The (re)Birth of the (pseudo)Rap Group

Many are well aware or have at least heard that Hip Hop's latest rap group, Slaughterhouse, has signed with Shady Records, and with them Yelawolf as well. Personally, I was happy to hear this news considering my own affinity for Slaughterhouse specifically, as well as my adoration since my Middle School days for Eminem's lyrical dexterity and content ever.

Slaughterhouse includes:   
              Joe Budden from Jersey City, New Jersey
              Joell Ortiz from Brooklyn, New York
              Royce da 5'9" from Detroit, Michigan
              Crooked I from Long Beach, California

There's no argument that each of these four members is talented. What I came here to do is talk about Rap Groups, or lack thereof. Read through the list below and keep count in your head how many of these names you recognize:

• A Tribe Called Quest 
• De La Soul
• The Pharcyde
• Lords of the Underground
• Cypress Hill
• The Beastie Boys
• Ultramagnetic MC's
• Wu-Tang Clan
• Run DMC
• Digital Underground
• Jungle Brothers
• Souls of Mischief
• Arrested Development

It's almost sad to see that this fact seems to not exist anymore. All of the above named groups had a strong presence on the Hip Hop scene through the 80's and 90's. A few have even been celebrated on VH1's Hip Hop Honors in the past 5 or so years. So what's happened? Rappers seem to have grown into a self-obsessed culture, where the greater majority are more focused on their individual success or legacy. All of them working to lay claim to being the "Best Alive." A title that in this day is, arguably, already taken.

Hip Hop in one aspect used to be a team effort, as a lot of the aforementioned groups have engraved their names as a group in the history books with their individual rap names etched underneath. This isn't to say that rappers these days don't collaborate, but consistent work as a collective group hardly exists. Slaughterhouse is a special example, and even in their case the individual members carry on their personal careers first, releasing solo albums and second, as Slaughterhouse. The concept and popularity of a rap group may be dying out, if at all still alive.

As an avid listener to the "Old School" of Hip Hop, I worry that the genius work that can be born through collaborative work may not happen anymore. I wonder if today's industry is even conducive to this age old style.In most cases, they have enough timeless material out for me to enjoy even if it isn't.