sigh... i hate these kinds of lists because I know I'm gonna forget somebody, but...
Mele Mel Grandmaster Caz Kool Moe Dee LA Sunshine (Treacherous Three) G.L.O.B.E. (Soulsonic Force) DLB (Fearless Four) Devastating Tito (Fearless Four) Run DMC LL Cool J Slick Rick Rakim Big Daddy Kane Kool G Rap Bizmarkie KRS-One MC Lyte Chuck D Masta Ace Posdnous Greg Nice Ice Cube The D.O.C. Scarface Jay-Z Biggie Nas Ol' Dirty Bastard Ghostface Monch Big-L Big Pun Eminem MF Doom Kanye West (yes) Ludacris Phill Most Chill (shoulda been no. 1 to me...)
Redman (I told you I'd forget somebody) MC Paul Barman (i'm not joking about this either)
Right now - the game is kind of in sorry shape for rappers that elicit that "oh shit" reaction. theres a few out there, but the best are still developing and have yet to drop classics. Best of right now...
1. wayne 2. cham (even though his album was meh, this dude can spit and is the real deal) 3. Clipse (just pound for pound lyrics these guys are heavyweights. sometimes the songs are a bit lacking though) 4. T.I. (hasnt dropped any classics and his lyrical content is somewhat limited, but his flow is impeccable)
thats about it right now. And honestly the only one thats actually making me reach for the rewind button on some old school shit is wayne.
my era - As an 80's baby, this is my golden age. Nas would be higher up if he could get his act together for a whole album. Technically BIG was easily the best rapper. So hes tops, even though ill take pac's raw emotion. Snoop cause he dropped probably the greatest west coast album of all time. Rae and ghost cause they were the best in the wu, even though i used to like gza alot. And when 50 first came out on those mix tapes he was undeniable.
1. BIG 2. PAC 3. NAS 4. ANDRE (on his A game) 5. Jay (although he lost points with that last record) 6. Snoop (one of the coldest ever) 7. Fiddy (like gods plan era.) 8. Rae and ghostface
hmmm.. i know im missing a few, but you don't get on the list unless you have at least 1 certified classic album to your name.
Of course you could list real golden era mc's for days. but some i dont think have been mentioned yet who i think deserve consideration.
1. D.O.C. 2. Ice Cube (right up through lethal injection) 3. Rakim (basically fathered the modern rap flow) 4. finesse! - illest voice, clearly taught big l how to rap.
and thats all, ill let you old folks big up the rest.
50 cent? i dont know about this one. i heard his first album and a little bit of stuff after that. im not a fan.
and whoever said biggie was doodoo on a stick is retarded. seriously. im not a biggest BIG fan but his rhymes and his flow are beyond nice. i hear his stuff all the time cuz the wife is a fan.
i really like kool g, rakim (pre comeback), nas, jay-z, slick rick, dres (just always liked his flow), t.i (im a new fan), mobb deep (not as individuals but as a team i like their tracks and verses)... and i cant think of anything else...
50 cent? i dont know about this one. i heard his first album and a little bit of stuff after that. im not a fan.
and whoever said biggie was doodoo on a stick is retarded. seriously. im not a biggest BIG fan but his rhymes and his flow are beyond nice. i hear his stuff all the time cuz the wife is a fan.
i really like kool g, rakim (pre comeback), nas, jay-z, slick rick, dres (just always liked his flow), t.i (im a new fan), mobb deep (not as individuals but as a team i like their tracks and verses)... and i cant think of anything else...
My girlfriend loves Biggie as well - I do think Christopher Wallace does it for the ladies.
Funny you mentioning Dres, was just thinking that there was a distinct lack of native tongue names listed so far. I doubt any of them would make the greatest rapper ever list but as personal favourites people like Dres would probably be up there for me, but maybe that's because I'm old/disconnected/don't like rap
Apart from that, think Bsides kinda summed up most of my feelings though haven't heard anything by 50 that would make me rank him highly - would be interested in hearing the earlier stuff and modern rappers list would have to include :carpetbagguer: both Trae and Z-ro :carpetbagguer: among others.
Own list is not really about where they are now but about where they were at the top of their game. Something predictably like (in no order):
Biggie Snoop Bun B Ghostface Rakim Kane Andre Ice Cube Nas Pharoahe Monch Chuck D Kool G Rap
They're both flawed but hungry-sounding debuts that established an artist before he'd fully shaped his sound but also show lots of promise, underrated at the time of release and grow more interesting with time just because of what paths the artists would follow later. I think they're extremely comparable albums.
Hmm I also totally disagree with the lyrical content thing...Trap Muzik is one of the more CONTENT oriented rap albums i've heard in the past couple years.
They're both flawed but hungry-sounding debuts that established an artist before he'd fully shaped his sound but also show lots of promise, underrated at the time of release and grow more interesting with time just because of what paths the artists would follow later. I think they're extremely comparable albums.
For the record. RD wasNOT underatted when it dropped. Maybe in Iowa it was, but the audience it was made for responded. And for T.I., videos for that album were all over BET everyday. Kise were going bonkers and my sistafriend brought it to my crib to listen to. He was popular. Underrated?
And for T.I., videos for that album were all over BET everyday. Kise were going bonkers and my sistafriend brought it to my crib to listen to. He was popular. Underrated?
You sure you're thinking of I'm Serious? Because that album was notoriously underpromoted.
Well obviously RD was popular - it went gold, right? - but we're talking about the nerds like us who actually differentiate between 'classic' and "i like this and will buy it"
I don't remember seeing T.I. videos on TV prior to rubber band man
Comments
Is that a photoshop?
Glad that SOMEONE mentioned him. On of the greatest of all time.
me,i've only heard a few tracks from it so far,cant wait for it to drop.
BIGGIE
E-40
SCARFACE
rakim
kool g rap
big daddy kane
bun b
PEACE
Mikah 9
RifleMan*
Method Man
Raekwon
Nas
Redman
Devin the Dude
e 40
scarface
ice cube
mc eight (jeah)
latee
krs
* - I know, I know. You can hate me now.
no.
Mele Mel
Grandmaster Caz
Kool Moe Dee
LA Sunshine (Treacherous Three)
G.L.O.B.E. (Soulsonic Force)
DLB (Fearless Four)
Devastating Tito (Fearless Four)
Run
DMC
LL Cool J
Slick Rick
Rakim
Big Daddy Kane
Kool G Rap
Bizmarkie
KRS-One
MC Lyte
Chuck D
Masta Ace
Posdnous
Greg Nice
Ice Cube
The D.O.C.
Scarface
Jay-Z
Biggie
Nas
Ol' Dirty Bastard
Ghostface
Monch
Big-L
Big Pun
Eminem
MF Doom
Kanye West (yes)
Ludacris
Phill Most Chill (shoulda been no. 1 to me...)
Redman (I told you I'd forget somebody)
MC Paul Barman (i'm not joking about this either)
big l
del
you don't like rap music
1. wayne
2. cham (even though his album was meh, this dude can spit and is the real deal)
3. Clipse (just pound for pound lyrics these guys are heavyweights. sometimes the songs are a bit lacking though)
4. T.I. (hasnt dropped any classics and his lyrical content is somewhat limited, but his flow is impeccable)
thats about it right now. And honestly the only one thats actually making me reach for the rewind button on some old school shit is wayne.
my era - As an 80's baby, this is my golden age. Nas would be higher up if he could get his act together for a whole album. Technically BIG was easily the best rapper. So hes tops, even though ill take pac's raw emotion. Snoop cause he dropped probably the greatest west coast album of all time. Rae and ghost cause they were the best in the wu, even though i used to like gza alot. And when 50 first came out on those mix tapes he was undeniable.
1. BIG
2. PAC
3. NAS
4. ANDRE (on his A game)
5. Jay (although he lost points with that last record)
6. Snoop (one of the coldest ever)
7. Fiddy (like gods plan era.)
8. Rae and ghostface
hmmm.. i know im missing a few, but you don't get on the list unless you have at least 1 certified classic album to your name.
Of course you could list real golden era mc's for days. but some i dont think have been mentioned yet who i think deserve consideration.
1. D.O.C.
2. Ice Cube (right up through lethal injection)
3. Rakim (basically fathered the modern rap flow)
4. finesse! - illest voice, clearly taught big l how to rap.
and thats all, ill let you old folks big up the rest.
and whoever said biggie was doodoo on a stick is retarded. seriously. im not a biggest BIG fan but his rhymes and his flow are beyond nice. i hear his stuff all the time cuz the wife is a fan.
i really like kool g, rakim (pre comeback), nas, jay-z, slick rick, dres (just always liked his flow), t.i (im a new fan), mobb deep (not as individuals but as a team i like their tracks and verses)... and i cant think of anything else...
My girlfriend loves Biggie as well - I do think Christopher Wallace does it for the ladies.
Funny you mentioning Dres, was just thinking that there was a distinct lack of native tongue names listed so far. I doubt any of them would make the greatest rapper ever list but as personal favourites people like Dres would probably be up there for me, but maybe that's because I'm old/disconnected/don't like rap
Apart from that, think Bsides kinda summed up most of my feelings though haven't heard anything by 50 that would make me rank him highly - would be interested in hearing the earlier stuff and modern rappers list would have to include :carpetbagguer: both Trae and Z-ro :carpetbagguer: among others.
Own list is not really about where they are now but about where they were at the top of their game. Something predictably like (in no order):
Biggie
Snoop
Bun B
Ghostface
Rakim
Kane
Andre
Ice Cube
Nas
Pharoahe Monch
Chuck D
Kool G Rap
and Lord Finesse
"Taught" is the wrong description.
Dose one
Buck 65
GZA
Ol' Dirt Mc Gurt (how does one not wild out when dude comes on?)
Weezy
Outkast (the both of them)
For the record. RD wasNOT underatted when it dropped. Maybe in Iowa it was, but the audience it was made for responded. And for T.I., videos for that album were all over BET everyday. Kise were going bonkers and my sistafriend brought it to my crib to listen to. He was popular. Underrated?
You sure you're thinking of I'm Serious? Because that album was notoriously underpromoted.
I don't remember seeing T.I. videos on TV prior to rubber band man
For real--dude is where Jay was at half a decade ago; a legend while still at the top of the game.