1. Jay-Z

The MC from Marcy Project that went on to become the most successful rap artist of all-time

Material – 9-10 – Jay-Z began his career in a very uneventful fashion as a back up to Jaz-O, as one of the Originators in the 1980s. After that didn’t work, Jay revamped his style from 1993-1995, until it was fully developed. He released his classic album Reasonable Doubt, which got rave reviews when it debuted, but still kinda flew under the radar, even though his single did go Gold, and the LP went Gold later that same year. His display of unmatched wordplay all the while talking about his tribulations in the drug trade made for one of the more introspective, and lyric heavy albums of the 1990s. He moved on to his second LP the In My Lifetime, which was him moving to a more pop appeal, however, he still managed to spit some of his best verses ever, even though some of the beats lacked the street appeal that his debut album had. He continued on to release more commercial material, especially his break out LP Hard Knock Life, which sold 5 Million, and catapulted him into the biggest rap star in the game, a title he has basically held on to since. His next few albums were all critical and commercial successes, and developed his brand even further, and helped establish his legacy. Then, the release of the BluePrint, quiet arguably, the best rap album of this decade. While taking on more diverse subject matters, and dealing with beefs with Nas, DMX and Mobb Deep, he released his most soulful and unique album of his career. While his other Blueprint albums haven’t reached the critical acclaim as his first, they were still good albums. And albums like American Gangster show that on the mic, he’s still significantly above the majority of his peers.

Influence – 10-10 – No rapper in history has ever had the influence of Jay-Z. No matter what coast, or age group you’re talking about, Jay-Z is who most rappers want to emulate their careers after. Rather it be starting as an independent rap label, and building from the ground up into a half a billion dollar business mogul; or just being considered by their peers to be the most complete MC in the game, rappers have looked up to Jay-Z as the pinnacle of what it is to be a success. Everyone from Lil Wayne, to T.I., to Jadakiss, Fabolous, etc..the list is long of rappers over the years who have taken an followed in Jay’s footsteps. And it’s passed just rappers, look around and you see the influence he has on mainstream and urban America. Jay-Z is the only artist I know that can basically make or break a product by merely stating if he thinks it’s passé or not.

Longevity – 10-10, Jay has been rapping for over 20 years, and is still, either the biggest or second biggest rap artist in the game today. That is unheard of. In a business where fame is usually here today, gone tomorrow, Jay has been able to maintain the ears of listeners for over two decades. Has he latched on to other people’s popularity at times? Certainly. However, that is the sign of someone who is aware of how fickle the game cane be, and adapts accordingly. Jay-Z is the only rapper that debuted in the 1980s that still goes platinum every go around, can sell out arenas in every big venue in the U.S., and across the globe.

Mic Skills – 10-10 For all the talk of Jay-Z’s success, his marriage to Beyonce, his business deals, at the end of it all, he is still one of the most gifted MCs to ever grab the mic. There isn’t anything Jay can’t do when it comes to rap. He has spit some of the most complex metaphors in rap history, all while displaying the best flow in the game. There isn’t a beat or a style of rap Jay hasn’t perfected. His cadence is, delivery, and pocket game are all top notch as well. There really is no flaws at all to his rapping ability when he is completely focused. The ONLY gripe you could possibly have is, that at times, Jay does tend to dumb down his lyrics for his audience to understand him. I, personally, don’t think that is a flaw, it’s a smart way to maintain a larger audience.

Score 39/40

Best Song: D’Evils
Best Album: Reasonable Doubt

2. KRS-ONE

Live from the BRONX, NY KRS-One is considered one of the most controversial and contradictory rappers of all-time, but also maybe the best

1. Material – 10-10 – KRS-One the founder of the legendary group Boogie Down Productions, started his career with one of the biggest impacts ever, as he went head up with the Queensbridge reps MC Shan and Marley Marl and other Juice Crew affiliates. He released two of the most scathing diss records ever in “The South Bronx” and possibly the best one ever “The Bridge is Over”. From the momentum of those two records, BDP released their classic record “Criminal Minded” arguably one of the greatest rap records ever, he displayed a combination of gangster raps and social commentary that had never been heard on a rap record before. The next album “By All Means Necessary”, which was recorded after the death of his DJ Scott La Rock (One of the co-founders of BDP), his approach went much more towards social and political raps, and a lot of the gangster themes from Criminal Minded were dropped, and soon the “Self Destruction” movement began. As a group (Even though KRS-ONE was the only rapper on these projects, really), BDP released three more records “The Blueprint”, “Edutainment”. And “Sex and Violence”, all three were considered borderline classics, and BDP’s name was etched in stone, as one of the greatest groups ever. Soon after, KRS-One would drop the BDP name on his releases, and drop his first solo records. Return of the Boom Bap, his most critically acclaimed of them all, saw him return to the bare bones of rap. He showcased various skills sets throughout the LP, and now established himself as the best rapper in the game in 1993. His next release, the self-titled KRS-One, also way a major hit with hip Hop heads, and it has Kris’ most successful single ever “MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know”. After this run of 7 strong albums, KRS-One went on to release records that bordered on good to subpar but nothing that matched his original run. Regardless, the strength of his first 7 records are enough to garner the highest rating possible.

Influence – 9-10 – KRS-One’s influence can be seen in nearly every rapper. From the first rapper to really release a full length LP dealing with crimes from a first hand perspective; to releasing diss records to generate a buzz; to even going as far to have physical confrontation with rappers that talked shit about him in public, KRS-One has been the blueprint in which a lot of rappers like 50 Cent and others have followed over the years. Considering KRS-One was never a major seller, the fact that he garnered so much respect from old school and new school rap acts speaks to his ability to relate to both sides. While he’s always been a major advocate of paying homage to the forefathers, KRS-One was the only rapper from the golden era to actually embrace and support new acts on a major scale. His support lead to artists like Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Kanye West, etc.. to work on projects with him over the last few years.

Longevity – 10-10 – He started his career in 1985 with the Crack Attack and had a 12 year run, as one of the biggest and arguably the most critically acclaimed rap artist of his generation. By 1998, his run as a top figure in rap waned, however, he still maintained a relevancy in rap. From working with both underground and mainstream artists over the past decade, he has balanced out a niche that is not often seen. He was able to still able to keep notoriety as a important figure in rap, without being anything close to a major seller.

Skills – 10-10 – One of the most skillful MC’s ever, KRS-One possessed the most commanding voices in rap history. His delivery could send other rappers running for cover, as he had an authorize narration. His lyrics were never the most fancy in terms of wordplay, but he was able to always express great storytelling, with hard hitting, and socially aware lyrics, with a strong vocabulary and rhyme schemes. His flow was also one of the most diverse as he never sounded off beat, and always was in control of every song he was on. His ability to implement other genres of music that had origins in rap into his songs also added on to his elite skill level.

Score .. 39-40

Best song: My Philosophy
Best Album: Criminal Minded

3. NAS

The Queensbridge native is one of the greatest rappers to ever touch the mic

Material – 9-10 – Nas has always been an MC that could never top his first effort, which in turn makes people completely underrate his overall output of music. When you drop with an album like Illmatic, the holy grail of albums in your genre of music, it’s very difficult to compete with that. However, Nas still managed to release two other LPs that can be considered classic (It Was Written, Stillmatic), and a couple of other solid efforts (I Am, God son). His only real downfall was Nastradamus, which was more of a marketing ploy, that failed miserably. Nas guest appearances are rivaled by only 1 or 2 rappers in history, in addition, he has released a plethora of songs (Even on his weak albums), that can compete with anyone in history. The unreleased material in Nas collection, would also put any rapper in discussion for being one of the top 10 best MCs ever. It shows a level of artistry that Nas has, as often as we tend to overlook his accomplishments, it’s rather clear he has more than lived up to what anyone can expect from any rapper, when you analyze his catalog track for track.

Influence – 9-10 – Rarely has an MC ever had the inpact Nas has had over his career. It’s not often that an MC that had his start in the 90s becomes a major influence in terms of content and style to not only his peers, but the people who started their career before them. From artists like Kool G. Rap (Who, was of course a major influence to Nas), to underlings like Nature, to his peers like Jay-Z, you can hear Nas influence in all their music and many others. Nas paved a lane for the intellectual (as contrived as it is many times), yet street thug that has been a favorite in the NY scene since the 1990s. He has garnered much admiration from artists in other genres of music, and a prolific writer, and for being in the game for nearly 20 years, still carries a mystique around him. Nas has never let the public all the way into his psyche.

Longevity – 10-10 – Bottomline is, Nas is one of only a handful of rappers from the 90s that are still relevant today. Nas’ albums are still anticipated as much, if not more, than any other artist that will make this top list. Nas was never a huge seller the likes of 50 Cent, but he was a constant platinum selling artist over his career, and maintained a fan base of the course, that will never leave. While many can argue about his selection of beats, and his contradictory content, there is no denying that Nas has still kept a level of material that is still good enough to compete with his peers.

Skills – 10-10 – You can easily make an argument that Nas is the greatest and most complete rapper ever. From a lyrical stand point his rhyme schemes are full of intricate and inner rhymes, and well put together. A lot of rappers tend to force multis, Nas lets them come natural, and you can hear it in his delivery of the words. Nas was never a big punchline rapper, though he is rather good at it when he does it. Earlier in his career, he dropped a few clever gems in his lines that had massive wordplay in it. Nas also possessed one of the best flows, and deliveries in the game, that made him stand out from his peers. He can delivery lines with a fierce bravado, or he can have a laid back flow, that can make his adversaries on the mic feel inadequate when it comes to writing. Also, Nas may be the most creative storyteller in rap history, dropping some of the most well writing story rhymes ever, from street tales, to infidelity, and betrayal. Nas’ stories come off like a novel.

38-40 score

Best song: Memory Lane
Best album: Illmatic

4. RAKIM

One of the greatest lyricists of all-time is the benchmark all rappers are measured to from a bar to bar perspective.

Material – 10/10 – Starting out with the debut album Paid in Full, which is still considered by most the greatest debut album ever. Rakim ushered in a new age lyricism for the next decade. As the slow, monosyllable style of rap died, Rakim’s faster, more complex, and flows were the blueprint of how to rap. Backed by production that let the MC shine, Rakim stole the show on his debut, and stamped his legacy. He continued to drop great albums like “Follow the Leader” (Arguably superior to his debut), Let the Rhythm Hit Em, and Don’t Sweat the Technique. All these albums are filled with showcases of great lyrical prowess, tremendous storytelling, and a command of the audience that very few MCs can compete with. As his material began to grow, content became more mature and more aggressive. Rakim came back with a strong album 18th Letter, which had some good new tracks, and some of his best older material. After that, Rakim began to struggle to find his sound again. As a new era of rap began to emerge, Rakim found himself trying to fit in to different styles, and expand his sound, and it really hampered his music. Even though Rakim may never be able to release another great LP, his first 5 albums are able to match up with anyone in history.

Longevity – 8/10 – Rakim – Rakim has been rapping for nearly 25 years, and while his star began to dimmer towards the end of the 90s, he still maintained a strong fan base. His signing to Aftermath records seemed to be the place to start a resurgence of the icon; however, creative differences with Dr. Dre ended that dream team. Rakim over the last few years continues to have a name in the rap industry, but in one of the only genre’s that doesn’t pay respect to its pioneers, he still has a hard time getting past the underground stage now. Rakim was never a major mover in terms of record sales, but they were all ways solid. He now is more of a act you go to see perform all his classic material from 15 years ago, rather than a rapper who’s latest music you run out to download or buy.

Influence – 10/10 – The most influential rapper of all-time. He paved the way for every “lyrical” MC in the game, and advanced the state of the game to an extent that no one can match. His impact if felt in some of the games most legendary rappers, and it can not be understated how important he was to turning rap into more than just a novelty act. While Rakim certainly wasn’t the FIRST great rap lyricist, he was the one that had the largest impact on a wide scale. In addition, he made it cool to actually say something clever in you rhymes.

Skills – 10/10 – Hard to make an argument for anyone else to being the most skillful MC ever. In terms of all aspects of MCing, Rakim is in a class by himself, when you add in all the factors. From pinpoint lyricism, to the sharpest flow, great delivery, storytelling, cadence, and voice, Rakim has all his peers beat. In his prime, Rakim spit some of the most mind blowing rhymes ever put down on wax, and he continues to be sharp with the pen. While nowhere near what he was at his peak now, Rakim is still pretty witty with his pen, and can still drop a hot song every once and a while. However, if you want to hear Mcing doing at the highest level, go listen to “Lyrics of Fury”.

38/40

Best Song: In the Ghetto
Best Album: Follow the Leader

After doing that, and making changes to the list about 5 times to finally get it right, I believe I created the most accurate top ten that can be made. Of course, that’s just in my opinion, I’m sure right off the bat there will be people who will disagree with rankings, and feel some of their favorites should’ve made the cut. When this ten week process is over, I will gladly explain to you why certain legends or other well respected rappers didn’t make it on the list.

I will be posting a new entrant onto the list every Friday, the rankings will be based off four main factors

Material – This includes everything from albums, mix tapes, unreleased tracks, features etc…Basically, any thing the artist made, that I heard, counts.

Longevity – How long was this rapper on top, and I don’t necessarily mean selling records, more about the quality of their releases and the ability to maintain their talent

Influence – The importance they had in the game and to other MCs

Skill level – Talent level of the rapper. How skillful was he in putting songs together, wordplay, rhyme schemes, vocab, etc…all the nerd shit us internet rap fans love.

Each one, will be graded by a score of 1-10 (10 being the highest) in each category, and will add up to a total score.

Without further adieu….

10. SCARFACE

Coming straight out of H-Town, Texas, Scarface has been one of the most influential rappers of the last 20 years. A part of one of rap’s all-time greatest groups the Geto Boys, Scarface has created a legacy of music that stands up to any other southern artist ever.

Material – 8/10 – Scarface as a solo artists, as one undeniable classic which is The Diary, and another debatable one with his debut “Mr. Scarface is back”. His material with Geto Boys is what really puts him in the elite status as far as catalog of material goes, with Grip it! On That Other Level and Resurrection being their apex as a group. However, Scarface did a have a few missteps in his long career (The Untouchable, yeah, exactly) , and a period between 1996-2001 (The Fix) where it was pretty thin on memorable moments for Mr. Face.

Longevity – 8/10 It’s hard to find many rappers that can match Scarface in this department. Scarface has been rapping in the limelight for over 22 years, and only a 5 year period of mediocrity, before coming back with a great album (The Fix). Currently, he is coming back with another album, which I don’t have high hopes for in terms of quality, but if anyone should be given the benefit of the doubt …

Influence – 7/10 In today’s climate, Scarface’s impact isn’t really that felt because his legacy was created in another era. HOWEVER, ask any of your favorite rappers from the 90s where most of their ideas come from, and concepts for their album cuts, and it goes directly to Scarface and The Geto Boys. He has left a very strong influence on the game, and even though many of the rappers of the last decade may not be directly influenced by his material, the rappers they look up to are. In other words….Scarface is your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper.

Skill Level – 6/10 This is where Scarface takes a hit. While he has tremendous material, and has been very innovative, he lacked a lot in terms of raw talent. A lot of his rhymes were straight forward and simplistic, which is not a bad thing, when you have such a fearsome delivery that makes the lines come to life. However, when it comes to evaluating the skillfulness of putting these rhymes together, that causes issues for the Texas legend. As far as rhyme schemes, vocab and other technical aspects of rapping, he is far behind a lot of his peers on this list, and that knocks him down a few notches. One factor that does help is that he was one of the great cinematic storytellers in rap history. Every line is intricate part of the story, and he leaves you always entertained. That counts for a lot.

Overall, Scarface ends with a 29/40 rating.

Best song: Jesse James
Best album: The Diary

The first leak off the War Report 2 from CNN, featuring Imam and Musaliny. If the rest of the album sounds anything like this, we’re in for something special. Since CNN first made their appearance in 1996, they have gone through drastic changes (Arrests, label issues) but now they are back, and hopefully they continue to drop heat like this.

http://www.mediafire.com/?3yj1odzy4m4

Rap Beef has been the go to move for struggling (Benzino) and successful (50 Cent) artists the last 10 years , and we as rap artists have become either turned off by it or indifferent, and you don’t have to go any further than to look at the sales for “BISD”. The reason why we’ve become apathetic towards it could be because a lot of it realize on empty threats that are never carried out, too many beefs to keep up with, or just the lack of creativity done when releasing a new battle rap. Whatever the case may be, the era of people running to their nearest mix tape spots to hear the Jadakiss/Sigel, Nas/Jay disses are long gone.

However, that wasn’t the case in 1996. When a Chicago MC by the name of Common Sense drew the ire of the legendary (But on his last legs, at the time) Ice Cube, and his Westside Connection gang with his song “I Used to love H.E.R.” We all know the story of what happened, as WSC released jabs on wax and interviews towards the Chicago breed MC. And Common came back with a vengeance and made one of the most image damaging records ever. However, the version most people heard or recognize as the “original ether” on record, is NOT the original record released by Common Sense. Prior to the “Street Version” where Common references their single dissing him “Smacking niggas in the Slaughterhouse” and Mack 10′s label “Hoo Banging, you aint’ banging shit but the table”, there was this one that was not quite as “Hard hitting” as the one most are used to listening to, however, when analyzed further, may actually better than the edited version. Either way, this song represents the end of a era, when diss records actually made rap exciting.

Download

I know some of you are mad this is just a song, rather then a news story, sorry. Anyway, say whatever you want about his online antics, his vblogs, his beefs with other rap artists, etc….when it comes to rapping, few are on par with the Jersey native. Here’s a new track titled R.I.P. which displays why he’s one of the best doing it today.

Download

Another one from Fredro Starr who has been giving some very entertaining tales about some of the craziest things he’s seen since becoming a rapper. This is a part 1 of his newest one discussing the details of the Onyx/50 Cent beef. Good shit.

Classic song, but this the first time the video for it has been released from what I know. Brings great memories of the glory days of the West Coast gangsta rap music. Enjoy.