Top 55 of All Time? - Part 2
So in part two, I will continue counting down but let me also clue you in as to why some of your afvorite current rappers aren't in this countdown. I know someone is going to say Drake is better than Mase, why isn't he on the list? The reason is simple, he hasn't done nearly enough to prove himself to me as a critic and a fan. One half assed album does not get you onto the top 55 for me. My intent is to have people with a track record and blend both their lyrical ability, song writing capabilities, and impact and influence which with some is going to be greater than others. So no Nicki Minaj won't be on here though i would rank her higher than Drake, neother will Big Sean, Ace Hood, or a lot of these other new cats you all seem to think are nice.
50. Jadakiss - He may keep calling himself top 5 but for me Kiss is lucky as hell to even still make the list. If he talks about his coke that needs to be weighed on whale scales I'm going to throw up. He also has a monotone delivery that masquerades as a trademark flow and boring punchlines and a boring demeaner when delivering them. More of Jeezy in his prime which was right around All About the Benjamins dropped, Kiss hasn't done anything impressive in years. When you routinely get outshined by the likes of Fat Joe and everyone else on DJ Khaled remixes I can't deal with you. Hell when Wacka and Ace Hood are outshining you, it might be time to hang it up.
49. Nelly - The St. Lunatic is definately not the illest lyricist but on occasion he is able to spit out some funny lines like on "Hot in Herre". Nelly's biggest thing is the fact that he can make a hit song without trying but it's his album fillers that fall way off. Unforutnately, he took time off and things just haven't been the same since, although listening to his last album, the same song writing abilities do remain.
48. Big L- Leonard Coleman is the first of my early 90's not well-known outside of a certain circle guys I have on the list. Hinestly, I would have ranked L higher if he had more time to record but he was killed before he got a real chance to shine. his NY contributions and influence put him on my list because if you listen to Jay-z back in the day and Big L you would wonder who was who. "Ebonics" and the "98 Freestyle" were two of the shining examples of Big L's wit and ability and also the beginning of the change for Young Hova that we know today. He also was at the time the best guy in Chilren of the Corn, a group that also included Mase, McGruff, and Cam'ron.
47. AZ - AZ is an old school kind of cat whom is slightly slept on but some of that is because of his own doing. He has a superb flow and that NY smooth gangster mentality style that was appealing in the early to mid 90's. One quarter of the Firm which also included Nas, Foxy Brown, and Nature, AZ has put out several solid albums but has never had a song that was as big as Sugar Hill. The knock I would have on Sosa, is that he sacrifices content and lyricism for flow sometimes in an effort to maintain what he is known for. Then at the times he is trying something different, it doesn't always work out for him.
46. Sheek Louch - The most unheralded member of The Lox, Sheek is also the most apt to have you scratching your head at his lines sometimes. However, I also find he is the most well rounded and creative with his bars. He also seems to be more authentic and less concerned with cultivating and keeping a certain image when compared with Styles and Kiss. My favorite Sheek line "You Like watermelons, big but crack easy"
45. Cassidy - I don't know why this guy hasn't gone farther than this but Cassidy could have easily been a top rapper in the game. Maybe it was failed leadership by Swizz Beats but this dude always has hot singles and decent songs on his album. Sometimes he gets too punchline happy, but it happens, and most of the time he maintains a good balance between making songs and just straight rapping, much better than that of Wayne. Now he seems like his personality sucks but that isn't my problem, thats his. Right now he is facing another murder trial so his career is probably done but his three albums are solid listens if you haven't heard them. Oh yeah, and he made Freeway say "put on a beat". One of the funniest moments in Battle history.
44. Royce da 5'9 - I've heard more from Royce in the past two and a half years than in the previous 5 and it has been very uneven. Royce's first album got killed in label purgatory but he has come on as of late. A street rapper with serious lyrics, he can get too caught up now in showing he really is as nice as Eminem. At his best, he throws out some quality metaphors with a flow that is decent enough to catch, at his worst, he is a better than average Eminem clone who tries to stuff too much into every bar. If he could really find that balance and get a consistent set of songs he could be on the rocket ship to stardom since he and Em are back together, opening up new avenues for him.
50. Jadakiss - He may keep calling himself top 5 but for me Kiss is lucky as hell to even still make the list. If he talks about his coke that needs to be weighed on whale scales I'm going to throw up. He also has a monotone delivery that masquerades as a trademark flow and boring punchlines and a boring demeaner when delivering them. More of Jeezy in his prime which was right around All About the Benjamins dropped, Kiss hasn't done anything impressive in years. When you routinely get outshined by the likes of Fat Joe and everyone else on DJ Khaled remixes I can't deal with you. Hell when Wacka and Ace Hood are outshining you, it might be time to hang it up.
49. Nelly - The St. Lunatic is definately not the illest lyricist but on occasion he is able to spit out some funny lines like on "Hot in Herre". Nelly's biggest thing is the fact that he can make a hit song without trying but it's his album fillers that fall way off. Unforutnately, he took time off and things just haven't been the same since, although listening to his last album, the same song writing abilities do remain.
48. Big L- Leonard Coleman is the first of my early 90's not well-known outside of a certain circle guys I have on the list. Hinestly, I would have ranked L higher if he had more time to record but he was killed before he got a real chance to shine. his NY contributions and influence put him on my list because if you listen to Jay-z back in the day and Big L you would wonder who was who. "Ebonics" and the "98 Freestyle" were two of the shining examples of Big L's wit and ability and also the beginning of the change for Young Hova that we know today. He also was at the time the best guy in Chilren of the Corn, a group that also included Mase, McGruff, and Cam'ron.
47. AZ - AZ is an old school kind of cat whom is slightly slept on but some of that is because of his own doing. He has a superb flow and that NY smooth gangster mentality style that was appealing in the early to mid 90's. One quarter of the Firm which also included Nas, Foxy Brown, and Nature, AZ has put out several solid albums but has never had a song that was as big as Sugar Hill. The knock I would have on Sosa, is that he sacrifices content and lyricism for flow sometimes in an effort to maintain what he is known for. Then at the times he is trying something different, it doesn't always work out for him.
46. Sheek Louch - The most unheralded member of The Lox, Sheek is also the most apt to have you scratching your head at his lines sometimes. However, I also find he is the most well rounded and creative with his bars. He also seems to be more authentic and less concerned with cultivating and keeping a certain image when compared with Styles and Kiss. My favorite Sheek line "You Like watermelons, big but crack easy"
45. Cassidy - I don't know why this guy hasn't gone farther than this but Cassidy could have easily been a top rapper in the game. Maybe it was failed leadership by Swizz Beats but this dude always has hot singles and decent songs on his album. Sometimes he gets too punchline happy, but it happens, and most of the time he maintains a good balance between making songs and just straight rapping, much better than that of Wayne. Now he seems like his personality sucks but that isn't my problem, thats his. Right now he is facing another murder trial so his career is probably done but his three albums are solid listens if you haven't heard them. Oh yeah, and he made Freeway say "put on a beat". One of the funniest moments in Battle history.
44. Royce da 5'9 - I've heard more from Royce in the past two and a half years than in the previous 5 and it has been very uneven. Royce's first album got killed in label purgatory but he has come on as of late. A street rapper with serious lyrics, he can get too caught up now in showing he really is as nice as Eminem. At his best, he throws out some quality metaphors with a flow that is decent enough to catch, at his worst, he is a better than average Eminem clone who tries to stuff too much into every bar. If he could really find that balance and get a consistent set of songs he could be on the rocket ship to stardom since he and Em are back together, opening up new avenues for him.
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