In 2015, Jon Connor was looking like one of the most promising acts on Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label. He had fiery guest verses on projects by both Dr. Dre and The Game, and was gearing up to release his debut album, “Vehicle City.”
But 2015 came and went with no sign of any new music. In fact, half a decade came and went with no sign of Connor’s debut album.
Now in 2020, we’ve received his debut album in the form of “SOS,” not “Vehicle City,” and it speaks to just how much potential Dr. Dre wasted by practically holding the Michigan rapper hostage under his recording contract.
After spending nearly eight years perfecting his craft and releasing an impressive string of projects, including his acclaimed “Best in the World” mixtape series, Connor had caught the attention of super producer Dr. Dre.
The two first linked up at the studio in 2013, and Connor said they immediately had chemistry together. Just a few months later, Dr. Dre would sign Connor to his label, chaining him to a contract which didn’t allow him to release any music.
As we’ve so often seen with previous Aftermath artists (Stat Quo, Rakim, Hittman, Joell Ortiz, etc.) Connor’s debut project was shelved, never to see the light of day. From 2013 to 2019 Connor was signed to Aftermath and never even got to release a single.
In that same amount of time, labelmates Eminem and Kendrick Lamar both released three albums, and Dr. Dre helped mold Anderson .Paak into the versatile artist he is today.
All Jon Connor got was two placements on Dre’s third studio album, “Compton.”
Between Dr. Dre’s seemingly never-ending quest for ‘perfection’ and his tendency to focus his attention on the label’s more popular artists, Connor got the short end of the stick during his 6-year tenure with Aftermath. Despite cosigns from Nas, Busta Rhymes, Scarface, Rick Ross, and Big Sean, Dr. Dre failed to realize the Flint lyricist’s full potential.
I remember finding Jon Connor in 2012 shortly after he released “Best in the World: The People’s Rapper LP,” a mixtape consisting entirely of him rapping over Eminem instrumentals. His gritty cadence and abrasive flow is what made me such a fan. A few years went by without much noise from Connor, and his return came on Dr. Dre’s “Compton.”
My favorite song from “Compton” was “For the Love of Money,” featuring Jon Connor. Connor spit an aggressive verse with so much emotion I could feel every word he said. He held his ground alongside Snoop Dogg on his other album feature, and even received praise for his contributions.
It seemed like everyone was rooting for him – except for his label.
Being signed to the same label as Eminem and Kendrick Lamar must be intimidating to say the least, and I’m sure that sense of anticipation becomes even more daunting knowing you’re being shelved by Dr. Dre.
“Vehicle City” was confirmed to be finished by multiple sources who claim to have heard the project. But last year, Connor himself confirmed the highly anticipated debut album had been shelved and he had since begun working on a new project.
After nearly a decade of anticipation, Jon Connor finally released said new project, “SOS,” two weeks ago. Hearing an album I thought I never would was bittersweet, and I couldn’t help but wonder what Connor should have been had Dr. Dre not neglected him.
If you haven’t heard of Jon Connor before, listen to his new project below:
One Stop Hip-Hop Spot 