that dropped the ball... was performing at an amazing level at a point in time, but just couldn't put it all together. In some ways, his decision to go solo was his undoing. After 'One For All', he had the option to go anywhere with it... he was working closely with Pete Rock (writing his lyrics), did the 411 joint with MJB, the Hilfiger endorsement, he had peoples' ears, came out the gate with a hit single... but he just didn't take it to the top. Neither one of those solo albums were must-have, they kinda came and went... So I think the reason he doesn't get that kind of acclaim is because he never lived all the way up to the momentum he had built.

 

[Newark88]

He's more comparable to an athlete that dropped the ball... was performing at an amazing level at a point in time, but just couldn't put it all together. In some ways, his decision to go solo was his undoing. After 'One For All', he had the option to go anywhere with it... he was working closely with Pete Rock (writing his lyrics), did the 411 joint with MJB, the Hilfiger endorsement, he had peoples' ears, came out the gate with a hit single... but he just didn't take it to the top. Neither one of those solo albums were must-have, they kinda came and went... So I think the reason he doesn't get that kind of acclaim is because he never lived all the way up to the momentum he had built.

Right cus in 92, Puba had the crown hands down. He was the go to person for a guest feature, had the charisma, commercial and underground joints. As you said, his first solo single was an instant hit. Reel to Reel was one of the most anticipated albums that year. But when it dropped it was such a huge disappointment. Not to mention Sadat and Lord Jamar kept the Brand Nubian name alive with a harder single that was able to transition into the mainstream with “Punks Jump Up” and a better sophomore album, proving the naysayers wrong who thought they couldn’t make it without Puba.

 

[get these nets]

Puba was that dude................

 

[L $ C]

its amazing when you compare the content in early 90s with today


they really got what they wanted ...pure ignorance pushed eveywhere

 

[Awesome Wells]

He's always been on my list.

Dude was one of the best MC's from '90-'93. Easily. Tons of classic verses and One For All immediately solidified him as one of the illest. Dude was also one of the first to get corporate sponsorships from fashion lines. Way ahead of his time. Straight legend.

 

[Ashtrey]

I copped Reel To Reel off the strength of "360" but was disappointed with the album.

He was expected to drop a classic when he left Brand Nubian like Cube did when he left NWA.

 

[L. Deezy]

I think I have mentioned him before.. he was a five fave for me at one point. Lack of material tho..

 

[Ziploc]

His solo work isn't great. The guy rapping on "One For All" was scary good. He had a lot of love in NYC and we jocked everything he wore, but he never gave another A grade rapping performance. "Reel to Reel" is a B- at best, and there was no answer to his decline besides a lack of motivation.
2000 is a C when you consider what he's capable of. Even if you go back to his Masters of Ceremony work the rapping is better than solo Puba. I think his socio-political content was way too good for him to only give us "Proper Education", "Soul Controller" & "Black Family Day".

Trust if he was giving me 4-5 "Soul Controller" type records per album I'd still be a Grand Puba superfan

Who tells you when to work? The devil

Who tells you when you get a day off? The devil

And who gives you your pay? The damn devil

And who takes it away? The devil



He got at Oprah for caping for cacs back in 1992

Another interesting thing I remember was that Puba was in his mid twenties when he became famous, which was pretty old for a rapper to blow back in 1991.

Absolute standout track on that double album along with Lickshot.

 

[AMcV'88]

my god, forgot how great this beat is.

 

[Counter Racist Male]

People say he was incredible in the early 90s but it's very rare people bring him up or put him on their list as one of their favorite emcees.

Why don't people mention Grand Puba coli?

Most people here are young too even remember Grand puba.

 

[Counter Racist Male]

His solo work isn't great. The guy rapping on "One For All" was scary good. He had a lot of love in NYC and we jocked everything he wore, but he never gave another A grade rapping performance. "Reel to Reel" is a B- at best, and there was no answer to his decline besides a lack of motivation.
2000 is a C when you consider what he's capable of. Even if you go back to his Masters of Ceremony work the rapping is better than solo Puba. I think his socio-political content was way too good for him to only give us "Proper Education", "Soul Controller" & "Black Family Day".

Trust if he was giving me 4-5 "Soul Controller" type records per album I'd still be a Grand Puba superfan

Who tells you when to work? The devil

Who tells you when you get a day off? The devil

And who gives you your pay? The damn devil

And who takes it away? The devil



He got at Oprah for caping for cacs back in 1992

Another interesting thing I remember was that Puba was in his mid twenties when he became famous, which was pretty old for a rapper to blow back in 1991.

Great observation.

 

[Tribal Outkast]

He had everything that you needed back then, nice rapper who could sing his own hooks. I think his content and the fac5 that he was with Brand Nubian held him back. I bet he’d get way more love if you took the same guy and paired him with Puffy and make him do them playa playa raps like Big

 

[NYK Loyalist]

I think it was the time between Reel to Reel and 2000 that did it. He basically disappeared and when 2000 came out Wu, Biggie, and the West Coast were killing it and that album was kind of overlooked. The game changed a lot between 92-95