10 Rappers We're Worried About Right Now

Image via Complex Original

Why we're worried: His health, and his music, are deteriorating.

Rappers live exhaustive lives, so missing shows for lack of rest or some health issues is no real cause for alarm. That's why when Lil Wayne's private jet had to make an emergency landing in 2012 because he had a seizure it was worrisome but not terrifying. Stuff like that happens. However, when it happened again the next day it became clear that Wayne's health might really be a serious issue.

The next couple month's passed without much in the way of health scares, but in March, Weezy was rushed back into the hospital and the fear surrounding his health reached it's peak. It's peak meaning that people really thought Wayne was dead. #PrayforLilWayne became #RIPWeezy on Twitter after some egregiously sensationalized reporting from TMZ. (Fuck you TMZ.) There were reports of Drake, Birdman, and Wayne's mother being brought in to say goodbye and even that he was read his last rites. While Wayne thankfully is fine, the believability of his death goes to show how shaky his health really is.

Lil Wayne has a super lengthy history of drugs headlined by a prolific intake of codeine. Purple drank has taken too many rap superstars too early and we hope for his health's sake that Wayne gets clean. In terms of his career, Wayne currently takes a lot of shit from people who say he's fallen off. Every rapper cools off. Some do it gradually, others more drastically. Wayne seems to fall into that second category. But it's hard to stay the best rapper alive forever, so we just hope Wayne stays alive.

Why we're worried: The the Feds are definitely watching and stick-up kids are out to tax.

If 2012 was a banner year for 2 Chainz, 2013 has been a little more difficult. And by a little more difficult we mean that it seems like he cannot stop getting robbed or arrested. His problems got started earlier this summer, when reports surfaced that Chainz got stuck up at gun point in San Francisco. After initially denying the repots, Tity 2 Necklace ultimately corroborated the story. Hey, it happens, rappers get robbed; welcome to Yung Berg's entire existence. That wasn't the end of it though.

As he was leaving the state where he got robbed, Mr. Epps got stopped by airport security at LAX for having weed and codine on him. If these weren't enough legal problems for one summer, just this week Chainz's tour bus got pulled over and everyone on board, including him, got hauled to jail for weed possession. While his recent troubles just seem to be a case of a bigger spotlight increasing the size of the target on Chainz's back, we hope he steers clear of the long arm of he law from here on out.

Why we're worried: We've been waiting on his debut solo album for too long.

Pusha's decision to start a solo career with G.O.O.D Music was accompanied by a ton of deserved hype. That hype only increased when his debut solo mixtape, Fear of God, showed people that he really wasn't playing. That excitement has lingered around for the almost three years now that people have been waiting for Pusha's debut solo album. Album pushbacks have been the downfall of many-a-promising MC and it seems like Pusha's My Name is My Name is just now going to finally come out.

Although that's good news, it means that the album now carries three years of expectations. There's no doubt Pusha can make good music, he's done it his whole career with our without his brother, but there's a difference between making good music and having the ability to create an entire album on your own. Hopefully, Pusha has that ability and My Name is My Name will validate the last three years of waiting. If it doesn't, the disappointment might be too much for Push to overcome.

Why we're worried: His entire career post-The Cool has been a mess.

After Lupe Fiasco's The Cool dropped in 2007, he was flat out the most promising artist in the game. He had released three stellar mixtapes and two legitimately dope albums, he had cosigns from backpackers and the mainstream, and was in a supergroup with Kanye West and Pharrell. What happened? One of the most famous and frustrating cases of an album related beef between a star and his label that we've ever seen.

Lupe claimed that Lasers was done by 2010, but that the label refused to release it because of a lack of "commercial singles." Lupe fans went into Fuck You mode, and created an Internet petition that amassed thousands of signatures and culminated with a protest outside of Atlantic records. When Lasers finally dropped, it was a let down. It didn't reach the creative excellence that his first two releases did or the amount of controversy that surrounded it's release. Similarly, Food & Liquor II wasn't a bad album and was beloved by Lupe fanatics, but was nothing compared to his early work.

Since then, he seems to get in endless controversy for outlandish statements about President Obama or Twitter rants that are cool but we'd much rather hear him rant on the mic. Lupe has shown an unbelievable amount of talent but we're worried the future of his career will be stuck in the shadow of what he did before. On top of that, Lupe seems to ruffle a few too many people's feathers. We hope he can make another classic.

Why we're worried: He hasn't gotten the respect his talent warrants.

A lot of people heard "I Love College" and incorrectly wrote Asher Roth as a frat rapper, a subgenre of white rappers who talk about partying and not much else. Those people probably judged him solely off of that track and missed the rest of his catalogue. The Greenhouse Effect Vol. 1 is a legitimately great debut mixtape. Combine that with a solid album, and multiple other mixtapes highlighted by the unique and excellent Pabst & Jazz, and the fans who kept up with Asher past his slightly corny first single got the experience of watching a rapper grow into his lyrical skill.

Unfortunately, that growth has not been accompanied by a huge increase in popularity or another album. The transition Asher deserves to make, a transition from being dubbed a corny white rapper to being respected as a really talented rap artist, has already been made. It was just made by Mac Miller. And the transition from a corny white rapper to a white rapper more successful than anyone would have guessed has already been done by Macklemore. Hopefully, Asher can find a comparably large audience who will appreciate his talent.

Why we're worried: It seems like he'd rather make money than music. 

50 Cent has one of the most successful rap careers of all time. He's made countless hits and has ungodly amounts of money. However, we're a little worried about him because his recent career has been more focused the latter. In 2013, 50 Cent's focus has shifted from making classic albums to energy drinks or headphones.

While he's not the stud he was in the 2000s, 50's recent music output isn't that bad. His single Kendrick Lamar assisted single "We Up" saw 50 deliver decent verses, and his mixtape The Big 10 exceeded expectations. And that makes his relative inactivity all the more annoying. Rappers can take time off from rapping and come back hot, Jay-Z did it, we're just worried 50 doesn't want to. His supposed next album Street King Immortal, which tellingly shares a name with his energy drink, has been pushed back over a year at this point. Hopefully 50 cares enough to put it out because it could kick off a serious musical comeback.

Why we're worried: His lifestyle isn't exactly healthy.

Hip-hop has always had a resident big man. Whether it be Biggie, Pun, or Fat Joe, there's always been a spot reserved for plump MCs. That spot is currently held down by the one, the only, Rick Ross. While his larger than life stature is key part to his persona, it's also had some scary effects on his health.

Back in 2011, Ross had back-to-back seizures that left him unconscious and had the hip-hop world fearing the worst. Then a year later, Rozay cancelled a performance in South America for a "medical emergency." While he's been generally healthy since, his weight is definitely something to worry about.

Recently, former big man Fat Joe made news for seriously slimming down because of the role that weight played in the death of many of his friends, including the legendary Big Pun. That might be a wise move for Rozay as well. Post seizures, Ross said he was on a serious health kick, we hope he keeps it up. 

Why we're worried: He has a growing rap sheet.

Chief Keef is about as raw as anyone in hip-hop, both in terms of his music and the way he lives his life. While that has his benefits, it's part of what makes his music so good, it has also caused him a lot of personal problems. To put it simply, Keef has gotten in trouble with the law, a lot. With offenses ranging from allegedly brandishing a loaded gun at offices, to being investigated for mocking the shooting death of rival Chicago MC Lil JoJo, to a litany of traffic violations Keef has compiled quite the rap sheet. 

Although his countless brushes with the law are worrisome, a ton of other rappers find themselves in similar situations. What sets Keef apart, and lands him on this list, is a combination of his age, his refusal, and the sense that he's become a legitimate target for the Chicago police. He's avoided substantial time so far, but according to the Chicago Tribune the judge for his most recent offenses ominously told him "I'm really not sympathetic to people who don't listen to me." The judge's lack of leniency combined with Keef's history of constantly getting in trouble has us scared his next misstep could cost him more than it should. And it'd be all the more frustrating because he's so close to leaving his past life behind.

Why we're worried: His career is stalling.

When Yelawolf hit the rap scene in 2010, it took a lot of people by surprise for a lot of reasons. Not many rappers come out of Alabama, and his bat-shit crazy redneck persona was something new. But none of that mattered because his mixtape Trunk Muzik was excellent. So excellent that it landed him a deal from Interscope and eventually on the cover of XXL with Eminem boasting about partnering with Shady Records. When his debut album Radioactive dropped two things became clear: it was really good musically, but it didn't sell well. Unfortunately, this would be a sign of things to come.

Since Radioactive, his career trajectory has been less soaring and more stalling. Catfish Billy released a bunch of projects that weren't accompanied by the same amount of excitement as his previous work and, in a tell-tale sign of rapper problems, voiced frustrations with his label.

More recently, Yela released the follow up to Trunk Muzik, Trunk Muzik Returns. Again, the music was on-point, but failed to make waves in the rap universe. Once again, the fact that Yelawolf had a relatively small audience for an artist of his profile was glaring everyone right in the face. Unfortunately, Yelawolf's career has reached a bit of a standstill and we for one hope he breaks through it.

Why we're worried: He's 10 times the wild boy MGK is. 

Gunplay is pretty much the wildest of wildcards and the loosest of loose canons, and that's a great thing. While his off-the-wall attitude enhances his music and makes him one of the most interesting people in rap, there's a line between fun crazy and worrisome crazy.

On the fun side of crazy? His hair, taking a shit ton of drugs and going to Six Flags, his "Power Circle" verse, and him body slamming his dog. What falls squarely on the worrisome side of crazy? Swastika tattoos, being on house arrest, and barely beating a life sentence for armed robbery.

We love Gunplay. He's fun, unique, and capable of delivering insane verses. We just hope he stays away from the worrisome crazy stuff so there can be more Gunplay. He won't be as awesome if he's in jail, it just doesn't work that way. It seems like after the armed robbery scare, Gunplay has turned it around as he's stayed out of trouble and dropped his enjoyable and aptly named Acquitted mixtape. Let's hope it stays that way.