Rate these MC's

you forgot 2pac on your list, i vote for him from this list i would personally go with NAS, even tho Biggie is real good toodeadly_shuriken

Tupac is west coast...

That being said I only care for Method Man on the list. I never got in to Biggie or any of the others

Out of those, Nas. Definitely not any of my favorites from the East Coast, though.Cherokee_Jack

Meth and Nas for me, but I chose Nas just cause....

Method Man > Raekwon > NAS > Notorious BIG > Big L

Meth is one of my favorite artists ever. So he's an easy choice for my 1st pick. Raekwon and NAS are pretty damn close for second, and Big Poppa is just a little over rated imo. he's still much better than Big L though.

Method Man > Raekwon > NAS > Notorious BIG > Big L

Meth is one of my favorite artists ever. So he's an easy choice for my 1st pick. Raekwon and NAS are pretty damn close for second, and Big Poppa is just a little over rated imo. he's still much better than Big L though.

zmbi_gmr

Nasir Jones by a MILE. But outkast comes a close second if they were on that list.

[QUOTE="zmbi_gmr"]

Method Man > Raekwon > NAS > Notorious BIG > Big L

Meth is one of my favorite artists ever. So he's an easy choice for my 1st pick. Raekwon and NAS are pretty damn close for second, and Big Poppa is just a little over rated imo. he's still much better than Big L though.

Toriko42

Nas

B.I.G.

Meth

Raekwon

Sorry, never heard Big L.

Any particular reason that Jay-Z isn't in the discussion?

[QUOTE="Toriko42"][QUOTE="zmbi_gmr"]

Method Man > Raekwon > NAS > Notorious BIG > Big L

Meth is one of my favorite artists ever. So he's an easy choice for my 1st pick. Raekwon and NAS are pretty damn close for second, and Big Poppa is just a little over rated imo. he's still much better than Big L though.

zmbi_gmr

big pun was the best MC IMO.

[QUOTE="zmbi_gmr"]

[QUOTE="Toriko42"] Lifestylez ov Da Poor and Da Dangerous > Anything any artist on there out out except for IllmaticToriko42

I rank them like this:

1. Biggie- Arguably the most versatile rapper of all-time. Flow like water. Hardcore underground street lyricist with commercial hit making ability, he was the best of both worlds.

2. Nas- Intelligent and wise beyond his years, especially when you realize he was only 18 years old when Illmatic was released. His career isn't very consistent though, and he seems to have tailed off these last few albums. But albums like Illmatic, It Was Written, Stillmatic, Lost Tapes, etc. speak of his greatness.

3. Big L- Possibly the best punchline rapper of all-time. He was vicious on the mic and not scared to say anything, no matter who it offended. His punchlines and the way he attacked the mic defined him, but outside of that he is severely lacking.

4. Method Man- Great styIe. Great voice. Great flow. Outside of Tical his solo career has been pretty questionable though. His work with the Wu and Redman, in addition to Tical, are great though.

5. Raekwon- Great storyteller. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx is the definitive mafioso album in hip-hop, but Ghostface and RZA do have to take a lot of credit for that as well.

Totally my opinion When I tell people I prefer Lifestylez over anything Biggie did they look at my like I'm crazy. I don't think Biggie has done one good album. Ready to Die is extremely overrated and Life After Death is just some Puffy crap...Toriko42

Ready to Die is maybe the best hip-hop album of all-time. Of all the albums made by the MC's listed in the first post, there are three albums that stick out above the rest: Ready to Die, Illmatic and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Ready to Die is the essence of street life from beginning to end, if you didn't notice from the baby on the first song to the suicide on the last song.

Life After Death is hardly Puffy crap either. You do realize RZA, DJ Premier, Buckwild, Havoc, Easy Mo Bee, and Clark Kent are all over the album right? That's cIassic NYC hip-hop right there.

[QUOTE="Toriko42"]Totally my opinion When I tell people I prefer Lifestylez over anything Biggie did they look at my like I'm crazy. I don't think Biggie has done one good album. Ready to Die is extremely overrated and Life After Death is just some Puffy crap...Orlando_Magic

Ready to Die is maybe the best hip-hop album of all-time. Of all the albums made by the MC's listed in the first post, there are three albums that stick out above the rest: Ready to Die, Illmatic and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Ready to Die is the essence of street life from beginning to end, if you didn't notice from the baby on the first song to the suicide on the last song.

Life After Death is hardly Puffy crap either. You do realize RZA, DJ Premier, Buckwild, Havoc, Easy Mo Bee, and Clark Kent are all over the album right? That's cIassic NYC hip-hop right there.

I can't edit my post cause of HTML

I gotta say I prefer Big L over Biggie for an obvious reason, Big L's flow is amazing. The way he spits his lyrics is amazing on songs like Put It On, No Endz No Skinz, Danger Zone, Let 'Em Have It L, etc. I also enjoy his lyrics more, he writes some pretty sick lines which I can never forget; stuff like 'You can't kill me I was born dead' and other things I can't write on here in fear of a moderation. I also like his sound, much more consistent.

I will give you this though, L released two albums, Biggie released two albums. Biggie clearly did far more in the same frame as L but it's hard to say since as we both know both their lives were cut majorly short. Who knows how it would have turned out in the long run.

Ready to Die is much more versatile than it is inconsistent. Every song sticks to the central theme but does so differently. Things Done Changed is about reminsicing. Gimme the the Loot is one of the most unique storyelling tracks in rap history with Biggie rapping from the perspective of two robbers. Warning again is a cIassic storytelling track talking about someone planning a hit on Big. The What and Unbelievable are lyrical showcases. Me & My ***** is a love song, and its on some Bonnie and Clyde type **** talking about the camraderie between a thief and his girl. Everyday Struggle shows off flow and in and out life of a drug dealer, "I'm seeing body after body and our Mayor Guiliani ain't trying to see no black man turn to John Gotti." Juicy is THE hip-hop anthem for someone who has made something out of nothing. Suicidal Thoughts is probably the most memorable closing to a rap album EVER, full of regret, pain, remorse, guilt, and much more.

No other rapper paints pictures with his words, no other rapper makes you visualize what he's saying, better than Biggie.

Ready to Die is more versatile than it is inconsistent. Every song sticks to the central theme but does so differently. Things Done Changed is about reminsicing. Gimme the the Loot is one of the most unique storyelling tracks in rap history with Biggie rapping from the perspective of two robbers. Warning again is a cIassic storytelling track talking about someone planning a hit on Big. The What and Unbelievable are lyrical showcases. Me & My ***** is a love song, and its on some Bonnie and Clyde type **** talking about the camraderie between a thief and his girl. Everyday Struggle shows off flow and in and out life of a drug dealer and humanizes him showing the everyday problems he faces like everyone else too. Juicy is THE anthem for someone who has made something out of nothing. Suicidal Thoughts is probably the most memorable closing to a rap album EVER, full of regret, pain, remorse, guilt, and much more.

No other rapper paints pictures with his words, no other rapper makes you visualize what he's saying, better than Biggie.

There is nothing wrong with his voice either, probably one of the worst excuses you could've come up with.

Orlando_Magic

I can't edit my post cause of HTML

I gotta say I prefer Big L over Biggie for an obvious reason, Big L's flow is amazing. The way he spits his lyrics is amazing on songs like Put It On, No Endz No Skinz, Danger Zone, Let 'Em Have It L, etc. I also enjoy his lyrics more, he writes some pretty sick lines which I can never forget; stuff like 'You can't kill me I was born dead' and other things I can't write on here in fear of a moderation. I also like his sound, much more consistent.

I will give you this though, L released two albums, Biggie released two albums. Biggie clearly did far more in the same frame as L but it's hard to say since as we both know both their lives were cut majorly short. Who knows how it would have turned out in the long run.

Toriko42

Big L has punchlines. Biggie could do everything and do it well, including punchlines. I've been listening to both rappers for well over a decade. Ready to Die is timeless. I know you just got into Big L a couple months ago, the punchlines wear off. It's not something you can keep coming back to like Ready to Die.

[QUOTE="Toriko42"]

I can't edit my post cause of HTML

I gotta say I prefer Big L over Biggie for an obvious reason, Big L's flow is amazing. The way he spits his lyrics is amazing on songs like Put It On, No Endz No Skinz, Danger Zone, Let 'Em Have It L, etc. I also enjoy his lyrics more, he writes some pretty sick lines which I can never forget; stuff like 'You can't kill me I was born dead' and other things I can't write on here in fear of a moderation. I also like his sound, much more consistent.

I will give you this though, L released two albums, Biggie released two albums. Biggie clearly did far more in the same frame as L but it's hard to say since as we both know both their lives were cut majorly short. Who knows how it would have turned out in the long run.

Orlando_Magic

Big L is has punchlines. Biggie could do everything and do it well. I've been listening to both rappers for well over a decade. Ready to Die is timeless. I know you just got into Big L a couple months ago, the punchlines wear off. It's not something you can keep coming back to like Ready to Die.

Granted, The Infamous was an album I found mediocre too upon first listen but now I can't stop listening to it. Same with D12's Devil's Night and Eminem who I used to despise. My changes could chance, could not. We'll see how it goes for me a decade from now but I'm still young, I thought Hip Hop was the devil four years ago :lol:

Oh and it wasn't two months ago, first time I heard Big L was in March I think :P

No GZA? Whats up with that?

Nas is the correct answer.

No GZA? Whats up with that?

Swanogt19

I'm going with Nas, and I'm listening to Hero while I'm typing this.lol flowersjf

"Hero" is ok. Most of the song he isn't really saying anything but the first half of the third verse is dope...

maybe the tc isn't familiar with the GZA, but I agree he would be one of my fav's if listed. way better than Jigga, NAS or BIG. GZA is extremely talented. he paints pictures with his lyrics that are some of the best in the business. maybe if the Genius had died at a young age he would have gained recognition that he deserves. ppl tend to put him in a greatness category and then they forget about him. Meth is still my fav though.

zmbi_gmr

Why wouldn't he be familiar with the GZA when he just listed two members from the Wu-Tang Clan:question:

GZA is all lyrics but he lacks styIe. That's the main reason why I rank someone like Ghostface, and even Jay-Z since you brought it up, ahead of GZA. Liquid Swords is definitely a cIassic album, and Beneath the Surface and Legend of the Liquid Sword are great albums... but again, as sharp as the lyrics are GZA definitely has his weak points.

[QUOTE="flowersjf"]I'm going with Nas, and I'm listening to Hero while I'm typing this.lol Orlando_Magic

"Hero" is ok. Most of the song he isn't really saying anything but the first half of the third verse is dope...

maybe the tc isn't familiar with the GZA, but I agree he would be one of my fav's if listed. way better than Jigga, NAS or BIG. GZA is extremely talented. he paints pictures with his lyrics that are some of the best in the business. maybe if the Genius had died at a young age he would have gained recognition that he deserves. ppl tend to put him in a greatness category and then they forget about him. Meth is still my fav though.

zmbi_gmr

Why wouldn't he be familiar with the GZA when he just listed two members from the Wu-Tang Clan:question:

GZA is all lyrics but he lacks styIe. That's the main reason why I rank someone like Ghostface, and even Jay-Z since you brought it up, ahead of GZA. Liquid Swords is definitely a cIassic album, and Beneath the Surface and Legend of the Liquid Sword are great albums... but again, as sharp as the lyrics are GZA definitely has his weak points.

just because he wrote about two very familiar Wu member artists doesn't mean that he's familiar with the GZA. i'm sure he knows who he is, but not many ppl own anything from GZA other than Liquid Swords. Jigga is good, but come on better than GZA? yes Jigga sold way more albums, but that doesn't make him a better mc. GZA has some very good underground flows and battles that surely adds to his sort of style. by lack of style are you referring to his almost lazy swag? he definitley has style. it's more old man style, and not hip on the street style like most. now Ghostface is just raw with x-rated rhymes. he's fantastic and full of charisma, but he doesn't have vocabulary skillslike the GZA. the GZA sort a reminds me of Emin3m, but not as evil or angry as Em. both have such an extensive list of rhymes locked away in their heads that not many can battle them without getting slaughtered.

unrateable. I understand humans like to assign numbers to everything but some things just don't have to be assigned a value.

just because he wrote about two very familiar Wu member artists doesn't mean that he's familiar with the GZA. i'm sure he knows who he is, but not many ppl own anything from GZA other than Liquid Swords. Jigga is good, but come on better than GZA? yes Jigga sold way more albums, but that doesn't make him a better mc. GZA has some very good underground flows and battles that surely adds to his sort of style. by lack of style are you referring to his almost lazy swag? he definitley has style. it's more old man style, and not hip on the street style like most. now Ghostface is just raw with x-rated rhymes. he's fantastic and full of charisma, but he doesn't have vocabulary skillslike the GZA. the GZA sort a reminds me of Emin3m, but not as evil or angry as Em. both have such an extensive list of rhymes locked away in their heads that not many can battle them without getting slaughtered.

zmbi_gmr

First, no one is talking about albums sales. Let me point that out since you're the first person to bring that up. You seem kinda blinded Jay-Z's success, what do you think about Reasonable Doubt? I'm talking about their output...

Reasonable Doubt > Liquid Swords
The Blueprint > Legend of the Liquid Sword
The Black Album > Beneath the Surface
In My Lifetime Vol 1 > Grandmasters

After that both of their catalogues have a drop off. Pro Tools is horrible and the most boring album GZA has ever made. Don't even get me started on that horrible 50 Cent diss either, wow. And Words from the Genius is really before GZA had a defined styIe.

Vol 2 is Jay's worst album and really isn't that good outside of A Week Ago. Vol 3 has some amazing bright spots, such as the DJ Premier produced "So Ghetto," but the Mariah song and a few others are just horrible. Dynasty is good, and the Intro is a straight up cIassic but the album is more so to show off his labelmates. Blueprint 2 is really just too long for its own good and thus it has filler, however, the first 7 or so songs on the Curse are among Jay-Z's best work. Kingdom Come is a letdown as a comeback album. American Gangster is interesting since its a concept album and though its good, it feels kinda lacking.

GZA is nothing like Eminem outside of the fact that they are both lyrical. GZA is more like Guru from Gang Starr, the self proclaimed "King of Monotone." Except Guru even has more styIe.

"Lazy" isn't the word I'd use to desribe GZA either, since it's obvious from his lyrics that he's far from lazy and that he's definitely a thinker. "Bored" is a better choice.

[QUOTE="zmbi_gmr"]

just because he wrote about two very familiar Wu member artists doesn't mean that he's familiar with the GZA. i'm sure he knows who he is, but not many ppl own anything from GZA other than Liquid Swords. Jigga is good, but come on better than GZA? yes Jigga sold way more albums, but that doesn't make him a better mc. GZA has some very good underground flows and battles that surely adds to his sort of style. by lack of style are you referring to his almost lazy swag? he definitley has style. it's more old man style, and not hip on the street style like most. now Ghostface is just raw with x-rated rhymes. he's fantastic and full of charisma, but he doesn't have vocabulary skillslike the GZA. the GZA sort a reminds me of Emin3m, but not as evil or angry as Em. both have such an extensive list of rhymes locked away in their heads that not many can battle them without getting slaughtered.

Orlando_Magic

First, no one is talking about albums sales. Let me point that out since you're the first person to bring that up. You seem kinda blinded Jay-Z's success, what do you think about Reasonable Doubt? I'm talking about their output...

Reasonable Doubt > Liquid Swords
The Blueprint > Legend of the Liquid Sword
The Black Album > Beneath the Surface
In My Lifetime Vol 1 > Grandmasters

After that both of their catalogues have a drop off. Pro Tools is horrible and the most boring album GZA has ever made. Don't even get me started on that horrible 50 Cent diss either, wow. And Words from the Genius is really before GZA had a defined styIe.

Vol 2 is Jay's worst album and really isn't that good outside of A Week Ago. Vol 3 has some amazing bright spots, such as the DJ Premier produced "So Ghetto," but the Mariah song and a few others are just horrible. Dynasty is good, and the Intro is a straight up cIassic but the album is more so to show off his labelmates. Blueprint 2 is really just too long for its own good and thus it has filler, however, the first 7 or so songs on the Curse are among Jay-Z's best work. Kingdom Come is a letdown as a comeback album. American Gangster is interesting since its a concept album and though its good, it feels kinda lacking.

GZA is nothing like Eminem outside of the fact that they are both lyrical. GZA is more like Guru from Gang Starr, the self proclaimed "King of Monotone." Except Guru even has more styIe.

"Lazy" isn't the word I'd use to desribe GZA either, since it's obvious from his lyrics that he's far from lazy and that he's definitely a thinker. "Bored" is a better choice.

also, didn't i just say that i think Em and GZA are sorta alike because they are lyrical geniuses?

zmbi_gmr

They are lyrical, but outside of that there's really nothing that similar about them. I'm talking about flow, lyrical content, commercial appeal, etc.

I don't like any of them! :D (didn't know what you meant by MC's before coming into thread lol)chessmaster1989

Emcee, shortened to MC, most commonly means Master of Ceremonies. Hip-hop started out on the block parties in the Bronx of the 1970's, and you'd have one person on the microphone trying to get the party started... and that was the birth of the Emcee in hip-hop.

Since then, MC's have evolved from the likes of Melle Mel to Rakim to Biggie to Jay-Z to Lil Wayne etc. and everyone in between.

Over the course of this time, MC has taken on other meanings such as "move the crowd," "mic checka" and "microphone controller."