The List: Best Rappers of All-Time - Part 2 (#6 - #1)

Here comes Part 2 of The List: Best rappers of all-time. As a reminder of my criterion: this list isn't about grading my favorite rappers. Nor is it about the most revolutionary rappers, or the most likeable rappers, or the ones with the longest careers, or the ones that put out the best songs. This list is strictly about demonstrated technical ability and skill.

Once again, here are the scored categories:

Rhyme Skills: This refers to
the complexity level of the rapper's demonstrated ability to create
effective and original rhyming patterns with his lyrics.

Lyrics:
This is a quality measure. In other words, what does this rapper have
to say? What do they talk about, and how effective are they in
conveying their ideas in a unique way?

Voice:
If you were to take away the music and the beat, how would the rapper
sound? Would you want to listen to them...or turn on a power drill and
drive it into your temple? Can they hold it down a capella, and do they generate a rich vocal tone that transcends the beat?

Flow:
How well do they mesh their rhyming styles with different beats? Do
they always end up sounding the same over every beat, or can they
change up their flow depending on the song around the lyrics? How
versatile are they with tempo? How predictable/unpredictable are they
when flowing to a given beat?

6. Big Punisher

• Rhyme Skills: 10
• Lyrics: 9
• Voice: 10
  
• Flow: 7
  

Big Pun only released one complete album, Capital Punishment, before his eating habits caught up with him at an early age. But in that brief timespan, he proved himself to be perhaps the most skilled lyricist the rap world has ever seen. So why does he not score a perfect 10 for lyrics? Because in my opinion, while his ability to create amazing lyrics was solid, very few of his songs touched on meaningful topics. Unlike most people, I differentiate between lyrics and rhyme skills...and Pun was one of the top 3 most skilled rhymers ever. His best songs included "Dream Shatterer", "Beware" and "Tres Leches (Triboro Trilogy)."

My biggest issue with Pun is that he sounded the exact same in almost every song; he didn't vary his style or his tone enough. This may have changed with time...but, just as with Tupac and Biggie, we'll never know. Of course, he still sounded fucking amazing, which is a big reason he is this high in my countdown. If this list was about greatest rappers or hip-hop songwriters, he wouldn't be ranked this high. But as a rap talent, few ever flashed his degree of skill.

Favorite lines: "Reverse that, I curse at the first wack nigga with the worst rap

cause he ain't worth jack

Hit him with a thousand pounds of pressure per slap

Make his whole body jerk back, watch the earth crack

hand him his purse back."
---Big Pun, "Dream Shatterer"


5. Eminem

• Rhyme Skills: 10
• Lyrics: 10
• Voice: 5
• Flow: 10

You hate me. That's fine, I'm used to people thinking they know more than me, and being wrong. Just kidding. Anyway, no matter what you think of Eminem, no matter how annoying you think he sounds...no matter how much you may or may not hate him, he is one of the most skilled rappers of all time. He is capable of creating EXTREMELY varied soundscapes with his vocals. Admit it: "Like Toy Soldiers" sounds nothing like "Stan," which sounds nothing like "Mockingbird" which sounds nothing like "The Way I Am." His style completely changes with each of these songs, the flow is way above average, and his lyrics are as unique as anyone's. Sure, he's an asshole with some issues. But that doesn't make him any less talented.

A lot of people criticize Em on the basis of his homophobic, incestual and otherwize shock-value lyrics. However, songs such as "Stan", "Like Toy Soldiers" and "Mockingbird" are some of the boldest and bravest subjects tackled by any hip-hop artist.

Favorite lines: "I'm a serial killer hiding murder material in a cereal box on top of my stereo."
--Eminem, "Kill You"

"Since I'm in a position to talk to these kids and they listen

I ain't no politician but I'll kick it with 'em a minute

Cause see they call me a menace; and if the shoe fits I'll wear it

But if it don't, then y'all'll swallow the truth grin and bear it

Now who's these king of these rude ludicrous lucrative lyrics

Who could inherit the title, put the youth in hysterics

Usin his music to steer it, sharin his views and his merits

But there's a huge interference - they're sayin you shouldn't hear it

Maybe it's hatred I spew, maybe it's food for the spirit

Maybe it's beautiful music I made for you to just cherish

But I'm debated disputed hated and viewed in America

as a motherfuckin drug addict - like you didn't experiment?"
--Eminem, "Renegade"

See the high level of internal, completely logical rhyming present in those lyrics? No? Then look again, and see if you can still petend that Eminem isn't one of the best technical rappers of all-time. If you're being objective, you simply can't deny that those lines represent some of the most complex lyrical rhyming patterns that have ever been spit by any rapper. Neither Biggie or Tupac ever dropped any verses that complex in anything they ever recorded -- and neither have most of the other qualified rappers I left off this list. That's why Eminem is ranked here; love him or hate him, you've got to acknowledge his ability.

In fact, the only three MCs I know of that have ever dropped as sick a rhyme as those appearing above are three of the four rappers ranked ahead of Em in this countdown. That doesn't make Em a more likeable character. It doesn't make him less annoying. It doesn't make him greater than Tupac and Biggie. but it does make him a more technically proficient rapper than they are (unless those two were holding out on us).

The thing that drops him below the last 4 rappers in my list is his annoyingly grating, whiny voice. This flaw made him hard to place, because he has the lowest score of anyone in any single category here. However, I thought his other qualities more than made up for this deficiency. Of all the rappers in this list, he has provided the hip-hop world with the most variety.


4. Busta Rhymes

• Rhyme Skills: 10
• Lyrics: 7
• Voice: 10
• Flow: 10

Busta Rhymes is on another planet from almost anyone else in hip-hop. The difference is that with him, you never know what you're going to get. On almost every single one of his first 6 albums, he would release a song that would make you say "Wow, that mic work was amazing. How could he possibly top that?" And then, on the very next album, he WOULD top it.

Busta raps at about 150 mlies an hour at his finest. Despite this, he also excels at slowing things down and changing up his flow to match more toned-down beats. But just listen to "Woo-Hah," "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See," "Is They Wildin' Wit Us & Gettin' Rowdy Wit' Us?" "Gimme Some More" or "What It Gonna Be." Just ridiculous. He has guested on so many songs, and in every single one he drops an amazingly creative line or verse.

His 'weakness' is his lyrics. Busta isn't very socially-conscious when it comes to his music, and in his case that's okay. Why is it okay for him and not for everyone else? Because he doesn't seem to be from the same planet as the rest of us. Aliens have different standards to adhere to. And I mean that in the best possible way.


3. Chuck D

• Rhyme Skills: 10
  
• Lyrics: 10
• Voice: 10
• Flow: 8

Much like Jay-Z, Chuck D has no discernible weaknesses. Even his greatest weakness (a lack of flow variety) isn't really a weakness in his case. As the frontman and chief creative engine for Public Enemy -- one of the most politically-influenced and influential rap groups of all time -- you could easily argue that Chuck might be the single most important rapper that has ever lived. Yeah, I said it. He is, in many ways, the consciousness of hip-hop. But now I'm getting off-topic.

Obviously, his lyrics are more significant than anyone else in the countdown. I'd give him about a 30 for lyrics if I could. But at the same time, he was political almost to a foult. I almost wanted Chuck D to have a bit more fun with his songs here and there. Not that "Bring Tha Noize" wasn't fun, but...Also, Chuck has probably the most compelling voice of all-time -- even more captivating than Notorious B.I.G.'s voice. When Chuck starts rapping, you HAVE to listen. It's mandatory. It's a compulsion. You can't help it. He's like a charismatic preacher on the mic.

His flow, while not his strongest suit (he does sound basically the same in most songs) is a bit underrated, in my view. Chuck is an absolute phenom, and you just know that for him to come in at #3, the MCs ahead of him have to be simply ethereal. And they are.


2. Big Daddy Kane

• Rhyme Skills: 10
• Lyrics: 9
• Voice: 10
• Flow: 10

Big Daddy Kane is a name that has been forgotten by many casual, johnny-come-lately hip-hop fans. But for those of us who have been listening to rap since we were 6 years old, we haven't forgotten him. BDK is easily at least the second-best technician the rap world has ever seen. He hasn't really been active since the early 90's, because he never could sustain commerical success. Yet he was an absolute machine on the microphone. Like Busta Rhymes, he was literally one of those rappers who was spitting shit so complicated that at times it would make your head spin. At his fastest, you simply couldn't follow him completely. Many a rapper, when asked who the most talented flower they have ever heard was, have replied -- on the record -- "Big Daddy Kane."

Kane also possessed this amazing, chocolate-covered deep voice that the brothas respected and the women simply creamed over. Next to Biggie and Chuck, rap has never seen a voice like his. The one minor knock on him is that Kane often stated that he aspired to be a mix between Malcolm X and Marvin Gaye -- a socially-conscious activist and a sexy entertainer. He certainly succeeded with the latter. As for the former, his lyrics really weren't as intelligent as he thought they were. But to his credit, he did try.

At this point you may be wondering, "Why have I never heard of this guy?" Simple. Because all through his career, Big Daddy Kane suffered from some of the wackest beats in history. His production team was just horrendous. More than anyone else, he makes you wonder what would have happened if he'd had someone like Timbaland, Dr. Dre, Large Professor, DJ Premier or even The Neptunes to work with. He might have gone down as the best MC of all time.

Instead, that title belongs to the rapper who is in my -- and every other educated hip-hop fan's -- number one spot.


1: Rakim

• Rhyme Skills: 10
• Lyrics: 10
• Voice: 10
• Flow: 10

I almost feel weird putting Rakim in this position, simply because every hip-hop publicaton that polls its readers and asks them to rank the best rapper of all time places him at the top of their lists. In fact, even if I created a "Greatest Rapper" list, or a "Most Influential Rapper" list, or really any list that is dependent upon any criteria aside from commercial success, Rakim would be at the top.

What more can I say about Rakim that hasn't already been said? In an industry dominated in the '80s by rap crews, he was really the first single MC to capture public imagination without first spinning off from a larger rap group. Unlike the rest, he was just one rappper who held it down for a whole album. With Eric B. and Rakim's 1986 debut album Paid In Full, Rakim became an instant hip-hop star and an instant legend. He was the model that every MC would follow. He was also one of the first MCs to use complicated internal rhyme schemes in his songs.

"They wanna know how many rhymes have I ripped in rep., but

Researchers never found all the pieces yet.

Scientists try to solve the context,

Philosophers are wondering what's next.

Pieces are took to last who observe them,

They couldn't absorb them, they didn't deserve them

My ideas are only for the audience's ears

For my opponents, it might take years...

Pencils and pens, are swords

Letters put together form a key to chords

I'm also a sculpture, born with structure,

Because of my culture, I'm a rip and destruct the

Difficult styles that'll be for the technology,

Complete sights and new heights after I get deep

You don't have to speak, just seek

And peep the technique."
--Eric B. and Rakim, "Don't Sweat The Technique"

The science was amazing, but so was the very first song many people heard from these two:

"The prescription is a hypertone that's thorough when

I fiend for a microphone like heroin

Soon as the bass kicks, I need a fix

Gimme a stage and a mic and a mix

And I'll put you in a mood or is it a state of

unawareness? Beware, it's the reanimator!

A menace to a microphone, a lethal weapon

An assasinator, if the people ain't stepping

You see a part of me that you never seen

When I'm fiending for a microphone, I'm the microphone fiend..."
--Eric B. and Rakim, "Microphone Fiend"

This review kind of sums up what I'm going to say. But let's put it this way: one of Rakim's nicknames is "The God." Yes, you read that right. The God. And yes, people do call him that.

Even his lyrical content was solid. His peak happened before rap truly beecame an activist medium. In any case, songs like "Know The Ledge" were very meaningful in the street sense. Combined with his concern for discipline and religious science [Rakim is a devout Muslim], his lyrics took on an even greater power.

The most amazing thing about Rakim's ridiculous flow, talent and lyrical skill is the following: of all the rappers that came out in the '80s, Rakim is the only one whose songs and rhyming does not sound even slightly dated. His shit still holds up now. And this point really is the crux of the exercise. Run-D.M.C., Ice-T, Grandmaster Flash and most other rappers of the early days sound like they came out of the early days. Rakim doesn't. His rhymes from '86 are so amazing that they could have been recorded yesterday.

The living legend, the 18th Letter, the microphone fiend Rakim is the best rapper of all time. Not just because everyone says he is. Not because he sold the most records, or spawned a generation of activists or thugs, or had the biggest chart hits He is on top because nobody else has ever displayed a more better combination of rhyme skill, voice, lyrical talent and flow in the history of the game.

And that's the bottom line, because I said so.

[Honorable mentions: Del the Funkee Homosapien; Talib Kweli; GZA; Nas; Black Thought; Slick Rick; Ludacris; D.O.C.; Mos Def, Greg Nice.]

links: digg this    del.icio.us    technorati    reddit