Image via Complex Original
When we took the pulse of the most powerful crews in rap last year, the stage was set for greatness, in particular from TDE, G.O.O.D. Music, and OVO. Assessing the terrain in 2017 tells a slightly different story. In the year of Damn, there's no question that TDE is dominant. But the course-correcting More Life found Drake recovering from the Views critical slump just when he needed to. G.O.O.D. Music, well—it's 2017 and everything feels tenuous. Where is Mr. West? Who is Mr. West?
There are many questions hovering in the wings around rap crews in 2017, and with precious few more months left in the year, it's crunch time. If you're reading this, Omarion, shoot your shot. MMG could use it.
ASAP Mob
Other than maybe TDE, the ASAP Mob is the most close-knit clique on this list. Since Rocky stepped on the scene with “Purple Swag," the crew’s influence on hip-hop’s sound and fashion has been undeniable. Whether it be the core members or affiliates, the Harlem collective have provided a lot of the waves your favorite rappers are currently riding. They brought Versace glasses and shirts back, Ferg made wearing durags in public a thing again, Rocky is a walking marketing machine for high fashion and streetwear brands, they have everybody dressing in cozywear, and we haven’t even talked about the music. That’s true cultural influence.
The Mob has been hella busy this year, with quality releases from Twelvyy (finally), Ferg, Playboi Carti, and the just-released Cozy Tapes, Vol. 2. This new comp introduces Smooky Margielaa, a 15-year-old MC from the Bronx, to the team. He’s on a couple Cozy Tapes tracks and sounds like a star in the making, no exaggeration.
The Mob doesn’t chase trends, they make them. And their nods to the past are always proper, like Bad Boy’s Jiggy Era, old Three 6 Mafia records, and early Cash Money flows. The members of ASAP Mob are key forefathers of “Internet Rap." I have my money on the Mob as rap’s strongest rap crew, word to Yams. —Angel Diaz
Dreamville
J. Cole’s Dreamville continued its quiet streak of hard work and solid craftsmanship in 2017, debuting its latest signee this year, Atlanta’s J.I.D, via his excellent album The Never Story. His sing-song rapping (and sometimes just straight singing) and focus on autobiography, especially when it comes to romance, recalls Anderson .Paak. “All Bad” is lowkey one of the best heartbreak songs of the year; it should be on the soundtrack to Insecure.
J.I.D toured alongside his labelmates Ari Lennox, Bas, and Lute on J. Cole’s 2017 Your Eyez Only tour. I saw the show at Barclays in Brooklyn and few people can command an audience the way Cole can. He’s sincere and passionate, keeping the (young) audience hanging on his every word. Dreamville is likely never going to set the tone for rap but you can always count on the crew to move solidly and assuredly. —Ross Scarano
G.O.O.D. Music
It hasn't been a great year for the house that West built. Its face and leader—after dropping the chaotically ambitious The Life of Pablo and spending much of 2016 taking the conceptually insane Saint Pablo Tour on the road—is in retreat. After an extraordinarily highly publicized fracturing of his public image, featuring near-nightly outbursts, ad hoc personal attacks on his collaborators and friends, and a vocal sign of support for the newly-elected Donald Trump, Kanye was admitted to the UCLA Medical Center for his mental health. He's since seemed to stabilize, and is taking a break from the spotlight, instead choosing to work on his next project in a variety of far-flung locations and relative seclusion.
Meanwhile, output for G.O.O.D. Music has slowed. Label president Pusha T's album is continually delayed, and seemingly no longer a priority based on public statements. The label's current protégé, Desiigner, has been dropping some truly wild, inventive songs, but has yet to deliver on a full length. Kacy Hill's album, Like A Woman, came and went. The sheer creativity that propelled the crew to the highest peaks in rap is still on the roster, it just hasn't shown anything for it lately.
That said, never count out G.O.O.D. Music. Kanye is cooking up something, and if the past is any indication, the last time he had his back against the wall he was able to produce something masterful—as if he just had to throw a switch. If the reports are true that he's working with Kid Cudi on a full-length project, G.O.O.D. could return to its heyday in an instant. Pusha might not have an album out, but any rap fan will stop what they're doing to listen to a verse whenever it comes out. Desiigner is making some of the most creatively inspired and technically deranged music to come from a new rapper in a long time. G.O.O.D. Music may not have the crown in this instant, but they certainly have our attention. —Brendan Klinkenberg
Maybach Music Group
If this were March, the story of MMG would be one of glorious revival. After a string of lackluster projects, Rick Ross made his most magisterial album yet with Rather You Than Me, a beautifully produced project that made a bid for Ross as the most ethical boss in rap, taking shots at Birdman’s shoddy business practices. It should have set the tone for a sterling year. Instead, he joined the chorus of grimy men in music this year who cavalierly continued to embraces sexist behavior. In Ross’ case, it was an offhand comment about sexual harassment as a possibly workplace strategy if he ever signed a female artist to MMG.
Elsewhere, the crew’s members moved independently. Gunplay put out two solo projects and a collaborative tape with Mozzy. Omarion pushed a number of singles in advance of Reasons, but so far the album has yet to materialize. Wale released his album Shine in April to mostly positive reviews but not especially robust sales. During his press run, he stopped in on Everyday Struggle, demonstrating a more mature version of the MC than, say, the one who called Complex in 2013 to complain about a year-end list.
Meek Mill made another comeback attempt with Wins and Losses. It’s a solid project, on the level of DC4, and it debuted at No. 3 on the album chart, selling 102,000 album-equivalent units. Meek still has strong support and can put up numbers, but it doesn’t seem like he’ll ever be able to restore his reputation fully outside of his most die-hard fans.
In short, MMG is fragmented and its leadership inconsistent. —Ross Scarano
OVO
OVO needs a little TLC. The last time we took a look at the Toronto-based crew, they had just turned from faces to heels, but lovable ones; think D-Generation X at the height of the ‘90s. Drake, obviously the most visible of the collective, was coming off of the high of his Meek Mill feud, and gearing up to release Views. That album sold well but didn't move the needle creatively. Now that we’ve had a few months with the latest project, More Life, the staying power feels a little shaky, too. Nonetheless, Drake is almost single-handedly keeping the OVO name front and center.
Partynextdoor is assisting on the R&B tip with his latest EP, Colours 2, which dropped this summer—plus a handful of new tracks, including “Damn.” Majid Jordan, Roy Woods, and dvsn have made slight moves, but we haven't gotten a full album or EP release from any of them since 2016. Plaza and Baka Not Nice, OVO’s newest signees, have a couple of loosies floating around. Only time will tell if they’ll make an impact on a bigger scale.
All that aside, the brand itself is #strong: OVO Sound Radio just had its 50th episode, and a new flagship clothing store in Toronto’s Yorkdale Mall was announced earlier this month. August also marked the 8th annual OVO Fest.
Long story short: OVO is doing… fine. But with a leader of their caliber and the world at their fingertips, they could and should be bigger. They might be building slow. Given the short attention span of hip-hop fans though, it's not the most sound plan. —Kiana Fitzgerald
Top Dawg Entertainment
Let's put it simply: TDE has, in just the past few months, released two of the year's best projects.
Kendrick Lamar's Damn is a tour de force, arguably the best of his classic-studded discography. Combining the clear-eyed narration (and pop appeal) of Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City with the thematic weightiness and technical abstractions of To Pimp A Butterfly, the album is a masterpiece from a master, and the clear front-runner for album of the year.
Then there's SZA, whose album Ctrl has taken over just about everyone's hearts at some point since its release. It's an assured, difficult-to-categorize piece of music, and it's catapulted SZA to a new level of stardom; she's now an internet sweetheart and in-demand songwriter, and has moved from being a support player on the label to a clear center of attention.
The album pairing serves to prove that the engine of TDE is running, and the team is still focused on what it's always been focused on: getting the best art out of its artists. What that ultimately means depends on the artist in question, but with generational talents like Kendrick and SZA on the roster, and projects from Schoolboy Q on the way, it's hard to imagine anything but sitting pretty in pole position. —Brendan Klinkenberg
YMCMB
As was discussed in the OVO state of the union, Drake did what he needed to do and bounced back from the frigid Views with More Life, a literally lively blend of genres that acknowledged the stale attitude of his previous album and provided the year with a number of bangers. Mission accomplished.
Aside from Drake, Nicki Minaj has had the most eventful year, beefing with Remy Ma and releasing a number of loosies—presumably part of the long rollout for her follow-up to The Pinkprint. Though Remy's disses were savage, it did little to slow Nicki's roll. That Nicki didn't take a real L as a result of "Shether" is a win. That said, her music this year has not been the best of her career. It's cool that she reunited with Wayne and Drake for the first time in years, but she needs to deliver music that truly lasts next. "No Frauds" is not likely to join the ranks of "Truffle Butter" or "Only."
Elsewhere, Wayne remains trapped in legal hell, though he did manage to contribute verses here and there, along with a free four-song release that included a remix to Playboi Carti's "Magnolia."
Jacquees is working hard at making it; he's finished his first album and his excellent single "B.E.D." went platinum.
Lesser-known artist Sy Ari Da Kid tried to raise his stature by taking shots at Rick Ross in the video for "Wire Transfer From Birdman." But...are you listening to Sy Ari Da Kid as a result? Only you can answer that. —Ross Scarano