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[DonJorginho]

Hip-Hop is a beautiful genre of music, full of unique sounds, bombastic individuals and heartfelt tales.

It is for me, one of my favourite genres, and for better or worse, I have found it's evolution (or even de-evolution in some ways) very interesting to analyse and watch happen.

There have been many influential artists in the genre, from Biggie, to Eminem, to Kanye West and all the way to current sensations like Pop Smoke and JPEGMAFIA.

My question is to you fine people who are fans of the genre, who for you is your greatest of all time, and why?

Me personally I would pick either Kanye West or Andre 3000, and I am happy to defend those picks, so feel free to leave your picks in the comments.

 

[Porcile]

2Pac. The dude was as legitimate as you can get.

Me Against the World: one of the most poetic, most thoughtful albums of all time.

All Eyez on Me: more bangers on a double album than most rappers could dream of having in their entire career.

Over 700 known recorded songs all by the time he was 25.

 

[DonJorginho]

2Pac. The dude was as legitimate as you can get.

Me Against the World: one of the most poetic, most thoughtful albums of all time.

All Eyez on Me: more bangers on a double album than most rappers could dream of having in their entire career.

Over 700 known recorded songs all by the time he was 25.

Pac is a legend for sure, I could never get into his music as much as others but I always respected his skill, story and legacy, one of the best to do it for sure.

Miss having artists that were genuine like he was, seems like most rap artists now are just putting on an act to sell records.

 

[BadBurger]

Mobb Deep. Maybe Keith Murray.

 

[DonJorginho]

Mobb Deep. Maybe Keith Murray.

Mobb Deep were amazing, my favourite Rap duo however have to be Outkast.

 

[Mistershine.]

I was into NWA when I was younger, and therefore into Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Dre and the like, listened to BDP, Public Enemy, Wu Tang/Gravediggaz, got into Tupac, a bit of G-funk and then pretty much stopped for some reason. Tupac would probably be my pick, but I have a huge soft spot for Goldie Lookin Chain.

 

[AV]

I can't even whittle it down to 10.

Biggie, 2Pac, Andre, Rakim, Nas, Dre, Ghostface, Jay-Z, Eminem, Tribe, Mobb, De La, DOOM, Black Thought, Kanye and Kendrick all deserve spots at the top, and then there's so many more that I'm missing.

I'll stand by my statement that To Pimp a Butterfly is the greatest rap accomplishment since MBDTF and it could be a while longer yet before we see anything that comes close to either.

 

[DonJorginho]

I can't even whittle it down to 10.

Biggie, 2Pac, Andre, Rakim, Nas, Dre, Ghostface, Jay-Z, Eminem, Tribe, Mobb, De La, DOOM, Black Thought, Kanye and Kendrick all deserve spots at the top, and then there's so many more that I'm missing.

I'll stand by my statement that To Pimp a Butterfly is the greatest rap accomplishment since MBDTF and it could be a while longer yet before we see anything that comes close to either.

Agree with all your picks, and I totally agree about TPAB, that was a serious moment in music let alone Rap.

 

[GaviotaGrande]

Kanye West. I've been listening to him since 2001-2002. You want to know where "hip-hop" will be in 5 years? Listen to Kanye today and you'll know. It always checks out. For 2 decades now.

 

[DonJorginho]

Kanye West. I've been listening to him since 2001-2002. You want to know where "hip-hop" will be in 5 years? Listen to Kanye today and you'll know. It always checks out. For 2 decades now.

We have a winner!

Kanye for real is such an innovative artist, the amount of styles he perfected, the controversy he fought and triumphed from them, he is a true genius imo, take away his ego and his manic side, no-one can deny the true skill, talent, finesse and innovation from Ye.

I love all his albums, even though JIK disappointed me, I still loved many aspects of it and could say it was still a 7/10.

What's your top 3/5 albums of his?

 

[GaviotaGrande]

 

[GaviotaGrande]

We have a winner!

Kanye for real is such an innovative artist, the amount of styles he perfected, the controversy he fought and triumphed from them, he is a true genius imo, take away his ego and his manic side, no-one can deny the true skill, talent, finesse and innovation from Ye.

I love all his albums, even though JIK disappointed me, I still loved many aspects of it and could say it was still a 7/10.

What's your top 3/5 albums of his?

My top 3 list without a doubt is:

808s & Heartbreak
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
The College Dropout

 

[DonJorginho]

My top 3 without a doubt is:

808s & Heartbreak
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
College Dropout

My top 5 is probably quite controversial, but you have to remember I love all his albums dearly.

1. Yeezus
2. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
3. 808s & Heartbreak
4. Ye
5. Late Registration

 

[GaviotaGrande]

My top 5 is probably quite controversial, but you have to remember I love all his albums dearly.

1. Yeezus
2. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
3. 808s & Heartbreak
4. Ye
5. Late Registration

Good list. To be honest, my top 3 is changing constantly depending on the mood and situation in my life. All Kanye's albums are GOAT.

 

[and 3 others]

Billy Danze & Lil Fame.

 

[DonJorginho]

Good list. To be honest, my top 3 is changing constantly depending on the mood and situation in my life. All Kanye's albums are GOAT.

Fr, my top albums can change from listen to listen basis.

What are your top 3 Yeezy songs?

 

[GaviotaGrande]

Fr, my top albums can change from listen to listen basis.

What are your top 3 Yeezy songs?

You mean top 3 from Yeezus album?

1. Guilt Trip
2. Blood On The Leaves
3. Hold My Liquor

 

[DonJorginho]

You mean top 3 from Yeezus album?

1. Guilt Trip
2. Blood On The Leaves
3. Hold My Liquor

Top 3 in general, just used a nickname for Ye aha, I agree with your top 3, I just have 1 and 2 swapped!

 

[Faenrir]

 

[GaviotaGrande]

Top 3 in general, just used a nickname for Ye aha, I agree with your top 3, I just have 1 and 2 swapped!

Oh man, to pick top 3 tracks from his entire discography is hard.

1.


2.


3.


I have a good one. What's your top 3/5 Kanye features?

 

[DonJorginho]

Oh man, to pick top 3 tracks from his entire discography is hard.

1.


2.


3.


I have a good one. What's your top 3/5 Kanye features?

Ooh damn that's hard, if we talking just Kanye verses on other people's songs.

Can't Stop
American Boy
Watch

 

[GaviotaGrande]

Ooh damn that's hard, if we talking just Kanye verses on other people's songs.

Can't Stop
American Boy
Watch

I would defiantly include Can't Stop on my list. Plus:

Put On by Young Jeezy
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly by Consequence (extra points for that timeless beat)

 

[DonJorginho]

I would defiantly include Can't Stop on my list. Plus:

Put On by Young Jeezy
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly by Consequence (extra points for that timeless beat)

Both great features, you delve much into Kanye's leaks?

 

[GaviotaGrande]

Both great features, you delve much into Kanye's leaks?

Yandhi is my top listen to album of the year, so I would say yes.

 

[DonJorginho]

Yandhi is my top listen to album of the year, so I would say yes.

One of the biggest losses in Rap man, would have been a generation defining album.

This is an interesting one, top 3 favourite Kanye leaks?

 

[Faenrir]

Being serious i'd say GZA, Wu Tang Clan, Eminem, IAM, Cypress Hill.

 

[GaviotaGrande]

One of the biggest losses in Rap man, would have been a generation defining album.

This is an interesting one, top 3 favourite Kanye leaks?

Number one is the unreleased version on Welcome to Heartbreak (the one with more synths). From Yandhi I really enjoyed Sky City, Slave Name. The whole thing is gold.

 

[DonJorginho]

Number one is the unreleased version on Welcome to Heartbreak (the one with more synths). From Yandhi I really enjoyed Sky City, Slave Name. The whole thing is gold.

For me it would be

Slave Name
Never See Me Again
Jealous

 

[Tschumi]

I'll let the man introduce himself:

The beat is so butter, Peep the slow cutter
As he utter the calm flow ("Your mother—"), don't talk about my moms, yo
Sometimes he rhyme quick, sometimes he rhyme slow
Or vice versa, whip up a slice of nice verse pie
Hit it on the first try, villain: the worst guy
Spot hot tracks like spot a pair of fat asses
Shots of the scotch from out of square shot glasses
And he won't stop 'til he got the masses
And show 'em what they know not through flows of hot molasses
Do it like the robot to headspin to boogaloo
Took a few minutes to convince the average bug-a-boo
It's ugly, like look at you, it's a damn shame
Just remember ALL CAPS when you spell the man name

 

[DonJorginho]

I'll let the man introduce himself:

The beat is so butter, Peep the slow cutter
As he utter the calm flow ("Your mother—"), don't talk about my moms, yo
Sometimes he rhyme quick, sometimes he rhyme slow
Or vice versa, whip up a slice of nice verse pie
Hit it on the first try, villain: the worst guy
Spot hot tracks like spot a pair of fat asses
Shots of the scotch from out of square shot glasses
And he won't stop 'til he got the masses
And show 'em what they know not through flows of hot molasses
Do it like the robot to headspin to boogaloo
Took a few minutes to convince the average bug-a-boo
It's ugly, like look at you, it's a damn shame
Just remember ALL CAPS when you spell the man name

DOOM A KING, Madlib one of the best producers of all time.

 

[Stiflers Mom]

I always liked this one...

 

[Tesseract]

wu tang

 

[Tschumi]

DOOM A KING, Madlib one of the best producers of all time.

And they wonder how [they] dealt with stress so well
Wild guess; you could say [they] stay sedated

MF DOOM can't be beat! Madlib doesn't even qualify as human anymore hashtag divinity

 

[appaws]

1. Yung Felon. “Gimme dat Cabbage”
2. Big Pablo. “Poppin dat bad cervix”
3. Muff Divin Crew feat. MC Fat Poontang. “Fuk da Bureau of Parks and Recreation”
4. Lil’ Murderer. “I gets money and fuks bad bitches and kills muthafuckas”
5. Yung lil’ skeeza feat. Compton Ho’s. “Gimme dat big purple uncut dick” (gotta have one for the ladies)

 

[IntentionalPun]

Not really a nostalgia kinda dude... I've been listening to hip-hop for 35 years and my favorites change every 4-5 years.

To me the "greatest" is who is entertaining me today, who I'm vibing with...who I'm actually listening too.. and I rarely listen to music that's more than 5 years old.

 

[GobbledeeGoo]

If I had to pick, my nod would go to Gangstarr but it's too hard to pick.

 

[Mr Hyde]

Large Professor & Cunninlynguists.

Never dropped a bad album.

 

[Old Retro]

A TIE between my top EMCEES

Went to show, met him and got autograph from The R

Also met and got autograph from inventor of gangsta rap Blastmaster KRS-One. We will be here FOREVER as he said in 1993 and 2017...

Chuck D (never saw Public Enemy at a show )
NAS
EPMD
MC Lyte
Run DMC
LL Cool J

Pete Rock
Ice Cube

 

[Nymphae]

Classified. I hate rap and hip hop almost entirely, but he had a few good songs.

 

[JimiNutz]

Wu Tang - especially if you include the early solo albums too



A Tribe Called Quest



MF DOOM

 

[haxan7]

Weird Al

 

[Escoe P. Coldchain]

.........Crumbs.

 

[Mistershine.]

Forgot about Grandmaster Flash:

 

[TheContact]

Hard time deciding between Kanye and Jay-Z. Probably Kanye though. (though i didn't like much of him post MBDTF), but that album and the ones before it...literally legendary.

 

[Echelon]

This was both the peak and destruction of rap, and he was its Anakin Skywalker:

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Playboy Carti, Bladee, Matt Ox, Slim Jesus, DaBaby, Rich the Kid, Lil Yachty, Famous Dex and of course... The GOAT... Tekashi 6ix9ine.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Slightly Stoopid is a better hip hop band than anyone listed above me or below me.

 

[dyergram]

2pac is my goat. Grizelda are my favourite living rappers though:






Honourable mention:

 

[Frito_Pendejo]

Big Pun, Guru, Big L and Sean Price are up there for me. Always respected Eminem but his production is so horrible that I couldn’t get into it. If I had to pick one it would be Pun. He was ridiculous.

 

[Bolivar687]

Kool G Rap

He was one of the top emcees of Golden Age of Hip Hop and a member of Marley Marl's fabled Juice Crew. Prodigy of Mobb Deep wrote in his autobiography that when he heard Kool G Rap's verse on "The Symphony," it single-handedly made him obsessed with Hip Hop and becoming an emcee. He is in the illustrious club unofficially known as "The Four Horsemen," the four legendary New York emcees who ruled the Golden Age, from whom every style of East Coast U.S. rapping today is descended, alongside Big Daddy Kane, KRS-One, and Rakim. Necro described his bloodline the best: "G Rap is for the spitters."

He's known for his signature lisp and rapid-fire multi-syllable rhyming, but he's also underrated as a vivid storyteller. I would argue that his career aged better into the late 90's and even into the new millennium better than his contemporaries. There was a time around the year 2000 where he was reportedly earning $40,000 a month based on his guest appearances on other albums alone, and all of his feature verses from this time are treasured classics.

For a song that sums up everything about him the best, I recommend the nine minute "A Thug's Love Story (Chapters I, II, III)":