Well, that is your stance. In NC where I live, it gave Hip Hop a much needed boost. The underground scene here got exciting and has been every since. I can only speak for here. As for LB, they did the best they could do at the time. They dropped 3 LP's that were nice. The producer who you obviously feel is wack ended up working with Jay-z, Mary J, Badu, De La, Luda, Destiny Child etc..etc..so that was big for NC, LB, and underground here. If I'm not mistaken Kanye, Big Sean, Wale, DRAKE (especially as he has said many times before) are others got some influence from them. They are all mainstream stars so your theory is not all correct. Weak production to you was given props from Pete Rock, Premo, Questlove and Young Guru. This all came from The Listening. Everything I just typed. These are facts. Not mad you dont like them...I can respect that.