“WHAT’S NEXT?”: CAN JUELZ SANTANA & RICHIE SOSA GET THE STREETS BUZZING AGAIN?

OK, so here is the deal, I have decided to start a “What’s Next?” series.  I know I will catch heat for this when local artists are featured but it is what it is.  Before we begin, understand that this is not a series meant to diss but rather its a column meant remind people about artists that are hot or were hot that need to come out with something quickly or become stale.  Got it? Good. Since this is the beginning of the “What’s Next” series, you guys get a double header.  The first artist up is Mr Santana.  Juelz had dropped some singles and was really trying to jump off with his Def Jam situation.  In my opinion, that didn’t go so well.  The Chris Brown track was aight but well received by radio considering Brown was blacklisted.   Let’s get to the point.  Juelz is a dope artist with his own swagger and with the recent return of the Diplomats  to the Hip Hop scene, now is the time for Juelz Santana to capitalize of that insanely hot feature he blessed Lloyd Banks with.  The clock is ticking and Vado is gaining in popularity, Harlem needs Juelz voice.

Now, this may be touchy because the artist is on our soil and has had the streets buzzing at the height of his success but I am a real voice in a city with an industry of false well wishers – yea I said it.  Richie Sosa, for a long minute the streets were calling for you drop something.  Internet buzz was in full gear with viral videos and some hot street singles supported by HipHopCanada.com but with the recent rise of POPular rap and even less support of Canadian artists by commercial radio (not to mention no more Project Bounce) Sosa has struggled to maintain his presence.  Richie Sosa is a dope artist but Project Bounce might of well have been 20 years ago in regard with it’s resonance with today’s youth.  On the cusp of becoming somewhat of a newer Mayhem to some, Sosa needs to release something by years end and learn to make something that commercial radio can support because P Reign is arguably taking his spot and addressing the issues that he hasn’t.  Not to be one to ignore the elephant in the room, Reign also has the major asset of Drake’s cosign and a larger financial backing.  It remains to be seen how far Drake will push his artist but in the meantime Richie Sosa is still within grasp of capitalizing on a buzz that has died down quite a bit but could still be revived.