Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2008 12:16 pm Posts: 81625
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First list that came up on google but I happen to agree with it heavily. (Yes there is Wu represented but it really was the first one to come up under top 5 rap lyricists.) Id have Gza ahead of Nas 10 Greatest PURE Lyricists. I judged this on how many times ive said the words "WOW" in listening to their lyrics, their decisive creativity, punchlines, albums, status in rap music, and of course, their ability to use metaphors, similes, wordplays, and multi-syllable flows. Of course many of you wont agree with the order, but you gotta agree i know my stuff after this. Ive also included links to some of their albums to give me and my friends some more hits and to give you more info. So Enjoy...
10 - Redman Whether you like it or not, Redman deserves a spot here. With nearly every one of his albums having an impact, and his three first albums being classic and near-classic, then you know this emcee deserves it. Whether he is with the dope emcees in Def Squad, or collaborating with Method Man, he should be placed here. His incredibly creative lyrics add comedy to each track, but he also has the ability to be introspective and shows shades of it, but never fully goes into that persona. Definetely one of the best in the game right now.
Albums: - Whut? The Album - Dare Iz a Darkside - Muddy Waters - Doc's Da Name - Def Squad - El Nino - Redman & Methodman - Blackout - Malpractice
9 - Kurupt West Coast rapper Kurupt is extremely underrated. Though his subject matter is limited at times, you cant deny Kurupt has the rap ability to be one of the best, and he shows it when he spits clever rhymes and metaphorical flows about anything and everything. He is definetely the stand-out member of the Dogg Pound, and is also a member of the Horsemen. In fact, three out of the four Horsemen members are on this countdown. Canibus, Ras, and Kurupt, the only one missing is Killah Priest, who is also a very dope lyricist and also deserves to be on this list, but didnt make the cut. This should put a smile on Paulyoungotti's face.
Albums: - Tha Dogg Pound - Dogg Food - D.P.G. - Dillinger & Young Gotti - Kuruption - Tha Streetz is a Mutha - Smoke Boogie: Space Oddysey - Tha Dogg Pound - 2002
8 - Pharoahe Monch One of the most underrated and forgotten acts in hip hop pops in at Number 8. With his debut album Internal Affairs, the former Organized Konfusion member has hit hip hop hard. His tight delivery and excellent execution of big words and his ability to seemelessly touch on a variety of topics makes him a top lyricist. He has the ability to fit words together seemlessly. His lyrical tactics vary from social-consciousness to pure venomous battle raps, each containing their own multi-syllable flow and advanced complicated lyrics. Definetely should be listened to.
Albums: - Internal Affairs
7 - Gza The Master of the Metaphorical Microphone lands in at number 7. Just a step behind the other emcees is Gza, and it was tough to place him on here cause sometimes i feel like he deserves to be 5 or 6. Ask any hip hop head about Liquid Swords, and the response is unanimous. Classic. Not to mention the other releases by this man have also been strong and he has been placed as the undisputed leader of the Wu-Tang Clan, probably the greatest group in hip hop. I highly reccomend picking up his new Legend of the Liquid Swords album, which is probably the illest record that is in stores right now.
Albums (Solo): - Words from the Genius - Liquid Swords - Beneath the Surface - Legend of the Liquid Sword - Also appears in all Wu-Tang Albums
6 - Nas Nasty Nas clocks in at number 6. Almost a decade of hip hop has been overlooked by Nasty Nas. With his amazing creativity, unmatched flow, and classic after classic, Nas belongs on the top 10. Even though after Illmatic, he went on a downhill fall into commercialism. However, he has produced Illmatic, one of the greatest albums in hip hop history. He reclaimed his throne of New York with Stillmatic, and added to his list of great albums with Lost Tapes and God's Son. This guy will always be looked as at as a legend and one of the best pure lyricists ever.
Albums: - Illmatic - It was Written - The Firm - The Firm Biz - I am - Nastradamus - Stillmatic - From Illmatic to Stillmatic - The Remixes - The Lost Tapes - God's Son
5 - Ras Kass Ask any true hip hop head what album they consider to be the most lyrical, and the majority will choose Soul on Ice by Ras to be at the top. Ras Kass's amazing metaphors is beyond that of any other artist. Crafting one the all time greatest hip hop tracks ever with Nature of the Threat, that completely sealed the deal. In listening to his amazingly introspective and poetic lyricism, high advanced use of big words, and perfectly fitting verses add to it. The only reason he hasnt been higher is because of the fact that he has severely fallen off and cant seem to continue with consistent hits. His follow-up albums have been mainly crap. But Soul on Ice is a MUST HAVE for everybody.
Albums: - Soul on Ice - Rassassination - Van Gogh
4 - Mos Def The Mighty Mos Def comes in at #4. After coming out with two flawless albums and appearing on a variety of Rawkus Compilations, Mos Def has completely deserved to be the #4 pick. His amazing delivery, incredible voice patterns, and ability to manipulate the microphone has left a mark on my cd player. His awesome metaphors, similes, clever rhymes, storytelling, and introspectiveness puts him as one of the all time GREATEST rappers of all time, period. Amazingly enough, he almost always delivers a multi-syllable flow, and its in awe. Dont believe me? Just listen to RE:Definition for a perfect example of what this man can do. Amazing that you can attain all of this with just two albums, but he has done it, all due to his pure talent. I can't wait to hear his next release.
Albums: - Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star - Black on Both Sides
3 - Canibus The alltime supreme lord of battle rap lands at #3. After watching him rip so-called legend LL Cool J to shreds, he has claimed his throne. His perfectly crafted battle raps and unorthodox style is genius. The man has skill oozing from every single pour on his body and anybody who dares step up to challenge this emcee is sure to get completely obliterated. Never wasting a lyric, and always spitting venomous battle rhymes is his specialty. Unfortunately, weak production has plagued his albums from being classic, not to mention his constant battle raps, which limits his subject matter. However, when it comes to pure mic mastery and emcee skills, he exells over everyone in his path.
Albums: - Can-I-Bus - 2000 B.C. - C - True Hollywood Stories - Mic Club - Curriculum 101 - My Name is Nobody
2 - Eminem The white trash bastard who is currently ruling hip hop music with an iron fist deserves to be at #2, no matter what anybody thinks of me. This emcee is no doubt the illest emcee out there today, and is untouchable. Very few rappers nowadays are as creative, inventive, or clever as this dude. He has the ability to be introspective, comedic, intelligent, and storytell all at the same time, and injecting cleverness in each and every verse. He is virtually unbeatable on the mic when it comes to battles, and he has trampled over other emcees in his career without even breaking a sweat. Some of his victims include a cadre of pop-stars, Everlast, Benzino, The Insane Clown Posse, and Limp Bizkit (funny how they are all white). He has delivered on each and every one of his albums with fury and almost never falters.
Albums: - Infinite EP - Slim Shady EP - Slim Shady LP - Marshall Mathers LP - The Eminem Show - D-12 - Underground EP - D-12 - Devil's Knight
1 - Rakim Of course, youd expect the God Rakim Allah to be at the top being the greatest lyricist of all time. Besides having that, he is also the first PURE lyricist to ever come out. Fueling on pure multi-syllable and perfectly conjucted words, this man CAN NOT be touched whatsoever. The king of braggadiocio, which will make you look utterly retarded on the mic, and make himself like royalty, definetely deserves to be #1 and no doubt inspired pretty much everybody on this list. This is one of the few artists where virtually no line he has ever spat has been filler or wasted and each line is carefully crafted together seemlessly. His delivery and lyricism leaves me in "awe" each time he spits, and he's continued to get better and better as the years go by. His confidence is unmatched, and he has a right to be. Now teamed up with Dre we await his new album this year, which is sure to rock the hip hop world.
Albums: - Paid in Full - Follow the Leader - The 18th Letter - The Master
Other mentionables and explanations as to why they didn't make the list:
[color=#0000FF]Jay-Z (Has fallen off from his Reasonable Doubt days, though he still has his moments of amazing lyricism. He probably would be around 11 or 12 with Common. But hes overrated extremely, like D'Von has said) KRS-One (The Teacher, Legend, Great, but not enough multi-syllables) Common (He would be probably 11 or 12, but hes more of a poet) Kool G Rap (Another great rapper, probably would be in the top 20) Guru (A bit too monotone at times) Jedi Mind Tricks (Need more material... not too known) 2pac (Never went too complicated, but when he did, it was good) Notorious B.I.G. (Usually suffered from poor subject matter) Ice Cube (Fell of Drastically, but had his moments) Outkast (both members) (Probably 13 or 14, yet there are two) Jadakiss (Poor Subject Matter, and is beginning to decline) Q-Tip (Drastically Fell off... not to complicated) Big D (Cause you havent heard me yet) [/color]
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