Who are you favorite rappers, your top 5? Mine are: 1) Jay Z Hov is the greatest of all time in my book. He has tons of classic albums, some good ones, and a only a few iffy's. He's never released an awful collection of music, and when he dies (hopefully not anytime soon) I think he will be recognized as the best, above Tupac and Biggie. 2) Kanye West Kanye has never released a bad album. He's not only a song-writer but a producer meaning he can hit you with so much different aspects of music. Whether he does soul hip-hop, electronic hip-hop, or autotuned ballads he is easily the most creative, game-changing rapper of the past 10 years. 3) Nas Nas is easily the best story teller in hip-hop history. His music is so powerful, thought-provoking and just a fresh breath of air. His new album was a standout amongst trap-beat ridden songs with autotuned hooks and awful bars about Bugattis and pussy. 4) Ludacris Luda has the best flow in my opinion, just in front of Eminem. The way he spits is ridiculous and entertaining. He can old a track on his own, or steal the show with somebody else. In the early 2000's he held it down, whether you'd like to agree or not. 5) Lil Wayne...just kidding 5) T.I. Gangsta rap was at high the last decade and Tip took control. Every song he came out with (especially the hit songs) were crazy. He has a wonderful catalog and even though he doesn't get recognized as he did back in them days, as a whole, he will go down as someone to remember. A hip-hop hall of famer. No, there is no Eminem, Kendrick Lamar (dude has three albums..give him time), and Mike Shinoda on my list..but it's my list. We all have our own. What's yours?
My top 5 changes from time to time but for the sake of the thread I'll pick these artists: 01. Slug (from Atmosphere) - He's going down as one of the greatest to ever do it. Speaks from the heart in ways that are highly creative/imaginative and relatable. 02. Sadistik - Quite unknown but again, one of the top lyricists imo... you could make a poetry book out of his lyrics. He paints these abstract images with his lyrics... it's just great. Very vivid with his imagination. Plus he has crazy flow pattern for days. 03. Sage Francis - Insanely clever and gifted lyricist. Raps with a lot of conviction. His metaphors are out of the world. 04. Immortal Technique - One of the realest and most knowledgeable emcees out there. Got the political rap sub-genre on lock. Very thought-provoking when it comes to real world issues. 05. Illogic - Illogic is a true poet. You could take his verses and use em in a slam poem competition... chances are you will end up winning. or 05. El-P - El-P on the other hand is more abstract and at times very in your face (which I love). I love his raw energy in his voice and lyrics. He too can be very clever and innovative with his rhymes.
If I had to make a more underground list it would probably go: 1) Mr Lif He keeps things 101% real whether he wants to make a battle-rap song, something political, or something poetic when he spits his verses I almost see what he can see. 2) Qwel from Typical Cats He is way too poetic to be as underrated as he is. He could probably write a sentence with 10 words that rhyme back-to-back and have it make sense. I'm jealous of his writing style. 3) Akrobatik Same as Mr. Lif, just another Boston underground legend. I don't find him as powerful, but he is still a shining star in underground..no fuck it, rap in general. 4) An0maly Online sensation. This kid is a beast. Whether it's his remixes of popular music or his own projects he puts out really good stuff. Lyrical content is straight fire. He makes you look at things from a different view 5) Black Thought from The Roots The Roots as a whole are mainstream underground. Black Thought is such a talented guy and every song he touches turns into diamond. He put the Midas Touch out of business with his near perfect flow and lyrics.
Eminem - It's Eminem. We will see how he does with his new cd coming out this year. It's a make it or break it for me. Macklemore - First song I heard was a song that Jeff showed me a long time ago. I thought it was alright but being that it was called My Town, I couldn't relate. A little over a year ago I was surfing YT and stumbled across Otherside(Fences remix) and couldn't believe what I was hearing. A rapper with influential music? I listen to Same Love right after Otherside and I was hooked. His more serious songs have strong meaning for me. Lupe - Just flows with his music and has something to say (most of the time) about serious issues. Dr. Dre - The man has done enough for the Hip-hop community. Pretty sure I don't need to go into detail on this one. Fort Minor - Mike Shinoda. Nuff said. Noteable artist include: Common and Mos Def
1. Lil' B ''The BasedGod'' 2. Earl Sweatshirt 3. Casey Veggies 4. Joey Bada$$ 5. Action Bronson I'm not giving reasons because I'm stoned as fuck. Just trust me, these are some of the best rappers out there today. Most of them make their own beats, too, which is a huge plus in my book. Or their producer is exclusive to the artist (think Odd Future). I love the Do-It-Yourself work ethic most of the new rappers coming up have. My current favorite is definitely Casey Veggies, but Lil' B changed my views on how hip-hop could (and SHOULD) be. I know most people don't "get" his music, but for those that do, and genuinely enjoy it... it's just... I don't know. It's moving. It touches my soul, and I know that's a weird thing to say about an artist who has released songs specifically about Miley Cyrus, Bill Clinton, etc. and still uses "swag" as his tag-line. The man is a genius, and years from now, people will recognize that. He's changing hip-hop.
Macklemore - A member on here that doesn't post here anymore (rogerleaks) introduced me to him when The Vs. EP was released and I was hooked immediately. I love his flow, and his music is uplifting. I understand that some people are sick of Thrift Shop, but I think if they checked out more of his music, I think they would love him as much as I do. Aesop Rock - I love how abstract his songs are and the imagery he brings to the table. After hearing the song None Shall Pass, I was impressed, and have been a fan of his ever since. Cecil Otter - I don't remember how I got into him to be honest, I think it was when I first heard Traveling Dunk Tank on Doomtree's False Hopes album. He's got a unique flow and is super chill with somewhat abstract, but relatable verses. Hopsin - I understand that some people think that he emulates Eminem way too much, but honestly I feel like what he's been able to bring to the table is so much more than what Mathers has been able to bring as of late. He self produces just about everything that he releases, and has an in-your-face attitude that is infectious. El-P - For pretty much the same reasons Agent O gave us.
nothing against anyone - honestly - but I just can't get the Macklemore love. I listened to a little bit of his set at Bonnaroo in July, and I wasn't feeling it. Got a slice of pizza instead.
Not every style of music is for everyone. You can't get into Macklemore, while I can't really get into the likes of Odd Future or Lil B.