The Best of the Best: the 50 Greatest Emcees/Rappers Ever (#40-31) Aug 19 '04 (Updated Aug 07 '08)    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast From $8 Mai by Eri Sugai From $4 The Bottom Line We move onto numbers 40-31... Now, we move onto numbers 40 to 31, and the “underrated” segment of the countdown. What that basically means is here we have some of the most talented artists around; but for some reason, whatever it may be, many of these cats simply don’t or haven’t received the right amount of props for their skill or ability. While some aren’t massive names; their catalogue and work ethic deservedly propels them over some of the bigger names in the last section. You'll also see virtually no Westcoast artists - quite a contrast to before. But enough explanation, let’s crack on with 40 – 31… #40. Buckshot We kick off the underrated section of this countdown with Buckshort Shorty, longtime leader of the Boot Camp Clik and in turn his own trio Black Moon. When I think of Buck, I think the epitome of a good hardcore Eastcoast emcee. A dope, gruff voice, fantastic flow, and tough, smart rhymes that simultaneously make you think and nod your head. Buck’s been remarkably consistent; but in the earlier stages of his career is when we saw him at his best, it’s just a shame his solo effort “BDI Thug” wasn’t better. I guess a few people will be surprised at Shorty's appearance here - over icons such as Snoop - but his lyrical ability, catalogue and all-round skill means he deserves it. Essential Listening: “Enter Da Stage” (1993) #39. Big L The wunder kid of New York hip hop in the mid to late 1990s, it is quite conceivable that if Big L had avoided his untimely death he would have gone on to become one of the greats of the Boom Bap era. A witty, testosterone-charged punchliner who took his mentor Lord Finesse's style and ran with it, the kid was the epitome of 90s B-Boy New York hip hop, and was worshipped because of it. He had great comic timing, but unfortunately a lack of consistent production undermined him. While as talented as anyone on here, the lack of decent production showed on his promising if flawed debut album. Overrated, but still legendary in his own way. Essential Listening: "Livestylez ov Da Poor & Dangerous" (1995), "The Big Picture" (1999) #38. Jeru the Damaja It's quite an achievement to be the best at ripping a DJ Premier track to pieces. Nas, Jay-Z, Biggie, Common, KRS-One, Rakim, Ras Kass... illustrious names, but none could do it quite as well as MY man Jeru the Damaja. Wrecking shop with one bonafide classic ("Sun Rises in the East") and a near-classic follow up ("Wrath of the Math"); all overseen by the midas touch of Primo, Jeru soared to critical underground acclaim in mid 90s boom-bap New York City. Ok so now he's a fallen character, a cheap imitation of a once great emcee, but to be the best over a Premier track when so many others have tried is some feat. The rugged, unique style of Jeru in full flow was truly something to behold. Essential Listening: Sun Rises in the East" (1994), "Wrath of the Math" (1996). #37.Busta Rhymes The maddest emcee around, with one of the most distinctive styles on this list, Busta is a far more determined and seasoned industry veteran than his fun loving, manic public exterior suggests. The same goes for his rapping ability. And this has allowed him to hang around the upper echelons of the rap game for a decade; releasing solid albums, rippin up guest verses, and in general being the Party Clown of the rap world. So why isn't he higher? Well, Busta has this problem, he always sounds the same. Every album is a variation on the same theme as the last - and he's never had a truly outstanding, classic album. Solid artist, but nothing more, sadly. Essential Listening: "The Coming" (1996), "When Disaster Strikes" (1997) #36. Xzibit And Mr X to the Z is yet another one of those cats who finds personal preference with yours truly easy to come by. Xzibit is the best rugged rhymer around; he has a Top 5 voice, searing battle lyrics, yet a fantastically introspective, thoughtful mind that created CLASSIC songs like “Carry the Weight” and “Foundation”. An erstwhile member of the legendary Likwit crew (see Tash), back in the late 90s X was the next underground cat on the verge of blowing up, bigtime. But while a dream affiliation with Dr. Dre helped in some regards - "X" brought X to the Z to the masses like never before in his career - album sales didn't really rocket and he didn't quite explode. Now back with the Likwit fam., let's hope we see another ATSOL. Essential Listening: "At The Speed Of Life" (1996), 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz" (1998) #35. AZ In direct contrast to the sandpaper-edged style of X, we now run across the cat with arguably the best flow in the rap game. Yep, this is AZ, made famous by one of the greatest guest verses of all time (Nas’ Life’s A Bi*h for those who hadn’t figured). With the smoothest, cleanest rapping style around, AZ’s whole style oozes rhythm and pace, but sadly the arc of his career ever since his classic, 5 star 1995 debut album has been a descending one. Seemingly permanently entrenched in his mentor Nas’ shadow; AZ has got talent for days, but too many times I've been left mortified by his misuse of it. Essential Listening: “Doe or Die” (1995), "Aziatic" (2002)> #34. O.C. One of my favourite emcees of all time keeps sh!t moving at number 39; O.C. is quite possibly the most underrated rapper of all time. Along with Lord Finesse and Big L, O.C.’s skills as an elite emcee pushed the Diggin' in the Crates crew to the forefront of the NYC underground in the early to late 90s. Confident and witty with his braggadocio, but equally adept at switching to introspective, intelligence mindsets, in his prime the Brooklyn rapper released one set-in-stone classic “Word…Life” and a highly impressive follow up. Still active, this cat deserves ridiculously more props than he actually gets, and he's better than L. Essential Listening: “Word…Life” (1994), “Jewelz” (1997) #33. Method Man Is Method Man’s rep as one of hip hop’s forefront rap artists one of the most misleading views ever seen in the culture? I certainly think so. Ever since we witnessed the grimy, witty and charismatic personality of the mushy-mouthed “Mr Meth” during “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” and the solid if overrated “Tical”, it seems like commercial rap’s golden son has only been good for guest spots and Wu albums. Every album since has been disappointing; and "Tical O: The Prequel" was a disaster. So why such high a placement? Well, Meth’s best work is outstanding, and he’s such an accomplished, talented rapper on his day that you can’t help but place him well up with the big guns. In 2006, the rapper made something of a comeback with the very impressive "4:21... The Day After". Essential Listening: "Tical" (1994), "4:21... The Day After" (2006) #32. Prodigy There are certainly more technically adroit emcees on this list; but the genius of Mobb Deep frontman Prodigy lays elsewhere. Few others have the storytelling or picture-painting gift that Pee does; or the sullen, murderous voice that sets him apart from virtually any other peer. Despite well-publicised beef with giant Jay-Z, and an obvious fall off within the last few years, between 1993 and 2000 Pee was the best source around for nihilistic, dark and frankly cold street poetry. No one can do it quite like him, but on the latest Mobb album "Amerika's Nightmare" P demonstrates why he isn't higher, as he has fallen way below exceptional standards. Essential Listening: “The Infamous” (1995), "Hell on Earth" (1996), H.N.I.C. (2000) #31. Kurupt If I was ranking this list based on the past 3 years, Kurupt wouldn’t make the Top 75. But between 1992 and 2000 the Dogg Pound Gangsta was quite simply one of the most naturally talented and outstanding talents in rap. Dogg Food and Doggystyle found a Philly-born, L.A.-reppin gangsta slash battle rapper literally ripping up every single verse he touched, and later “Streetz Iz a Mutha” showed a more rounded, capable artist. With a dexterous, pacy flow, venomous rhymes and a freestyle capability that allows him to match up to the second best emcee on this list, Kurupt could have been the next Rakim. It just went wrong somewhere. Essential Listening: “Dogg Food” (1995), "Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha" (1999) Previous Installments: The Greatest Emcees of All Time: #50-41 The Greatest Emcees of All Time: #30-21 The Greatest Emcees of All Time: #20-11 The Greatest Emcees of All Time: #10-1 Check it out - it makes more sense if you start from the beginning - and leave a comment! It would be appreciated. -peace-

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