I actually respect that position.
Who are your best lyricists? Just wondering who is in your top 5 not trying to be a dick or start an argument
I think when it comes to best or greatest discussions there has to be a hardcore of say, 15 emcees that can trade places depending on who is making the list, but the core of that list should stay the same.
And the best/greatest is so much more than just the people that you think should be there, it takes into account impact/era/output/longevity etc etc
I tend to stay away from these discussions as there are a lot of bull headed people coming up with shit when they were'nt even alive when rap music began, and that counts for a lot. You say your top 5 and they say 'No, it's...' like they know the correct answer.
I'm a jazz cat these days as much as anything, and for me to sit here and say Coltrane is the best hands down is just silly, as I wasn't around to really see the impact he had on the music and outside of the music.
Anyway, this is why I don't write much about hip hop any more as I can go on for hours, it's how I came up in the 80's.
I think the top 15 lets say must consist of Nas, Rakim, KRS, Ice Cube, Black Thought, Biggie, G Rap, probably LL, Jay Z and 2 Pac as well. But they can move around a lot.
Gun to head if I had to pick 5 it would be Rakim, Nas, Ice Cube, Biggie & KRS ONE, again all based on their impact at the time and the importance of their releases not just in hip hop but in musical culture and culture and society on the whole, as much as mic skills.
However, I prefer to talk about favorites, and my favorite rappers are markedly different.
AG
Black Thought
Ice T
Kool Keith
Also De La Soul as a collective would be about as high as you can get on list also. They were THE perfect combination to me
rest of the top 10 would be Chuck, Ice Cube, Mos Def, Scarface, Biggie, Rakim
probably!
TLDR - this is why I don't talk about hip hop too much, the history of it is too important to me and is way bigger than mine/your/their opinions on who's best
peace
