What does it take to be a great MC? Lyrics? Flow? Voice? Creativity? Stage Presence? Personality? Style? Intelligence? All of these things are the key ingredients in a lot of hip-hop fans minds of the makings of a great MC. So who in hip hop's illustrious history would be considered the greatest ever? What MC in your heart and mind is the absolute hands down best, most talented and creative lyrically gifted wordsmith you've ever heard and why? Here is my list of the top 10 Greatest MC's of all time! Disagree if you will but be prepared to back up your arguments with a high octane, strongly opinionated debate lol! And note to all readers, I'm a lover of the old school so there will be no chance of seeing any 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, submissions on my list, sorry L!
Ten - Jay-Z - One of the slickest flows and sharpest minds in the biz, Jay has been mesmerizing audiences for over a decade now with a laundry list of hits! But it's his swagger, lyrical word play and style that have to make him a contender for one of the greatest MC's of all time!
Claim to fame: Reasonable Doubt, In my Lifetime Vol. 1&2, Blueprint, The Black Album
Nine - Eminem - Witty, Colorful, Creative song concepts, descriptive lyrics that paint ill visuals and a itchy four letter word habit trigger finger, Mr. Mathers is a lyricists without fear! He has always been a courageous and brutally honest truth-teller who isn't afraid to air out his own dirty laundry, which has allowed his legions of loyal fans to bond with him that much more closely. And because of this humility I think he is one of the best (maybe only 2nd to 2 Pac) when it comes to bringing pain on paper in rhyme!
Claim to fame: The Slim Shady LP, The Marshall Mathers Album, The Eminem Show
Eight - 2 Pac/The Notorious B.I.G. - These two Artists even after their deaths and in their legacies still seemed destined to be mentioned together. There styles were vastly different, but their unique and distinctive voices, flawless flows, larger than life swagger, and endless creativity make it hard to imagine any top 10 MC list without either one of them. Pac was extremely versatile with a knack for dropping jewels or enemies with raw unapologetic thugged out rage! Big was the quietstorm type MC (although his style when he first came out was more loud and aggressive), his approach was more smooth but deadly. Killing competition softly with killer wit, lyrical humor, and undeniable charm, Biggie was an MC with a gift of gab most of his peers couldn't match.
Claim to fame: Pac - All Eyez on Me, Makaveli. Biggie: Ready to Die, Life After Death
Seven - Nas - I've gone on record before as saying I feel Nas is the best and most complete MC of the 1990's era of Hip-Hop. And I think his impact, longevity, courage to try new things, and the bravery not to back down from projects that deem his opinion as unpopular (ex: Hip-Hop is Dead) to controversial (Ex: The N***er album), back up this claim ten fold! Nas is the only MC that you can make the argument that every MC from Pac to Biggie who all borrowed something from him (Pac got the idea for Me & My Girlfriend off of Nas I Gave You Power song on his It Was Written Album, and Pac's boys The Outlawz co-signed on that fact) (Well everyone knows it's an unwritten truth that Biggie got the idea to do the album cover for Ready to Die using his baby picture off of Nas Illmatic album cover which dropped months earlier than Ready to Die). The fact is Nasir Jones has proved time and time again he is one of the illest, respected, creative, innovative MC's of his time, period. And he boasts the accomplishment few MC's can brag about, and that is having beaten fellow MC Titan Jay-Z in battle! (Ex: Takeover vs. Ether, we all know who really won that lol).
Claim to fame: Illmatic, Stillmatic, Battle vs. Jay-Z
Six - Ice Cube - Cube is one of the few West Coast MC's whose respect in Hip-Hop is universal! From West, to East, North & South, all bow down & pay homage to this Lyrical Legend. From his groundbreaking debut with NWA, to his infamous battle in dissing, destroying and helping to dismantle the group, to his illustrious and long fulfilled solo career, Cube's mark on the game is undeniable. He along with NWA, the Doc, Snoop, The Hieroglyphics Crew, King T. and now The Game amongst others have helped to solidify West Coast Hip-Hop as a force to respected! With a Gangsta's aggression, political message and Lyricists skillful delivery, Cube has always been able to maintain a balance to get respect from the street, and sales from the masses!
Claim to fame: Straight Outta Compton Amerikkka's Most Wanted, Death Certificate
Five - Slick Rick - The Ruler MC Ricky D., master of the art of story telling is one of the dopest, slickest, most stylish and original MC's in Hip-Hop ever! Who else could get away with rocking a Kangol with an eye patch, fat gold chains, a fur coat, and boasting an English accent and make it all look and sound fly as hell? Only Slick Rick with boastful tales of wild, crazy and deviant behavior so freaky it would make Too Short, Uncle Luke and Dolemite all seem like Mother Goose Fairytales lol! Treat'em like a Prostitute, Lick the Balls, Indian Girl & The Moment I Feared alone off his classic debut album are all proof positive of such a tremendous feat. No one could match Rick's style flair and razor sharp flow with precision. Long live the Ruler indeed!
Claim to Fame: The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, La Di Da Di, The Show
Four - Kool G Rap - One of the most underrated MC's of all time IMHO! The lisp, the flow, the incredible speed, verbal dexterity intricate punchlines and killer lyrical depth make this Queens Juice Crew MC a legend for all times! G Rap's impact and recognition on generations of MC's after him are timeless and unquestionable (Ex: from Big L, Big Pun, Nas, all of paid homage to this lyrical vet). It's a shame he never really got the due he deserves (Lord knows maybe BET, VH1 Hip-Hop Honors or someone will do this man some justice and nominate him for the Hip-Hop Hall of fame or a lifetime achievement award, shouout to D.J. Polo as well). But if they never do, don't worry G, I got you covered big homey!
Claim to fame: The Symphony, Road to the Riches, Wanted Dead or Alive, 4,5,6
Three - Big Daddy Kane - King Asiatic Nobody's Equal. One of the first brothas along with the God MC Rakim Allah to inject 5 Percenter's Knowledge of Self Wisdom into his rhymes that helped to uplift a generation to think, over stand and believe in themselves and for themselves to help bring about change in the world for the better. Kane was the Renaissance MC, he could rhyme, battle, and dance with the best of them! He was the smooth suave brotha that all the ladies wanted to be with, and the hardcore battle rhyme tested MC that all the guys wanted to be like! Long Live the Kane indeed!
Claim to fame: The Symphony, Long Live the Kane, It's a Big Daddy Thang
Two - KRS-1 - Knowledge Reins Supreme Over Nearly Everyone! Another crazy incredible acronym for a legendary MC! You know an MC is destined for greatness when he makes his name in the business by going toe to toe with the hottest crew in the game in MC Shan and the Juice Crew (Roxxnane Shante, Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Kane, etc.). But the illest thing is that KRS took on Shan and the legendary Bridge Wars and won! And hence a star and Hip-Hop legend was born! Immortalizing the South Bronx on the Hip-Hop map and equipped with an ass kicking take no prisoners classic debut album (Criminal Minded) BDP's general went on to become one of the most respected, brilliant, creative, consistent, innovative, bold, defiant, trendsetting intellectual MC's in Hip-Hop history! Some may question his tactics, few may match his talent, but none surpass his wisdom, knowledge, understanding and passion for Hip-Hop music, art & culture! And this poetic MC has the stamina, breath control, many styles and flows and lyrical depth to bury any and all competition. The Blast Master rocks on!
Claim to fame: Criminal Minded, By All Means Necessary, Self Destruction, Edutainment
And now the moment you have all been waiting for, the #1 greatest MC of all time is...
One - Rakim - This was probably not a difficult guess for any 70's babies who grew up on 80's Hip-Hop (aka The Golden Era of Hip-Hop). Rakim is the quintessential MC. Flow: Flawless, Lyrics: Timeless, Style: Futuristic, & Impact & Influence: Priceless!! This Lyrical God right here is probably your favorite MC's Favorite MC (even 50 Cent gave him props and respect due on "Hate it or Love it", "my favorite rapper used to sing check, check out my melody"). Ra's lyrical wordplay has always been ahead of it's time. From the 7 MC theory he dropped on My Melody to metaphors like "the next state will shake from the power I generate, people in Cali used to think it was earthquakes" off the Urban classic gem "In The Ghetto", the rest of the Hip-Hop world has been trying to follow his lead to play catch up ever since. Rakim's cool voice, laid back flow and always lyrically equipped rhymes make him the easy top choice pick for the greatest Hip-Hop MC for all time!
And you know of course I gotta drop some honorable mentions of some MC's who are great but just missed the cut on this top 10 list
Big Pun
Big L
Redman
Guru
Jadakiss
MC Lyte
Canibus
Immortal Technique
Common
Pharoae Monch
Andre 3000
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