again, thinking of topics in the off season and i came up with this fun post. we grade any rapper by their strength and weaknesses which is all open for debate. i guess i will start with recent rappers though i would eventually like to do old school rappers too.
jay z- grade:A- strength: business savvy and knows what sells. thinks two steps ahead business wise. lyrical wise, very good flow that has the right metaphors. great vocabulary. variety of styles and ranges as far as music and takes risks though it works out a lot more than not. can easily keep up with any rapper who guests with him and doesnt get outshined. finds ways to bury its competition one way or another and always the last person standing. resilient. covers a variety of topics.
weakness: though a great battle ready mc, he still got his butt handed to him by nas. his response is highly debated ( signing nas to his label). sometimes he crossover TOO much guest starring in many r & b songs. though he has classic albums, there were some that were very weak. inconsistent. though he covers a variety of topics, he focuses on blinging too much most of the times.
lil wayne- grade:B strength: original flow and voice distinction. very good with metaphors and has a variety of flow techniques. one of the best creative mc's out right now. willing to experiment and not pigeon hole himself. can hold his own with anyone especially on a posse cut. one of the hardest working mc out right now. willing to evolve and could eventually be a complete mc.
weakness: like a lot of southern rappers, vocab, though better than most, still limited. his voice and drawl can be a distraction. can be creative but sometimes his rhymes are a stretch.
P. Diddy- grade: B+: revolutionized the genre with such classics as 'that godzilla song', 'the one with the shiny suit video' and by his uncanny eye for talent, such as Biggy and Mase.
Solid flow even though he has a speech issue. He loses some points for his perceived lack of writing skills but gains them back for his tap-dancing. A tri-athlete of the music world with his tap dance, business savvy, and rapping skills.
Weakness: None really
Posted by orangeblobman:
P. Diddy- grade: B+: revolutionized the genre with such classics as 'that godzilla song', 'the one with the shiny suit video' and by his uncanny eye for talent, such as Biggy and Mase.
Solid flow even though he has a speech issue. He loses some points for his perceived lack of writing skills but gains them back for his tap-dancing. A tri-athlete of the music world with his tap dance, business savvy, and rapping skills.
Weakness: None really
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Diddy is arguably the worst rapper to ever put his voice on wax.
Interesting thread, I'll contribute later.
notorious b.i.g.- A strength: extensive vocabulary and unbelievably consistent flow. underrated story teller and great battle rapper. great metaphor spitter. Great knack of visualizing with his words. distinguished voice that shows a range of emotion.
weakness: not many but the one weakness is probably the lack of variety in content. however that could be because he only had two albums and didnt see him evolve.
tupac- A- strength: workaholic. constantly put out good materials. willing to tackle many subjects. uses emotion to get his point effectively across. great range of voice. very introspective which makes his music more emotional. one of the more inspirational rappers when motivated.
weakness: like nas and krs-one who have tackled many subjects, he becomes the victim of contradicting himself.
nas - grade: A
strength: unrivaled style of presentation, brilliantly clever in his word play, put out maybe the best rap album of all time in illmatic, one of the best story tellers ever (see Rewind). his rhymes are just incredible, especially early on. when was the last time you sat down, listened to an album from start to end, and were able to honestly say that you loved every song on it? that's what he did in his first effort.
weakness: seems stubborn, especially when considering how he evolved-- his gritty portrails of his experience were sometimes hauntingly real in illmatic, but it was always countered by some inherent optimism in his voice and his more thought provoking rhymes. sadly, this transformed itself into a bitter old nas, clinging to half-baked pseudo-intellectualism and shock-jock tactics to remain relevant. in short, he stopped being original and instead let himself grow moldy in the cellars of hip hop.
edit:
had to change it to an a from a b+ because reading jazz74's reviews, I think he deserves an a within that framework, kinda; he is above big, for sure, but jay has him beat on the development part.
[Edited by - orangeblobman on 08-29-2009 11:52 PM]
Posted by orangeblobman:
P. Diddy- grade: B+: revolutionized the genre with such classics as 'that godzilla song', 'the one with the shiny suit video' and by his uncanny eye for talent, such as Biggy and Mase.
Solid flow even though he has a speech issue. He loses some points for his perceived lack of writing skills but gains them back for his tap-dancing. A tri-athlete of the music world with his tap dance, business savvy, and rapping skills.
Weakness: None really
I dont know if youre being serious or not. P Diddy gets an F when it comes to rapping. If you made a list of best rappers ever P diddy would fall somewhere between the weird white guy at a frat party back in 1998 and my wife when shes screaming at me,
^I wasn't serious about diddy but I am about nas. i agree, diddy deserves less than an F, he deserves an H
I'm not a rap afficianado but I love Illmatic.
Can someone in the know grade KRS-1 for me.
and Snoop.
ghostface -- storytelling + word play + delivery + new slang + great beat selection + consistently solid solo efforts = A+
too often overlooked is mr. killa. def the wu mvp.
3 - kobe
2 - mike tyseon
1 - robert chambers
oh wait, rappers...my bad...
Posted by eViL:
ghostface -- storytelling + word play + delivery + new slang + great beat selection + consistently solid solo efforts = A+
too often overlooked is mr. killa. def the wu mvp.
I'd give Ghostface a B. He's pretty charismatic and has a great delivery but half of the shyt he says literally makes no sense whatsoever. His Supreme Clientele is a classic, tho.
Posted by kam77:
I'm not a rap afficianado but I love Illmatic.
Can someone in the know grade KRS-1 for me.
and Snoop.
krs-one- A : strength: probably the most intelligent rapper of all time with extensive vocabulary, a rapper's rapper who takes the craft seriously and tries to elevate whenever he can, has the knack to constantly evolve to remain relevant and keep longevity, rap style can match with almost any type of beat, very underrated storyteller, touches on a variety of issues, very battle tested and took down crews ( juice crew) and popular rappers ( nellie), arguably one of the best rappers of all time.
weakness: like great rapper who tackle many subjects, he tends to contradict himself. besides that he really has no weaknesses.
snoop dogg- A-: picture perfect flow and fluidity who's unique draw enhances his style, one of the best west coast rappers ever on a coast that boast some real powerhouses, uses metaphors as good as anyone, one of the best battle tested mc's of all time, freestyle perfectionist that is greatly underrated, arguably the one who made mix tape freestyles and art form, like big, really paint pictures with his words and very good with descriptions
weakness: though he had some great albums, he also made some sub par music that has been awful, limited content, sometimes crossover too much with some of his music
Posted by kam77:
I'm not a rap afficianado but I love Illmatic.
Can someone in the know grade KRS-1 for me.
KRS: A- . Hands down one of the top performers ever. Along with Rakim, he revolutionized rap taking it from a more basic RunDMC simplistic flow to a more complex, intelligent, and introspective style. His stage presence, depth of lyrics and longevity is, cumulatively, perhaps second-to-none. His records rarely disappoint ( his self-titled 1995 album might be the most underrated record ever in any genre) and even at what many consider to be an advanced age in the hip hop realm, he still hasn't been pushed out and kicked to the curb like so many.
Cons: Kinda Nit-picky, but he does rely on the "Temple of Knowledge" "I am hip hop stuff" a little too much. Comes across as preachy and self-obsessed at times (but what hip hopper isn't self obsessed). The most damaging criticism I could level is his beef with Nelly. Straight up, Nelly got him. Considering their respective talents, KRS should have humiliated him but it didn't turn out like that at all and for somebody who has built his reputation on the battle aspects of the artform one would have to consider that a major loss.
and Snoop.
C-
Pros: Originated a sing-songy, southern fried inspired flow with the intensity of the West Coast streets --- and that fusion created a sound that knocked hip hop on its ass. The way he so cooly and effortlessly waxed poetical hardcore was just ridiculous and it turned him into a name brand almost overnight with the help of Dre. Doggy Style is a certified classic and one of the best rap records ever.
Cons: Oh, where to begin. Snoop has completely disintegrated as an MC and the drop in quality started almost immediately. I would probably trace it back to his murder trial were he seemed to lose some zing off his fastball and the deterioration just accelerated; Snoop has been resting off his reputation for over a decade. Listen to his lyrics now, they are uninspired as hell and almost gibberish. Album quality since Doggy Style has been very mixed, trending towards the negative. Now Snoop relies on ghostwriters (!), his natural charisma, and his knack for bandwagoning the next hot producer and trends. Snoop gave up a long time ago. Still makes bread though and still very much a star.
[Edited by - sebstar on 08-31-2009 5:21 PM]
Big Daddy Kane: B
Pros: At his peak, no MC was ever better at his craft...nobody. He combined every element needed: He was funny, knew how to make a hit, his stage presence and breath control were among the best, he appealed to the ladies, and most importantly he was absolutely vicious on the mic and would tear your ass up in heartbeat and could captivate the streets. The most complete MC of all time in his prime, he also had Marley Marl backing him who was the Dr. Dre of his era (even tho his stuff sounds kinda dated now)
Cons: Through little fault of his own, he was a major casualty in the hip hop shift to hardcore and the west-coast dominance of the early 90s. Kane was looked upon as soft and a relic virtually overnight as his polished, ladies man image worked against him. L.L almost got caught up in the same thing, but he was savvy enough to hook up with Trackmasters, plus he had Def Jam behind him which experienced a mid-90s revival and renaissance. Kane can still rap his ass off, but its clear he was bitter about his dramatic fall off. The passion has been missing from his music since his heyday.
Common: A -
Pros: His catalog is really underrated, as all of his albums range from good to excellent. Very few MC's with longevity can say that. "I used to Love H.E.R" is arguably the greatest hip hop song of all time and an absolutely breathtaking track. Even with his Kanye-influence revival he hasnt sold out or compromised his style much. At the beginning he was a frat boy style rapper, but once he found religion he has been consistently substative without coming across as preachy, pious, or self-important. One of the best to ever do it.
Cons: Very few. His lyrics kinda suck now as evidenced by the fact that he got blazed by Ludacris on a recent collabo, something that never would have happened 10 years ago. He's obviously settled into a hip hop elder statesman role rather than somebody who is trying to push the genre forward. Took a major L when he hooked up with Badu and started wearing red shirts with green pants and brown shoes, lol.
Posted by sebstar:
Common: A -
Pros: His catalog is really underrated, as all of his albums range from good to excellent. Very few MC's with longevity can say that. "I used to Love H.E.R" is arguably the greatest hip hop song of all time and an absolutely breathtaking track. Even with his Kanye-influence revival he hasnt sold out or compromised his style much. At the beginning he was a frat boy style rapper, but once he found religion he has been consistently substative without coming across as preachy, pious, or self-important. One of the best to ever do it.
Cons: Very few. His lyrics kinda suck now as evidenced by the fact that he got blazed by Ludacris on a recent collabo, something that never would have happened 10 years ago. He's obviously settled into a hip hop elder statesman role rather than somebody who is trying to push the genre forward. Took a major L when he hooked up with Badu and started wearing red shirts with green pants and brown shoes, lol.
its hard to mention common and not also think of talib and the roots as some of the last 7 yrs best lyricists as well. great flow, melody to their rhymes - not to mention the message their raps spit.
Eminem: B +
Pros: Man, when he first burst on the scene he paired a multi-syllabic, death-defying flow, with bottomless creativity and wit. Perhaps the best pure talent hip hop has ever seen. Lit the underground on fire in the late 90s and became hip hops biggest star once he blew. Has lyrically roasted anybody who has challenged him on the mic.
Cons: Once he blew, Em realized quickly that his audience was less concerned about tight ass lyrics and more concerned with frat-boy humor, pop star disses, and a 'whats he going to say next' sensibility. Encore was awful and relapse isn't much better--- made worse by the fact that he has purposely siphoned away his talent to appeal to the masses. He's still got it --- for conformation check out his just released callab with lil Wayne, Drake, and Kanye called Forever remix.
[Edited by - sebstar on 08-31-2009 4:39 PM]
Ice Cube: B -
Pros: Raps biggest and most bankable star in his prime and so revolutionary and pro-black minded he made Pac look like Bob Saget. Cube was literally the lyrical brains behind NWA (along with the underrated D.O.C) and once he went solo he produced some of the best albums ever in the early 90s. Could effortlessly bounce from making a hardcore track that could inspire a Black Panthers reunion to a frivolous party track and not lose and ounce of credibility. Was one of the rappers that made hip-hop into a respectable, sonic force.
Cons: A dykkrider for trends. Was extremely pro-black and pro-muslim when they were favorable within the culture --- but once he spied the east coast/west coast rift he callously capitalized on it. Ditched his muslim stance and became the biggest east coast antagonist next to Pac, only with Pac a lot of it was done with a wink and a nod as he was quick to give credit to many east coast rappers and he was from the east himself --- Cube made people really believe there was a "war".
Cube was famously humiliated by Common by that "bytch in Yoo" track. From that point forward Cube switched almost exclusively into a party rapper with little substance. Recently he's tried to redeem himself by going back to his old conscious self, but its probably too little too late as nobody is really checking for him anymore.
Posted by orangeblobman:
nas - grade: A
strength: unrivaled style of presentation, brilliantly clever in his word play, put out maybe the best rap album of all time in illmatic, one of the best story tellers ever (see Rewind). his rhymes are just incredible, especially early on. when was the last time you sat down, listened to an album from start to end, and were able to honestly say that you loved every song on it? that's what he did in his first effort.
weakness: seems stubborn, especially when considering how he evolved-- his gritty portrails of his experience were sometimes hauntingly real in illmatic, but it was always countered by some inherent optimism in his voice and his more thought provoking rhymes. sadly, this transformed itself into a bitter old nas, clinging to half-baked pseudo-intellectualism and shock-jock tactics to remain relevant. in short, he stopped being original and instead let himself grow moldy in the cellars of hip hop.
edit:
had to change it to an a from a b+ because reading jazz74's reviews, I think he deserves an a within that framework, kinda; he is above big, for sure, but jay has him beat on the development part.
Eh, I think you were being a little harsh on the weeknesses part. He's not in the cellar of hip hop at all. His lyricism, especially for a fairly mainstream artist has been unrivaled since his debut.
I'd give him an A-....his lyrics are still crack rocks but save Illmatic, It was Written, and Stillmatic his ear for beats are Van Gogh like...Hip Hop is Dead was more gimmick than thought-provoking. Again, only thing bad about Nas is that he picks wack ass beats and tries to be more universal and betray his NY roots. Primo should be on every one of his records, no excuses.
[Edited by - sebstar on 08-31-2009 4:55 PM]
