7 Hip-Hop Reunions We’d Like to Happen (That Probably Never Will)
Let’s face it, relationships are hard, whether personal or professional. Maintaining a rap group is no different and probably markedly more difficult.
We’ve seen time and time again, two or more artists come together and reach the heights of prestige only to call it quits for one reason or another sometime later, leaving fans at a loss and yearning for a comeback. Some have never gotten back together, while others have tried to make the magic work again.
Recently, a few rap reunions have materialized that fans didn’t see coming. In August, Three 6 Mafia announced a reunion tour following years of separation between the group’s co-founders DJ Paul and Juicy J. The group has come together for two shows, with the main event going down on Oct. 12. There’s a possibility we'll get an album out of the whole deal.
"As far as an album, we'll see if we get there," Paul recently admitted. "It's a start... You never know. Let's get through these shows, then we'll see if we can sit in a room together and make beats."
The Clipse, who last released an album in 2009 with ‘Til the Casket Drops before Malice found Christ and became No Malice, reassembled for Kanye West’s yet-to-be-released Jesus Is King album on a track titled “Use This Gospel for Protection” featuring jazz icon Kenny G.
While some much-anticipated hip-hop reunions have materialized, there are some, for whatever reason, that are harder to see happening at this point. XXL examines seven hip-hop reunions we want to see go down. Don't hold your breath.
Clipse
The Clipse’s Malice and Pusha-T were just reaching their peak in 2009 when Malice announced he was done with secular music and changing his life after finding religion. And just like that, it was the end of rap’s cocaine cowboys as a group. Both artists have continued to drop solo music, last appearing on wax together on the track “Shame the Devil” off Malice’s 2013 album, Hear Ye Him.
Kanye got the brothers back together on unreleased Jesus Is King track titled “Use This Gospel for Protection” but the chances of them coming together for a full-length album seem slimmer than a line of coke at this juncture, considering their contrasts of ideologies.
Ferrari Boyz (Gucci Mane and Waka Flocka Flame)
Gucci Mane and Waka Flocka Flame were rap’s Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook at the beginning of the 2010s, releasing the Ferrari Boyz mixtape in 2011. That is until, like the NBA duo, things got dicey before Gucci went to prison in 2013, with both rappers calling each other out.
Since his release from prison in 2016, Guwop has made amends and reunited with other artists he wronged before he went in, but it wasn’t until last year that Gucci and Waka confirmed their beef was in the past. You would think that would be a green-light for a new record, yet, not even a single from the once Brick Squad brethren has materialized.
Fugees
The Fugees released a classic sophomore album in 1996 with The Score and unceremoniously called it quits after infighting among the group. Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras have since focused on solo careers, with the constant hope from fans that they will reconcile for a new album.
The trio mended things enough to go on tour in 2005 but that only further soiled things after both Pras and Wyclef expressed anger with Hill’s behavior during the jaunt. In July 2017, a Fugees record that was thought to be new sparked speculation the trio was working on new music. The track was later revealed to be an old recording.
At this point, it looks like the ship has sailed on the possibility of the group forming like Voltron ever again.
Odd Future
OFWGKTA fucked the game up upon jumping onto the scene in Los Angeles in the late 2000s. They were unfiltered, they were uncanny and they could spit.
Over the years, the group included Tyler, The Creator, Frank Ocean, Earl Sweatshirt, Hodgy Beats, Left Brain, Casey Veggies, Matt Martians, Pyramid Vritra, Jasper Dolphin, Domo Genesis, Mike G and Syd Tha Kyd, They released three collaborative projects between 2008 and 2012.
In May 2015, Tyler sent out a tweet that seemed to signify the group had officially disbanded when he posted, “Although its no more, those 7 letters are forever,” referring to the group’s acronym. He later tried to downplay the tweet, but Earl Sweatshirt appeared to confirm the group’s demise the following day.
It was later revealed the breakup may have stemmed from touring together. The group hasn’t put out music since then and there have been very few signs of the gang getting back together.
OutKast
The greatest group of all time? Possibly. OutKast was going swimmingly until André 3000 decided he no longer wanted to be a full-time rap artist following the release of the Idlewild soundtrack in 2006. There has never appeared to be beef between Three Stacks and his partner in rhyme, Big Boi, but up to this point, André has been content with putting out amazing feature verses here and there and mastering the flute in random locations.
A reunion album has been rumored for years but nothing has come of it. The duo reunited on a huge festival tour in 2014 but even that wasn’t enough to get spark an album from the iconic duo. It's hard to imagine what will.
Rich Gang (Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan)
In 2014, Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan were seemingly best buds and at the forefront of Atlanta’s new wave as a part of Birdman’s Rich Gang. The two frequently collaborated and were featured alongside Stunna on the album Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1. In 2015, Quan announced he was stepping away from Rich Gang and that’s when problems arose. Thugger and Rich exchanged shots that year, and despite the “Type of Way” rapper later claiming it was all good, it clearly wasn’t.
They haven’t worked together since and in 2018, Young Thug turned down a $1 million offer from Gucci Mane to get him and RHQ together for a mixtape. That pretty much tells you the probability of a reunion project ever getting off the ground.
The Throne (Jay-Z and Kanye West)
Kanye West and Jay-Z struck gold with their Watch the Throne album in 2012 and shortly afterward Hov and frequent collaborating producer Mike Dean teased a follow-up. However, in 2016, when Jay and ‘Ye’s relationship publicly went south, the status of the album was clearly put on hold. Kanye being Kanye teased the project again in 2018 for seemingly no reason.
While Jay-Z and Kanye seem to be on somewhat better terms, WTT2 doesn’t seem any closer to being a reality. Considering Kanye’s recent denouncement of secular music, we doubt it will ever happen.