Top Ten MC's Of All Time and then other MC's Dec 20 '05    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music Revelation [Digipak] by Journey From $12 Machine Gun Etiquette by The Damned From $40 The Bottom Line This is my list of the top 10 rappers of all time and then 11-50, but I mainly focus on the top 10 This is my first published top ten list of great rappers. After each artist in the top 10, I explained why they deserve their position on my list and listed some albums of theirs that are better than solid. I also listed some MC's that didn't make my top ten. Please comment on this list so I can make improved lists in the future. PS- How do you get words to be bold or in italics PS2- I judged rappers based on lyricism, intelligence, power, storytelling ability, battling capability and creativity. Enjoy... 10. Talib Kweli Talib first appeared as an MC along with Mos Def as part of a group called Black Star. Their first album was an underground classic and both were given critical acclaim. Talib Kweli went on to work on four solo albums that all received acclaim—except for The Beautiful Struggle—and suddenly established himself as a chief in political rap. Many people say his biggest weakness is his voice, but with a solid flow, great lyrics and amazing use of figurative language, he deserves the ten spot on this list of great MC’s. Recommended Albums: Black Star, Reflection Eternal, Quality, Right About Now (The Official Sucka Free Mix CD) 9. Kool G Rap The cool genius of rap started his career along with DJ Polo in the mid 1980’s and quickly established himself as a great lyricist and intelligent person. He has a very quick and sharp flow which blends well with both his Mafioso rhymes and his cautionary street tales (see Streets Of New York). Kool G is still rapping today mostly as a guest and he maintains great lyricism, but some say he lost his biting flow. He influenced pretty much every East Coast gangsta rapper and will go down in history as one of the greats. Recommended Albums: Road To The Riches, Wanted: Dead Or Alive 8. Chuck D Chuck D is the fierce, controversial and presumably racist MC who has the skill of commanding people similar to Malcolm X. He and his legendary Public Enemy crew entered the rap game in the late 1980’s and scared every white authoritative figure with ferocious lyrics. His rhymes showed the truths and his interpretations on American authority. He simply doesn’t get respect for being one of the first great political MC’s. Although I disagree with many of his views—such as his hatred for Jews—I salute his courage to be able to say what he wants intelligently. (PS- Download his albums illegally, don't buy them because he was an advocate of Napster) Recommended Albums: It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, Apocalypse 91’- The Enemy Strikes Back, Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age, He Got Game 7. The Notorious B.I.G. The large, charismatic man known as Biggie Smalls, owned commercial hip-hop during the mid-1990’s. However, his mainstream singles like Mo Money, Mo Problems were not his only endeavors. He had a more serious side that created songs about suicidal thoughts. Amongst the mainstream hits and his occasionally serious songs, he also had many Mafioso style and braggadocio songs. His Mafioso songs can be interpreted of him educating people about the ghetto, however in many songs, he puts himself in first person and brakes the law. His braggadocio songs were inconsistent, but when they were good, they were classic. Although Biggie seemed to be in the rap game for money and women a lot, he is still as he would say “a mother****ing rap phenomenon.” Recommended Albums: Ready To Die, Life After Death, Born Again 6. 2Pac 2Pac is the most overrated and loved rapper of all time. America loves him so much because he and his good friend (ha ha) Notorious B.I.G. were both killed in the East coast vs. West coast rap feud and because he has come out with a countless amount of posthumous records. That being said 2Pac is an elite MC. He constantly rapped about problems in the street and all of his serious songs were heartfelt. He had above average flow and lyricism, but excelled in emotion. He is one of few political rappers that doesn’t use anger to make his points, but instead reason. As mentioned before, he is also a good battle rapper giving him the alter ego of a gangster. (OK, it is Tupac’s fault that people see him as a thug or gangster, but that simply isn’t what he is). Whether 2Pac, is talking about his mother, politics, being a great rapper or just talking about hoes, he is successful, but his raw skills simply aren’t that impressive. Recommended Albums: Me Against The World, All Eyez On Me, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory 5. Rakim Rakim is more of a warrior than an MC as he started rapping in the mid 80’s and is currently both rapping and outliving those that he influenced today. He broke into the rap scene in the mid 80’s and released classic albums with DJ Eric B. such as Paid In Full and Follow The Leader. After essentially two albums, he was revered as a great MC. He has a lovable flow, a semi-monotone voice and is able to rhyme quickly and still maintain great lyricism. The only knock on him is that all he does is rap about having great skills. This is somewhat true, however, as a solo artist; he is currently exploring many philosophical issues like religion. Rakim if anything is the most influential and consistent rapper ever. Recommended Albums: Paid In Full, Follow The Leader, Don’t Sweat The Technique, The 18th Letter 4. Ice Cube During the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, Ice Cube was the king of the west coast. He was part of the super group, NWA, and he eventually murdered NWA with the battle rhyme called No Vaseline. He spit fire when he was on the mic and was the hungriest MC alive. He constantly told vivid stories about the ghetto and related it to his hatred toward ‘White America.’ After his first album with the Westside Connection group, he fell off. He became a movie star and didn’t rhyme with pure emotion as he did in the past. If he did not become a movie star, he might have been a top three MC on this list, but nobody knows. Although he was blatantly racist towards whites, Jews and Koreans, he is still the greatest West Coast Rapper Ever. Recommended Albums: Amerikkka’s Most Wanted, Death Certificate, The Predator 3. Common Common is the definition of a conscious rapper. He discusses justice, civil rights and politics in general with great knowledge. He is also the definition of an all around great MC. He has shown that he can battle as he destroyed a great MC Ice Cube, he can tell stories especially about injustice (See A Song For Assata) and he even can look at the world metaphorically comparing the rap game to a woman in one song. He has a smooth, soft and clean voice that has much to say. He is an MC not afraid of trying something new as all of his albums have been experiments showing his creativity. His influence extends from Kanye West to Mos Def, yet he is still unique when he performs beside them. The #3 MC is the king of Midwestern rap, alternative rap and could probably have the #1 spot with one more great album. Recommended Albums: Resurrection, Like Water For Chocolate, Be 2. KRS-One As the lead rapper for Boogie Down Productions, KRS was originally known for his battle song “The Bridge Is Over” that ended Marley Marl’s career. However, KRS is far from a one dimensional battle rapper. As his name’s acronym (Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone) shows, he is obviously a very intelligent and philosophical rapper. Over his almost 20 year career (yes, he started in 1986), he has talked about subjects ranging from AIDS to police brutality to just being the best rapper ever. He constantly raps over minimalist beats, showing his powerful delivery, tough flow and thoughtful lyrics. When he makes a point he doesn’t simply say it, he provides evidence and explains clearly. He has influenced every current day conscious MC. He can easily be #1 on this list, but he is simply not as creative as... Recommended Albums: Criminal Minded, By All Means Necessary, Return Of The Boom Bap, KRS-One 1. Nas Nas started out his career with the classic album, Illmatic, which gained him respect from everyone including his soon to be enemy Jay-Z. This album displayed Nas’ exceptional lyricism and intelligence. As his career went on, some say that he slowly fell off, however when he put Jay-Z to shame in their battle for New York, he regained all respect. He regained respect as the street poet who was hailed for his storytelling, creativity (he told a story backwards) and distinct flow. He has influenced almost everybody who he has rapped with and he is the only reason today that people respect Queensbridge, his home. As an all around great rapper with great albums, he deserves to be acknowledged as the greatest of all time. Recommended Albums: Illmatic, It Was Written, Stillmatic & God’s Son 11. Pharaohe Monch 12. Big Daddy Kane 13. Black Thought 14. Del Tha Funky Homosapien 15. Masta Ace 16. Jay-Z 17. Scarface 18. Big L 18. Mos Def 20. Lord Finesse 21. Big Punisher 22. Eminem 23. GZA/Genius 24. Killah Priest 25. Jeru The Damaja 26. O.C. 27. Xzibit 28. Andre 3000 29. Slick Rick 30. Lauryn Hill 31. Canibus 32. Ghostface Killah 33. Ras Kass 34. Vinnie Paz 35. Jean Grae 36. Cormega 37. MF Doom 38. Busta Rhymes 39. Dr. Dre 40. Guru Honorable Mentions • Raekwon • Inspectah Deck • Prodigy • Immortal Technique • Q-Tip • MC Ren • Kanye West • Ludacris • RZA

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