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On the other hand Drake did not make that list either. I explain, that I do think he’s high up there but he has other talents like singing and acting that collectively propelled him to superstardom.
In my last emcee blog, I talked about who I thought were the top 10 heads in the Game at the time. Kendrick Lamar was not in my top 5 because he had only released one album. Yes, I cosigned Maad City as a classic, but it was unfair to put him in my top 5 just off one dope album. On the other hand, Drake did not make that list either. I needed to hear more.
I explain that I think he’s high up there but has other talents like singing and acting that propelled him to superstardom. Putting him on top of cats that pull their weight off rap alone was also unfair.
I look for originality, inspiration, Hip Hop, flow, delivery, image and charisma.”
Some people follow me as a writer after reading my books, blog, or both. I can’t count them as my rap fans even after they discover my music. I see the two differently. When I line a new emcee up for my iPod selection, I look for originality, inspiration, Hip Hop, flow, delivery, image, and charisma. I measure every emcee with the same stick I measure myself with. This is how J Cole claimed his spot on my list.
It’s different when they’re a writer, singer, and rapper. Big Sean, ASAP Rocky, Nicki, Big K.R.I.T., you name it. They all convey the above. Yeah, I know. Because I’m not a superstar, you’re scratching your head at my comparison with the A-list stars. If I don’t put myself there, then why should you?
Kanye has dropped more solo classics than Dr. Dre.”
1. Kanye West – He is the most excellent emcee of this era and deserves to be considered a GOAT. Right here, my focus is on his rhyming. He is best known for his production skills. He’s one of those cats which makes other emcees great. West is one of a kind. I will explain why not even Dr. Dre comes in his category. Kanye has dropped more solo classics than Dr. Dre.
The Doctor is sure to produce incredible music. Still, Ye is capable of dropping that politically or socially conscious stanza that takes the subject from flossing in mansions, gang banging on the streets, or smashing groupies to more critical issues like black-on-black crime, police brutality, the adoration of black Kulture, dreaming big and the surprise of formally unattainable success.
These topics are not only valid to the hood. They are the beating heart of the inner city community. Kanye West is one of a kind. He’s responsible for other Hip Hop classics other than his own. There’s nothing more special than bringing something new to the table and contributing to global respect for the Kulture.
It wasn’t even hard to do because he delivered everything I wanted to hear at this point in time.”
2. Kendrick Lamar – Yep, you’ve got that right. As promised. When Kendrick dropped that second classic, he shot straight to my top 5. It wasn’t even hard to do because he delivered everything I wanted to hear. I was tired of all the braggadocios raps about yacht parties, designer clothes, luxury cars, and V.I.P. sex. Hip Hop was running out of conscious messages in the mainstream. And this is not even the time.
We have Middle East wars, police murdofficers, an economic drought, and point-blank black-on-black fights in the streets. We do need to get rich, fuck bitches, and fly all over the world, but to be a number one GOAT emcee, you have to touch on the issues that people can relate to on a societal level. Kendrick did that most entertainingly and realistically imaginable.
J Cole has that raw street essence yet he delivers with that college boy elegance.”
3. J. Cole – This emcee delivered the essence from day one. J Cole has that raw street essence yet offers that college boy elegance. He has a discography that’s only getting more extensive. As an emcee, even if I haven’t heard a J Cole song, I’m comfortable when it comes on because I know it will represent what the hood stands for. Like Schoolboy Q, I have grown to expect nothing but the essence from Cole.
He brings the message of the youth to the old. The emotions of today’s generation can be felt in his lyrics. Since there is no doubt that he and Lamar write their lyrics, it makes it even more welcoming when I consider the two as potential GOAT emcees. Honestly, I had trouble deciding who would come before the other. I went with Lamar because he goes a bit deeper into the current situations in American culture.
I think if you’re going to consider emcees for GOAT status in this era, Lil Wayne has to be somewhere in the top 5.”
4. Lil Wayne – The big homie deserves to be in this conversation. If you look at his career, he’s been banging since D.M.X. was hot on the charts until we’ve seen T. I, Nelly, Luda, Jeezy, and Soldier Boy become Hip Hop royalty. Wayne competed with Jay Z for crying out loud. He had been dropping classics before 50 Cent and Game blew up. With Wayne, tho, his lyrics are not always the most politically conscious I’ve ever heard, but his punchlines and metaphors can bring some politically aware subjects to light.
Wayne has a way of saying things that no one else can do except Wayne. If you’re going to consider emcees for GOAT status in this era, Lil Wayne has to be somewhere in the top 5. He was not on my final complete ten lists, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think he’s hot. That last list was about who was hot at the time. This list is the greatest of all time or Hip Hop’s most deserving hall of fame rappers from this period.
Although, Canada will never give an American rapper the same shine that America gave to Drake, it’s fair to say he should be mentioned in this conversation.”
5. Drake – This out-of-townee is one of many who has come to enjoy the many blessings bestowed on talent in the land of the free. Drizzy’s rap game is so on point I’d sit him next to Slick Rick. Although Canada will never give an American rapper the same shine that America gave to Drake, it’s fair to say he should be mentioned in this conversation.
Yes, we heard the accusation about not writing all his rhymes. I won’t believe it until I see some proof. Like everyone else, I was moved by the beef. Drake and Chris Brown are the two most popular Hip Hop artists right now, period.
I thought his “Back to Back” diss song was tight, yet as a former Philly resident, I wanted Meek Mill to fight so we could enjoy a good back-and-forth battle. Thank God that part of the controversy is over. Like his boss Lil Wayne, Drake is very clever with rhymes. The entire top tier of Young Money is innovative lyricists.
It’s sad how every time a great set of emcees band together to make good for the Kulture, somewhere along the way, drama creeps up in the camp and divides them. At this rate, Drake has shown that he’s as good an emcee as a singer. He has impacted the Kulture of Hip Hop. For that alone, I think he deserves the hall of fame consideration. *
