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Before justifying my 2017 Greatest of all Time (G. O. A. T.) list of emcees, we will make three considerations. 1) The lack of women on this list; 2) my criteria for what is a G. O. A. T. emcee, and; 3) the current state of Hip Hop. In recent years, we (Hiphoppas) have had to establish our information-sharing platform to counter the propagation of harmful misconceptions about our Kulture. Instead of relying on the radio or other mainstream gossip outlets, fans can easily access the correct information from people who care about Hip Hop.
For female emcees, it is ironic that after all the talk about equality, most young Hip Hop women prefer the thot to baby mama route today. They target athletes, industry executives, or any high roller who will facilitate them to live their dream of being a socialite. A successful thot to baby mama route can lead to a Reality TV show, thousands of dollars in child support payments, or millions in alimony payouts. Mathematically speaking, this is much more rewarding than the problematic, energy-consuming, and uncertain struggle of a master of ceremonies.
Mainstream corporations often willfully sign or support the wrong artists…
Suffice it to say today. Many women are opting for professional or commercial careers. Yes, you could recruit more female dancers, models, socialites, strippers, or even video vixens far more straightforward than you would a female columnist, writer, emcee, deejay, graffiti artist, industry executive, music/film producer, or any position in Hip Hop that does not rely on how beautiful a person looks. How many women care to perfect the skill of beatboxing or battle rapping? Today’s Hip Hop women, who are caught up in the financial independence and sexual liberation of feminism, would instead get more attention from racy selfies than any other original talent.
No women are on this list, not because of discrimination but because there are few female emcees now. Of the few, even fewer have enough talent or have done enough to land in this discussion. Nicki Minaj was a G. O. A. T. by default because no other females could compete with her. And now, without an honest response to the Remy Ma dis, she no longer qualifies as a G. O. A. T. emcee. Her music has even deteriorated since Safaree. But we will wait and see how she returns from her current setbacks.
Who is a master of ceremonies? He or she is more than another rapper. Emcees are the voice of the Kulture. We echo the realities of our lives in an artistic interpretation as they are concerns. To do this, the emcee needs to originate his or her style of rhyming, poetic lyricism, bars, punchlines, charisma, knowledge of Kulture, street cred, etc. A dope emcee must have a good body of consistent work with proper accolades proving their social impact or influence in the community. When this artist releases an album that most people can relate to or vibe to over some time, we call that album a classic.
In this list, I’ve highlighted some of the best battle rappers of all time…
The current state of Hip Hop is such that, over the last number of years, many New Skool rappers have not earned the respect of an emcee. Some are not even considered emcees. This is serious. No, it’s not because they are gay and sing a lot of murmurs in their raps. It’s not the tight pants or purple/pink hair. Many cannot rap well enough to be considered one of the best. This situation is not so bad as the mainstream’s scarcity of lyrically captivating emcees has shed much light on areas of the game that were underestimated or ignored earlier. Two such areas of the game are the independent and battle rap sectors. This time around, they weigh in heavily.
Kendrick Lamar
This West Coast Top Dawg Entertainment superstar has some enormous shoes to fill. Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and Tupac are just three examples. His debut album, “Section 8o,” did not gain much acclaim, but the Compton emcee showed out on his “Good Kid, M. A. A. D. City” album. Everyone knew that only a legend could offer such a classic at that point in his career. We were also worried that it was too soon to crown him the best. After “To Pimp a Butterfly,” everyone in Hip Hop felt confident that Kendrick Lamar is the next G. O. A. T.
Some have debated Rick Ross for the number one spot, but despite his elite ear for production, the corrections officer scandal hurt his credibility. And when it comes to Drake, he cannot shake off his alleged ghostwriter scandal either. With “Good Kid M. A. A. D. City” and “To Pimp a Butterfly” being classic albums, in this era of fewer words and less lyricism in mumble raps about black privilege, thots, and precious possessions, the community is thrilled to see an emcee from this generation who continually reminds us of what Hip Hop is.
Kendrick’s “Untitled Unmastered” teaser is far better than some significant releases. When He gave us “Damn,” it was immediately slated as his third classic album. No, you can’t go wrong with an Aftermath and Interscope backing. But with Kendrick’s original style of rhyming, poetic lyricism, bars, punchlines, charisma, knowledge of Kulture, street cred, etc., he is perfect for the number-one spot right now.
J. Cole
He is probably just as good (rapping-wise) as Schoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar combined. Cole is a high-quality lyricist. One thing I like about his music is that it’s reminiscent of Old Skool Hip Hop. He has a perfect flow. Cole passes with flying colors when you grade his original style of rhyming, poetic lyricism, bars, punchlines, charisma, knowledge of Kulture, and street cred. The only difference for him, going for the number one spot in this category, is Kendrick projects a more political and social consciousness.
Cole’s legacy will be decided by the number of classics he releases. I can attest that he has many classic songs, but I cannot call any of his albums a classic. Some records take years to grow, and, of course, Cole’s collections are among them. Problems are now in this streaming generation, where music is generally digitally downloaded. It’s not like when CDs were favorites and could be seen lying around and popped onto a CD player. Now, the music is lost in your collection of downloads, or you can lose your playlist when switching from a phone, tablet, or laptop.
Where Kendrick is strictly respected for his lyricism, Cole landed this high on my list, above Drake and Kanye, mainly because he is also a music producer. He produces most of his work, and if you combine his production skill with his emcee level, he quickly makes the top three best emcees. From “Cole World: The Sideline Story” to “Born Sinner,” “2014 Forest Hills Drive,” and now, “4 Your Eyes Only,” this Roc Nation star hit the ground on the right foot. Kendrick has Dr. Dre behind him, and J. Cole has Jay Z behind him. And as Jay Z and Dr. Dre are both G. O. A. Ts, it is evident that their artists are in the right lane to become G. O. A. Ts as well. Therefore these two will be playing tag for the number one spot in Hip Hop.
Kanye West
He has released seven studio albums. Five of the seven are among the best Hip Hop albums ever. Three of them are indisputable classics. He has an original style of rhyme, poetic lyricism, bars, punchlines, charisma, knowledge of Kulture, and street cred. Like J. Cole, Kanye also writes and produces most of his work. This is a double talent. Then you can look at his impact on the Kulture.
The Louis Vuitton Don is also a fashion god. When he started, who knew there would come a time when young people would rock pink polo shirts and dream of a kilt outfit? This is the magnitude of Kanye West’s influence. I debated Gucci Mane in his stead since Gucci has fathered several great careers. But when I compared his body of work, even though Yeezy is from the 00s, he made a musical transformation that fits this era. His most recent, “The Life of Pablo,” is not yet a classic, but it’s on its way to being one of the most enjoyable albums in Hip Hop. The beauty of Kanye West’s career is that we have more good music will to come.
Drake
Placing Drake at the top of a list of G. O. A. T. emcees is troubling. First, he’s a pop singer who can rap. Secondly, does anyone doubt if he writes his songs or uses a ghostwriter most of the time? And third, a few artists have jumped from the woods to accuse the 6 God of jacking their flow. These are not the qualities one would have if I considered them a G. O. A. T. emcee. I found Kevin Gates for this spot, but like T. I. and Ludacris, Gates is one of those greats that does not appear on many lists.
Where Drake takes the cake is with his smash hits. When it comes to an original rhyme style, Drake has that. His poetic lyricism is one of his most vital points. He has six bars, punchlines, charisma, and knowledge of Kulture, but his street cred is not rolled; Drake’s street cred is more potent in Toronto than in any other place. Now that he has lined up with the Hip Hop movement in the UK and presented some of their legends to the mainstream, he could also have a significant pull in England.
Let’s face it, this generation of young Hiphoppas, Drake, has delivered a few classics in his own right. He makes up for what he lacks in penmanship and originality with hits. He makes a different kind of Hip Hop music. His music is the feel-good type, like Will Smith. His albums are classics, even though the older generation will debate that. Since he’s from Canada, he sings well enough to compete with female R&B and Pop singers. Many in Hip Hop will scratch their heads on whether he’s a real r not. However, when Drake raps, you can hardly find any flaws and the fact that he lives, speaks, dresses, and comes with numbers to back his game. I’ll have to say he’s G. O. A. T worthy.
Chance The Rapper
This is one of the most hardworking independent artists in the game. Hip Hop has evolved from the extra gangsta image of a rapper who rhymes about crime life in the hood. Some even call that rapping dry snitching. They claim the rapper is either snitching on him or herself or giving out vital information on how things work in the hood. Now, we have a mixed breed of rappers who rhyme so differently that we hesitate to call them emcees. Like Drake, many of them have added singing to their skill set.
Chance is one of those new guys who made my list due to the high value of his artistry. In Hip Hop, we’ve always had the Del La Soul, Brand Nubian, or A Tribe Called Quest type. It’s an intelligent breed of emcees rooted in Nubianism, Afrocentrism, The Nation of Gods and Earths, etc. This breed adds a spiritual essence to their art. You can cite Poor, Righteous Teachers in that category to go deeper.
Chance The Rapper is one of those emcees in the Common, Kid Cudi, and Kanye West categories. It’s something like Neo-Soul emcees. The thing with him is he has a few classic songs under his belt. He has a unique and original rhyming style, his music is riddled with poetic lyricism, and he’s got the bars, punchlines, charisma, knowledge of Kulture, and street cred to be rated among the best emcees of his time.*
