top 5 (dead or alive)

[Monte Hall]

Hey bassheads

Having recently seen a video clip for a track by an asian emcee named "Jin" called "top 5 (dead or alive)" featuring people listing their top 5 emcees of all time (no one listed either pete or serch), I was wondering what you fellow bassheads would include in your list.

Here's what I have come to for my list:

1) Rakim - best emcee ever, nuff said!
2) KRS-One - long steady career of tearing up mics
3) Prime Minister Pete Nice - deffest white emcee of all time (I expect few disagreements with this on this forum!!!)
4) Chuck D - Booming & powerful voice that commands respect
5) MF Doom - We've all loved him since he was Zev Love X, now as MF Doom he's lifted his style to another level

There are many others that could have made the top 5 such as CL Smooth, Kool Keith, Del the Funky Homosapien etc, but I think this top 5 is a good list.

Any other bassheads care to list their top 5?

Peace
Monte Hall

[MistaJohn]

Here are my picks:

1) Chuck D - The prophet of rap - nobody broadcasts louder or with more wisdom
2) KRS-ONE - Greatest wordsmith and battle horse of all time
3) Big Daddy Kane - Illest flow and smoothest mic operator
4) Pete Nice - in a league by himself - verbal technician
5) Ice Cube - before he went soft with the club anthems, he was the epitome of hardcore

Great topic, Monte

[Monte Hall]

Great list MistaJohn!

3 of the same emcees as me.

I forgot about Big Daddy Kane. I almost get the gas face for that.

[jorge kluney]

Just curious, what are we judging on?
Best lyricist.
Best story teller.
Best at making hit hop hop songs.

[MistaJohn]

Hey Jorge,

All of the above - although the ability to make hit songs is usually the talent of the record label's marketing and promotions division.

[jorge kluney]

It's odd how some of the best lyricists, freestylists, battle mcs (lumped together) have released some pretty weak albums:
Supernatural?
Juice
Prime
Eyedea

These guys have some sick freestyles and their lyrics are amazing (considering that alot of it is off the dome) but their albums are just regular yawn-fests.

[kostyle]

Top 5 (in no particular order)

Ghost Face Killah
Mos Def
Talib Kweli
Black Thought
Common

[jorge kluney]

No order as well:

Pete Nice
Big Daddy Kane
Cool J - everything before 14 shots to the Dome was amazing, in my book.
Chuck D (can't leave out the Bomb Squad - Because I couldn't stomach the solo mistachuck) - everything before "Music in Our Message"
Beastie Boys - again, we're talking total package.  I'm not going to say their great lyricists, but passing off the mic, great-inventive beats.

Part of the decision for my top 5 was which guys had the biggest influence on me.

I could name Nas, some Wu members and various others....
but for me, those weren't the guys that laid the ground work for me getting into hip hop.
I really like their stuff, but it was more icing on the cake for me.

[andyfilius]

Music in our Mess-Age from PE is wayyyyy slept on! Bomb Squad still produced, but with live instrumentation, the tempo just doesn't slow down. That's my #1 all time work out cd, it gets you so pumped. That was a great (and overlooked) effort from PE, back when Chuck and Flav would collaborate on stuff, not like now...

andy.

[jorge kluney]

Hi Andy,

I'm not saying it's their worst album (that actually goes to "There's a Poison Going On")...
But compared to Nations, Yo, Fear of a..., and ApocalyPEs now (which many critics panned.... but I might like the most).... Music in Our Message age just seemed like a turning point in their music for me.
I know alot was brought on by the sampling law suits that were popping up left and right (groups like PE, Cypress... and other sample heavy groups had to change their sound)... but I just had a hard time getting into it.

[andyfilius]

i hear you, it was LIVE hip hop, live drums and horns, a true party album. That record is get hype from start to finish! And Flava played a huge role in that album lyrically, much more than any other. Also i must say that "There's a Poison Goin on..." has really grown on me as well. It's dark and intense, some great hooks on that set. I think both of these PE albums were a little ahead of the time, they've really held up well, especially "Musick..." I listen to that when i'm lifting and it just doesn't let down.

My top 5 list is coming...

[andyfilius]

oh, and the fact that sampling was becoming harder to do because of lawsuits is a very interesting observation. Maybe that is why PE switched it up, but that live sound created an amazing party album atmosphere. I just picture the whole gang in a warehouse banging that one out.

[jorge kluney]

On Music there definitely were some songs I liked:
Race Against Time (I think that's it's name.... a real fast paced song)

So Watcha Gonna Do Now (I think it had alot of background rhyme chanting.... I think)

Live and Undrugged (The song where Chuck D hits like a 5 minute straight rhyme with no chorus)

Also, is there a hidden message before track 1?
I can't remember if that's on this album.
You put in the cd and start to rewind, I think there's a message by Chuck D.

[MistaJohn]

I've been a PE fanatic for 18 years - Chuck D is a God to me. So, it's tough to be objective.

Muse Sick ... is a great album - all PE albums hold up today, this one especially.

I must say that the new material - particularly New Whirl Odor is fast becoming my favorite recordings. Beats and Places is brilliant too.

If you haven't picked up New Whirl Odor - do yourself the favor.

Jorge - Muse Sick ... does have a hidden "Track 0" - a mix. The Autobiography of MistaChuck has the hidden final track which is a speech by Chuck with a distorted voice entitled "What I Resent"

[jorge kluney]

I do like New Whirl Order.
Again, not to bash PE, but that's one of their 1st one's in a long time that I've really liked.

He Got Game had some okay.
Music had a few tracks that I liked.
Poison Going on.... I just couldn't get into.  I think it got it from Subatomic Pop or some defunked on-line record store.
Revolerlutionizer (sp).... not bad, but I'm not too into remixes by fans.  Not a bad idea, but just not what I want on a full length LP.

Anyone ever notice how Chino XL would continuously diss Chuck D and PE?  I never understood that.  He say things like, "you're not selling like PE's last album".  And other things that were more to the point.
Was there something between these two guys?