Top 10 Rappers of All Time: A Case Study (Part 2: 5-1) Oct 10 '07 (Updated Nov 30 '11)    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet The Bottom Line TOP FIVE DEAD OR ALIVE Continuing from Top 10 Rappers of All Time: A Case Study (Part 1: 10-6) 5. Common “My style's my child, I gave birth to it” “Your career is a typo, mine was written like a haiku” “People call me Com and collective with perspective” Comical common has a laid back flow and seemingly easy lyrics, but listening closer you invariably find cunning wordplay and substance to his catchy rhymes. The “MC with a conscious” is a wise wordsmith who’s skills got him the opportunity to work with Chicago’s best producers, No. I.D. and Kanye West, and make many memorable albums. Common always maintained his underground feel and love for staying away from mainstream consumer-based mentality. Even after winning a Grammy, he raps “I never kiss the a*ses of the masses/ I’m the black molasses/ thick and I lasted, past these rap bastards.” Common’s rhymes are without fail well-respected by his peers. A testament to an innovator that stayed true to his vision. “Slowly but surely, I pour the lyric into the glass of your mind.” Common in Words “Parallel to a carrousel of murders I prefer to make a life than take a life Stopped at a street called Wise and made a right Sort of how I play my broads, just how I play the mic First I cuff it, then finger f*ck it Check it something rugged, other ni**as be reluctant To touch it after me Passively they strike, never matching me Rapidly, don't placidly I fabricate the verbal tapestry Tap the keg of you conscious Navigate ni**as like Farrhakan with a compass” Common’s Discography Can I Borrow a Dollar? (1992) *** (3/5) Resurrection (1994) ***** (5/5) One Day It'll All Make Sense (1997) **** (4/5) Like Water for Chocolate (2000) **** (4/5) Electric Circus (2002) *** (3/5) Be (2005) **** (4/5) Finding Forever (2007) ***** (5/5) Universal Mind Control (2008) *** (3/5) The Dreamer, The Believer (2011) 4. Jay-Z “Like short sleeves I bare arm” “Difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week. I do this in my sleep” “I came, I saw, I conquered. From record sales, to sold out concerts” Jay-Z is the type of rapper that could rap to literally anything or better yet accapella. Effortlessly rapping on any Hip Hop or R&B tracks, it is apparent that he could as easily rap on a classical, jazz or country songs if he wanted to. Like a metronome precision for a pianist or a perfect pitch for an opera conductor, he rhymes seamlessly with the beat or creates his own propelling vocal force. He makes it look easy; he makes it look good. He is said to memorize his lyrics instead of writing them, as if carrying them in his head instead of his book of rhymes, a testament perhaps to his predisposition for this profession. Lyric-wise, he holds his own: good use of words, metaphors abound, subjects are explored, and interesting imageries are conveyed. Even in tracks with darker subject like “Friend or Foe” Jay-Z’s rhymes always seem fun and playful. Looking past the immaturity of his “Money, Cash, Hoes” recurring theme (unfortunately as tied now to Hip Hop as a spiraling sad song is to Blues), his charisma on the microphone is contagious. His consistently and considerably above average artistic offerings are bought, listened to and noted. His place in the Hip Hop Hale of Fame is assured. Jay-Z in Words “My pain wish it was quick to see, From selling 'caine, til brains was fried to a fricassee, Can't lie, at the time it never bothered me At the bar, getting my thug on properly, my squad and me Lack of respect for authority, Laughing hard, happy to be escaping poverty, however brief I know this game got valleys and peaks” Jay-Z’s Discography Reasonable Doubt (1996) **** (4/5) In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997) **** (4/5) Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life (1998) **** (4/5) Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter (1999) **** (4/5) The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000) **** (4/5) The Blueprint (2001) **** (4/5) The Blueprint2:The Gift & the Curse (2002) *** (3/5) The Best of Both Worlds (2002) f/ R. Kelly **** (4/5) The Black Album (2003) ***** (5/5) Unfinished Business (2004) f/ R. Kelly *** (3/5) Collision Course (2004) f/ Linkin Park *** (3/5) Kingdom Come (2006) *** (3/5) American Gangster (2007) *** (3/5) The Blueprint 3 (2009) **** (4/5) Watch the Throne (2011) f/ Kanye West **** (4/5) 3. Nas “Half-man, half-amazin" “This ain't to glorify, just painting a street picture” “Ni*gas fear what they don’t understand, hate what they can’t conquer Guess it's just the fury of man. Became a monster…” Self-proclaimed King of New York and God Son (although, in some people’s eyes we may all be), it’s not the arrogance, but the innocence of Nassir Jones that impresses us. He impregnates our minds with vivid descriptions, looks at life with curious and captivated eyes, insights us to think, without making too many conclusions himself. He leaves us mostly with impressions. In fact, if Hip Hop ever had an impressionist movement, Nas would be the painter of choice. Conflicted, uneven, speculative, Nas’ talent is raw, rugged, but mostly vastly vertiginous creatively. I do not know of any other rapper with some many original songs and song concepts that work. Even if he claims that “No Idea Is Original”, he is definitely trying to contradict himself at any chance he gets. Still, Nas paints what he observes and stays within rap ghetto-influenced themes and schemes. If being hood, gangsta and unintelligent is “in”, he is definitely immersed in the first two, but does not emerge for the third charm, he rather remains underwater while hinting to an “in”tellignce that is credible (not incredible) and refreshing even when intermingled with often requisite redundancy. Nas treasures hip hop, but loves life above all and it shows in his work (even if he talks about the type of life that most of us would like to avoid). He understands it pretty well and his artistic view point (not his point of view) is what makes him the impenetrable, elusive rap giant that he is. Eloquence for the underprivileged. Nas in Words “Through the lights cameras and action, glamour glitters and gold I unfold the scroll, plant seeds to stampede the globe When I'm deceased, by then the beast arise like yeast To conquer peace, leaving savages to roam in the streets Live on the run, police paying me to give in my gun Trick my wisdom, with the system that imprisoned my son” Nas’ Discography Illmatic (1994) ***** (5/5) It Was Written (1996) **** (4/5) The Firm (1997) f/ Foxy Brown & AZ *** (3/5) I am… (1999) *** (3/5) Nastradamus (1999) *** (3/5) Stillmatic (2001) ***** (5/5) The Lost Tapes (2002) **** (5/5) God’s Son (2002) **** (4/5) Street’s Disciple (2004) ** (2/5) Hip Hop is Dead (2006) **** (4/5)  Untitled (2008)**** (4/5) Distant Relatives (2010) f/ Damien Marley ***** (5/5) Life is Good (2012) 2. Eminem “Your style is like dying in my sleep, I don't feel it” “Now who's the king of these rude ludicrous lucrative lyrics?” “Clinical studies show that I'm cynical There's no one who's identical to my fresh and authentic flow” The Rags-to-riches story of Detroit native enchanted the world enough to make a successful film about (which he quite aptly acted in), but this rapper’s real skill is in making a satyr of everything and anything including himself, his family, colleagues and the world. His cynicism & cleverness from his underground debut Infinite and mastery of mutli-syllable rhyme construction and delivery are as captivating as his controversy-heavy Slim Shady LP & Marshal Matters LP or his slightly more contemplative The Eminem Show & Encore. Em has a knack for perspective, pranks, and perversities, and utilizes his uncanny wit and creativity in the rap form that he has helped to shape. Eminem is a true pioneer. He also happens to be the most-successful rap artist ever, but contrary to the trend of a lot of medicore popular artist and often near-starving insightful talented underground true artists, Eminem’s fame is a reflection of his incredible talent and his love for his art. Fierce freestyler and battle rhymer, Marshall can be extremely comical, is a great storyteller, uses his voice, infliction and delivery to a tee, instantly gets the listener mentally and emotionally involved and has even showed prowess as a producer. Eminem can be summed up by this powerful and truthful verse of his: “My songs can make you cry, take you by surprise And at the same time, make you dry your eyes with the same rhyme See what you're seeing is a genius at work Which to me isn't work….” Eminem in Words “Every girl I ever went out with has gone lez Follow me and do exactly what the song says Smoke weed, take pills, drop outta school, kill people And drink and jump behind the wheel like it was still legal I'm dumb enough to walk in a store and steal So I'm dumb enough to ask for a date wit Lauryn Hill Some people only see that I'm white, ignoring skill 'cause I stand out like a green hat wit an orange bill But I don't get pi*sed, y'all don't even see through the mist How the f*ck can I be white, I don't even exist I get a clean shave, bathe, go to a rave Die from an overdose and dig myself up out of my grave My middle finger won’t go down, how do I wave? And this is how I'm supposed to teach kids how to behave?” Eminiem’s Discography Infnite (1995) **** (4/5) The Slim Shady LP (1999) **** (4/5) The Marshall Matters LP (2000) ***** (5/5) The Eminem Show (2002) ***** (5/5) Encore (2004) **** (4/5) Relapse (2009) **** (4/5) Recovery (2010) ***** (5/5) Hell: The Sequel (2011) f/ Royce da 5'9'' **** (4/5) 1. Canibus “What I say should be displayed at the Smithsonian” “The inconsistency of my text makes me complex” “I’ve almost perfected this. I’m one word away from excellence” “He claimed that he had writing the greatest rhyme of all time, but he would never take it out his archive.” Canibus is the freestyle champion, the alien rapper with alienating Webster-dictionary creative combative commendable rhymes, the gritty voice’s MC’s with concepts and metaphors intertwined endlessly, the type of rapper you can listen to his songs a hundred times and some subtlety still not see. Going through his impressive catalog of rhymes, from freestyles, to features or songs, you find so many quote-worthy lines that stimulate your mind that you may think his CDs should be ordered by prescription only. “Way above and beyond what was intended; the unparalleled malleable annunciation of a sentence.” Put one of his raps next to anybody else and it’s no contest. Canibus can outrap anybody, period. Lately, his raw verbal and intellectual skills have turned into more wisdom and insight. Doing away with unnecessary choruses, Canibus started to tirelessly rap non-stop and has completed a 1000 bars song that if and when released should be over 50 minutes long. This guy takes this thing too seriously, always reaching for the next level. Canibus is too much for most, but for the aficionados and the ones that took the time to dig into his rhymes, there is not much rappers out there that come close to his ankles. This is the rap giant that most are too preoccupied to look up and see. The avant-garde of rap that has to surpass himself constantly as he looks very lonely, there on top. “If you’re number one, then I’m negative two. Basically, it means I’m still better than you.” Canibus in Words “I ain’t seen it all but I’ve seen enough Really unbelievable stuff There’s a lot of times when I wanna speak but I'm stuck I should leave this rap sh*t alone And kick my incredible rhymes in the privacy of my own home My imagination is my own The liberty to speak freely lyrically on the microphone With a pen in my hand, I bring motion to the Enneagram And become Can-I-Millennium Man Engrave my back with the emperor's stamp Been spitting scientific rap since the 17th century began Trying to escape the wicked empire of Def Jam In the land where lyrics are bland and heretics hang […] Hip Hop has never been the same since '88 Since it became a lucrative profession, there’s a misconception That a movement in any direction is progression Even though the potency of it lessens Big money industries writing checks to suppress the question And nobody gives a f*ck no more, no one goes to the bookstore Ever since the confluence of Moore's Law But I stayed in the lab, like Niels Bohr His son Aage, Edward Lorenz and Leo Szilard Lyrically I took rap music and turned the knob To the right full-throttle and added panache Why would I argue with my own conscience over the truth? That’s like me telling myself “don’t tell me what to do” Dialyses and analyses of battle emcees Sometimes I say things I myself can’t believe” Canibus’ Discography CAN-I-BUS (1998) **** (4/5) 2000 B.C. (2000) **** (4/5) C True Hollywood Stories (2001) ** (2/5) Mic Club : The Curriculum (2002) ***** (5/5) Rip The Jacker (2003) ***** (5/5) Mind Control (2005) *** (3/5) Hip Hop for Sales (2005) *** (3/5) Def Con Zero (2005) f/ Phoenix Orion **** (4/5) Mic Club Mixtape (2005) **** (4/5) For Whom the Beat Tools (2007) ***** (5/5) Melatonin Magik (2010) **** (4/5) C of Tranquility (2010) **** (4/5) In Gods We Trust, Crush Microphones To Dust (2010) f/ Keith Murray **** (4/5) Lyrical Law (2011) ***** (5/5) 0. Conclusion / Crazy-C So there you have it. Agree, disagree, but this is the result of the ear-intensive experiment; you do not always get what you want. Signing off, Crazy-C leaves you with a hint at his own rhymes. Since I’m most likely never going to make it on this list otherwise, please do like women and fudge and let me indulge: “A day without my rhymes feels like a seven-year fast” “I froze the Atlantic Ocean to go to Europe by car Zoophiles buy farms; the craziest by far.” “I don’t take over the world like Risk or Germany, it’s already mine. Nas said it on his first LP, back in his prime.” Crazy-C in Words “With a glare, you can tell that I got flare Like anti-missile devices "Crazy-C is the nicest" said Narcisse That's priceless Like the Mastercard commercial campaign So kill the bull, like arenas in Spain Hotter than this, I'd set the world aflame So take a pause, freeze the frame Cuz I'm Jaws and we've reach the phase Of the story Where it's gonna get gory Try to swim ashore, on the run like N.O.R.E. But I'm immature, so I come out holding a shark costume, funny, phony I'm like Dolly Parton's breasts or Dolly the sheep, they should clone me Gimme a sip of beer, instead of spilling it on the floor for your homie This is food for thought, hope you're hungry" ____________________________________________ Special Mentions ____________________________________________ Best Canadian Rapper Manu Militari // Sans Pression* Best French Rapper Shurik'n Best Socially Relevant Rapper Immortal Technique** *Exaequo (both francophone) **Was unfortunately disqualified de facto because he couldn't seem to make a true third album after the ground-shaking Revolutionary Vol. 1 (2001) & Vol. 2 (2003) ____________________________________________ Related Reviews ____________________________________________ For more Hip Hop and R&B by the same author: Top 20 Underground Hip Hop Albums: In Case You Didn’t Know Top 20 Rap Albums of All Time: A Closer Look Top 20 R&B Albums of All Time: Case Closed Top 20 Contemporary R&B Artists Thus Far: In Closing (part 1: 20-11) Top 20 Contemporary R&B Artists Thus Far: In Closing (part 2: 10-1)

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