MC Battle
So, I was just hanging around the house today, and MTV was running some MTV2 Programming. I got sucked in by seeing Mr. Lif on their 'artists to watch' program, and then they had a countdown. They had the 22 Greatest MCs, as voted by the viewers.
The list was decent, but I definitely take issue with a few of their choices. Chuck D was number 22? Gimme a break. No Q-Tip, but Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown made the list? The girls are definitely on point, but neither rank in the top 22. They might sneak in if it were a top 30, and they'd definitely be in a top 40... But, no.
And while Dr. Dre may be one of the best producers of all time (rap or otherwise), I can't see putting him on this list. Something like half the verses he spits are written by other MCs.
So, of course, this lead to me deciding to come up with my own list. Its not easy and, as MTV did, I'm going to throw a couple of groups in their as one entry. At any rate, here we go.
For the record, while my own personal favorites played into this, I tired to reflect overall impact on the hip hop world as well.
22) Common
He's got a very unique flow, and comes from a more emotionally true place than most MCs out there. Very soulful.
21) Method Man
To stand out amongst the entire Wu-Tang Clan is no small feat. He keeps it gutter, and "All I Need", his duet with Mary J Blige, remains one of my favorite all-time tracks.
20) Outkast
Big Boi and Andre 3000 have some amazingly inventive shit going on. They take rap in directions that few others even dream of.
19) Ice-T
His rhyme structure has never been that complex, but his flow was always tight. Ice invented gangsta rap, and put West Coast rap on the map.
18) Busta Rhymes
One of my personal favorites. Busta mixes up crowd-pleasing party anthems with thought provoking material influenced by the Five Percent Nation. He doesn't spit rhymes, he spits fire.
17) Q-Tip
What really needs to be said here? From his work with Tribe Called Quest to his solo work and collaborations, Q-Tip brought the Native Tongues style to the masses.
16) LL Cool J
From the age of 16, he was crushing the competition. Still one of the best battle MCs out there, LL held it down for the ladies, too. He was brash as all hell, but made it OK for MCs to drop the tough guys stance for a while and get romantic.
15) Queen Latifah
She came come out with some roughneck shit, or be completely regal. She can go head to head with most of the male MCs on this list, but she has a presence about her that can't be matched.
14) Snoop Dogg
He changed the game with "Deep Cover", and brought a whole new sound to rap. He's continued to grow as an MC and performer since then, and he's household name now. Still at his best when rapping over a Dr. Dre beat, but he's in the pantheon of greats regardless.
13) DMX
Raw and rough. X doesn't have a hype man, its just him and a mic, rapping until he nearly collapses. He has a preacher-like charisma, matched with the vocal chords or a rabid pit bull. He has a totally unique flow.
12) The Beastie Boys
Though their antics were strictly frat house to begin with, their flow was always tight. The Beasties got rap airplay in a lot of places it wouldn't have been otherwise back in 80's. They're a crucial part of rap history.
11) Chuck D
His voice booms with authority and sucks you right in. No other MC could ever get away with lecturing their audience the way Chuck did, but he dropped a lot of knowledge over the years.
10) Kool Keith
Probably the least well-known MC on my list, Kieth is a lunatic. He showed insane promise back with the Ultramagnetic MCs, but once he and Dan the Automator dropped Dr. Octagon on an unsuspecting populace, the game was changed. Without Kool Kieth, there is no Outkast, and there probably wouldn't be a Missy Elliot either.
9) KRS-One
Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone. From the moment he punked out MC Shan with "South Bronx", KRS has been one of the greats. The great duality to him was that, like Chuck D, he was a teacher, in addition to being one of rap's fiercest battle MCs.
8) Missy Elliot
The best woman in the history of rap, and one of the most innovative MCs in the game. Missy rides a beat so well, it ceases to matter if she's even using real words. She'll rap backwards, sideways, and in gibberish. She is always two years ahead of everyone else.
7) Run DMC
The Kings. Nothing else needs to be said. If you don't know their place in music history, you've slept through the last 20 years.
6) Rakim
Thoughtful, and thought-provoking. Rakim changed rap forever with his flow and philosophy. You can literally hear the difference reflected in other rappers' verses and style. He is the line that divides old school and new school rap.
5) Nas
Nas follows in the footsteps of both Rakim and KRS, as he focusses on spreading a message with his later work. He debuted strong with 'Illmatic', but didn't make waves for a number of years after. A feud with Jay-Z brought him back to prominence, and he's doing the best work of his career now. "One Mic" may be one of the best rap songs of all time.
4) Jay-Z
The Jigga-Man is the standard-bearer for East Coast flow. He was tight back in the day, but after Biggie's death, he rose to become the man. He's the heir to so many of rap's greats, as he takes what they did the next level. LL, Big Daddy Kane, Ice-T, and Biggie himself all paved the way for Jay-Z.
3) Eminem
There is a lot of bad shit that can be said about Eminem. But, the fact remains, he is the best MC out there right now. He's a backpack rapper that became Elvis.
2) The Notorious B.I.G.
He was an amazing rapper in life, but the legend grows since his passing. Sometimes, it seems like he's mentioned too much. Like, maybe, there was no way he was as good as people make him out to be after he died... Just listen to "Juicy" and you'll see he was the real deal. One of rap's best storytellers.
1) 2-Pac
As with Biggie, the legend has grown. But Pac was one of a kind. He had the fire and conviction of a man who truly wasn't afraid to die, and who expected it to be right around the corner. In one breath, he'd boast about his thug life, in the next he'd be on the verge of tears, rapping about how much he loved his momma. He was a poet.
Honorable mentions and near-misses:
De La Soul, Guru, Wyclef, Ludacris, Ghetto Boys, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Ice Cube, and 50 Cent (who I think will get there eventually).
The list was decent, but I definitely take issue with a few of their choices. Chuck D was number 22? Gimme a break. No Q-Tip, but Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown made the list? The girls are definitely on point, but neither rank in the top 22. They might sneak in if it were a top 30, and they'd definitely be in a top 40... But, no.
And while Dr. Dre may be one of the best producers of all time (rap or otherwise), I can't see putting him on this list. Something like half the verses he spits are written by other MCs.
So, of course, this lead to me deciding to come up with my own list. Its not easy and, as MTV did, I'm going to throw a couple of groups in their as one entry. At any rate, here we go.
For the record, while my own personal favorites played into this, I tired to reflect overall impact on the hip hop world as well.
22) Common
He's got a very unique flow, and comes from a more emotionally true place than most MCs out there. Very soulful.
21) Method Man
To stand out amongst the entire Wu-Tang Clan is no small feat. He keeps it gutter, and "All I Need", his duet with Mary J Blige, remains one of my favorite all-time tracks.
20) Outkast
Big Boi and Andre 3000 have some amazingly inventive shit going on. They take rap in directions that few others even dream of.
19) Ice-T
His rhyme structure has never been that complex, but his flow was always tight. Ice invented gangsta rap, and put West Coast rap on the map.
18) Busta Rhymes
One of my personal favorites. Busta mixes up crowd-pleasing party anthems with thought provoking material influenced by the Five Percent Nation. He doesn't spit rhymes, he spits fire.
17) Q-Tip
What really needs to be said here? From his work with Tribe Called Quest to his solo work and collaborations, Q-Tip brought the Native Tongues style to the masses.
16) LL Cool J
From the age of 16, he was crushing the competition. Still one of the best battle MCs out there, LL held it down for the ladies, too. He was brash as all hell, but made it OK for MCs to drop the tough guys stance for a while and get romantic.
15) Queen Latifah
She came come out with some roughneck shit, or be completely regal. She can go head to head with most of the male MCs on this list, but she has a presence about her that can't be matched.
14) Snoop Dogg
He changed the game with "Deep Cover", and brought a whole new sound to rap. He's continued to grow as an MC and performer since then, and he's household name now. Still at his best when rapping over a Dr. Dre beat, but he's in the pantheon of greats regardless.
13) DMX
Raw and rough. X doesn't have a hype man, its just him and a mic, rapping until he nearly collapses. He has a preacher-like charisma, matched with the vocal chords or a rabid pit bull. He has a totally unique flow.
12) The Beastie Boys
Though their antics were strictly frat house to begin with, their flow was always tight. The Beasties got rap airplay in a lot of places it wouldn't have been otherwise back in 80's. They're a crucial part of rap history.
11) Chuck D
His voice booms with authority and sucks you right in. No other MC could ever get away with lecturing their audience the way Chuck did, but he dropped a lot of knowledge over the years.
10) Kool Keith
Probably the least well-known MC on my list, Kieth is a lunatic. He showed insane promise back with the Ultramagnetic MCs, but once he and Dan the Automator dropped Dr. Octagon on an unsuspecting populace, the game was changed. Without Kool Kieth, there is no Outkast, and there probably wouldn't be a Missy Elliot either.
9) KRS-One
Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone. From the moment he punked out MC Shan with "South Bronx", KRS has been one of the greats. The great duality to him was that, like Chuck D, he was a teacher, in addition to being one of rap's fiercest battle MCs.
8) Missy Elliot
The best woman in the history of rap, and one of the most innovative MCs in the game. Missy rides a beat so well, it ceases to matter if she's even using real words. She'll rap backwards, sideways, and in gibberish. She is always two years ahead of everyone else.
7) Run DMC
The Kings. Nothing else needs to be said. If you don't know their place in music history, you've slept through the last 20 years.
6) Rakim
Thoughtful, and thought-provoking. Rakim changed rap forever with his flow and philosophy. You can literally hear the difference reflected in other rappers' verses and style. He is the line that divides old school and new school rap.
5) Nas
Nas follows in the footsteps of both Rakim and KRS, as he focusses on spreading a message with his later work. He debuted strong with 'Illmatic', but didn't make waves for a number of years after. A feud with Jay-Z brought him back to prominence, and he's doing the best work of his career now. "One Mic" may be one of the best rap songs of all time.
4) Jay-Z
The Jigga-Man is the standard-bearer for East Coast flow. He was tight back in the day, but after Biggie's death, he rose to become the man. He's the heir to so many of rap's greats, as he takes what they did the next level. LL, Big Daddy Kane, Ice-T, and Biggie himself all paved the way for Jay-Z.
3) Eminem
There is a lot of bad shit that can be said about Eminem. But, the fact remains, he is the best MC out there right now. He's a backpack rapper that became Elvis.
2) The Notorious B.I.G.
He was an amazing rapper in life, but the legend grows since his passing. Sometimes, it seems like he's mentioned too much. Like, maybe, there was no way he was as good as people make him out to be after he died... Just listen to "Juicy" and you'll see he was the real deal. One of rap's best storytellers.
1) 2-Pac
As with Biggie, the legend has grown. But Pac was one of a kind. He had the fire and conviction of a man who truly wasn't afraid to die, and who expected it to be right around the corner. In one breath, he'd boast about his thug life, in the next he'd be on the verge of tears, rapping about how much he loved his momma. He was a poet.
Honorable mentions and near-misses:
De La Soul, Guru, Wyclef, Ludacris, Ghetto Boys, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Ice Cube, and 50 Cent (who I think will get there eventually).