And we're back! From here on out, the emcees on this list are surrious. You may not feel all of them, but if you can't appreciate each one's unique hustle, well then you are just a hater.
**I didn't have time to do ten profiles, so I will ad the other two to tommorow's post.
Here is a video by a rapper that is not on this list. Peep 30-23 after the jump.
Tony Yayo- Somebody Snitched on me
30) The Lox/ D-Block
Average Score: 7.28
Group Members: Jayson "Jadakiss" Phillips, David "Styles P" Styles, Sean "Sheek Louch" Jacobs
Average Number of Songs per Album: 19.5
Known For: Formerly The Warlox, and currently D-Block, the Y-O based trio is the quintessential New York rap group. Made famous by the Biggie tribute song "We'll Always Love Big Poppa", the Lox released two very good, very long albums together and eight solo albums between them.
Essential Album: We Are the Streets (2000)
29) Pharoahe Monch
Average Score: 7.31
Government Name: Troy Donald Jamerson
High School: Art and Design
Known For: Originally half the duo Organized Konfusion, Pharoahe is one of the most respected conscious rappers to ever grab a mic. Though his commercial success has been relatively limited, Pharoahe has been a critically acclaimed emcee for almost two decades.
Hip Hop Quotable:
Very contagious raps should be trapped in cages
Through stages of wackness, Pharoahe’s raps are blazin
And it amazes - me how you claim thug
but go two-ways without SkyTel pagers
I’m intellectual, pass more essays/ese’s
than motorcade police parades through East L.A.
More beef then deli’s, thus what I vent is just
What you lust to vent is irrele’
Huh, hallelujah, Pharoahe Monch’ll do ya
Maintain the same frame of mind - screw ya !
Get the picture, sit ya, seat ya, preacher with scriptures
I’m equipped to rip ya, reach ya
Pharoahe and Mos is verbal osmosis
Coast to coast, we boast to be the most explosive here
Ferocious, the lyrical prognosis
The dosage is leavin you mentally unfocused here
MC’s just - come on ’round
You’re the next contestants on "Catch-A-Beat-Down"
Don’t be hesitant, sound cracks the sediment
It’s evident we medicine for your whole town
Essential Album: Internal Affairs (1999)
Tied 27) Redman
Average Score: 7.35
Government Name: Reginald "Reggie" Noble
Number of Video Games in Which he was Featured: Six
Known For: New Jersey born Redman has widely been considered one of the best rapppers of the nineties, without really falling into a niche. As the protege of EPMD, Reggie has attained commercial success as a solo artist, in the Def Squad, or with Method Man. He also starred in How High, which is a certified VTRON classic.
Essential Album: Muddy Waters (1996)
Tied 27) TI
Average Score: 7.35
Government Name: Clifford Joseph Harris Jr.
How he got is name: TI was nicknamed Tip by his paternal grandfather. In 2001, he dropped the 'p' out of respect for then label-mate Q-Tip.
Known For: The self-proclaimed king of the south was signed to an Arista subsidiary in 2001 and released the album I'm Serious. After disappointing sales Tip was dropped from Arista. In 2003, he released Trap Muzik on Grand Hustle, an album which catapulted the young Bankheadian into superstardom. Since, TI has released four albums, opened a nightclub, gone to jail, and got caught with enough guns to defend Fort Knox.
Essential Album: Paper Trail (2008)
26) Kanye West
Average Score: 7.55
Government Name: Kanye Omari West
Grammy Nominations: 30
Grammy Awards: 12
Known For: One of the best rap producers ever, Kanye has been proving himself as an emcee throughout his five year career on the mic. While his temper tantrums and not-so-hilarious antics keep Kanye doused in controversy, his work ethic and the general quality of his music is undeniable.
Essential Album: Late Registration (2005)
25) Clipse
Average Score: 7.55
Band Members: Gene "Malice" Thornton, Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton
Record Labels to which they have been signed: Jive, Arista, Columbia, Star-Trek, Re-Up, Columbia
Known For: With only three albums in a decade, only one of which was commercially successful, Clipse have had a difficult time remaining in the limelight. But this Virginia based duo, has developed a cult-following for their clever, insightful lyrics that deal almost exclusively with the distribution of cocaine.
Sidenote: Although born below the Mason-Dixon, the Clipse have said that they always associated more with New York based rappers.
Essential Album: Lord Willin' (2002)
24) Lupe Fiasco
Average Score: 7.56
Government Name: Wasalu Muhammad Jaco
Known For: The Chicago born emcee is known for his alternative approach to hip hop, his conscious content, and tongue-twisting wordplay. His two albums have one him critical acclaim and eight Grammy nominations.
Side Hustles: Lupe is also part of the rap trio Child Rebel Soldiers, the producer of proto-punk band Japanese Cartoon and the CEO of First and Fifteenth Records.
Essential Album: Food & Liquor (2006)
23) Slick Rick
Average Score: 7.6
Government Name: Ricky Walters
Interesting Fact: On May 23, 2008, David Paterson granted Slick Rick a full and unconditional pardon on charges of attempted murder.
Known For: Considered the "greatest hip hop storyteller", Slick Rick gained fame with several singles in the 1980s. Though nearly a decade since Ricky D released a full-length album, he still performs and features regularly.
Hey Young World
Essential Album: The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1988)
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
YW's Fifty Greatest Rappers of All Time: 30-23
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7 comments:
although in my humble opinion lupe is gahbage and has never put out a damn thing worth listening to, i agree with this list almost completely.
College Dropout is def kanye's hottest.
wild to think i would ever see lupe above kanye...
if this list was about total product how can you deny ye?
does this mean swizz beatz didnt make the top 50? bull shit
V Tron. amazing work my dude. I'm just catching up on this list. stellar writeups on each of the artists/groups. I won't even get into it with Hacksaw about one of the most talented songmakers ever lupe fiasco. In the words of the great Phonte:
"They ain't listening, they thinking bout they Timbalands/ They say the shit we talk about ain't interesting/ We got a better chance of blowing up in Switzerland/ Holla if you hear it, cause niggaz aint listenin"
I have been thinking about this for a few days, and I realized that it is offensive to allow Louis Logic such a high place. He might be in the top 200 rhyme spitters ever, and that would be an honor.
I realized this because, I DID NOT RATE HIM. Because of this, his average was higher than it should have been, as the people who rated him, like him. I think that a non-rating should count to a rappers detriment, not to their advantage. It shouldn't be like getting a 3, but there should be some penalization. Why? Because even though most of my rap taste comes from the mainstream, I have certainly heard a lot of different rappers from a lot of different sub-genres and sects within hip-hop and I have not heard this dude. I do not see this as his fault, but he certainly can't be on this list.
I demand a recount, reprint, and a redaction. IMMEEEEEEDIATELY!!!
You and al gore can go sit in a dive bar somewhere and talk it over.
To quote the eternal motto of politics, if you don't vote, my vote counts twice.
And lupe can go kick push himself off a cliff
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