VH1s "5 Greatest Emcees"...of all time list
 

VH1 recently aired a show called "5 Greatest Emcees" where they ranked five emcees MOST hip hop heads are familiar with.

I feel this way; whenever you talk about the cream of the crop and this elite group, you can't go wrong arguing for any of them.

VH1 appears to have taken into account flow, lyrics, delivery, impact, and longevity (album sales, radio play) when compiling this list.

So, with that said, here are their Greatest 5 Emcees of all time, in order.

5. Nas
4. Rakim
3. Biggie Smalls
2. Tupac
1. Jay Z



I'll break down my opinion of these emcees like Trip did with the greatest Albums of all time:


Nas: Nas is a superior lyricist to me. But, I tend to agree with Jay Z in that, "it doesn't mean he's bright because you don't understand the bullshit he writes." I love Nas' rhyme schemes and flow. He was influenced by Rakim, so it's no wonder people celebrate him for his poignant lyrics. I think Nas definitely deserves to be on this list.


Rakim: I listened to Rakim's greatest hits. I like his style and think he's left an indelible mark in the game. I don't, however, see him as the greatest rapper of all time because he lacked versalitity. Most of the rappers on this list managed to have cross-over appeal. Rakim was pure hip hop, and nothing is wrong with that. I tend to feel he's a tad overrated because so many people simply copied his style and tend to put him on a pedestal. But, ironically, it's that adoration that makes him deserve to be on this list, IMO.

Biggie Smalls: What can I say? Many people, including myself, would argue that Biggie is the greatest rapper of all time, period. But, based on VH1s criteria for ranking, I understand this lofty third spot. Biggie Smalls had a dope flow, dope delivery/voice, and sick metas and wordplay. Tupac charged that he "gave biggie his style" but I'd say that was Pac being salty. Biggie acknowledged that Pac schooled him in the game of how to be more radio friendly. But, in no way did Pac craft Biggie's flow and delivery. Biggie is the rapper who inspired me to rap and deserves to be on this list, easily.


Tupac: Here's someone I had to grow to love. Pac has a polarizing effect that's a hallmark of someone special, IMO. Pac was more of a poet than Biggie, and seemed to be able to move people more emotionally. However, TUpac was not the best rapper skill wise on the mic. I'd give that edge to Biggie who had more command over the mic than Pac. Some would argue that Pac brought more emotion to his songs. However, he did not flip styles like some of the other people on this list. Pac's lyrics mean alot to a lot of people and deserves to be on this list, period.



Jay Z: Jay was picked as the greatest emcee of all time for his longevity and consistency on the mic over the years. He is currently my favorite emcee, which is no surprise because my favorite rapper of all time is Biggie. Everyone knows Jay benchmarks Biggie. Jay has achieved what I think every rapper wants to achieve, and that's street cred and radio success simultaneously. Jay Z's rapping skills are unquestionable. I honestly would have put Biggie and Pac first and second. But, Jay deserves to be on this list as well.

Yeah, the list was disappointing.

i honestly dont think its such a bad list considering it was a show on vh1...it could have been tons worse....

Ya, being as it was VH1 I would have expected alot worse. So, taking that into concideration I guess I can live with that.

lmao @ Jay-Z being #1. wow. Eazy-E > all. werd

Kolb send me some eazy e/nwa NOW.

Meh... I disagree.

Man these "greatest" lists are rediculous. specially when this one is "most known".

fuckin viacom.

Easy E definately isn't the greatest... He wasn't even good. Just because someone dies that doesnt make them great.

*throws away ronald regan posters* :(

lmao @ u

i can listen 2 all Eazy-E n N.W.A cd's tha whole way thru without skippin a track. i caynt do that fo any of tha people on that list. they got sum ill shit, but not az much az Eazy duz (2 me anyway) n tha fact that he's dead haz nuthin 2 do wif wether or not hiz music sounds good, werd

If you're going by their criteria, I guess it could kinda work. But radio play, sales n' stuff like that shouldn't have shit to do with it. Fa'real though, why do most of these lists forget people like KRS-One n' Chuck D?

if they go by radio play n sales, then 50 cent would b tha greatest emcee, lmao, werd

^^sales, radio play is part of the impact factor...They also include flow, lyrics, delivery, and skill on the mic...

That's why 50 wasn't included in the top 5, as well as the fact he hasn't been around long enough. That's what makes Biggie indelible. Remember, he was only out a couple years before he died, and his music still inspires people today. That = hallmark of greatness.








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You really can't judge the greatest of all time, mainly because everyone's taste is different. Personally, I've never liked Jay Z but I love Nas and I understand what he is saying the second he says it.

So ya, the lists are nothing but an ego boost and something that the emcees can write about. Oh, and ratings of course.

also nas beat jay-z

yep










:thumbup:

cuz KRS never paid none of these cocksuckers to play his songs on the air.

I loved this list. lol @ Eazy E...

WTF at J being #1.....ill kick him in his nuts....

I watched the Top 25 Hip-Hop Artists on VH1 last week which was hosted by Diddy and it went something like this.



6. Eminem
5. Biggie
4. Jay-Z
3. Tupac
2. Public Enemy
1. Run DMC

I believe it was like that.

word up colby. I can feel that.

easy didn't even write his lyrics...he was a fraud.

AHAHAAH STOP SAYIN THAT!!

dig deep enough you see all rappers are frauds but the 80's guys before rap was something that could generate money to Billion dollar company like GE owns 70% of ALL record labels, cuz NO ONE now, and I mean NO ONE now is real. You're an investment now, there's millions behind you. Name a Legend, I can name their ghost REAL easy. All their work is ghost written with an extreme small percent of tracks. they're not a rapper now, they're a money making franchize. A clothing line, a cologne line, sports team, business owner/manager, achohol bottler, etc etc pictures, tours, performances, TV shows, clubs, lawsuits, videos, AAAAAAHHHH

They got no time to write jack shit. Who here can write stressed out being pulled in mad different directions and still try to juggle a family life, how could you be in the zone to write?

Professional writers are hired to sculpt number 1 tracks and have been since the 80's.

werd Apexx :cool:



omfg, he didnt write them all, but not ALL of it wuz ghostwritten.

i dont give a fuck if he wrote it or not, he made it sound better then anybody else couldve done. shit, if i hear a song thats just tha audio of a spunge rubbing against a peice of cheese, n it sounds good, then, it sounds good, period. werd

george clinton , frank zappa, grand master flash, grand puba, ed sullivan... and i actually though about this for a minute..... but i would also have to add .. don cornelius , and quincy jones... i could go on and on .. you fucking bitches dont know what the fuck a master of ceremony is ... fake ass fuckers...........mc
what the fuck is an mc..or emcee ....... i am a poet.. you are fuckin bitches.. fake ass wanna be rappers and never ever comin close to being an true m.c. maybe a hype man or a fluffer...thats about it ... bitches ... stfu...

^who are you adressing?

lol @ "greatest" emcee's of all time.....

Everyones always going to have their own lists, and I still can't believe Jay has haters, but whatever... And omfg if 50 was around for 100 years,, droppin 2 albums a year, he still would not be in the top 100 "greatest" emcees ever. Unless you're talking sales, but no one ever is but sound scan....

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LMFAO.. same thing i was thinkin

i thought the list was decent...... cuz i expected them to do sumthin like put Proof at Number 1

e didn't even write his first fucking album before he was anything!!!

so what the fuck are you talking about...

hmm, lets name a few, nas, biggie, chuck d, masta ace, slug, blackchild, krs one...that enough legends for you?

real hip hop please stand up, how can you go around talking about the purity and beauty of this game, if you think 'the greatest' emcees are commodities?

thats actually not a bad list, dont know about the order but not bad.

lmao 'werd'