Meccapolis ranks “Kings Of New York” from 1985 to 2024

[spliz]

Jay being 02 and not Nas or Cam is wild af. Even maybe Styles for that year. Thats like saying Drake ran this year over Kendrick. nikkas couldn't have been in the streets then. And no Rakim on the list is criminal af and honestly invalidates the whole shyt. I'm almost mad I looked at the shyt. Chinx NEVER ran NY EVER. Whoever made this list can't be from NY. And Jim Jones should've had 06 instead of Cam. This list feels internet as fukk. Like son wasn't actually outside.

 

[FunkDoc1112]

All Eyez On Me sold 5M while he was alive,
Me Against The World was #1 album in the country.

Biggie went platinum after he died...but Biggie was a superstar while alive
Nas was the first NY rapper to have a platinum album.

The fukk is you talking about?

 

[FunkDoc1112]

First solo NY rapper.

The Beastie Boys were the first NY rap group to go platinum in 87.

LL Cool J had already gone platinum multiple times. Biggie and Method Man both went platinum as well.

 

[FunkDoc1112]

Hard Knock Life grabbing commercial success is what made Vol.2 take off the way it did. Jay had national attention but DMX had NYC in a chokehold. Jay was pulling out all the stops and using every trick he had to keep up with DMX natural momentum. No one was bumping Hard Knock Life over anything DMX was putting out. The biggest songs Jay had in NYC was Money,Cash,Hoes and DMX is what made the song.

Not saying you personally but this thread keeps getting boiled down to well this person sold x amount of records therefore they had to be KONY but then the juelzing starts when we have to include Mase,Ja Rule, Nicki Minaj and them. List is trash anyway but still.

Ain't you the one that said Vol. 2 only went multiplatinum because they overshipped it even though the Soundscan sales line up

You Juelz any Jay success

 

[Ziggiy]

LL Cool J had already gone platinum multiple times. Biggie and Method Man both went platinum as well.

Yea I was wrong I already corrected my mistake

 

[FunkDoc1112]

He was though. You don't lose the crown because you don't drop. Plus Biggie was crushing everything with his remixes, Junior Mafia, etc...Biggie was that nikka in 1996 even without an album

I think it would've made more sense to do this by eras instead of year by year

 

[FreshAIG]

I think some of y'all in this thread lost the plot with KONY

Because album says are not the ONLY factor. Yes, they definitely matter, but it's not the ONLY thing. It's about how you are perceived within NY. I keep saying "Well such and such sold more records so they're the king". And that ain't it.

For example, I think Nas was unquestionably the KONY after he dropped Ether and the verdict was he defeated Jay (regardless of personal preferences on diss records). But Nas never outsold Jay or even came close. But in real time, I was there, Nas was the King. And I was born and raised in BK.

Sells matter, but how you're perceived in the streets, how the talk was surrounding the artist was in real time, how often you bodied guest appearances, how often you got radio play, was there a movement around you? What was nikkas playing in the clubs, the parties, etc... all that plays a factor.

KONY is not something you can google. You either had to be there in real time, or know people who were there in real time to give you those answers. You can google who sold what, but that don't come close to telling the whole story.

 

[ISO]

U can argue Hov, Puff, and 50 the only real kings. They always competed in music and moguldom and actually had pull from the streets to politics and philanthropy. They build empires that encompassed all forms of entertainment and trickled down to influence New Yorkers. Be it wearing Sean John, watching Power, drinking Dusse, listening to Get Rich or Die Tryin’, rocking a Paper Planes fitted, getting a Vitamin Water with a honey turkey at the deli, playing 50 Cent Bulletproof, jamming to 90’s Bad Boy music, going to school on a Shawn Carter scholarship, etc. They sold more records than anyone and probably have the most recognizable records to New Yorkers across generations. The richest nikkas and the biggest hip hop success stories.

 

[ISO]

I think some of y'all in this thread lost the plot with KONY

Because album says are not the ONLY factor. Yes, they definitely matter, but it's not the ONLY thing. It's about how you are perceived within NY. I keep saying "Well such and such sold more records so they're the king". And that ain't it.

For example, I think Nas was unquestionably the KONY after he dropped Ether and the verdict was he defeated Jay (regardless of personal preferences on diss records). But Nas never outsold Jay or even came close. But in real time, I was there, Nas was the King. And I was born and raised in BK.

Sells matter, but how you're perceived in the streets, how the talk was surrounding the artist was in real time, how often you bodied guest appearances, how often you got radio play, was there a movement around you? What was nikkas playing in the clubs, the parties, etc... all that plays a factor.

KONY is not something you can google. You either had to be there in real time, or know people who were there in real time to give you those answers. You can google who sold what, but that don't come close to telling the whole story.

Albums get weighted too much sometimes on here. Most people don’t even sit down and listen to entire albums.

 

[mobbinfms]

Albums get weighted too much sometimes on here. Most people don’t even sit down and listen to entire albums.

Yeah but then you are a casual fan and your opinion doesn’t really matter. KONY talk is for the serious heads.

 

[BmoreGorilla]

U can argue Hov, Puff, and 50 the only real kings. They always competed in music and moguldom and actually had pull from the streets to politics and philanthropy. They build empires that encompassed all forms of entertainment and trickled down to influence New Yorkers. Be it wearing Sean John, watching Power, drinking Dusse, listening to Get Rich or Die Tryin’, rocking a Paper Planes fitted, getting a Vitamin Water with a honey turkey at the deli, playing 50 Cent Bulletproof, jamming to 90’s Bad Boy music, going to school on a Shawn Carter scholarship, etc. They sold more records than anyone and probably have the most recognizable records to New Yorkers across generations. The richest nikkas and the biggest hip hop success stories.

The way I look at it. It ain’t about sales, who was the best or who was the hottest. It’s about who was the measuring stick. That’s why I said earlier in the thread it’s a handful at best. That’s why to me from 98- now except for the period when he “retired” it’s Jay.

 

[BmoreGorilla]

Jay being 02 and not Nas or Cam is wild af. Even maybe Styles for that year. Thats like saying Drake ran this year over Kendrick. nikkas couldn't have been in the streets then. And no Rakim on the list is criminal af and honestly invalidates the whole shyt. I'm almost mad I looked at the shyt. Chinx NEVER ran NY EVER. Whoever made this list can't be from NY. And Jim Jones should've had 06 instead of Cam. This list feels internet as fukk. Like son wasn't actually outside.

Can’t compare Drake to Jay

Drake got his ass whooped. Jay lost but nowhere near the same. Takeover is a classic track in its own right and he pointed out shyt people really felt at the time. As much as 02 was a resurgent year for Nas I feel like Jay never lost his stature. It was a blow but he bounced right back and made even more boss moves

 

[ISO]

Yeah but then you are a casual fan and your opinion doesn’t really matter. KONY talk is for the serious heads.

Nah, I disagree. Even you you’re from the Bay you could never really pick who is a KONY.

 

[spliz]

Can’t compare Drake to Jay

Drake got his ass whooped. Jay lost but nowhere near the same. Takeover is a classic track in its own right and he pointed out shyt people really felt at the time. As much as 02 was a resurgent year for Nas I feel like Jay never lost his stature. It was a blow but he bounced right back and made even more boss moves

I was here in NY bro. Jay was not THAT nikka in 02. Even Star from Star and Buckwild used to clown about it back then. Jay wasn't THAT nikka in 02. It was between Nas and Cam, and if u factor in the streets u can say Styles P. But Nas was beefing wit the radio stations. Cam n them. shyt was wild. Back then. Nas was def in higher standing than Jay in 02.

 

[BmoreGorilla]

I was here in NY bro. Jay was not THAT nikka in 02. Even Star from Star and Buckwild used to clown about it back then. Jay wasn't THAT nikka in 02. It was between Nas and Cam, and if u factor in the streets u can say Styles P. But Nas was beefing wit the radio stations. Cam n them. shyt was wild. Back then. Nas was def in higher standing than Jay in 02.

I agree about Nas and Cam having better years than Jay but I don’t look at that KONY shyt as something that’s year to year