Ok, I hope this posting will explain my ideas clearly. I'm a first-time poster, but I've read everyone's comments. Upfront, I don't agree that Pac was the best MC ever. I grade my list on 3 things:
-Lyricist ability: The ability to flow smoothly, and come up with the right words to describe your feelings. This is linked to freestyle ability a lot of times.
-Emotional concepts: I grade if the rapper was able to capture intensity and feeling into his or her raps, and have a song that is poignant and has a meaning.
-"Keepin' It Real": I also grade my MCs on if they are able to put out records while refraining from talkin about b****es and money.
Now, I have NOT listened to a lot MCs out there... so if they're not on this list, I'm trying to hear them all. (I have yet to studay Common, Jedi Mind Tricks, and Jeru the Damaja, etc. all who I feel may have been contenders)
I don't HAVE a greatest MC, but here's 10 that I love:
-Canibus (A++ Lyricist Ability, A- Emotional Concepts, B+ Keepin' it Real) Amazing lyricist, but sometimes his egotistical battle rhymes grow old.
-Blackalicious (A Lyricist Ability, A Emotional Concepts, A+ Keepin' it Real) These guys capture emotion SO well, and they show great ability in songs such as Alphabet Aerobics.
-Eminem (A+ Lyricist Ability, A- Emotional Concepts, C Keepin' it Real) This guy is possibly an unmatched freestyler, and has great emotion, though his showmanship gets trite, and he sells out at times.
-Tupac (A- Lyricist Ability, A++ Emotional Concepts, B Keepin' it Real) Pac is a very emotional man, and brought us into a world many had never seen before. He is sometimes overhyped, and people should realize that he does have empty songs. Though his deep songs make him an amazing MC.
-Nas (A Lyricist Ability, A+ Emotional Concepts, C Keepin' it Real) A deep intellectual, who is in the pantheons of Rap gods, but he fell off and sold out somewhere along the journey. Illmatic will always be his Opus.
- Rakim (A+, A, A-) He's had some bad collaborations, but he's still a VERY smooth rhymer, and always captires me.
- Del The Funkee Homosapien (B, A+, B) Although he's not an AMAZING lyricist, and sometimes makes flat songs, he is very pure, he has an idea for a song, and explains his idea in an nutshell. A good MC.
- RZA (B, A, B) I have RZA here not for his ability to always have good rhymes, but he makes a good song in general. He can MC well enough, make the beat well enough, and get the whole package to our ear. he deserves to be recognized.
- Black Starr (Mos Def AND Talib Kweli) (B, A+, A) These guys are some of the deepest MCs to hit the game, and they work even better together. Sometimes they misstep, but they are still better than any popular rap on the radio.
I've missed a lot, but I'm trying to get acquainted with them... And ANYONE who dares say G-Unit, Chingy, or any CRUNK music should be up here. You're smokin' something. These guys are the worst thing to happen to rap since Vanilla Ice... And even LL Cool J, Jay-Z and Snoop have fallen off. All they talk about are clothes and women, and rhyme worlds like izzle. Each of those guys were much better in their early days.
-Eklektik
P.S. I'm an MC myself, so I feel I know a lot about what it takes to be a good MC. I also know I have a ways to go.
|