Breaking Up Is Hard to Do – Crews, Posses, Clans & Clicks

The GS Boyz broke up. No, really, they did. It's a press release in my spam inbox and everything.

Feel free to take a minute to try and remember who they are. I still don't.

It is a reminder of something the hip-hop world has known for years: crews don't last. Whether it be money, fame or something as simple as growing apart, happy endings usually aren't the case. Let's run through a few.

N.W.A.

This story has been told countless times over the years and it's still sad regardless of how you look at it. Eazy made it out the hood, met this guy named Jerry Heller, got a little money and was never the same. At least that's how the story goes. AND to make matters worse, we still don't have Detox.

Bad Boy

Such a great story during their heyday. Even after Biggie's murder, the label thrived for about another good year. Diddy dropped a helluva album and so did Ma$e. Then Betha found God (for the first time), Shyne got locked up and the stories of Puff's alleged greed ran rampant. Anybody seen Carl Thomas?

Death Row

From the most infamous record label around to being auctioned off. Many people forget, in 1996, Death Row was already on a downward spiral. After Dre's departure and Pac unfortunately found himself on the Vegas strip, Snoop moved down south and Suge checked in the big house. Life's a bitch. Still, in their prime, you'd be hard pressed to find a label who put out better music (and better urban legends) than D.R.

The Fugees

All I can do is shake my head at this one. The only thing that seemed to overshadow their talent was their egos.

Ruff Ryders & No Limit

They were the big movements after the Bad Boy/Death Row glory days. Both were led by two big names in DMX and Master P. X made you wanna kill, while P made you wanna hustle. You either wanted to be a Ruff Ryder or a No Limit Solider. There's was no in between. Both ran their course though and I'm not sure if either label is still in operation.

Roc-A-Fella

The label that brought us Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, the Young Gunz, Kanye West and Armadale vodka also had one of the ugliest endings. Jay was mad at Dame. Dame was mad at Jay. And Biggs just stood quiet the whole damn time. Fast forward to the present, Beans is more concerned with flipping Jay's bars than putting out his own work.

Dipset

At one time, they were, as they referred to it, "the only movement moving." Hate 'em or love 'em, there weren't many days better in hip-hop than vintage Dipset. They were young kids from the hood making money while creating anthems, smoking blunts and sippin' "purple punch." Then it all went downhill. Jimmy was too busy "ballin" to remember loyalty. Cam disappeared after a run in with Tru Life. And Juelz assembled the New Jersey Nets of rap crews aka Skull Gang.

Thankfully, there are always exceptions to the rule. Hearing the legendary Goodie Mob would be touring again was one of the best feelings I've gotten in hip-hop in a long time. Some people just sound better together. That's all it really boils down to. Now rumors are beginning to surface that the Queens ensemble, Run-DMC, may reunite for the first time since Jam Master Jay's passing. That's some powerful stuff. Especially when you take into account the rarity of groups pushing aside their pride and letting bygones be bygones.

I guess the real question is, what group is next? And which one do you miss the most?