99% Of Your Fans Don't Exist

No rapper has ever caught my attention quite like Canibus in 1997. Its unbelievable to think that its been 12 years since 'Bis was all the talk in hiphop. And contrary to today's standards - he did this with pure lyricism. Not a look, a dance, a catchy beat, or a T-Pain assisted track. Raw, clever, ahead-of-his-time lyricism. He rendered emcees as damn near hopeless in any attempt to best him on a track, most notably, on the Lost Boyz track 'Beasts From The East.'

Now, as things would turn out, Canibus wouldn't quite pan out to be the emcee people thought he'd be. He engaged in warfare with legendary emcee LL Cool J and came up short (I personally felt he won, the public felt otherwise). But worst of all, he dropped an album which is often labeled as the most disappointing hiphop. From there, his buzz would never be the same and the legend that was Canibus was put to rest. People who have continued to listen to Canibus will tell you that he's actually rebounded quite well and put out a couple of great albums. I'll certainly add my name to that list of people. Others who gave up listening to Canibus in 1998 will tell you that he's the biggest waste of talent in hiphop history. A sad turn of events for one of the true wordsmiths in the genre.

Anyways, sha-fiyah on the ISS boards reminded me of a freestyle he did on a DJ Clue tape and it just reminded me of a time where I'd sit on my computer all night, load up Napster, and que every Canibus-related file I could find. He was one of the true 'rewind-worthy' emcees of our time. One of those guys who inspired me to pick up a pen and write when I was heavy into that.

For your listening pleasure, Canibus - DJ Clue Freestyle