Fail Occurred: October 13, 1989

With a spot in the illustrious Juice Crew and a classic solo single with Marley Marl ("Droppin' Science") under his belt, it looked like slick Queens rapper Craig G was set to make a major impact when he signed a solo deal with Atlantic Records, the first Juice Crew MC to escape Cold Chillin'. But when he released his lightweight debut The Kingpin in 1989, led by the atrocious hip-house hybrid single "Turn This House Into A Home," Craig G's buzz hit a brick wall. A few rappers had tried to cash in on the house-music craze before (notably The Jungle Brothers and fellow Juice Crew member Big Daddy Kane), but had largely escaped with their careers intact. Sadly, the cheesy first impression put such a stink around the debut that Craig felt compelled to name his second album Now That's More Like It! (It also bricked.)