What prompted me to make this post was Young Thug’s tweet towards Cudi and this obsession with “street code” by the fans and rappers themselves

It seems like since the mid-90s, almost every successful rapper had to be tied to the streets or have some sort of street aesthetic to have a broad appeal or else they get labeled as corny for simply being themselves

The prime example of this is the Big 3,

J.Cole was labeled as corny and boring for years until he started collabing with newer artists and rapping gun metaphors on trap beats

Drake was clowned on for YEARS for being a singer-rapper and making songs about longing for women he wanted. Until he started collabing with Future and developed this Mob Boss persona where he’s calling hits and surrounding himself with street guys

As far as Kendrick goes, while he did have some cringe moments such as the 2PAC interview on TPAB and songs like we Cry Together. He seems to not get the corny label often compared to his peers, due to the fact of his upbringing and who’s he’s surrounded with and I think if he didn’t have that, he’d probably not get far as he did as most conscious rappers don’t

Another example is Ye

While yes, Kanye put his authentic thoughts in his music (probably with a filter early in his career) and is extremely talented as far as music goes. Would he have gotten to the top of the game without the RocAFella/Jay Z co-sign?

Compared to his peers in the Backpack/Soul sample rap era who stayed underground for the most part outside of someone like Lupe, Ye has had the most success out of all them.

And one last thing is the concept of the “street single” I guarantee you every major rapper has at least one of those and those were often pushed to appeal to the hood and why is that? Is it impossible for a rapper to be successful without one? Or is hood culture so entrenched in HipHop that a rapper needs at least ONE to get niggas to rock them?

Thoughts?

your first two examples are way off cause Cole and Drake were already massively revered (hello 106 & Park takeovers) before whatever you described

and Drake has always been corny, even when he did IYRTITL/WATTBA transition in his sound, it’s just the music was good enough that it was hard to see the jokes, but he’s never not been seen as a corny trend/wave rider even then cause he rode Future, Blocboy and that whole ATL/Memphis sound with a lil Florida mixed in

Depends on what your definition of a successful rapper is.

If you mean chart topping, selling millions of records with backing from a major label, then probably. But there are a lot of successful rappers out there who haven't gone that route.

Most of the street adjacent rappers from the mid 90s and early 2000s were signed to production deals by street dudes also.

Mainstream rappers is what I mean,

While yes their are successful rappers who didn’t go that route, they’re also the same rappers who get dismissed as corny or are least respected by rap fans because they lack the “street” factor to them

Hip Hop street culture. Even Lupe was surrounded by Chicago Gangsters

Chilly chill and all that.

I’m not saying Drake & Cole weren’t popular at all prior to their current sounds

But they had to eventually lean in to the street aesthetic to their music to get that broad appeal amongst the black community

And even then, their co-signs (Wayne & Jay) played a major part of their ascension as they were street rappers co-signing backpack-ish rappers

Aren’t lightskin niggas off rip deemed corny just off stereotypes

I see what you mean.

It needed to happen back then on a mainstream level. Even Wale had to stand next to Ross, but I don't think it needs to be a prerequisite now.

Mainstream rap is in a weird space in 2025.

nah, I heavily heavily disagree

Drake already had the love from the black community by being a student of Wayne and a part of YMCMB. there’s a reason he was called to “be put on every hook”

Cole had just about every black college millennial kid in the palm of his hands since all his music up to Born Sinner is a coming of age soundtrack for black college kids and anyone who was in high school during his come up

idk why you’re equating love from the streets to having love from black fans lmfao

Pharrell was street adjacent as well. Clipse and other local VA boys were around him behind the scenes

He is saying they needed cosigns from street people to even make it to the level of getting fans. Which is true.

Cole didn’t need no co-sign from any street niggas what are we talking about lol. Jay was already a mogul and his label mate was f***ing Rihanna

Wayne by the time Drake jumped in was already getting into his rockstar s***. Drake and him was just rapping about rapping, flexing success and other pop/love type s***

what are we talking about lmfao

They wouldn't have been able to make it to that level without the cosigns from street rappers.

Ultimately that's why people from the blog era like Big Krit and Cool Kids never reached those heights.

There has never been a successful 100k + selling rappers that did not have a element of street around em.

bruh you niggas are just yapping s***

please name me the street rappers that co-signed Drake and Cole into massive success

Now you just being obtuse.

Two of the biggest most successful street rappers of all time bud

Horrible examples. And if anything these “street” guys yall are taking about don’t even listen to Jay z so a co sign from him is irrelevant in the hood

neither of those niggas was in the streets by the time these niggas came up they were already longtime rap moguls up $100Ms

that’s just conflating to make a pointless point lol. it’d be one thing if you said “21, Carti and Metro was co-signed by street rappers and that helped them blow” cause it’d be true cause they got that Gucci co-sign in 2015 while he was sitting in jail after beating a murder case with Peepin, but outside that niggas just yapping lmfao

It's important for rappers to be really good at making songs

Being street, authentic, whatever has never really translated to actual 'success' depending on what your idea of success is.

Whether its Cole, Drake, Kendrick, whoever

engaging with omega in big 2025 is definitely a conscious choice

Diddy is already f***ed w/o the cudi testimony.

Cudi knew he didnt need to tell.

However, he was subpoenaed to do so.

i don’t keep tabs on random niggas on the Internet so idk buddy’s history, but salute for saving that real estate

We’re talking about image wise

Bro we know they were millionaires by then but the fact these rappers that came from the streets co-signed rappers that didn’t added basically a “cool” factor to the latter that made more people want to pay attention

nah, I heavily heavily disagree

Drake already had the love from the black community by being a student of Wayne and a part of YMCMB. there’s a reason he was called to “be put on every hook”

Essentially proving my point that he got that love because of Wayne lol

Cole had just about every black college millennial kid in the palm of his hands since all his music up to Born Sinner is a coming of age soundtrack for black college kids and anyone who was in high school during his come up

It was not just black college kids tho he had the college fanbase but didn’t get to the next level until Jay signed him

idk why you’re equating love from the streets to having love from black fans lmfao

Because hood niggas are bigger demo than the average black person. Which is the reason why a lot of artsy-alt rappers have way more white fans than black ones usually

What love did Drake get cause of Wayne? Wayne obviously put him on but didn't add to his "coolness" factor, bro was getting clowned a lot for his cornyness back then lol.

As far as Kendrick goes, while he did have some cringe moments such as the 2PAC interview on TPAB

S*** your dummy ass up