Okay, so, can't lie, when I first heard Nipsey's Bullets Ain't Got No Name Vol. 3, I was hyped. This was a mixtape that was very professional sounding, the flows and beat selections were great. And Nip had a presence.

In my head, him getting a major label release and moving on to rap stardom was almost AU-TO-MATIC. I then heard he got signed to Atlantic and later on that deal fizzled. He continues to put out mixtapes, but, he's nowhere near the household name I expected him to become.

Same can be said of Freddie Gibbs. i LOVE Baby Face Killa and Cold Day In Hell and "most" of the EPs he's done with Madlib. Flow is on point (though redundant) and he makes great choruses (as does Nip). Heard about the deal with CTE and rejoiced (although Jeezy does not have a great track record of handling signees very well or even getting an eventual release). That deteriorated.

Stalley? GREAT mixtape, IMMACULATE production. Gets signed to MMG then AUTOMATICALLY drops Rashad as his main producer and has been faltering ever since with no TRUE album release date in sight

Now, here's my first question: Where did these guys go wrong? With Stalley, IMHO, it started with the relinquishing of the majority of production duties from Rashad, which is more OBVIOUS. But, with Nip and Gibbs, I have to believe there has to be a trail of burnt bridges in their wake, but, I'm not up on hip hop news enough to have full clarity.

Second question: Is the day of the homegrown solo rapper dead? I've seen too many whose skills I've enjoyed (Bobby Creekwater, Stat Quo, Pretty Ugly, Dom Kennedy) either disappear completely or only release material sparsely.

It makes me kind of worried for newer cats with great potential like Chance The Rapper as they try to establish their brand.

Are there any clear, cut rules not to violate on the ascent so as to avoid a premature descent?

Come to grips with the fact that most OKP's are of the Nut Hugger lineage, so, if you' re not part of the little cliques that exist 'round here, your posts will probably tank like Souljaboy's album sales.