Wake N' Watch Wake N’ Watch: 1997’s Hip-Hop Freshman Class

Damn, the future of music is hard to predict. Back in December 1997 (on DMX’s birthday), journalist Touré assembled an all-star line-up of hip-hop’s hottest rookies for a roundtable discussion. Big Pun, John Forte, Mos Def, Canibus and Mic Geronimo—five MCs that everyone expected to usher rap into the post-jiggy era. Luckily, the Shades of Hip-Hop Video Mixtape was there to capture the event (including this spontaneous freestyle session) because the buzz didn’t last long for most of these once promising artists.

John Forte, in particular, hit on some rough times. Two and a half years after this video was shot, the former Fugees affiliate was arrested in the Newark Airport with $1.4 million worth of liquid cocaine and sentenced to 14 years in prison. But after being granted a pardon from Dubya, Forte finally has his life back—today his eclectic new EP StyleFREE comes out (click here to buy it for $4.99), his first release after seven years behind bars. And who knows, if enough people cop it, Forte will be back eating mangoes in Trinidad with attorneys before you know it.