Artist with Longevity

In every artist's career there is that point that I call the "STOP" point. Meaning every artist comes to that phase where they have to put out a good solid album or mixtape in order to stay relevant, because staying relevant is not as easy as some like: Jay-Z, Wayne, Nas etc...(see my still relevant artist from the 90's post) might mak it seem. Once an artist gets past the "Stop" point, they become forever relevant, and could put out music at anytime with the music still becoming a hit. Having an established fan base, giving the artist supporters at all times, even if the music is "trash."
So my question is who in 2012 do you think has done this? Which artist in 2012 could you picture yourself listening to in 2022 or even 2032? Here are the people I chose:

Drake

 

I know most people think Drizzy is too sap and has fallen off since his "Comeback Season" and "Room for Improvement" day's, but actually he hasn't. Drake expanded his fan base while continuing to make hip-hop hits. Drake still has yet to deliver a lyrically bad verse (think about it). I think Drizzy has overcome his "Stop" point and will extend his fan base with his third album. However it is possible for Drake to not be as relevant if he were to drop a "trash" album, but Drizzy could easily pick up his fans with just one hit single. Drizzy said "he is the first rapper to successfully sing and rap," and I some what agree with him. I know there's Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Pharrell, and others, but when you think of Drake you literally think of a rapper that always sings. What I mean by literal is that people like L. Hill and Erykah Badu, you think of them as a singer and then a rapper, and with Pharrell you think of producer first. The point is if Drake were to leave the game right now and come back in 3 years he would still be relevant and have his fan base. I see Drake as POSSIBLY being the next Jay-Z far as relevancy.

Wiz Khalifa

 

 Man I don't know what it is about Wiz Khalifa, but everyone (including myself) love this guy. You just got to love Wiz, if you don't like his new stuff than you like his old stuff and vice versa. Wiz has evolved into more of a rock star than a rapper. With his great performances, wide fan base and versatile style Wiz is sure to stay around in the next decade or so. Along with his marriage to Amber Rose, with the thanks of Kanye West, Wiz has been in the public eye even when he hasn't came out with new music. Wiz might have lost some of his original fans but he gained even more star quality. Like I stated Wiz is more of a rock star than a rapper now and I wouldn't be surprise if he started playing the guitar anyday now.

 

 Soulja Boy

 

 

Soulja Boy!?!?!? How is he on here but not Kendrick, is what most of you are probably thinking. Well Soulja Boy actually has a crazy overseas fan base such as: China and Most of Europe. Soulja Boy also is a big business man which helps artist maintain their relevancy, and being so young Soulja Boy has much more time to grow and expand. Soulja Boy music may not keep him relevant, but if he continues with his business endeavors remaining relevant enough in order to keep selling records than he will stay relevant. Lets just hope the recent drug usage rumors are false.

People I didn't choose

J. Cole

After hearing mixtapes like Come Up, Warm Up, and Friday Night Lights, his fans were expecting "Greatness." Coleworld: The Sideline Story was fairly successful for the mainstream people, but Cole made a lot of his previous fans wonder "has he lost it." J. Cole has to come hard on his next album to show his old fans that he is still the same old Cole, but J. Cole also doesn't have enough mainstream fans to completely go back to the old Cole and them actually like it. Basically J. Cole is in a sticky place, he is at the peak of his "Stop" point, giving him 2 or more ways where he can fall and become completely irrelevant in the next couple of years. My advise to Cole is to drop a solid album pleasing both fans and after that try to be more consistent when putting out new music, because he is not established enough to only drop new music when his album is about to come out. Consistency is the main key to staying relevant. However having someone like Jay-Z could help Cole in the long run for staying relevant.

Kendrick Lamar

 
Oh Lord I know this is a touchy subject. Yes, Kdot is up here. I know some may think we pick on Kendrick a little, but we're not. I just think people are putting Kendrick at such a high pedestal before he actually is deserving of it, and once you're put at such a high pedestal it is hard to fulfill it. If Kdot maintains the pace he's at, than it is very possible that he becomes "untouchable." However Kendrick like many of the others is only at the beginning of their career and a SOLID fan base needs to develope before he is automatically relevant. The perfect example of a artist that was given a lot of hype and eventually became irrelevant is, "The Game." Game dropped a classic album, The Documentary, and still failed to live up to his expectations.

OFWGKTA

Odd Future? This actually was a toss up for me, because Odd Future is one group that I actually could see staying relevant, but at the same time I can also see them becoming irrelevant. Odd Future is exactly that "ODD" which can both help and hurt the gang. Being different and adding that uniqueness is what creates a solid audience and fan base because they're always looking for the next big thing. Unfortunately Odd Future set the tone for how their audience will always view them, and because of this they always need to stand out. If they do not stand out they may be looked at as falling off or just becoming irrelevant. Another thing is that their Odd image may soon go out of fashion having them fade off. However I do see certain Odd Future artist staying relevant, but not the whole group. 

YMCMB

 

Okay first of all YMCMB is just way too big, I don't even know who all the members are anymore. Which is why staying relevant will be hard at least for all of them to do so. With the exceptions of Drake, Wayne, and maybe Nicki Minaj, YMCMB members doesn't stand out enough to last a whole decade. I give the group another 4-5 years of relevancy and eventually they'll fade off, just like the other members of "Cash Money." I will truly be surprised if YMCMB last the entire decade.

MMG

 

To be real I cannot tell who out of MMG will last longer than 4 years. MMG isn't too big like YMCMB, but no one inside of MMG has brought anything "New" to the game to surpass everyone else that comes out. MMG I feel like is just a phase we all are going through until the next new thing comes out. I am not saying that the members of MMG lack talent, because they're solid rap artist that make pretty good songs, but MMG in my opinion lack versatility that can hold them back in the long one. However if MMG decides to elevate their position in the game it is possible that they will withstand the "Stop" point. 

Feel Free to reply with suggestions and explanations of why or why not a person should or shouldn't be listed!