LL Cool J hasn't been "on top" in years. Sadly, he'll never make a comeback.

[ahem]Beastie Boys[/ahem]

are there any Rap stars that last more or stay on top for longer then 5-7 years?


with those answers, i guess the answer is,zero!

Arguably...

Beastie Boys (20+ years)
LL Cool J (20+ years)
Dr. Dre (16+ years)
Prince Paul (16+ years)
Del tha Funky Homosapien (15+ years)
Common (13+ years)
Snoop Dogg (12+ years)
Outkast (12+ years)
Busta Rhymes (12 years)
The Roots (11+ years)
Sean "P. Diddy" Combs (11+ years)
Aceyalone (10+ years)
KRS-One (10 years)
Nas (10+ years)
Q-Tip (9 years)
Wyclef (9 years)
Jurassic 5 (8+ years)

I take "on top" to mean either critical or commercial success. Sure, some of these people are not primarly MCs anymore, but there is a lot of longevity. Had Tupac or Biggie not been murdered, they'd still be working.

I kind of figured Eminem would do this at some point. If he actually does retire, this is as good of a time as any. He seems to have run his course in this form. Congrats to him. He certainly proved himself as a success.

from www.nme.com:

EMINEM POURS SCORN ON RETIREMENT REPORTS

EMINEM has refuted claims he’s to bring the curtain down on live performing after his current tour.

The star’s D-12 bandmate Proof reportedly told the Detroit Free Press the wanted to concentrate on production from now on. It was suggested that Eminem’s show at Slane Castle, Ireland on September 17 would be his last.

Eminem’s manager Paul Rosenberg said there had been "no official decision" about Eminem's future. He added that the star’s current album, ‘Encore’, was "certainly the cap on this part of his career".

However Eminem told the crowd during his Anger Management 3 set at Washington's White River Amphitheatre (July 17): "How many of you all read the tabloids? Cause there's some shit goin' around that I'm retiring."

According to SOHH, the rapper addressed the Detroit Free Press article while onstage, noting the story ran next to a piece about the moon "to blow up today". He then added, "I'm retiring? Then I guess the moon just blew up" before mooning the crowd.

http://contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed....hes%20retiring

I wish Snoop would do the same. First album was unbelievable, but the rest has been progressively worse. Time to hang them up.

I would put him number one in my book. Encore was not that great but the Eminem Show was amazing. Anyone who compares him to Vanilla Ice does not listen to rap.

Why shouldn't people compare him to Vanilla Ice? They both sold out completely, Eminem moreso. I'm glad he's retiring, he brought nothing but garbage to the rap game from all his records. His whole career was nothing but a marketing ploy.

Worked pretty good, didn't it?

= J

You get the gas face!