“I’m just basically spillin’ out my emotions to the world.’Cause rap is about emotion. And I want you to feel what I’m feelin’, ’cause that’s what it’s about” said Ludacris (brainyquote.com). I agree with Ludacris that hip hop is expressing your feelings and emotions about your own reality through song. There have been many talented rappers throughout the history of hip hop. There are always discussions in barbershops, schoolyards and street corners about who the greatest rappers are in the history of hip hop. However, there are certain MC’s who stand out from the rest of the pack and that are truly the greatest rappers in hip hop history.
#5 Eminem
Eminem is a controversial rapper. He is loved and hated by many. The topics of his songs include poverty, fame, drug addiction, and his personal demons. Eminem is a good songwriter. He truly is a wordsmith. He raps about this on the D12 album entitled Devils Night with the song “Words are Weapons”: My words are weapons, I use ’em to crush my opponents, My words are like weaponry on a record”. Equally important, he has the ability to create characters in his rap songs. He did this on the song entitled Stan on the Marshall Mathers LP in which he created a fictional character named Stan. He also often raps as his alter ego Slim Shady. His alter ego is funny, sarcastic, and outlandish. For instance, he raps the entire Slim Shady LP album as his alter ego such as on the song entitled Bad Meets Evil ” I don’t speak, I float in the air wrapped in a sheet/ I’m not a real person, I’m a ghost trapped in a beat/.”
Eminem has eliminated his enemies in hip hop with diss records that demolish and destroy their credibility. Benzino tried to ruin Eminem’s rap career. But, Eminem annihilated him with diss records such as The Sauce, Nail in the Coffin and Bully. The Sauce was the first song where Eminem responded to Benzino’s disses and the song showed Eminem’s battle rapping skills: “All you do is cheat me out of quotables/. But you know that you’ll always see me/. On your TV, cuz you’ve got to stay up ’til/. Three in the morning to see your video played once on BET/. So, hee hee hee, who has the last laugh? Aftermath, yeah/.” Besides, Eminem displays his elite rapping skills by outperforming rappers on their own songs. For example, Eminem outrapped Jay-Z on the song entitled Renagade from The Blueprint album: “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/”. In addition, he has proven his abilities as a rapper and it is no longer a big deal that he is a white rapper. He has broken barriers for white rappers. Hip hop fans now accept many white rappers such as Paul Wall and Asher Roth.
#4 Nas
Nas is a great rapper. One of his many talents are that he is a great thinker. He makes his fans and listeners think deeply about many important issues such as poverty, racism and violence. He has dropped great lines such “The glimmers of hope provoke those without dollars to dream/ Through your existence become wealthy knowledge is king” which is from the song Book of Rhymes on the God’s Son album. He has exceptional writing skills and includes vivid details in the songs he has written. They are almost as detailed as a fiction writer that writes novels. He can write in great detail because he has a high degree of literacy and is self educated. His career started at 15 years of age in the Queensbridge housing projects when he performed the song “Live at the Barbecue” at a concert.
He then dropped the legendary album Illmatic which was a hip hop classic. The album Illmatic received a perfect five Mics rating from Source Magazine in 1994. There aren’t many rappers who have written as many great songs as him. For example, his great songs include Halftime, The World Is Yours, The Message, If I Ruled the World, Hip Hop is Dead, Nas is Like, One Mic and The Cross. He also has the great storytelling skills. For instance, he rapped a story backwards on the song Rewind on his Stillmatic album. He also defeated fellow hip hop great Jay-Z in their feud he demolished him with his diss track song called Ether. Equally important, he always spits from the heart even if what he is rapping about is not a popular topic. He discussed the death of Hip Hop on his album Hip Hop is Dead. In addition, his work is admired by many of his peers such as Jay-Z, Kayne West, Eminem, Lil Wayne, T.I., KRS-One, Rakim, and Big Daddy Kane.
#3 Rakim
Rakim is a hip hop legend. He was a man before his time during his prime. Most of his competitors in the 80’s and early 90’s such as Big Daddy Kane, Run DMC, and Grandmaster Flash sound outdated if you listen to them today. But, Rakim rapping style was so advanced that he still sounds like a modern rapper on his older records. Equally important, Rakim was a hip hop pioneer. He invented internal rhyming. Before he invented internal rhyming rap music lyricism was simple from a structural standpoint. Most rappers didn’t pick up internal rhyming until the mid 90’s while he was already doing it in 1987. He released the legendary album Paid in Full with Eric B in 1987. It’s one of raps all time best records. The album displays his phenomenal rhyme skills, lyrics and flow. He has a great baritone rap voice that he uses with great diction. You can hear almost every word perfectly as he raps. He as well has very good pronunciation with every word. He had a consistent confident and measured delivery style. He combined street toughness with intelligence.
Rakim on the MC DVD described his rhyming style saying that “He played saxophone when he was young and incorporated his rap style like a saxophone soloist the way that a sax soloist would play sporadically with cadences and certain styles and pauses that is what I incorporated in my writing style and it came out pretty good.” Likewise, he is arguably the most respected rapper of all time. Many experts view him as the greatest rapper of all time. He has received adulation and respect from many rappers such as 50 cent, Nas, Canibus, and Eminem. Besides, Rakim has heavily influenced the rappers that have come after him. If you listen to Rakim albums you can hear a new spin to what Rakim rapped about such as in the song Grindin’ Clipse’s Pusha T opens the song with “From ghetto to ghetto, to backyard to yard” this is taking from Rakim’s song My Melody second verse from “Party to party, backyard to yard”. Rakim is truly a master of his profession.
#2 Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur is one of the greatest MC’s to every pick up a mic. He is by far the most influential rapper of all time. He has influenced many rappers which is why certain rappers that came after him were accused of being Tupac wannabes and copycats. For instance, Ja Rule and DMX have both been accused of somewhat copying 2pac’s style. One of the things that made Tupac a great rapper is his ability to write great songs. Eminem said “I think that honestly, Tupac was the greatest songwriter that ever lived. He made it seem so easy. The emotion was there, and feeling, and everything he was trying to describe. You saw a picture that he was trying to paint. That’s what I picked up from him, making your words so vivid that somebody can picture them in their head ” (mtv.com).
Tupac Shakur had tremendous heart and passion on everything he rapped about. There was no topic he was unafraid to touch he could rap about racism, money, women, police brutality, politics, religion, childhood, etc. One of Tupac Shakur’s unique talents was his ability to make people feel empathy for his struggles and the struggles that a lot of people are going through. Everyone knows that in bad neighborhoods people sometimes get shot and there are some people being raised by parents with drug addictions. But, he made you care that some people are living with those difficulties and harsh circumstances. For instance, one of his best songs My Block from Tupac Shakur’s Better Dayz album “Now crap is constantly hot, on my block, it never fails to be/ hear gunshots/ Can’t explain a mother’s pain/ when her son drops/.”
#1 Notorious B.I.G.
Notorious B.I.G is simply the greatest rapper of all time. He had a loose easy flow and great storytelling abilities. He had exceptional pronunciation skills and diction when he rapped you could clearly hear every syllable and word perfectly. His album Ready to Die is considered one of greatest albums in hip hop history. One thing that set Biggie Smalls apart from other rappers was his versatility. He could create a great song in any style. He could make funny songs that would make you laugh your ass off like Redman or Ludacris. He could make introspective tracks that make you think like Nas or Tupac Shakur. He also could make hardcore street tracks that like DMX or Ice Cube. He could make love songs about women LL Cool J. He as well made several great party songs like Nelly and Jay-Z.
Equally important, he was one of the most charmistic rappers ever Method Man described how he was so charmistic you forgot he was a big fat, ugly guy with a lazy eye. This likability is why he could get away with vulgar lines that was sometimes in his songs. He has influenced many rappers too. This has led some of them somewhat to copy his style such as Shyne and Guerrilla Black. He will never big forget and always be known as one of the best rappers in hip hop history.
Honorable Mentions
Jay-Z He is the most consistent rapper in hip hop. He also has an outstanding flow.
Big Daddy Kane He is one of the greatest rappers of the golden age of hip hop from 1986-1993
Ice-T He is one of the most intelligent and controversial rappers to ever pick up a mic.
Ice Cube He is a true pioneer of gangsta rap.
LL Cool J Hehas been revelent in three decades the 80’s, 90’s and 00’s. Arguably the greatest battle rapper ever.
Andre 3000 He is a great lycricist. He is also very creative, unique and original.
Chuck D He is a great political and socially conscious rapper. He created some
of the greatest political songs in hip hop.
Works Cited
29 Mar. 2009
29 Mar. 2009
