25 Hip-Hop Artists People Think Are One-Hit Wonders (But Totally Aren't)

25 Hip-Hop Artists People Think Are One-Hit Wonders (But Totally Aren't)

BY PAUL CANTOR | MAY 16, 2012 | 12:32 PM | PERMALINK

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Success in hip-hop is often a crapshoot. Some artists grind it out for years before breaking through, while others come to our attention seemingly out of nowhere. In both instances, though, the trick is to seize the moment and do what you can to keep the eyes of the culture focused on them for as long as possible. But how long will that moment last?

When the hits dry up, casual fans may assume that the artist is dead and gone, although that's rarely the case. Maybe it's not even a question of hit records, but something more pressing—like a jail sentence—that makes successful artists fade into obscurity. Or perhaps they've gone on to making money in the record business doing other things.

Whatever the case, many artists are deemed one-hit-wonders because most people only know their biggest song. But that doesn't mean that's all they ever amounted to. Yesterday we broke down the 100 Best Hip-Hop One-Hit Wonders. Now here's 25 hip-hop acts you thought were one-hit wonders who really aren't.