WARNING: The Following Is a 'Novel'...Read It Only If You Love Hip-Hop. Thanks...
I cant name any specific names, but i dont think a solo rapper is gonna do it (im assuming you're talking about NW rappers/labels...?), but this is my theory:
The first group to take the NW by storm (radio, venues, album sales, newsprint, etc) Is gonna be
the 1st Group of EXPERIENCED lyricists (basic rapping wont cut it) that gets together, clicks RIGHT AWAY, starts putting together 1-2 songs a week toward a project, and wants to perform/tour any and every place possible.....in addition, they need a good producer (not a LABEL really, just the producer) who's had a TREMENDOUS amount of experience behind the boards....
I can name alot of lyricists who'd be PERFECT for a group like this (Livio, Syko, Greedy BD, Mr DOG to name a few), and producers (D-Sane, Bosko, Funkdaddy, Syko...), but what i'd wonder about is how well names like that would work as a group (seeing as though they're from different labels, cities, etc...) and how productive they'd be...
What i'd like to see is about 4-5 people with rhymes on a level comparable to a Sarkastik or a Byrdie---level that is, not popularity, "established" or not, etc..---all of whom live in the Olympia/Tacoma/Seattle area, who can put down a verse (or 2) a week towards a project (4 people w/1 verse each, a chorus, a beat, and thats all it takes), and who are ready, able, and willing to perform and tour EVERY WEEKEND that they can...(College students, for example, could perform Friday and Saturday, and still have all day Sunday to study....)
Imagine a group like that.....Livio, Syko, Greedy BD, Mr DOG....not the exact group, but a group LIKE that.....Livio has the new school flow, Syko has the laid back gangsta flow, BD has the rapid-fire tear-the-club-up flow, and Mr DOG has that "AWWWW, SHEEEIT!" type flow (think: Snoop Dogg)....
I cant gurantee that this is what its gonna take...but i know a few things about it that'd make it easy: 1) 16 song project = 16 verses by each artist (which would take less than 3 months, for most)......2) All producers have tracks lying around, and a group like this could blaze ANY beat (or give new life to an incomplete one), so beats would be taken care of ALREADY for the most part....3) performing at venues for, on average, around 3 hours a week (EVERY week!!) isnt much at all, it just takes planning and dedication....4) Some people arent even reading this post, and they're just gonna label it another "novel" and talk shit about me,....5) Those same people wont have the TINIEST influence on the first act/label to make it big in the NW......and finally, 6) Teamwork + Talent + Dedication = a sure-fire combination...
What better teammates than 3 artists who are on your same level, lyrically? Talent-wise, If you got writers block, who's gonna be better than those 3 at showing you ways to get out of it? Which all leads to dedication--If you got 3 other people who are
EQUALLY excited as you are about crashing the clubs, taking over the airwaves, and making some noise...what 3 hours a week WOULDNT be better spent performing with them?
Summary............a handfull of college-age top-level lyricists who wanna perform EVERY SINGLE WEEK, and can work well together.
What yall think?