Triumph was the lead single, before the album. Radio airplay for that track was killed by the summer's end, and Cherchez was 3 years later. The ban had definitely softened by then. It wasn't a long ban, just long enough to halt momentum.
You also have to think that perhaps those songs also weren't as big because of no radio play. CREAM is their biggest single, but Impossible could've been just as big. You got press for Ghost's Verse of the Month, a stellar RZA verse and chat about Uey referencing his son getting shot. It's definitely along side CREAM & Can It Be in temper, and it has a hook. The City has a hook quoting Stevie. Hellz Wind Staff has as much energy as Chessboxin/Shadowboxin and almost as much as Protect Ya Neck...which wasn't even played on day radio in Philly. The title for Older Gods probably hindered it, but it was supposed to get a push off being the back half of It's Yours video. Plus, there were songs that were less in quality from other people getting way more airplay, and making the rounds. They became college radio because airplay was killed elsewhere. I think it's more of a chicken and egg thing. The fact that they were able to even compete in the market, months after the "King of NY" died and that wave was still going, means the album should've been bigger. But by the fall, it also helped that the glossy wave ushered in, masking their ban by equating it to "not quality music."
They pretty much ran the entire Enter the Wu album, even Wu Ain't Nuthin to F'. I think that if similar effort on all parties happened, Forever would've been bigger. But yes, they did drop in their effort by doing virtually nothing. It was the Clan that splintered, the Clan that dropped off the tour that expanded their fanbase. It was the Clan that ultimately said "eff this..." and stopped doing the legwork for Forever...even though all of that was after the ban.
Honestly, I think the radio were just looking for an easy out based on what the suits wanted. According to the Clan, the reason Ghost spazzed was because they were shytting on their stage time/presentation for Summer Jam. So, I think they were already shifting from that sound. Ghost's antics allowed for a hard cut off, and not easing them out. They stopped playing Mobb around this time too, and pretty much anything with the boom bap.
