The Comeback Kid?

Opportunity knocks.

The stars align somehow.

Whatever the reason some people are given, rather blessed, with success by God. When I say that I mean that God allows us the chance. It is up to us to be willing to step out on faith and grasp it. A sure way to do that is to be featured in a major publication. XXL is the one of which I speak of now.

Every year like clockwork the magazine publishes the hip-hop freshman of that particular year. In the year 2009 they named four people for this prestigious honor: B.o.B., Asher Roth, Wale, and Charles Hamilton. Of these four three are most active.

What of Charles Hamilton?



I began digging his sound after my first hearing “Brooklyn Girls”. Based on the fact that each of his fellows have albums out I was expecting Hamilton to make it a perfect square. Disappointment ensued when it wasn’t to be.

But when you really look at what was going on with his life, you can sympathize with his struggle.

In 2009 Hamilton was prepping his studio debut entitled This Perfect Life, released through Interscope Records. Digitally it was to be released on June 23, 2009 and the physical copy would be in stores August 25, 2009. He looked to be on the way to greatness.

But controversy came in the form of J. Dilla. The album covers named the deceased producer as an executive producer. A group of Dilla’s close friends began speaking out against Hamilton’s use of the name and its connection to his music. J. Dilla’s name was later removed due to legal reasons. Months of speculation pass and the album was shelved due to Hamilton being released from Interscope on September 19, 2009 for reasons unknown. It was however leaked digitally to many websites.

Mixtapes kept coming but no studio album was forthcoming for Hamilton. There was an arrest and a rehab stint. As of September 22, 2011 he was discharged from rehab.

I am unsure of what happens next with Charles Hamilton. In an ideal world he would be seen as the pure talent that he is and be picked up by a major label. But this world is just flawed enough for him to fall through the cracks. The simple fact that this is a possibility hurts me to no end.

The only thing we can do now is watch, wait, and hope. Maybe Charles Hamilton will prove himself a comeback kid. Only time will tell on that one.