At long last we got the results of the '98 End Of The Year Online Hip Hop Poll.. I'm sorry it took so long to get back at everyone, but we received over 3500 votes in 21 catergories... It took a while to tally everything due to my work load and me being out of town for about 10 days.. So without further a due.. Here is Pt1 of the results..

BEST HIP HOP ARTIST FOR '98
1) JAY-Z..791 votes
2) DMX...530 votes
3) LAURYN HILL..521 votes
4) BIG PUN..195 votes
5) BUSTA RHYMES..139 votes

Honorable Mentions: Method Man, Mos Def, Redman, Eminem

Notes: It's not surprising that the man they are calling the New King of New York and heir to the throne left open by Biggie's death would no doubt receive this honor.. Like Biggie, Jay manages to maintain street credibility while reaching the mainstream.. The question is what's gonna happen in a year's time. Will we grow tired of Jay-Z? Or will someone like Nas who is about to drop his new lp 'The Autobiography' Take over the reins.. What was most notable was the lack of non-New York artists that were voted on..The closest contenders were Eminem out of Detroit and Xzibit out of Los Angeles who received 47 votes..The other thing I noticed was the lack of non-radio artists.. All the top vote getters enjoy a tremendous amount of radio play. This is starkly contrasted to last years winner Common who was not seen on MTV and heard on radio everyday..Mos Def, Talib kweli and Xzibit were the top vote getters and combined they secured a less than 150 votes. Are we becoming less underground?

BEST HIP HOP GROUP FOR '98
1) OUTKAST...1165 votes
2) GANG STARR...484 votes
3) BLACK STAR...326 votesc
4) BRAND NUBIAN...158 votes
5) TRIBE CALLED QUEST...149 votes

Honorable Mentions: Goodie Mob, Black Eyed Peas, Onyx, Wu-Tang Clan

Notes: This was the year of the Southernplayalistic/ Atliens / Aquemini kids from Atlanta. Everyone was checking for them as they brought to the table a fresh and unique sound. I have a strong feeling Outkast is gonna continue to grow and continue to expand in the hip hop arena.

WACKEST ARTIST FOR '98

1) MASTER P... 282 votes
2) SNOOP DOGG ... 271 votes
3) MASE ...269 votes
4) PUFF DADDY.. 204 votes
5) CANIBUS..194 votes

Dishonorable Mentions: Pras, Cam'ron, Will Smith, Ice Cube, Foxy Brown

Notes: I can see Master P getting this award, primarily because he by his own admission is not a good rapper. His success creates a lot of scorn by headz who can't figure out how a guy who can't rap manages to come so far.. Well P owes it to his ability and willingness to hustle.. He's like the ugly kid who shows up to the party with the fine girl. He knows he doesn't look good so he makes up for it by developing his personality.. He becomes good at gabbing.. Well folks that's Master P.. He can't rap but you can bet he'll figure out how to get airplay and make money at this rap game before you do.... Now in the case of Snoop Dogg, let's face it.. his album was a great disappointment. Snoop has been lost without Dr Dre.. That's my one hip hop wish..for those two to get back together. His last two albums inspite of the large number of sales has left people wondering whether or not Snoop is a 'one hit wonder'. Canibus suffers from the same affliction as Snoop..Not enough substance to justify the hype.

'98 HIP HOP ROOKIE OF THE YEAR 1) DMX..1032 votes
2) BIG PUN...397 votes
3) BLACK STAR..297 votes
4) EMINEM...260 votes
5) CAM 'RON...130 votes

Honorable Mentions: Lauryn Hill, Mos Def, Black Eyed Peas, Defari

Notes: 'Stop, Drop And Open Up Shop..' this was DMX's year for sure.. He did everything from get arrested and be accussed of rape..He was aquitted of all charges, to have several hit records, to starring in a movie 'Belly' to releasing not one but two albums.. He did all this in what is essentially his rookie year and has left folks surmissing that he may be 'the next 2Pac'. It's no wonder he racked up this honor... Big Pun got lots of favorable mentions last year... but clearly '98 was his first full year in which he shined... Canibus was in the same sitaution as Big Pun.. He too got lots of votes but his name was taken off the list because he won 'Rookie Of the Year Honors' last year. On the underground circuit folks are really amped about Mos def and Talib Kweli who collectively are known as Black Star.. Look for them to shine in upcoming years.. Hopefully the group stays in tact even though Mos Def has left Rawkus for MCA Records.. West Coast based Black Eyed Peas had a strong showing and folks should definitely keep an eye out for them in the upcoming years... Cam'ron also made a lot of noise, but if you ask me, he lost a lot of steam by years end...

MOST OVERATED ARTIST FOR '98..
'THE DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE AWARD'
1) CANIBUS..707 votes
2) MASTER P..428 votes
3) DMX..362 votes
4) MASE..307 votes
5) PUFFY..269 votes

Dishonorable Mentions: Jay-Z, Lauryn Hill, Cam'ron, Noreaga, Will Smith

Notes: There is no doubt that Canibus would win this after dropping such a disappointing lp.. Master P, DMX and everyone else should come as no surprise.. Once you start getting lots of exposure on radio and tv, the hip hop audience begans to see as not 'being all dat'. People began ask what's all the hype about..

MOST OVEREXPOSED ARTIST FOR '98
'THE PLEASE SHUT UP AWARD'
1) MASTER P..604 votes
2) PUFF DADDY..474 votes
3) MASE..381 votes
4) DMX..316 votes
5) JAY-Z..270 votes

Dishonorable Mentions: Big Pun, Lauryn Hill, Busta Rhymes, Noreaga, Will Smith, Ole Dirty Bastard

Notes: In '98 folks heard one too many 'Uuuuuughns' from Master P. You heard him moaning on everyone's joint from Ice Cube to Destiny's Child. My take on this is blame the radio and video outlets for latching on to a handful of artists and continuously playing them over and over and over until we get burned out on them and screamed 'Enough Already!'. Is this a plot from the industry to shorten the lives of artists by burning them out before they become seasoned and hip to the music game? mmmmmmmm One has to wonder....

BEST FREESTYLE ARTIST FOR '98
1) CANIBUS..419 votes
2) EMINEM..242 votes
3) KRS-ONE..214 votes
4) REDMAN..149 votes
5) COMMON..112 votes

Honorable Mentions: Jay-Z, Method Man, Black Thought, Noreaga, Ras Kass

Notes: This is Canibus' second year in the row he's locked down this title.. Newcomer Eminem aka Slim Shady has stepped up on the scene and scores more votes then the Blastmaster KRS-One... I still say there's an eminent battle or some sort of collaboration that's gonna have to happen with Canibus and Eminem.... Maybe it's me, but how did Noreaga make this list???

BEST HIP HOP ALBUM FOR '98
1) OUTKAST 'Aquemini'.. 595 votes
2) LAURYN HILL 'The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill'..484 votes
3) GANG STARR 'Moment Of Truth'..464 votes
4) JAY-Z ' Hard Knock Life Volume 2'..400 votes
5) DMX 'It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot'..285 votes

Honorable Mentions: Goodie Mobb 'Still Standing', Redman 'Doc's The Name' , Tribe Called Quest 'Love Movement' , Brand Nubian 'Foundation' , Pete Rock 'Soul Suvivor'

Notes: Outkast brought brand new flava for your ear in '98..I don't think we'll find much disagreement about them winning.. Lauryn Hill inspite not having an lp where she raps a lot, nevertheless touched a whole lot of headz in such a way that they put her on board as well as on the turn tables and in the tape decks.. Maybe hip hop really is a feeling... Gang Starr definitely had good material.. Unfortunately it got overlooked in '98.

BEST HIP HOP SONG FOR '98
1) DMX 'Ruff Ryder's Anthem'..325 votes
2) BIG PUN 'I'm Not A Player'..205 votes
3) JAY-Z 'Hard Knock Life'..195 votes
4) BLACK STAR 'Definition'..130 votes
5) OUTKAST 'Rosa Parks'..123 votes
Honorable Mentions: Noreaga 'Superthug', Jay Z 'Can I Get A', Lauryn Hill 'Doo Whop', Dilated People's 'Work The Angles', Jay-Z 'It's Alright'

Notes; Tons of votes for this category,but DMX gave us the much needed anthem for us to sing along to in '98...Jay-Z came to the table with 3 strong songs that garnered votes..I guess that's why he's the 'Artist of the Year'. Headz went nuts for Black Star's Definition.. I especially like the way they [Rawkus] marketed that song by placing a plastic copy in an issue of Stress Magazine.. Yes, I was one of those kids who got my copy and was so amped that I cut it out and taped it to a larger record just so I could spin it...
I was glad to see such good response to Dilated People's joint.. They're a group that a lot of folks are unfortunately sleeping on.. I was also surprised to see that none of Master P's stuff made it.. including Silk The Shockers It Ain't My Fault'...

MOST DISAPPOINTING ALBUM FOR '98
1) CANIBUS 'Can I Bus'...763 votes
2) TRIBE CALLED QUEST 'Love Movement'..288 votes
3) METHOD MAN 'Judgement Day Tical 200'..242 votes
4)SNOOP DOGG 'The Game Is To Sold Not Told'..214 votes
5) RZA'Bobby Digital'..84 votes
Dishonorable Mentions: Pras 'Ghetto Superstar', Jay Z 'Hard Knock Life Volume 2' , DMX 'Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood', Coco Brovas 'Rude Awakening'

Notes: Thanks to an over zealous hype machine and lack luster production from Wyclef, Canibus owned this category..Sometimes it's best to never let them see you coming as opposed to loudly annoucing your arrival.. Canibus' hype had folks expecting a lot more then he could deliver... I hate to see Tribe go out like this on their last album.. Folks were looking for another Low End Theory.. instead they gave us an lp that was simply.. 'the low end'. There was no theory behind it.. Method Man was obviously not given proper attention on this go around by his producers..We expected a whole lot more from the Tical Stallion what happened? Well as mentioned earlier, until Snoop gets a commitment from Dr Dre he needs to stop or he'll ruin his entire career... We want better beats Snoop!!! Rza left us with high expectations and he never delivered.. To be honest, his album sounded a bit rushed at times...

MOST OVERLOOKED ALBUM FOR '98 1) BLACK STAR 'Talib Kweli and Mos Def Are Black Star'..279 votes 2) BRAND NUBIAN 'Foundation'..205 votes 3) BLACK EYED PEAS 'Behind The Front'..167 votes 4) XZIBIT '40 Dys & 40 Nights'..112 votes 5) PUBLIC ENEMY 'He's Got Game'..93 votes Honorable Mentions: Ras Kass 'Rassassination', Gang Starr 'Moment Of Truth', Canibus 'Can I Bus', Tribe Called Quest 'Love Movement' Notes: Always a fun category there were certainly some gems we slept on, most notably was Brand Nubian and PE. Here I think they suffered from the perception younger fans have of veteran acts..The truth is both delivered solid albums.. PE's situation was a bit more complex due to the fact they had label problems which may have lead to an otherwise good album being under promoted.. With Black Star, I feel a lot of kids were up on them.. but they failed to get that all important industry spot light...

*Look out for Part 2 of the Davey D's '98 Year end Hip Hop Poll Any comments or remarks about the Poll Results hit me at kingdave@sirius.com