A Recent History Of Artist Comebacks That Failed Miserably
Sometimes you need to know when to call it quits and hang up the mic. Unfortunately for artists like Chingy, they learn the hard way.
If you're on Twitter than you are aware of Chingys failed attempt to unite his dead fan base from a decade ago. The "Right Thurr" rapper attempted to copy Beyoncé's (and now Future's) popular "hive" movement, but it did not go as planned. Twitter descended like pack of wolves and had a field day with his failed hashtag #ChingyHive, which sparked countless memes and gifs.
Chingy isn't the only artist who has recently failed at trying to claw their way back to the spotlight. Honestly, they all would've been better off staying in retirement.
Britney Spears
Britney Spearsshort-lived beef on Twitter was downright embarrassing. I can't think of one other thing that could've made this comeback worse.
There is still hope for Ms. Spears, as she's rumored to be working with DJ Mustard on new music. Hopefully his up-tempo, club oriented, catchy beats can quickly wipe away the nasty taste "Pretty Girls" has left.
Lil Kim
Lil Kim was the Queen of Rap in the '90's, but as Bad Boy started falling off her career followed suit. In 2011, Lil Kim made her grand return to hip hop with a diss record "Black Friday" aimed at the present Queen of Rap, Nicki Minaj. It was a bold attempt, but still she ended up with the L for two reason: Kim’s insults were weak and she charged $9.99 for the mixtape. Enough said.
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit had been huge in the second half of the 90s, mixing rap, metal, and explicit lyrics. The group tried make a comeback with The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) in 2005, which was released without any promotion. Durst confidently predicted that their loyal fan base would make it a success, but it sold just 37,000 copies worldwide. In 2011, they attempted another major comeback with their sixth album, Gold Cobra, which was again met with general indifference and led to them being dropped by Interscope.
Now they're signed to Cash Money, and are reportedly working on their seventh album. When will these guys get the hint?
Ja Rule
Ja Rule was arguably the best rapper as the '90s became the new millennium. His rise to mainstream was at an all time high with hit songs like "I'm Real," "Ain't It Funny," and "Always on Time" taking over the radio. But his success quickly faded away after taking an L to 50 Cent in one of the biggest hip hop beefs of all time. He even admitted defeat to Hot 97.
He released his comeback album, The Mirror, in 2009— two years after its original release date. But poor reception and even poorer chart performance left him no choice but to offer the entire thing as a free download. Poor Ja.
Dru Hill
Dru Hill took a six year hiatus after their album Dru World Order in 2002. In 2008, fans were relieved when the group announced that they were getting back together, but sadly it only lasted for a good ten minutes. While appearing on a live Baltimore radio show, Dru Hill celebrated their comeback, until James 'Woody' Green dropped the ball. He announced that he was leaving the group and pursuing a more religious path. Just like that, their comeback was gone.
Some fans believe it was a hoax or a publicity stunt, but Dru Hill never made it back on top. Watch Dru Hill's embarrassing comeback and break up announcement above.
Lil Mama
Bless her soul. After a brief moment in the spotlight after her catchy debut single, "Lip Gloss," Lil Mama was laughed out of the industry after stage-crashing Jay Z and Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind" VMA performance in 2009. That moment stuck with her forever. Recently, she tried to rekindle the flame with her comeback anthem "Sausage," buuut no one cared. Sorry Mama.
Ma$e
"Don’t leave while you're hot, that’s how Ma$e screwed up," Kanye West rapped on "Devil in a New Dress." I honestly added Ma$e just so I can use this Kanye quote, but it does sum up his career in a nutshell. Diddy and Ma$e were like Batman & Robin during the late '90s— they couldn't be stopped. They were churring out hit records, his debut album Harlem Knights was a success, Bad Boy was still reigning supreme in rap (pre Roc-A-fella era).... then he left.
Five-years later, he returned. He found God, he wants to redeem himself, we're happy for him. But the Ma$e that we grew to love was gone. He rebranded himself the "bad boy gone clean," which he raps in his first single "Welcome Back." No more profanity, no explicit content, no Harlem Knights Ma$e. He was like the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air when they replaced Aunt Viv. He was changed, and he couldn't capture the audience that he once had.
He would appear every now and again on a few guest verses, and even turnt up at the Bad Boy reunion during the 2015 BET Awards. But his 2004 comeback was such a big fail it still haunts him to this day. When you think of Ma$e, you think of that Kanye line.