rap is in no way a money maker. hip hop is the most general form of the art buddy. Rap is borderline gangsta shit and thats the truth son
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You should've read the directions before you showed up at the party.:stupid: -
'90 325is DD, 5 spd swap-H&R springs-Euro Headlight Fully Built OBD1 M54b30. Ox Blood interior, 3.46 LSD with Z3M Diff Cover. Custom shifter, every bushing replaced.
'86 325e- Donor car for swap/parts car
'00 323i- BBS 197s Totalted
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and anyone down with The UMC's or Ultramagnetic MCs'90 325is DD, 5 spd swap-H&R springs-Euro Headlight Fully Built OBD1 M54b30. Ox Blood interior, 3.46 LSD with Z3M Diff Cover. Custom shifter, every bushing replaced.
'86 325e- Donor car for swap/parts car
'00 323i- BBS 197s Totalted
'89 740 turbo Volvo- Donated
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Mf doom
Dr.Dre
Nas
Sean Price
Big Punsigpic(OO=[][]=OO)Comment
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Wont disagree much here. But I feel like he lost/losing a bit of his touch lately. I would love to see a comeback also. "Heel up, wheel up, bring it back come rewind..." -Classic
"Rap" to me is what you hear on the radio, "Hip Hop" is the culture.
Good list. I got on the Eazy E bandwagon late in his career, but nevertheless, he was on that real gangsta tip.
Big L was nasty, but Top rapper ever? I'd put AZ in front of him
What "The Firm" shouldve been...
Cant agree with Dr. Dre as he's never really written his own lyrics...like p. diddy But Dre is one of the best producers no doubtComment
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I'm too stupid to quote but back in the day b4 the internets, there were music stores where people would buy compact discs and tapes, and there was a "hip-hop" section and a rap sectionYou should've read the directions before you showed up at the party.:stupid:Comment
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WOW!! I think we have a winner. I agree with all 11 but wouldn't try to put them in order. Great call on Treach "Guard Your Grill" anyone. I'd throw Jay-Z on the list though, Reasonable doubt gets a lot of play on my iPod. "22 Two's" is one of my favorite songs same goes for "D'evils". I run hot and cold on Wutang luckily if you include solo works they have like 35 albums to choose from. I listen to a lot of Spice 1 too but don't think I'd put him on the list. Rakim has to be mentioned anytime the topic of best rapper comes up.
If I hear the name Lil Wayne, Rick Ross or 50. I discredit whatever that person has to say. Not to say there isn't a good song or beat in the mix you just cant mention them in the same breath as the ones on the list Leaf gave.
Looking at the number of plays it seems I listen to Kanye, Talib, Westside Connection, Keith Murray and A Tribe Called Quest quite a bit too. As far as albums go, looks like Illmatic gets the most play by a wide margin.Comment
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i like all those that were said but i would like to add to the honorable mentions
Joell Ortiz
Ludacris
Originally posted by SlangboxComment
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Rap is one part of the hip hop culture, just because some douche bag A&R at a commercial record label signs marketable(yet talentless) people and label it as hip hop does not make it so.
Rap is and always will be a part of the hip hop culture, but your "raps/rapping" will not be a part of the hip hop culture unless you address it. Talking about money, drugs, women and partying with simple lyrical structures, poorly formed metaphors/similes and single syllable rhyming structures is nothing to do with Hip Hop.
HIP HOP STILL LIVES, IT'S JUST UNDERGROUND.
As far as this thread is concerned, I could not pick a top 5 or top 10 even. So many good emcees out there doing their thing.
Rhymesayers and Stones Throw keep it pretty consistent. Rawkus was dope in their hey day, I wonder what ever happened to them?Comment
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Music is 100% subjective..
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me and a buddy had a really long conversation about this. we had three criteria for judging rap greatness:
1. is he a lyricist? - this refers to the rhymes that the rapper writes. are they eloquent? do the words he uses connect with the next? does he constantly re-use old rhyme shortcuts ("time/rhyme," "gun/run," other common combo words) or cheat words (like snizoop's izzo stizyle)? rappers who are lyricists: most of the wu tang clan, jurassic 5, rakim
2. does he have flow? - this has most to do with presentation. can he flow? do the words in his rhymes come naturally, with a rhythm and sense? do the words come out with that combination of effortlessness, emotion, and enunciation? rappers who have flow: eminem, busta rhymes, warren g
3. are his raps real? - does he talk about life, emotions, or stories of triumph and failures? or is it aobut b*thces, h*es, fast cars and money? are his raps relevant to the times, or better yet, stay relevant 5, 10, 20 years later? is the rapper true to his raps, or in other words, is it authentic? rappers that are real: common, brother ali, blue scholars
so in no order, our consensus 5 best rappers:
tupac - flow: listen to "old school", "starin' at the world through my rearview", and "how do you want it". lyrics: check out "to live and die in LA", "i ain't mad at cha", and "hell razor". realness: play "brenda's got a baby", "dear mama", and "life goes on". verdict: one of the best ever. he had no real weakness, other than he has a couple of tracks where he re-uses his lyrics (though many of them aren't his fault - "i wonder if heaven got a ghetto"'s lyrics got recycled in "changes" after he died). he also wasn't a thug born and raised - he was an art student. him mother was black panther though, and nobody disputes that he lived true to his professed thug life philosophy. but he was an artist and a genius, plain and simple.
notorious b.i.g. - flow: "mo money mo problems", "notorious thugs" and "i got a story to tell." lyrics: "big poppa", "one more chance" and "hypnotize." realness: "10 crack commandments", "sky's the limit" and "things done changed." the verdict: another late great. he may actually be a better lyricist that tupac, but he did have a bunch of songs that were puff daddied, like "miss you" - tracks that may have been okay anyway, but were blatantly carried by the mainstream samples and hooks. he also was one of the first to take the idea of "bling" and showing off his wealth in his raps and videos and making it mainstream. but that talent was undeniable.
chuck d - flow: "can't truss it", "shut em down", "bring the noise." lyrics: "black steel in the hour of chaos", "give it up" and "welcome to the terrordome". realness: "fight the power", "don't believe the hype", "by the time i get to arizona". the verdict: perhaps the most important on the list, chuck d's work with public enemy is legendary. don't let flava flav turn you off - he was an important balance of playfulness and outrageousness that made chuck d's powerful voice and no nonsense demeanor shine even more.
nas - flow: "if i ruled the world", "rewind", "memory lane". lyrics: "one mic", "street dreams", "war". realness: "just a moment", "heaven", "the message". the verdict: often overlooked, nas is the real deal. he's rawer than the others on the list, but his body of work is amazing. if i had a complaint, it's that his voice isn't authoritative like chuck d's or charismatic like tupac's. it's quite ordinary - which might be why he sounds so real.
jay-z - flow: "encore", "jigga what jigga who", "can i get a". " lyrics: "D.O.A.", "dead presidents", "kingdom come". realness: "song cry", "this can't be life", "never change". the verdict: he seems to get better with age. there was a stage when he was going the way of the bling, but he swung back with some great lyrics. his flow is not the greatest, but he has a diverse subject range, and he exudes authenticity. but perhaps his greatest attribute is an amazing ability to mix mainstream acceptance with real quality rhymes.
honorable mentions: guru/gangstarr, rakim, AZ, common, raekwon, eminem, big L, talib kweli, KRS-One, GZALast edited by frag; 11-09-2010, 08:23 AM.Comment
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