being versatile suggests that an artist is constantly switching up his style and throwing new elements into his music. which in reality, has been one of my biggest crutches. i actually DO that. and its hard to build a following when you dont do ONE THING. as soon as the fans start liking what youre doing, on the next album (or even the next track), you go a whole different direction. it can be done and has been done with people like outkast and a small handful of others. but by far, its easier making a name for yourself NOT being versatile. just having one style that is appealing to a lot of people is what you need. look at snoop, too short, 50 cent, dre, dmx, redman, and countless others. the most successful artists in the rap game never go far outside of their lane. maybe over time of course they do a few things to switch it up. but when you pay X amount of dollars for a 50 cent verse or a snoop verse.... you KNOW exactly what youre going to get. its not a grab bag of 400 different styles.