The Rhythms and Rhymes of a Very Productive 1999

With the album by the late Notorious B.I.G. at the top of the charts and upcoming ones by DMX, Jay-Z, Juvenile and the late Tupac Shakur targeted there in the next few weeks, rap is ending 1999 on a strong commercial note.

But record companies are already thinking about next year--and the names that we’ll probably be hearing the most are Lil’ Kim and Ghostface Killah. Both will be releasing collections before winter ends, and both will benefit from their ties to major rap legacies.

Of the two, Lil’ Kim may generate more heat. The former girlfriend of the Notorious B.I.G. will be releasing what should be a blockbuster album. Expected at the end of March from Atlantic Records, “Notorious K.I.M.” could establish the hip-hop sexpot as the most important female figure in the field.

Under the guidance of the album’s executive producer Sean “Puffy” Combs, Kim is likely to revisit the kind of sexually suggestive and violence-drenched songs that made her a star when she emerged as a member of rap group Junior M.A.F.I.A. in 1995.

Appearances on high-profile albums from Mobb Deep and Will Smith kept the Brooklyn-based artist in the spotlight this year, as did the revealing outfits she sort of wore on various awards shows.

Kim hopes to keep the Notorious B.I.G.’s legacy alive, and Ghostface Killah faces a somewhat similar task.

The Staten Island rapper is expected to release what could be the best-selling and highest- quality solo album from a Wu-Tang Clan member since his last one, 1996’s “Ironman.” His “Supreme Clientele” arrives in record stores at the end of January.

It’s not as if the Clan stood still during the last 12 months. Members GZA/Genius, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, U-God and Raekwon all released solo albums. But those collections didn’t match the grass-roots acceptance or the commercial success of the 1995 efforts from GZA/Genius, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Raekwon. If Ghostface Killah fails to deliver a solid, chart-topping album, one of hip-hop’s most successful and universally recognized outfits could lose much of its prestige.

There are other records to watch in the first part of 2000.

Steeped in a spirituality rarely explored by talented rappers, Baton Rouge-based Young Bleed will release what promises to be an exciting, innovative collection, “My Own,” in early February. With a thick twang and soulful live production featuring dramatic organs and bluesy guitars, Bleed and his production team have created a powerful sonic package.

Without the appearances from such lyrical inferiors as Master P and Silkk the Shocker that somewhat hampered his 1998 debut, Bleed’s second album could be one of the most insightful rap albums of the last few years.

After three critically acclaimed albums on Relativity Records, the rapper Common will make the jump to industry powerhouse MCA. The Chicago rapper includes keen social commentary in a number of his lyrically dense raps.

He has garnered substantial attention by appearing on the Roots’ “Things Fall Apart” album, as well as the highly touted “Soundbombing II” mix tape and Black Star’s self-titled 1998 album.

Canadian acts Choclair and Saukrates have the potential to become the first non-U.S. rappers to enjoy critical and commercial success here. The Toronto artists flex the type of lyrical ability that underground hip-hop fans crave, and have created a buzz in America by making stellar appearances on mix tapes and hard-to-find U.S. recordings.

Decade-plus veterans Run-DMC, Ice Cube, Scarface and De La Soul are all expected to release albums in 2000, as are established platinum acts Mystikal, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Big Punisher and Da Brat.

Such promising underground talent as the Outsidaz, Diggin’ in the Crates, Screwball, Royce, Last Emperor and J-Live are also expected to release quality work.

With all there is to look forward to in 2000, don’t forget 1999’s noteworthy events.

As in previous years, hip-hop lost some prominent talent to violence. Lost Boyz member Freaky Tah was murdered, as was promising Harlem rapper Big L.

Jay-Z joined DMX to headline one of the top-grossing tours of the first half of the year, while his “Vol. 2 . . . Hard Knock Life” won a deserved Grammy for best rap album--a notable development, since winners in the rap categories usually represent the field’s more commercial acts rather than its creative, critically acclaimed ones.

Cash Money Records, anchored by Juvenile, replaced Master P’s No Limit, Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment and genre mainstay Def Jam as the most impressive label. With Juvenile’s “400 Degreez” selling more than 3 million albums, and collections from the Hot Boy$, B.G. and Lil Wayne among rap’s bestsellers in 1999, it was clearly Cash Money’s year.

The New Orleans-based company hopes to maintain its momentum with Juvenile’s “Tha G Code--Live by It Die by It,” which was released Tuesday and figures to enter the charts high this week.

Gangster rap pioneer and producer extraordinaire Dr. Dre returned with his own album, “Dr. Dre 2001,” late in the year, after earlier introducing controversial and high-profile white rapper Eminem.

The albums released at the end of 1999 by Dre, Juvenile, the Notorious B.I.G. (a posthumous collection of unreleased tracks with raps by current acts overdubbed), DMX and Jay-Z are likely to have staying power well into 2000. Couple that with the slew of highly anticipated albums from some of the genre’s most distinctive artists, and 2000 should be a hip-hopper’s delight.