WHO IS HIP-HOP'S G.O.A.T.? PART 1
THE INTRO
2011 saw the release of Watch The Throne(Jay-Z&Kanye West) and Carter IV(Lil Wayne).WTT sold over 400,000 copies,while C IV sold over 900,000 copies-even though the latter was heavily leaked- within the first week of their respective release dates.
Add the fact that Jay-Z now stands next only to The Beatles as the artiste with the most #1 albums in the USA, and the reminder that Lil Wayne's preceding studio album Carter III sold 1million copies in the first week, and you'd realize the giant strides hip-hop has made over the years.
Recent successes has re-ignited the debate:is Lil Wayne truly a hip-hop great or a fad? Is Jay-Z,the Greatest Of All Time?
CHAPTER I
Ask any 10 hip-hop aficionados(even from the same geographical area) who the greatest MC is, and your chances of getting the same answer is slimmer than your chance of avoiding a lifetime of taxes.
For the purpose of this piece,I did just that.Sean Price,KRS-1,Rakeem,Biggie Smalls,Jay-Z,Kool G Rap, Nas,2Pac and even Ice-T(no offence) were a few of the names bandies about.
On what unwritten criteria do fans crown the greatest?What exactly makes the greatest MC,the greatest MC? How do you convince a hip-hopper that his/her favourite act may not necessarily be the best ever?Do fans base their assertions on one or a few albums? Or on popular opinion?Or on radio rotation?
CHAPTER II
Countless battles and polemics have existed since the birth of hip-hop.
From "the Bridge Wars" between MC Shan/KRS-1,to 2Pac/Biggie Smalls through to LL Cool J/Canibus issues,the "King of the South" battles between Ludacris/TI and "king of New York" between Nas/Jay-Z.(And that is not even listing all the mini-beefs between former group members,label mates,former friends etc etc.)
So 2Pac and BIG became martyrs.
KRS-1 reminded sleepers of his relevance in his hit Step into a world with lines like"I'm not saying I'm number 1,oh,I'm sorry,I lied.I'm number 1,2,3,4 and 5!".
LL Cool J also declared-on the now infamous track 4,3,2,1-that he was "greatest of all time".His nemesis at the time, Canibus replied that the greatest of all time,"died on March 9th" thereby posthumously crowning Notorious BIG.(Something a majority of hip-hop fans already thought.)
Still convinced, LL Cool J dropped his #1 album G.O.A.T. in September,2000.
A year later,Jay-Z put himself in the frame stating that if he wasn't better than BIG,he's "the closest one" on the Timbaland-produced Hola Hovito track. That was at the height of the beef with Nas who naturally addressed that particular line on Ether.
Of course,Jay-Z had changed his tune,considering he once rapped "I'm from where (people) pull your card,and argue all day,who's the best;BIG,Jay-Z or Nas?"
In the meantime,a Dr Dre mentored Caucasian boy from Detroit was making all the right noises.
Lil Wayne also graduated from being the little guy from Cash Money of the late 90s to become a hip-hop titan in the 21st century.
Gate-crashing the "greatest ever" party with lines like "next time you mention 'Pac,BIG and Jay-Z,don't forget Weezy Baby".
Obviously,a bunch of skilled(and occasionally narcissistic) rappers proclaiming themselves as the best does not answer the G.O.A.T. question.So,what are the criteria based on which people crown mic kings?......
CHAPTER III(UNWRITTEN CRITERIA)
A. LYRICISM:
An MC is 1st and foremost a rapper/lyrical swordsman/wordsmith/wordbender etc etc. He should be able take advantage of the malleability of words(oh and they should rhyme as well).
Artists such as Biggie,Jay-Z,Nas,Rakeem,Andre 3000 and even Eminem usually get the mention.However,if the best MC is all about lyricism,how come Talib Kweli,Mos Def,WU,Big Daddy Kane,Papoose,Jadakiss etc don't get a look-in?Canibus,in his prime,had listeners abusing the repeat button.Keith Murray was could set lyrical bobby-traps for a listener to walk into.Redman effectively combined over-the-top energy with superb delivery.Yet all those MCs get slept-on.
B.PROLIFICACY:
2Pac was a prolific recording artist.Many full-length albums have been released after his death.Rumours have it,he made over 500 songs before his death at 25.All while balancing acting,being an icon and dealing with personal demons. Jay-Z has dropped almost an album every year from '96 to date.So,if it is about how productive an artist is studio-wise, where would that leave Biggie Smalls?Who recorded just 2 studio albums before his death?
C.LONGEVITY:
Too $hort started recording in 1980,and still makes records(over 20 albums and still counting).Enough said. Snoop Dogg remains as relevant in this decade as he was in the 90s. KRS-1 has a career spanning over three decades.
LL Cool J has over 15 albums.Outkast still sell platinum.WU,Nas,Slick Rick etc are still relevant.So how about MCs whose career couldn't really last as long?Can they still be considered as greats?
D.COMMERCIAL SUCCESS:
If we were to consider artistes with commercial success, then we would be disrespecting the founding members of hip-hop. The leaders who did it for the love first, and those that never had any opportunity to get the type of money that the art brings nowadays.
There were artistes that weren't the shrewdest of businessmen and were mis-managed.
Talib Kweli is yet to receive a gold plaque but Pitbull is multi-platinum. And Jay-Z famously proclaimed "if skill sold, then truth be told,I'd rather be lyrically,Talib Kweli".
And if Classics are anything to go by, then artistes such as Lil Kim, Scarface,Young Jeezy should all be in the frame.Really? Yes,really.
KRS-1, who at some point himself was synonymous with hip-hop music said "a dope MC is a dope MC with or without a record deal", so then it is obviously inappropriate to leave out less illustrious MCs out of the running.
G.FOLLOWING:
Wu-Tang in their prime sold out concerts anywhere on earth. YMCMB still do, with Lil Wayne as the face. Even to a lesser extent, Ruff Ryders and DipSet had a following. Bone Thugz-n-Harmony started their own movement.
Jay-Z sells out concerts in seconds. Then again,2 Live Crew and Master P did the same. Can they be in contention too?Really?
H.UNIQUENESS:
Nas claimed he influenced a host of rappers.Yes,he really did. 2Pac claimed BIG copied his style. Redman brought a combination of mad comedy and intricate rhymes to the table that influenced artistes such as Ludacris. Ol' Dirty Bastard and Method Man,in fact, the whole Wu-Tang Clan had unique styles. Kool G Rap was so good they "named the game after him".
Slick Rick told amazing stories in his unique accent.Nas borrowed that style for "Destroy and rebuild".Jay-Z did on Blueprint II as well.
Busta Rhymes was different. KRS-1 had that patois-influenced flow long before Foxy. Twista was a Guinness Book Of Records record-holder. Bone Thugz-n-Harmony had a style admired by almost every rapper on earth.(Check the collaborations!)
Mystikal had the James Brown spirit.TI came with some style. Outkast were tongue-twisting, so was Das Effx. We can go on all day, but we don't have to.
CHAPTER IV
Does a listener draw a mental venn diagram and try to fit in an artiste as many times as possible, and see who is most repetitive?No.
Will this piece change the mind of somebody who thinks Kriss Kross was the greatest to touch the mic?No.
Hence, there really is no greatest. There are too many greatests, for us to have just one greatest.(Does that even make sense?!!!). At the time when Nas (in)famously said that there was "no best", I thought "he didn't just say that,did he?".Now, I know he definitely was ahead of his time, because he was right.
By the way, since hip-hop has been a global culture for decades now, he do we know the greatest was/is even American?I'm just asking.Tut.
2011 saw the release of Watch The Throne(Jay-Z&Kanye West) and Carter IV(Lil Wayne).WTT sold over 400,000 copies,while C IV sold over 900,000 copies-even though the latter was heavily leaked- within the first week of their respective release dates.
Add the fact that Jay-Z now stands next only to The Beatles as the artiste with the most #1 albums in the USA, and the reminder that Lil Wayne's preceding studio album Carter III sold 1million copies in the first week, and you'd realize the giant strides hip-hop has made over the years.
Recent successes has re-ignited the debate:is Lil Wayne truly a hip-hop great or a fad? Is Jay-Z,the Greatest Of All Time?
CHAPTER I
Ask any 10 hip-hop aficionados(even from the same geographical area) who the greatest MC is, and your chances of getting the same answer is slimmer than your chance of avoiding a lifetime of taxes.
For the purpose of this piece,I did just that.Sean Price,KRS-1,Rakeem,Biggie Smalls,Jay-Z,Kool G Rap, Nas,2Pac and even Ice-T(no offence) were a few of the names bandies about.
On what unwritten criteria do fans crown the greatest?What exactly makes the greatest MC,the greatest MC? How do you convince a hip-hopper that his/her favourite act may not necessarily be the best ever?Do fans base their assertions on one or a few albums? Or on popular opinion?Or on radio rotation?
CHAPTER II
Countless battles and polemics have existed since the birth of hip-hop.
From "the Bridge Wars" between MC Shan/KRS-1,to 2Pac/Biggie Smalls through to LL Cool J/Canibus issues,the "King of the South" battles between Ludacris/TI and "king of New York" between Nas/Jay-Z.(And that is not even listing all the mini-beefs between former group members,label mates,former friends etc etc.)
So 2Pac and BIG became martyrs.
KRS-1 reminded sleepers of his relevance in his hit Step into a world with lines like"I'm not saying I'm number 1,oh,I'm sorry,I lied.I'm number 1,2,3,4 and 5!".
LL Cool J also declared-on the now infamous track 4,3,2,1-that he was "greatest of all time".His nemesis at the time, Canibus replied that the greatest of all time,"died on March 9th" thereby posthumously crowning Notorious BIG.(Something a majority of hip-hop fans already thought.)
Still convinced, LL Cool J dropped his #1 album G.O.A.T. in September,2000.
A year later,Jay-Z put himself in the frame stating that if he wasn't better than BIG,he's "the closest one" on the Timbaland-produced Hola Hovito track. That was at the height of the beef with Nas who naturally addressed that particular line on Ether.
Of course,Jay-Z had changed his tune,considering he once rapped "I'm from where (people) pull your card,and argue all day,who's the best;BIG,Jay-Z or Nas?"
In the meantime,a Dr Dre mentored Caucasian boy from Detroit was making all the right noises.
Lil Wayne also graduated from being the little guy from Cash Money of the late 90s to become a hip-hop titan in the 21st century.
Gate-crashing the "greatest ever" party with lines like "next time you mention 'Pac,BIG and Jay-Z,don't forget Weezy Baby".
Obviously,a bunch of skilled(and occasionally narcissistic) rappers proclaiming themselves as the best does not answer the G.O.A.T. question.So,what are the criteria based on which people crown mic kings?......
CHAPTER III(UNWRITTEN CRITERIA)
A. LYRICISM:
An MC is 1st and foremost a rapper/lyrical swordsman/wordsmith/wordbender etc etc. He should be able take advantage of the malleability of words(oh and they should rhyme as well).
Artists such as Biggie,Jay-Z,Nas,Rakeem,Andre 3000 and even Eminem usually get the mention.However,if the best MC is all about lyricism,how come Talib Kweli,Mos Def,WU,Big Daddy Kane,Papoose,Jadakiss etc don't get a look-in?Canibus,in his prime,had listeners abusing the repeat button.Keith Murray was could set lyrical bobby-traps for a listener to walk into.Redman effectively combined over-the-top energy with superb delivery.Yet all those MCs get slept-on.
B.PROLIFICACY:
2Pac was a prolific recording artist.Many full-length albums have been released after his death.Rumours have it,he made over 500 songs before his death at 25.All while balancing acting,being an icon and dealing with personal demons. Jay-Z has dropped almost an album every year from '96 to date.So,if it is about how productive an artist is studio-wise, where would that leave Biggie Smalls?Who recorded just 2 studio albums before his death?
C.LONGEVITY:
Too $hort started recording in 1980,and still makes records(over 20 albums and still counting).Enough said. Snoop Dogg remains as relevant in this decade as he was in the 90s. KRS-1 has a career spanning over three decades.
LL Cool J has over 15 albums.Outkast still sell platinum.WU,Nas,Slick Rick etc are still relevant.So how about MCs whose career couldn't really last as long?Can they still be considered as greats?
D.COMMERCIAL SUCCESS:
If we were to consider artistes with commercial success, then we would be disrespecting the founding members of hip-hop. The leaders who did it for the love first, and those that never had any opportunity to get the type of money that the art brings nowadays.
There were artistes that weren't the shrewdest of businessmen and were mis-managed.
Talib Kweli is yet to receive a gold plaque but Pitbull is multi-platinum. And Jay-Z famously proclaimed "if skill sold, then truth be told,I'd rather be lyrically,Talib Kweli".
Commercial success(perhaps in any genre) has never been an indication of the mastering of the art, rather a reflection of good marketing techniques. For instance,It Was Written by Nas, was one of his most succesful albums, yet Illmatic will always be the benchmark.
E.CLASSIC ALBUMS:Magazines/newspapers/bloggers have their own standards by which they classify a "classic". Sometimes, it takes two persons or even one to rate an album. So it is a matter of taste, bottomline. What may be a classic in a pair of ears may be audio poison for another.
There are a few undisputed classics like Blueprint, Illmatic, Aquemini, Stillmatic etc. Then there are albums that definitely should have been classics in hindsight, but were not rated at such. Talk about Reflection Eternal: Train Of Thought, College Drop-out,Reasonable Doubt,Beneath the Surface to name but a few.And if Classics are anything to go by, then artistes such as Lil Kim, Scarface,Young Jeezy should all be in the frame.Really? Yes,really.
F.ICONISM:
2Pac is arguably hip-hop's biggest face to date. Most famous ever. Also, no matter how much Will Smith makes per movie,he'll always be Fresh Prince.Public Enemy were almost fully political at a point. NWA addressed issues that Malcolm X would have been proud of.
Jay-Z has "Obama on the text", and dines with Warren Buffet all from being good at his craft(and being a good businessman too). Run-DMC did major endorsements that paved the way etc etc.KRS-1, who at some point himself was synonymous with hip-hop music said "a dope MC is a dope MC with or without a record deal", so then it is obviously inappropriate to leave out less illustrious MCs out of the running.
G.FOLLOWING:
Wu-Tang in their prime sold out concerts anywhere on earth. YMCMB still do, with Lil Wayne as the face. Even to a lesser extent, Ruff Ryders and DipSet had a following. Bone Thugz-n-Harmony started their own movement.
Jay-Z sells out concerts in seconds. Then again,2 Live Crew and Master P did the same. Can they be in contention too?Really?
H.UNIQUENESS:
Nas claimed he influenced a host of rappers.Yes,he really did. 2Pac claimed BIG copied his style. Redman brought a combination of mad comedy and intricate rhymes to the table that influenced artistes such as Ludacris. Ol' Dirty Bastard and Method Man,in fact, the whole Wu-Tang Clan had unique styles. Kool G Rap was so good they "named the game after him".
Slick Rick told amazing stories in his unique accent.Nas borrowed that style for "Destroy and rebuild".Jay-Z did on Blueprint II as well.
Busta Rhymes was different. KRS-1 had that patois-influenced flow long before Foxy. Twista was a Guinness Book Of Records record-holder. Bone Thugz-n-Harmony had a style admired by almost every rapper on earth.(Check the collaborations!)
Mystikal had the James Brown spirit.TI came with some style. Outkast were tongue-twisting, so was Das Effx. We can go on all day, but we don't have to.
CHAPTER IV
Does a listener draw a mental venn diagram and try to fit in an artiste as many times as possible, and see who is most repetitive?No.
Will this piece change the mind of somebody who thinks Kriss Kross was the greatest to touch the mic?No.
Hence, there really is no greatest. There are too many greatests, for us to have just one greatest.(Does that even make sense?!!!). At the time when Nas (in)famously said that there was "no best", I thought "he didn't just say that,did he?".Now, I know he definitely was ahead of his time, because he was right.
By the way, since hip-hop has been a global culture for decades now, he do we know the greatest was/is even American?I'm just asking.Tut.
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