1. Lil’ Wayne

He is building a new level just for himself at the top of the game today. During his Hot Boys days, nobody expected him to be where he’s at now. Although not quite at Ludacris’ level for guest appearances, Weezy’s been featured a shitload in the past year or lyrics and metaphors are off the hook…“Cash Money million, heir to the throne/ going at their heads like hair in a comb/”, and he’s extremely experimental in his flow and ventures. If you don’t agree with me, fine, but what other rapper can openly kiss another man on the lips and still arguably be one of the best in the game??

2. Lupe Fiasco

Let me say it, Lupe’s the best emcee out of Chicago. With the release of his second album, Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool, it’s quite clear that this guy’s different from the pack. He returns the artistic side to hip hop like nobody else does in either commercial or underground forums, and provides real content for lyric-lovers. A mix of Nas and Jay-Z in their primes, Lupe is not only severely underrated and overlooked, but under-appreciated in hip hop. After all,

3. Jay-Z

With over a decade of receiving exceptional reviews album in and album out, it’s impossible to question Hov’s place in hip hop. Sub-par discs from him are better than any second rate emcee’s best. You might also want to remember that his most recent work’s American Gangster - amongst his classics, and this is after he retired mind you. Not being 100% dedicated to making music is the only thing keeping him from Wayne. I can’t put his greatness into words, but he can, “Actions speak louder than words/ but you ain’t heard it from me, I’m a mutha***in’ verb.”

4. Kanye West

Agree or not, the Louis Vuitton Don has put out three great albums for hip hop…almost all by himself. With his ability to both emcee and produce, he is always on the same page with himself and can experiment with many different sounds. His singles have a wide range- both in topics and sounds, furthering his legitimacy. His style and delivery are one of a kind and the last time I checked, he’s worked with each of the emcees I’ve put above him.

5. Andre 3000

One of the finest emcees ever from the South, this Outkast resembles a true artist in all that he does. From the beginning, it was clear that he had exceptional skills on the mic, and he has done nothing but constantly prove he’s got more dimensions on everything that he comes out with. His recent cameos such as on “International Players Anthem” show his ongoing evolution as a prominent emcee and poet.

Tag: hip hop lyrics

A decade or more ago…in a land far,far away, the Three Wise Asses would sit around Tewksbury 208…maybe cutting class, maybe not. They would discuss the world of music and sound, and in particular, music and sound in relation to hip-hop. These discussions would invariably drift into a definition of hip-hop itself.

If it isn’t music, then what is it?

Is gangsta rap more essentially hip-hop than whatever the hell P.M.Dawn was trying to do?

If hip-hop was given birth to in the Bronx, which of the remaining four boroughs has proven to be the most suitable adoptive parent? Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, or Staten?

Is the last question relevant? Could it be said that, if Slick Rick was the best all around M.C. of all time to date - that the bloody English ( by way of Jamaica ) are, once again, the rulers of us all?

This manic discourse was a breeze on flame, and would often ignite the tongues of all the great men of Tewksbury. And as the evenings meal sought peace within the agitated belly, great thoughts would rise up and come crashing down upon the feebler of opinions, or misuse of slang… Voices rising as such to twist the knickers of the priestesses and womenfolk gathered in the great hall below…

And then someone from the Ravines (RIP) would knock and ask Mal to make a run to the liquor store. Before departing, he left us this puzzle:

The Weathermen is the new underground/independent hip-hop supergroup, boasting El-P, Aesop Rock,Breeze Bruin,Cage,Tame 1 (Tamer D of Artifakts? dope),Camu Tao, and Yak Ballz as members. All these cats are pretty much ‘names’ in the game. They have an interesting esoteric slant, with the tagline and posse AKA ‘the New Left’, and all the dense wordplay you would expect:

But then we have the Weathermen.

Arguably also hip-hop, at least in sonic inspiration. Definitely underground/independent. Perhaps not so super. That would be down to personal taste.
Yet in their own way, they pull off some shit that is just as apocalyptic, electro-future fetishistic, and worshipful of the name and concept of the Weathermen, who, in real real life, rolled correctly.

Which of these three have kept it most real? I think I know which one has the best rhymes.

Shook Ones Pt. 1:

THE ORIGINALS (2008)

Think Differently Music Group’s Myspace

Tags: Gangsta Rap, Hip Hop, Mixtapes

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