Trend Watch: From Kanye to J. Cole, the Case of the Disappearing Single

Yo, I be hatin’ when someone says their gonna do something and they don’t go through with it, even if there’s a legit excuse. It irks me, especially if I’m the one that flakes. I know I’m not the only one. This also transfers over into the world of hip-hop.

We all got a little bugged out in ’07 when 50 challenged Kanye to see who’d sell more albums. ‘Ye and Fif’ were both dropping that same day, Kanye with Graduation and 50 with Curtis. We all know ‘Ye stomped 50 in sales, and of course 50 didn’t retire like he said he would.

But that's a topic for a future "Trend Watch". Lately there’s been a more pressing trend with artists and the “first singles” off their albums; first singles that later disappear.

Back in ’09 a track called “Shining Down” by Lupe Fiasco leaked (supposedly the first single off his album Lasers) and Lupe fans went bonkers. They posted mad links to it and that shit had a buzz. Come to find out it wasn’t intentionally leaked by Lupe and his camp and dude was heated.



The track didn’t make the album that dropped this year, which is a little disheartening but we can get past that… What became the album’s official first single was “The Show Goes On,” which is something of a Negro Spiritual if you ask me. OK, not really but it’s a pretty inspirational track and dude won with that one.



So certain singles disappear because of leaks, fair enough. But others disappear for far murkier reasons. For example, what about Jigga and ‘Ye and their “first single” off Watch the Throne?

The first time I heard “Otis” was like trippin’ on a psychedelic. It was a whole ‘nother experience. I was driving around New York just chillin’, turned the radio dial to Hot 97 and started hearing this ill ass sample of Otis Redding’s voice and it was looped and rapped over. I wish I could’ve been in my brother’s shoes when he looked over at my and saw my facial expression. I remember my eyes opening up pretty fucking wide and being overwhelmed with joy, praying that all of my pain be champagne.



There’s only one problem with this story, everyone on the radio and the blogs were calling it the first single off “Watch the Throne.” Huh? What happened to Watch the Throne’s alleged first single “H.A.M.”? Sure, it dropped almost a year before the album finally came out (after months of those two dancing the fuck out of us), but how they gon’ act like “H.A.M.” never happened. The lead single didn't even make the fucking album!



Oh yeah, "Cole World: The Sideline Story" dropped this past Monday, and I dig it. But what’s good with Cole dropping “Who Dat” as the album’s first single (which I thought was ass) last summer then putting out the B-side “Disgusting” via Twitter back in May, then getting a case of convenient amnesia and dropping “Work Out” as the "first" single a year after “Who Dat”? If he meant first single this year, then that’s
what he should’ve said.





Then just to really drive the point home, the flopped "Work Out" didn't even make the regular version of "Cole World". So Cole includes songs like "Lights Please" that literally dropped over two years ago, but not the official lead single off the album?

Why it feel like these dudes is tryna pull a fast one on us all the time? How y’all feel about this?

Nathan Update: When Adeshola and I were discussing disappearing single examples I somehow forgot to mention that both Young Jeezy's "TM103" and Game's "RED Album" had multiple lead singles that dropped, only to be officially forgotten about weeks and months later. The label literally caught amnesia and sent out blasts announcing the "First Single!!!" of the album...a month after the last "First Single!!!" blast.

Hit us up with more "disappearing singles" examples in the comments below.