Is There No Limit to Their Success?

As it has often before, rap music is about to begin a new year with a freshly anointed king.

The question is: How long will this one retain his throne in a field in which change is swift--a field that continues to become more vibrant and influential despite all the naysayers?

At this time last year, Sean “Puffy” Combs, thanks to his stable of Bad Boy record label artists and his uncanny ability to promote himself, was such a dominant force in hip-hop that no one could challenge his commercial status.

In 1997 and into ‘98, Combs, who had succeeded Death Row Records head Marion “Suge” Knight as rap’s most successful entrepreneur, seemed omnipresent. Here was a combination mogul, producer, rapper (under the name Puff Daddy) and songwriter who seemed to be in every other video on BET and MTV, guest-rapping on records by artists such as Mariah Carey and Mase, taking bows at all the award shows and even teaming up with Led Zeppelin superhero Jimmy Page on a song for the “Godzilla” soundtrack. His own album, “No Way Out,” has sold nearly 5 million copies.

It’s not that Combs stood still during the last 12 months. He remains a hugely successful figure in rap. But another mogul-performer has blown by him.

Though he doesn’t enjoy the mainstream media attention that Combs achieved, Master P--whose real name is Percy Miller--is the kind of music promotion marvel that Col. Tom Parker would have loved. In fact, Master P sometimes refers to himself as “the colonel.” According to Forbes magazine, the bespectacled businessman made $56.5 million in 1998.

Even though the New Orleans native has supposedly retired as a solo artist, his own double album, “MP Da Last Don,” debuted as the No. 1 record in the country in June and has sold nearly 2 million copies.

He was joined in the pop and R&B; Top 10 charts on such a regular basis by other artists on his No Limit label during the year that it seemed as if he had leased space on those charts. Among the No Limit gold or platinum hit makers: Mystikal, Silkk the Shocker, C-Murder, Mia X and even Snoop Dogg, picked up by Master P from the struggling Death Row.

And Master P, whose records are distributed by Bryan Turner’s Priority Records, starts the new year with a bundle of high-profile releases: Silkk the Shocker’s “Made Man” (due Jan. 19), Mr. Servon’s “Da Next Level” (Feb. 16) and C-Murder’s “Bossalinie” (March 9).

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It’s a formidable arsenal, but if there’s one challenger that could threaten Master P’s position, it’s the rejuvenated Def Jam label.

One thing in Def Jam’s favor: a much better talent pool. No Limit’s success is due more to marketing than musical talent. Most of the label’s artists simply recycle proven rap story lines and music in an assembly-line fashion.

By contrast, the Def Jam artists generally have a much sharper creative slant. The guess is that the No Limit crew spends a lot of time listening to Def Jam’s stars to see what ideas they can use in their next collections.

Often considered the Motown of rap, Def Jam was essential in the development of rap in the ‘80s, introducing landmark acts like LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy and Slick Rick.

After ups and downs over the years, Def Jam--now part of Seagram’s new Universal Music Group--enjoyed a spectacular renaissance in 1998 thanks to a crop of rappers headed by DMX, Jay-Z, the Def Squad, Method Man and Redman. And the label, which is guided by Lyor Cohen and Russell Simmons, is expected to continue on a high level next year.

DMX started things off this year with a debut album, “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot,” that has sold nearly 2 million copies. He also starred in the controversial film “Belly” and appeared on collaborations with Jay-Z and Ice Cube.

The most unlikely rap success story of the year belongs to Brooklyn’s Jay-Z. It’s not surprising that Jay-Z became a star--he’s one of the genre’s best lyricists. The surprise was that the gritty, hard-core rapper’s “Vol. 2 . . . A Hard Knock Life” remained at the top of the pop music charts for more than a month.

“Seeing Jay-Z hold the No. 1 slot in the country for five consecutive weeks was a major feat for hip-hop,” says Billy Johnson Jr., rap and R&B; editor of the CD-ROM publication Launch. “Plus, he accomplished it without any controversy--just good lyrics and incredible beats.”

Controversy did surround DMX. The Yonkers, N.Y., rapper was accused, but later cleared, of rape charges.

Controversy also surfaced in other ways. Last summer, the Fugees’ Wyclef Jean was accused by Jesse Washington, the editor of the new rap magazine Blaze, of threatening him with a gun over a review the magazine was planning to run. The rapper has denied the charge.

On the big-time touring front, rap continued to be largely underrepresented, save for Combs’ successful Bad Boy tour at the beginning of the year and the third edition of the “Smokin’ Grooves” summer extravaganza.

With the exceptions of Lauryn Hill (whose “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” is one of the most acclaimed albums of the year, but who is more of a pop phenomenon than a hard-core hip-hop and rap figure) and Mia X, female rappers made little noise in 1998. Next year, however, releases from high-profile artists such as Def Jam’s Foxy Brown and Combs-affiliated Lil’ Kim should add some alternative voices to the field.

Despite its impressive record sales, rap music isn’t being spoiled by its success. Not only are rappers and their producers coming up with new ideas and sounds that push beyond the gangsta-rap stereotypes, but many of these quality artists are also among the genre’s biggest sellers.

Of my list of 1998’s best rap albums, more than half have sold (or are safe bets to sell) 500,000 copies or more. The list is headed by OutKast’s “Aquemini.” The LaFace/Arista release’s nearly sample-free music (it’s mostly live instrumentation) has great emotional range and is backed by introspective lyrics that examine life on both personal and sociopolitical levels.

It would be followed by Mystikal’s “Ghetto Fabulous,” which showcases the rapper’s unmatched ability to rap with speed, intensity and imagination, and Gang Starr’s “Moment of Truth.”

Also notable: Redman’s “Doc’s Da Name 2000,” whose forte is the rapper’s funny storytelling, and Noreaga’s “N.O.R.E.,” a Penalty/Tommy Boy release that offers a stylish reexamination of the gangsta-rap scene.

Despite the above-average year creatively for rap, the focus in the scene is already on the new year. While the rule in pop-rock over the years has been that you don’t release big new albums after Thanksgiving in fear they’ll be lost in the holiday season blitz of superstars, Def Jam is showing no fear. DMX’s second album, “Flesh of My Flesh Blood of My Blood” (see accompanying review), is due to be released Tuesday. It may tell us a lot about this young rap star’s future--and the label’s 1999 momentum.