[quote="The birth pangs of the Great Ackbarian Transition"]1. Jay-Z
Could there be any other? Jay-Z fully arrived on the scene in 1996, proclaiming himself to be the best, acting as if everyone already thought he was the best, and after what most consider a classic followed by several mediocre commercial albums, something funny happened-- he actually did become the best.
What is the most important aspect of emceeing? Is it "mostly the voice," as Guru says? Lyrics? Flow? Versatility? Concepts? Jay-Z would certainly score in the ninety-ninth percentile in each category (save the final one, possibly), however he ranks as a clear #1 in the one classification that is most important: Confidence. Do you think that current great Jay-Z and all-time great KRS-ONE have little in common as emcees? You\'re right, but what they do share is an unfaltering confidence that makes you believe that they are as dope as they say they are, which in turn makes them as dope as they say they are. And as hip hop is that unique musical art form, so competitive in nature, there must be a best emcee-- and his name is Jigga.
After syrupy sweet and disgustingly blippy commercial offerings that marred the middle of his career, Jay-Z seems to have found the perfect formula for making hip hop music that appeals to every segment of his potential fan-base while maintaining artistic validity. The one qualification of a dope emcee that he may lack is true originality, as Jay-Z is rightfully criticized for biting/ paying embarrassingly gratuitous homage to his friend BIG and former enemy 2Pac (who sonned him at every turn), but original or not, he has copied the blueprint established by this fallen duo for making dope music, and being hip hop\'s #1 star as well as its best emcee. (Jay Seagraves)
2. Nas
In the year 2002, the hip hop world was absolutely shook by two Queens emcees, both of whom were on their way up from low points in their careers. One of these emcees was 50 Cent. The other was Nas. Nas\'s almost difficult-to-believe tirades and beefs, while entertaining on a comedic level, helped to catalyze a slight, but very widespread increase of quality in the entirety of mainstream hip hop. And his battle with Jay not only re-energized his gradually sagging career, but it also raised the bar for lyricists all across the country as well. But today all of that is old news, as he has continued to evolve since then.
Although God’s Son was a noticeable step down from 2001’s near-classic Stillmatic, Nas still burned that album. Fresh off his much publicized beef with what seemed to be the entire hip hop industry and also deeply affected by the loss of his mother, Nas was teeming with superb rhymes. It is a genuine shame he has such inconsistent taste in production, but on the plus side, right now it is his only flaw as an emcee. “I Can,” for example, was a beautiful concept, and while well-executed lyrically, it simply was not what it could have been, and the same could be said for God’s Son
His willingness to experiment, his always graceful flow, his recently surfaced sense of humor and the underlying cool fury behind it all are among the many great qualities that make him 2003’s number two rapper. But perhaps it’s Nas’ refusal to give a god damn about anyone else’s opinion that makes him so successful. His seemingly questionable decision to sign to Muredr, that is, Murder Inc., turned out to be a sly business move that didn’t affect his music whatsoever. His public shots at Cormega, Cam’Ron and Redman, among others, and his choice to release a straight up street banger and an uplifting song for children as his singles, rather than the lame shot at clubs that has failed him in the past or the fluffy love song he never made, is highly commendable. Nas knows he can be himself at all times because his rhymes, the gift that defines him and has made him a legend, will always come through to save everything. (Strychnine)
3. Illogic
As of now, Illogic has only released one true full-length, which he wrote at the age of sixteen and recorded as a freshman in college just learning how to make music with his partner Blueprint. Throw in his pumped-up EP, Got Lyrics?, and recent under-underground bootleg, Write To Death, and the extent of his catalog still pales in comparison to the emcees ranked above him, and the vast majority of those listed beneath. Still, Illogic ranks as the top non-mainstream emcee, third only to Jay-Z and Nas-- the most famous serious rappers in the world.
The skill that Illogic possesses at a level or two above his peers is his versatility. Unforeseen and WTD showed his ability to craft complex abstract pieces, where Got Lyrics? and the future Project 8076 demonstrate his ability to rhyme over more conventional beats. From battle to spoken word, Illogic can flip as many styles as any emcee to ever grab a mic or pen, and with Celestial Clockwork set to drop in the fall of this year, his best is yet to come. (Jay Seagraves)
4. Sage Francis
Sage Francis\'s slight drop from the very top of our list seems to have come, in hindsight, as an inevitable regression. After all, we may have been hasty in deeming an emcee with no album out worthy of such a placement. And, not so shockingly, Personal Journals was not the undisputed classic one is more or less rightfully supposed to expect from the official debut of "the world\'s number one emcee." Still, that album, the Makeshift Patriot EP, and Sage\'s various other works and appearances serve as a constant reminder that we\'re certainly dealing with a world-class emcee and artist.
Even though one shouldn\'t lump Sage Francis into the Anticon camp on the grounds of mere affiliation, Personal Journals is, partly due to its heavy beats but mostly because of its unambiguous focus on writing, a record that can be called with no trouble Anticon-esque. Negative connotations aside, this proves of Sage\'s singular versatility. The Scribble Jam champ moves effortlessly from Non-Prophets\'s good-humored "All Word, No Play" and tongue-in-cheek "Whoremonger" to the difficult themes of "Inherited Scars" and "Makeshift Patriot"-- he may be ironic about it on "Different," but he\'s definitely no average emcee or person.
Sage\'s catalog surely isn\'t limited to his Non-Prophets 12-inches or Personal Journals, however. In fact, some of his best work can be found on the Sick of Waiting-series. The qualities that shine through on these efforts, in addition to his versatility, are undoubtedly his wit, eloquence and lack of unnecessary self-consciousness. These attributes have surely contributed to Sage\'s reputation as a premium live act-- an aspect of emceeing that is criminally overlooked in these times. And unlike similarly lyrically motivated artists, Francis doesn\'t overlook the traditional rhythmic aspects of the art of emceeing; Sage can flow with the best of them.
Sage\'s career is still young, with only one official album and a few slabs of vinyl under his belt-- it would be alarming if he had reached the pinnacle of his career already. With time, more people will recognize the exceptional talent that is Sage Francis. His eagerly anticipated Non- Prophets album with Joe Beats is guaranteed to satisfy the traditional hip hop purist with its boom bap sensibilities and his recent album deal with punk label Epitaph will probably expand his audiences to new measurements. Sage Francis\'s musical career will undeniably be an interesting and enjoyable one to follow. (Peter Matekovits)
5. Eminem
Since the smashing success of 8 Mile, the pseudo-biographical flick about Em’s pre-stardom life in Detroit, the rapper has become the darling of soccer moms everywhere. While his rise to fame is undoubtedly an interesting story, the movie has turned him from the posterboy for contemptible shock rap into a revered super hero. Em is now presented with a problem. While his skills were obviously never in question, what’s he going to talk about now that nobody hates him anymore? Who or what is left for him to go off on? Though some would say he already beat impossible odds when he managed not to get relegated to the one hit wonder club after “My Name Is,” he’s going to have to beat even longer odds to maintain his frantic level of achievement.
In the last year or so, Em has managed to stay out of trouble, and by some reports, has even given up drugs. This maturation probably has his family breathing a sigh of relief, but it will be interesting to see the effect that growing up has on the formerly reckless emcee’s music. It would seem as if he’s leaning towards drifting into the background to become an overseer of others’ careers (akin to Dr. Dre), and since he aced out a number of other labels to bring 50 Cent into the mainstream, it appears as though his business acumen is as sharp as his pen. It is worth noting that Em’s most recent work behind the mic, on 50’s album, is less than stellar.
Does Eminem have one more great album left in him? It’s hard to picture him dropping a wack full length, but mediocrity is not out of the question. Following up three straight critically acclaimed albums is a tall order for an artist of any genre, so Eminem has his work cut out for him on his next effort. He’s at a precarious position in his career and it’s going to take some careful maneuvering on his part to maintain the respect and adulation that he’s accumulated so far. For those of us who watched him grow from local rapper to one of the most famous people in the world, our money is on him to keep beating the odds. (FuseONE)
6. Aesop Rock
Though he’s been relatively quiet the past twelve months, Aesop Rock is going to have to fall off hard before he’s not considered one of the top emcees on the planet by those in the know. Labor Days was a banger from beginning to end, and he’s going to be hard pressed to top that with the fall release of Bazooka Tooth, his next album. Word has it Aesop’s producing almost the entire thing himself, and while he’s certainly a capable and skilled producer, it’ll be curious to see how he does without Blockhead’s presence, seeing as how Blockhead contributed nearly as much to the overall quality of Labor Days as Aesop did.
There has never been any question that Aesop’s ability to manipulate the English language for his own purposes is practically unparalleled. For the man who’s got “twenty ways to tell you shut the fuck up” though, one has to ask if he’s going to need a few more in order to maintain his downright impressive track record. His catalogue thus far speaks for itself, however, and is reason enough to include him near the top of any list. From Music For Earthworms to the Daylight EP, he’s evolved enough from project to project to gain more fans with each release and yet still satisfy his core audience. This is far from an easy task no matter who you are, but Aesop has adeptly managed to strike that tenuous balance between respect and popularity.
So what does the future hold for the reclusive Aesop? Bazooka Tooth is going to be an interesting test to find out whether or not his market has been saturated or if he can still acquire new listeners. The idea that he’s going to produce the entire album sounds like something of a gamble on the surface, but Aesop should certainly be given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to who produces his albums. Yes, Blockhead has backed him with some incredible production in the past, but given Aesop’s history of making highly enjoyable rap songs, he has to be trusted to do so again. Let’s not forget, Aesop is a skilled producer in addition to being an emcee. Aiding his cause is the fact that he’s on the best label in independent hip hop, as El-P and Def Jux rarely make a wrong move. (FuseONE)
7. Brother Ali
In the years that followed Rites of Passage, Brother Ali built his rep as a battle emcee, competing against more heralded emcees such as Sage Francis and crew-mate, Eyedea. However, like his aforementioned opponents, Brother Ali proved that he is much more than a battle emcee with the release of Shadows on the Sun, his first foray into the digital realm. Though all of us who enjoyed Rites knew Ali had an incredible amount of talent, who among us thought he possessed the charisma and skill to bypass Slug and Eyedea and reign supreme as Rhymesayers\' top rhymesayer?
Simply put, Shadows is a nearly flawless album giving every true hip hop fan everything he or she could want out of an LP. The beats are slamming, but Ali makes them even doper with his commanding vocal presence. His flow is absolutely without error, and his rhymes are subtly intricate and poignant. Though he lacks the extensive catalog of many on this list, Shadows alone is a career achievement, and with its release in 2003, certainly qualifies him as one of the ten best emcees alive today. (Jay Seagraves)
8. Breezely Brewin
At long last, with the Third Earth release of the Juggaknots Clear Blue Skies (now known as re:release), the woefully unprolific Breezely Brewin is getting the props he deserves. Of the top ten emcees, he has by far the lowest profile, but to the relatively few heads who have listened to him, he is without doubt one of the elite. His rhyme structures are unparalleled. Nobody constructs rhymes the way Breeze does, and while that quality alone merits him a spot on this list, what is even more remarkable is that his content is as hot as his form. He has run the gambit from sick, emcee-combusting punchlines, to vast, thought-provoking social commentary with complete success.
As far as genuinely new, recently recorded material, all we have from him is a couple of guest appearances and the no longer new “Generally” single, but that’s more than enough proof that Breeze is still on top of his game. “Generally,” in particular, was an incredible example of Breeze’s talents-- it is at once a nostalgic look back at the trivial past, a criticism of the lame childrens’ obsessions of today, and an examination of suppressed, but still pervasive racist tendencies in American society, all told through rhymes that will damage your rewind button.
And as brilliant as that track is, it’s far from an anomaly for the Brewin. He spits unbelievable material with such a casual delivery that it’s easy for a listener to miss over half of what’s going on. Breeze can make the most complex lyrics seem natural, and given his flawless output (not a single weak line over dozens of tracks), it’s likely that they are just that-- natural. He’s talented, yes, he’s gifted. (Strychnine)
9. Ghostface Killah
Something about this man is marvelous. Maybe it’s an extremely fertile imagination, maybe it’s a rare joie de vivre, maybe it’s mountains of dust. Whatever the cause, the results have heads fiending for new Ghostface material.
Unfortunately, his last album, Bulletproof Wallets, was not able to make do on the promise of the preceding tracks that were leaked, largely due to sample clearance issues. Ghost’s charisma was not diluted at any point, but the album was disjointed and inconsistent, not to mention disappointing to his biggest fans. New joints such as “I Love You,” “Gorilla Hood” and “Paychecks” prove that not only does he still have it, he is possibly better than ever.
Since coming into his own on Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Ghost has been known for filleting and flamb
Hip Hop Infinity's Top 50 MCs of 2003
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Money Gripp
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LOLzers x infinity =
Jay Seagraves wrote:28. Eyedea
At the risk of damaging what limited credibility this list may have, Eyedea\'s placement as the #28 emcee in the world is a travesty. Eyedea is, at least in my opinion, the best emcee alive today. If every emcee in the world were given equal production and one-year\'s time to create an album, I feel that Eyedea\'s would be the best; and that is precisely what this list is about. (Jay Seagraves)
Re: Hip Hop Infinity's Top 50 MCs of 2003
49. Percee P
Do yourself a favor and go find Percee Pגs album, Now and Then. His delivery is flat out ridiculous and if you havenגt heard it, youגre seriously missing out. You might remember him making appearances on two cuts from Aesop Rockגs Music For Earthworms, in case you donגt know exactly who he is. (FuseONE)
Oh, that Percee P.
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Lyrical Gymnastics
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Tweak Da Leak
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At some point I ranked 71st of 100 on one of these lists. All I remember was tons of white guilt for being a spot ahead of Kool G Rap. LOLz.
Peace to Hired Gun, but this list was about effective as being named to URB's Next 100 for me and my crew, I think that was 2002 or 03. And by that I mean it didn't do shit.
Peace to Hired Gun, but this list was about effective as being named to URB's Next 100 for me and my crew, I think that was 2002 or 03. And by that I mean it didn't do shit.
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Brougham33
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list/picture are classic-
GUCCI CONDOMS
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Actually, you were number 38. Five spots ahead Kool G Rap.Smitty wrote:At some point I ranked 71st of 100 on one of these lists. All I remember was tons of white guilt for being a spot ahead of Kool G Rap. LOLz.
Peace to Hired Gun, but this list was about effective as being named to URB's Next 100 for me and my crew, I think that was 2002 or 03. And by that I mean it didn't do shit.
HHI Top 50 MC's 2002
(behind each name, is their ranking from the year before)
1. Sage Francis (2)
2. Aesop Rock (11)
3. Slug (3)
4. Illogic (18)
5. Common (1)
6. Jay-Z (NR)
7. Saul Williams (NR)
8. Pharoahe Monch (9)
9. Vast Aire (NR)
10. Nas (NR)
11. Eminem (5)
12. Abstract Rude (25)
13. Del The Funky Homosapien (12)
14. Murs (19)
15. Sole (4)
16. Eyedea (23)
17. Mos Def (6)
18. Ghostface Killah (NR)
19. Qwel (NR)
20. Talib Kweli (7)
21. MF Doom (47)
22. Gift of Gab (8)
23. Andre3000 (22)
24. Dose One (10)
25. KRS ONE (NR)
26. Pip Skid (24)
27. Mr. Lif (NR)
28. Chino XL (16)
29. L'Roneous (26)
30. Josh Martinez (29)
31. Ras Kass (20)
32. Boots Riley (28)
33. Eligh (30)
34. Rise (NR)
35. Aceyalone (14)
36. Mikah 9 (31)
37. 2Mex (NR)
38. John Smith (NR)
39. Posdunous (42)
40. The Grouch (13)
41. Buck 65 (17)
42. Black Thought (21)
43. Kool G Rap (33)
44. JUICE (NR)
45. Vakill (NR)
46. Blueprint (NR)
47. ADeeM (32)
48. El-P (41)
49. Alias (45)
50. soulheir the manCHILD (NR)
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GUCCI CONDOMS
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21. Slug
Slug doesn\'t so much rap as he bleeds his lyrics into the mic. Saddled with the onus of representing an entire generation of wandering souls, he is to today\'s hip hop adolescents what Kurt Cobain was to 1990s rockers.
this seriously might be the worst thing ever written in the history of humanity
Slug doesn\'t so much rap as he bleeds his lyrics into the mic. Saddled with the onus of representing an entire generation of wandering souls, he is to today\'s hip hop adolescents what Kurt Cobain was to 1990s rockers.
this seriously might be the worst thing ever written in the history of humanity