Best Rappers

[Bill Murphy]

Most rap does suck, and most rappers can't carry a tune, speak with any 'flow', or write lyrics beyond "I'm the....", "You can't...", "F*** B****...", etc.

However:

Ice Cube - By far the best, even though his last two albums sucked. Great voice, delivery, & lyrics. He'd be number one for "Straight Outta Compton" alone.

Eminem - Credit where credit is due.

Chuck D - Only tolerable 'political' rapper.

Snoop - Giving up weed ain't a good idea, tho... [img]/forums/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

Run & DMC - Basically started it all, although I wish they'd'a covered "Draw The Line" or "Sick As A Dog" 'stead of "Walk This Way". [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] I'd never heard "Rock Box" before JMJ's death, saw a video of them playing it in Rio=WOW!

Flavor Flav - Distinctive & original, something none of the clowns on the charts today will ever be able to say[cept MNM]

Heavy D - Remember him on the MJ & JJ videos?

Def Jef - Whatever happened to this guy?

I'm sure I'll think of a couple more later.

The worst:

Dr. Dre & Puffy, although they are great producers and executives. Ice-T sux as a rapper, but that first Body Count album was fantastic & he was great live.

[Ryan_21]

Its really impossible to argue who's #1 Cube is awsome but you have to put Pac and Big in the same catagory if your talking about #1. And then I also think Nas, DMX and Too Short should be on the list.

Ryan_21

i don't know about Ryan's choices. but great post Bill. Cube was the baddest. NWA should be mentioned too. if only to point that Dre wasn't much but him and Cube were both members of NWA. oh, and you can't forget Eazy-E, even if he was kind of a joke.

[Clarkmeister]

Nation of Millions is one of the best albums of all time, any genre, any decade. PE therefore gets my vote as best ever.

Others I would mention in that same type of meaningful, influential category would be Boogie Down Productions, NWA and Tupac.

Other rappers that I enjoyed for various reasons:

Eric B and Rakim: Follow the Leader's first 3 tracks might be my favorite first 3 songs on any album ever with Follow the Leader, Microphone Fiend and Lyrics of Fury.

Ice T: Always experimenting and pushing the envelope. Not afraid to try new things. Like it or not, Cop Killer had a profound impact in this country.

7A3: Coolin in Cali was a real fun album.

Kool Moe Dee: Lots of people didn't like him, but he had some great tracks. I Go To Work and The Don still get me pumped up.

LL Cool J: I'm Bad was a sweet album. Stopped listening to him after Momma Said Knock You Out, but I loved his early stuff. Cheesy classics like Dear Yvette still make me smile.

Masta Ace: Take a Look Around, republished recently as The Best of Masta Ace is one of my favorite albums.

Other honorable mentions: Big Daddy Kane, Heavy D, Stetsasonic, Kid N Play, Twin Hype, MC Lyte.

I'm sure there are others, but that's enough for now.

[Bill Murphy]

..and they would be Insane Clown Posse. No one, not Kriss Kross nor Vanilla Ice, is even close to these, er, clowns. I'd never heard them, thought they were more like Slipknot[worst metal band ever, BTW]. A girl I work with is beyond their biggest fan, and she played me a song they do w/VI. Good Lord! [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] Tha ha-rah, tha ha-rah.... Easily the worst 'musical' thing I've ever heard. [img]/forums/images/icons/blush.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/mad.gif[/img]

What's really funny tho is that there is a whole ICP community ala The Dead, called Juggalos, online and off. They have conventions and everything. Their label has lotsa spinoff bands i.e. Twisted, and this girl has yea band & label coats, bags, etc. High-quality made stuff, too. Jesus. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[Bill Murphy]

Eazy had great delivery & a very distinct voice, but he couldn't write a note. As he himself rapped, "Ice Cube writes the rhymes, that I say." Funny how because of the NWA breakup the song "Boyz N The Hood"[wrote by Cube] wasn't in the movie, because it first appeared on Eazy's solo album. Pity they didn't put it on SOC, but maybe it wasn't written then.

Truly classic how E donated 10K to the Repub's so he could meet Bush Sr. when he wuz pres. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

[Bill Murphy]

Also good are B-Real & Everlast, but they only had one or two good songs each. For comic relief I kinda liked Third Base.

And I guess Zach De La Rosa should get some kind of hon. mention. Renegades is great[although I can't believe they couldn't do a better version of Street Fighting Man] and Evil Empire is slowly growing on me.

[Clarkmeister]

LOL, Third Base was another fun album. Definitely the best Jewish rappers of all time!

[Dynasty]

Rap? I'm way out of my league. I guess I'll pick...Blondie.

Weren't they the first group to have a portion of a U.S. Top 10/20 single to contain a rap? Was it "Rapture"?

[2005]

Alright, the person who gets my vote as the best rapper of all time that nobody has said so far:

Scarface

Not only Scarface but the Geto Boys in general as well. Mind is Playing Tricks on Me is one of the greatest rap songs I've heard.

There are some rappers today who are good also. Xzibit is good, so is Common (Sense).

Some other rappers that might have been mentioned, but I'm not sure: Too Short, Wu-Tang, and Method Man and Redman.

Gavin