Top 5 Artists/Groups

Lyfe Jennings: Bursting on the scene in 2004 with his Grammy nominated song "Must Be Nice" off the album Lyfe 268-192, Lyfe Jennings became an instant hit. The raspy voice of Mr. Jennings reminds one of a male Macey Gray but combined with his soulful singing and heartfelt music, Lyfe sang is way out of prison and into the hearts of millions, all the while holding a guitar. After the success of Lyfe 268-192, Mr. Jennings released The Phoenix but failed to meet the success of his first album, despite the popularity of the song S.E.X His third release Lyfe Change showed some of the promise seen on Lyfe 268-192, especially with songs such as Cops Up, Wild, Wild, Wild and You Think You've Got It Bad featuring Wyclef Jean. Unfortunately it was not a huge commercial success but that does not make Lyfe a bad artist or diminish his work. Lyfe Jennings creates feel good, content driven, quality music. The bad thing is the state that music is in now does not go with his style. Still, Lyfe Jennings has a large following awaiting a new album.

The Wu-Tang Clan: From 1993 to 1997, the Staten Island based, Kung-fu inspired rap group permanently etched their name in the hip-hop history books. Their last platinum selling album, Wu-Tang Forever (1997) solidified The Wu-Tang Clan as one of the most extraordinary and diverse rap groups of all time. The members; The Rza, Gza, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Inspecta Deck, Raekwon the Chef, U-God, Ghostface Killa, Master Killa, Capadona and Method Man, have a style as individual as a fingerprint but together, the music produced is undeniable and classic. But after three unsuccessful follow up albums to Wu-Tang Forever, The Wu-tang Clan still has fans itching for another hip-hop classic. Their last combined studio album was in 2000 ( The W) signifying the urgency to quench the thirst of Wu-tang fans worldwide.

Nelly: Who knew a kid from St. Louis would have the type of success Nelly has had in the music industry? In the year 2000, Nelly's album "Country Grammar" spread throughout the country like an airborne virus and nothing but hits from the St. Lunatic followed. With hits like Grillz, Hot in Herre, Country Grammar, Dilemma feat. Kelly Rowland, #1, E.I and Over and Over feat. Tim McGraw, one would think Nelly's hip hop career would flourish for many more years to come. However, in the infamous "Tip Drill" video in which Nelly swiped a credit card down the backside of a video vixen, brought Nelly's music and popularity to a screeching halt. Since then we have sporadically heard music from Nelly but his last full length album (Sweat/Suit) was released in 2004 making Nelly long overdue for another platinum selling album. Come back Nelly, worse has been done in music videos and I ain't mad at you!

OutKast: Perhaps the most versatile and brilliant rap duo in music, Atlanta grown Outkast has not released an album since 2003 when Andre 3000 & Big Boi recorded the en-genius Speakerboxxx & The Love Below album. The group has an incalculable number of hits such as Hey Ya, Ms. Jackson, Roses, B.O.B, Rosa Parks, So Fresh, So Clean and Hollywood Divorce, to name a few. The trendsetting, limitless musical group has constructed a musical appetite in the bottomless stomachs of hip-hop fans globally. The innovative group has not satisfied the hunger of fans in nearly seven years, however, both members have been seen collaborating with various artists including John Legend and DJ Khaled. I think I speak for all hip-hop fans when I send this S.O.S. message to Outkast! Come save us from the likes of The New Boyz and Fast Life Yungstaz!

Lauryn Hill: It should be exceptionally illegal to posses as much talent in one human being as seen in the sultry Lauryn Hill, luckily for music lovers, Lauryn Hill decided to share her gifts with those whom would appreciate it. After making a name for herself as one third of the trio, The Fugees, Lauryn Hill decided so revel to the world just how luminous her star glows. In 2007, the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill swept through the airwaves like the raging waters of a levee broken region. The album sold over 18 million copies becoming certified Diamond, thus making her 1 of 7 female artist to reach the prestigious status. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill received critical acclaim for her songs Lost Ones, To Zion, When It Hurts So Bad and Tell Him. After writing history by being the only female artist nominated for 10 Grammy Awards and winning an unheard of 5, Lauryn dropped out of the public eye for a little more than five years. She emerged in 2003 with the double album MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 Lauryn Hill, then she was gone again. It has been seven years since Lauryn has released a studio album and despite the rumors of going crazy, millions of fans are anticipating another Lauryn Hill album. So much so that hip-hop giant Talib Kwali penned the song, Ms. Hill, as a plea for Lauryn to return to music. If I had to compare the fans want for another Lauryn Hill album to anything, it would be the life of Michael Jackson back.