Best Rapper Ever? Redux

[Pennglock]

Left side of my brain says Rakim, obviously.

But the two guys who have tickled my pleasure centers the most are Ghost and Andre Benjamin.

 

[hboogz]

Originally Posted by sellahi22

i dunno, with the exception of supreme clientele none of the post-forever wu albums have resonated with me. i also tend to think that great hip hop, like great blues or maybe even great bluegrass, must be inspired by pain/hardship/struggle/tension, and therefore when rappers get too mixed up in celebrity life they lose their mojo. maybe i'm just biased, because the first hip hop albums i ever listened to were illmatic and 36 chambers (released around the same time), and little since then has lived up to those standards (notable exceptions are wu tang albums up to and including forever).

do yourself a favor and listen to the fishscale and ironman albums again

 

[sellahi22]

Originally Posted by hboogz

do yourself a favor and listen to the fishscale and ironman albums again

Ironman preceded Forever, and I like it a lot (though ghostface isn't one of my favorite clan members). Didn't like fishscale at all, much prefer rza beats.

 

[closetmess]

Is Jay-Z purposefully left out?

And ya'll best not be mentionin' Mos Def without Talib Kweli bein thrown in da mix.

 

[closetmess]

Originally Posted by swaggerisaliability

I don't see Hov. Therefore, this thread is void.

Edit: But seriously though, Shawn Corey Carter by a light-year.

Originally Posted by RedScarf7

I'd vote for Jay-z. Longevity, versatility, sick flows and an all around badass rapper.


^^^This and this.

Watch Storytellers with Jay-Z...even with some of his worst material (American Gangster) he is the sickest lyricist, rapper, style, humor, etc. I could go on and on about HOV but I'd have to change my pants.

 

[MetroStyles]

My favorite rapper is Vast Aire but most people don't even know who he is since he isn't famous, so I don't bother bringing him up in conversations like this.

 

[milosz]

Ugh, there were only a couple of good songs even on the 'great' CanOx album.

I'll rep for Fantastic Damage, but that was the last time Def Jux put out anything I'd listen to.

 

[MetroStyles]

Originally Posted by milosz

Ugh, there were only a couple of good songs even on the 'great' CanOx album.

I'll rep for Fantastic Damage, but that was the last time Def Jux put out anything I'd listen to.

Cold Vein > FanDam

 

[ConcernedParent]

Originally Posted by closetmess

And ya'll best not be mentionin' Mos Def without Talib Kweli bein thrown in da mix.

And ya'll best not be mentionin' either of them in the Best Rapper ever discussion. Solid, but ordinary.

 

[hendrix]

can't believe noone else has voted for andre3000.

 

[rzarector36]

I can't pick the a favorite but GZA needs to be included.

 

[Jakesteraholic]

honestly i think it would be Em if he didn't start putting out such monotonous-sounding albums after The Eminem Show. "I'm Eminem I'm yelling. Here is a joke song. Now back to yelling."


also he forgot that people liked his **** when he would combine threats with jokes, but now he just puts out psycho threat songs or total joke songs. which makes him humorless and annoying instead of scary/clever/funny.

 

[laughwithm3]

how come i don't see Ron Artest on that list!

 

[jpeirpont]

I think so one has been playing with my poll. I am sure I put Jay Z. Anyway he didn't get close to winning the last time so I doubt he'd won this time, nor would he deserved to. Q-Tip? No. Phife was a better rapper than Tip and he didn't deserve a spot. The Wu while great as a group has no one who could be considered GOAT to say ODB should be on any list is silly. Ghost is the most consistent member of the WU and my favorite but I don't think he is better than those listed though I like him more than all but 5 of them.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

This is shaping up pretty much exactly like the last poll IMMSMC.

A two party race between Biggie and Tupac, with Rakim playing the role of Ralph Nader.