>I disagree. First of all,
>cousin, One day sold about
>200,000 - close to three.

Someone's wrong, you or Quest, because Quest said at 192,000 units Com had outsold all of his previous releases. Now, what's the source for your info?

> You cannot deny that
>his fan base and sales
>have climbed incrimentally w/ every
>album dropped.

And you can't deny that there's a big jump from 300,000 (of your figure's right) to 500,000 which is what Com is about to sell. 200,000 people is not an "incremental" increase. It's a HUGE increase, meaning this album will sell nearly double what his last album sold.

> I mean
>relativity sucked as a label
>- everyone knows that.

Everyone except Bone Thugs And Harmony, who went multi plat over there (ruthless/relativity).

>I'm saying that his fanbase
>has grown considerably - like
>the Roots.

You can't equate fanbase with sales. In the Roots case, particularly, it is arguable that many people bought that album due to the success of (and to hear) the single feat. Erykah. Whether or not those people are truly 'fans' depends on how you define the word, i suppose. Also, you can't guarantee that everyone who bought the album liked it (despite the fact that most Roots fans couldn't imagine such a possiblity).

I mean
>look at Wu-tang for instance
>- 36 chambers did basically
>nothing in comparison to Wu-Tang
>Forever (sales wise) it got
>a rejuvination in sales after
>Wu-tang Forver went 4X platinum.

Here's where you show your lack of industry knowledge. Forever was a double album, which means it only sold 2 million units to be certified 4xplatinum (each disc counts as an individual unit). 36 Chambers went over platinum. So, in actually, Forever didn't sell that many more units than 36.

> Wouldn't you say that
>fanbases grow for artists as
>there longevity solidifies?

Not necessarily, because sometimes you lose as many fans as you gain. Some people lose more fans than they gain. ask Hammer.

> Ok
>then what I'm sayin in
>that respect is that
> Common has made HIMSELF
>more accesable to the people
>through shows and word of
>mouth, etc.

If shows and word of mouth sold records, Organized Konfusion would have a gold plaque on their walls.

> You think
>MCA is responsible for this
>turnaround in sales?

Yes. You already said Relativity was a terrible label, where Com had less than gold sales *despite* good shows and word of mouth. He switched over to a label that promoted him better and pushed him on radio and MTV harder -- bam! -- he gets in regular rotation on urban radio and he has a buzzworthy video on MTV. That's the power of the MCA marketing machine.

I
>totaly disagree - thet're not
>doing anything for their other
>artists. And in comparison to
>the WHITE artists on MCA

which artists are you referring to? do you know how many rock acts out there are selling less than 100,000. oh, man.....go pick up a billboard....or try to get your hands on a soundscan report. you think MCA is supporting its white acts more than its black ones? give me some hard evidence of that...I would wager that The Roots were probably one of MCA's top sellers of 99. Note I said "one of". Sure Killah Priest and Sauce Money aren't faring well, but this is a very tough game. list the folks on MCA who came out in 99 by sales and I wager good money that the Roots are in the Top 5. Contrast that with their position at Geffen...for instance, look at "do you want more????" in 94 and compare its sales to the the sales of other acts on Geffen that same year. Enough circumstantial evidence for you? Do the same for Illadelph Halflife in 96, too, if ya feel like it.

Spread love,

Spirit
http://www.theamphibians.com

9 out of 10 people with two arms find something interesting about http://www.theamphibians.com
This summer: new audio, same odd sense of humor. Don't get "left" out, mossie your two-armed self on over and check it out.
_____________________
The funniest exchange on Okayplayer this month (from a Cali Agents thread)

WTFxSTFU writes...

Rasco really ruined the lp for me, I dont understand how he gets jocked like he does. He's so wack. Some of the lines he throws really make me sick. But Planet Asia is dope. - WTFxSTFU

Rasco responds....

thanks for the $16.00 yours truly the wack rapper.
RASCO