When we took the pulse of the most powerful crews in rap last year, the stage was set for greatness, in particular from TDE, G.O.O.D. Music, and OVO. Assessing the terrain in 2017 tells a slightly different story. In the year of Damn, there's no question that TDE is dominant. But the course-correcting More Life found Drake recovering from the Views critical slump just when he needed to. G.O.O.D. Music, well—it's 2017 and everything feels tenuous. Where is Mr. West? Who is Mr. West?
There are many questions hovering in the wings around rap crews in 2017, and with precious few more months left in the year, it's crunch time. If you're reading this, Omarion, shoot your shot. MMG could use it.