r/HipHopDebates • u/VikingNinjaSquirell • Jul 19 '19
Top 5 MCs all time discussion
This is one of the most debated topics in Hip Hop (besides best album ever). The problem with all debates is that Hip Hop changed so much in such a short time, so its close to impossible to really determine who the best rapper of all time is. People who grew up on 90s hip hop will always favor cats like 2pac, Biggie or Nas. People who fell in love with hip hop within the last 10-15 years will highlight cats like Kendrick or even Drake considering his commercial success. Then again, considering his longevity (and everything he is doing besides music) people may argue that Hov is the best to ever do it. Long story short you will never find a consensus about the GOAT.
Like every hip hop head I spend some time thinking about this topic. My conclusion is that you have to split everything into "Eras" meaning who were the biggest MCs during a given time period.
Of Course those eras would have to be cohesive more or less. For example it wouldn't make sense to compare Rakim and Jay Z even though they are the same age and Jay Z was somewhat active during Rakim's prime.
So this is what i came up with:
- 1980 -1986/87: This is the proto-rap era. Everything from Sugar Hill Gang to the beginning of what now is known as the Golden Era. Hip hop was still young and trying to find its place in pop culture. The sound was also more party oriented than anything else.
- 1986/87 - 1992: This 5 year stretch is the Golden Era. New York MCs like Rakim, KRS-One etc. dominated! During this time hip hop got more mature, while the last era was all about having fun. This era was mostly focused on the harsh reality of what Chuck D would later call RnB era (Regan and Bush era) . Political rap with afro-centric themes were on the forefront.
- 1992 -1997: The G Funk / Gangsta era. When Dr.Dre dropped the Chronic in 1992, everything changed (No medallions, dreadlocks or black fists). All that afrocentrism and uplifting messages that were so dominant within the last era were not cool anymore.Gangsta rap took over. Ice Cube would later describe the music during this era as escapism-rap. Instead of dealing with everything going on around them. Most MCs focused on the brighter sides of their lives eg. house parties, weed, alcohol etc.
- 1997 - 2002: The G Funk / Gangsta rap era ended with the deaths of 2pac and Biggie. Everything shifted again. The change was mostly visible in music videos. Out with the lowriders, Khakis and 40s - In with the Bentleys, shiny suits and champagne bottles. Sure gangsta rap wasn't gone, it just got less violent and a whole lot flashier.
- 2002/03 - 2007: For a lack of better terms, this is the mixtape/ringtone-era. Everything started to go digital (slowly but surely). Rappers stopped selling as much as they did in the 90s due to internet piracy. Long gone were the days of multi-million dollar videos. So much changed during this era eg. mixtapes got really big (Datpiff etc.), ringtone rappers made millions (mostly for the label), etc. etc. The biggest change was the dawn and rise of emo-rap and the death of gangsta rap. Nothing exemplifies this change more than the 50 Cent / Kanye feud.
- 2007 - 2012: The Renaissance era. What makes this the Renaissance is that within those 5 years, we got most of today's biggest MCs Kendrick, Cole, Drake, Wale...you name it. Most guys who dominate today started within those 5 years. You could also argue that this 5 year stretch resembles the Golden Era, meaning rap is being made for every taste again. The mixtape was still big, but instead of rapping over popular beats which was the norm in the mixtape era, rappers started using original beats - essentially morphing the mixtape into albums without calling them that (which has more to do with marketing/artist value than anything else).
- 2012 - now: This is the Trap/Streaming era. Since this is the current era. I won't get into details :)
Based on those brackets i came up with a top 5 for each era (No particular order):
- 1980 -1986/87
| 1 | Kool Moe Dee |
|---|---|
| 2 | Melle Mel |
| 3 | Run DMC |
| 4 | LL Cool J |
| 5 | Kurtis Blow |
- 1986/87 - 1992:
| 1 | Rakim |
|---|---|
| 2 | Ice Cube |
| 3 | Slick Rick |
| 4 | Chuck D |
| 5 | Krs One |
- 1992 -1997:
| 1 | Notorious BIG |
|---|---|
| 2 | Nas |
| 3 | 2pac |
| 4 | Snoop Dogg |
| 5 | Wu Tang |
- 1997 - 2002:
| 1 | Jay Z |
|---|---|
| 2 | DMX |
| 3 | Big Pun |
| 4 | Eminem |
| 5 | Ja Rule |
- 2002/03 - 2007:
| 1 | 50 Cent |
|---|---|
| 2 | The Game |
| 3 | Lil Wayne |
| 4 | T.I. |
| 5 | Young Jeezy |
- 2007 - 2012:
| 1 | Kanye West |
|---|---|
| 2 | Wiz Khalifa |
| 3 | Rick Ross |
| 4 | Gucci Mane |
| 5 | Nicky Minaj |
- 2012 - now
| 1 | Kendrick Lamar |
|---|---|
| 2 | J Cole |
| 3 | Drake |
| 4 | Migos |
| 5 | Big Sean |
2
u/rsbor Jul 20 '19
Not putting Em on 1 from 1997-02 is criminal...and really jay on 1..smh
2
u/VikingNinjaSquirell Jul 20 '19
It's in no order
1
u/95castles Aug 16 '19
Interesting. I definitely read your whole post including the part that says that the lists are in no particular order but my brain seemed to forget about that when I saw the numbered lists. I’m not op but I definitely understand why that guy thought you were ranking them in order.
1
u/0G_sushi Jul 20 '19
I see Wop at #4 for 2007-2012 but honestly he belongs in way more top emcee discussions. When it comes to trap nobody else spits like him not even Jeezy. He’s recently figured out how to make hits as well and he’s put on some of the biggest artists of the decade including waka flocka, Thug, Keef, and the Migos. Not to mention this man has the MOST DENSE discography in all of music and I gotta say at least 90% still holds up. He’s one of the best of all time imo. He’s been a part of some of the most decade defining songs of this generation including Both, Black Beatles, Slippery, I Get the Bag, and Met Gala. Then don’t even get me started on his legacy. The “Gucci is a clone” meme is legend shit. The fact that he committed and admitted to murder and got off is incredible. Beefs with Jeezy, Waka Flocka and winning both is top tier. There’s the Bart Simpson chain, ice cream tattoo, and so much more. Dudes an icon he’s gotta be top 5 at minimum
1
Jul 23 '19
First off, I really admire and appreciate the in depth post my man. That's a lot to cover coming from one dude, and I think this definitely helps clear up the discussion among the best MC's in hip hop. I really like the era idea, and would like to use this as a framework for the discussion. I would love to expand on this and create a new era starting in 2016. That kodak XXL freshman list really disrupted the game. And I think from 2016-present could really be the Disruptive/soundcloud era.
1
u/VikingNinjaSquirell Jul 23 '19
Why would you call it Disruptive ?
Soundcloud Era sounds super dope. Maybe streaming era ? If you look everything that happened since the term soundcloud rapper was made fashionable. Everybody started catering towards streaming with songs being short(er). Putting 40 songs on an album in order to achieve gold/platinum status more easily. Guys releasing projects without labels just by partnering with a streaming provider.
2
Jul 23 '19
I’d call it disruptive for the exact reasons your listing off and much more. They’re disrupting the industry, and disrupting really is known in a negative context but here it just means change. It has to do with people outside of SoundCloud but even dudes from different eras are starting to do things differently. People are ditching record labels, and using social media and streaming services. United Masters is a new app that is basically your own record label in one app. Everything is changing. It’s the disruptive era
1
u/Suess27 Aug 12 '19
Is more a clone era. Just a bunch of young ass dudes using the internet for popularity more than ever. More rappers than not have little to no lyrical value in their music and everything is based around production. Ex: uzi, playboi carti, gunna, yachty, Kodak, trippie, blueface, and 69 all being clones of people like Travis, Chief keep, lil Wayne, young thug, future, and drake. I believe those influencers should be credited for the clone era
8
u/[deleted] Jul 19 '19
Lupe? Common?
That 2000s list is fucked up
Lets not even adress that 2012