Serch's Top 5 MCs of All Time

Top five MC's of all time

Greetings:

As always I hope this blog finds you in good health and spirits. OK, so this is one of the most asked questions by many people after they meet me. It is also the most argued point by hip-hop fans. It is an issue that is highly contested by critics, radio personalities, video networks (Who have done specials about the topic) and the list goes on and on. Any time I wanted the phone lines on my radio show to blow up I would do this as a topic and it would be mom and poppin. I was always intrigued by the answers from fans. The young kids always mention who ever is popular at the moment and then would throw in Tupac, lol. OG's have a list that would only include artists from their past without recognizing the artists who have made current impact on the culture. My list always takes people by surprise. I don't know why, but it always questioned or peppered with a "Word?!?" or a "Really?!?" My wife Chantel just told me that I should separate my list into two categories, top five MC's and top five lyricists, because a lyricist sometimes is not a great performer. At the end of the day an MC is not just defined by his lyrics, but how he masters a ceremony, or crowd. I mean that is what an MC is, right. A Master or Ceremonies, for those who don't know what MC stands for. So with that in mind, here is my list of the top five MC's of all time.

1-Rakim: Bar none. His lyrics made every one in the game stop and reexamine how they wrote rhymes. His imprint is on everyone, from the inflections and his rhyme patterns, to his monotone vocals. All of his power came from his command of his words and his presence on stage. He was the microphone fiend, he was the president, he knew the ledge in "Juice", and he is the greatest of all time. I challenge any of you to see him this year or this summer on tour and he is performing all summer with either the "Rock the Bells Tour" or old school shows. You will see first hand what I mean. And the crazy thing is he has not aged at all. He still looks the same as he did on the cover of "Paid in Full".

2-KRS-ONE: Again he style and his words have had an impact on this culture far beyond his records. He might not have as many hits on the charts as some other rappers, but his impact on hip hop cannot be measured by just record sales. To see him live is to see hip hop transformed into human form. He is pure power and style. His command of a crowd is unequaled. His words, even recently, with his new album with Marly Marl only confirm his status as one of the greatest of all time.

3-Chuck D: As an MC, there are few who have ever controlled a movement like Chuck D. Public Enemy was a call to arms, and he was the call. His recent performance at this years BET awards proved that he has the power of his words and the stage. No other rapper that night could hold a torch to him. Songs like "Black Steel in the hour of Chaos" or "Fight the Power" should be the way hip-hop should be judged when they talk about the music creating positive movement for the culture. There has not been a person in hip hop that is more respected, and feared by the Government then Chuck and this is do to his words and rhymes pushing the boundaries of what the music was. Whenever "Rebel Without a Pause" comes on, I still have that feeling of being a superhero. Listen to his words on "Bring the Noise". Nuff said

4-Nas: Many of you might say his ranking on my list is based on personal reasons, since I worked with him, and you might be right, but seriously, Nasir Jones is one of the most talented poets this culture has ever created. He might think that Hip Hop is dead, but him just saying that as an album title, has made major media outlets do stories and coverage on the culture they might not have done prior. "Illmatic" is a masterpiece and his word play on that and his other records, is unmatched. Again for point of reference, listen to "I gave you Power", "Black Girl Lost", "Memory Lane", "One Love", to name a few. And just so we know, "Ether" is the greatest dis record of all time. I suggest you see him live to get a full understanding of his command of the stage and of the crowd. It is beautiful.

5-Jay Z. A man with many names, and with many flows for any occasion. From "Hawaiian Sophie" to Hova, he has carried hip-hop on his back for more then 20 years and it has not slowed him down one bit. I do not think there is an MC who has been more consistent is his albums then Jay. Every one of his albums has a classis line or phrase that still resonates to this day. Even his 8 bars on "Umbrella" is a clever word play on rain. He even made the word precipitation sexy, lol. And to see him live is a pleasure. I saw him recently at the sold out Roots show at Radio city with my dear friend and world-renowned photographer Jonathan Mannion. He closed the show by coming out for five minutes with the roots, did one verse, and the crowd was whipped into a frenzy. He is one of the most commanding presences on stage ever.

This list is my own. I suspect that many will argue. I suspect that you have your own list. Please take the time to give me your list. Do not use your energy to question mine, unless you do not have a list of your own. Use this blog to let people know what your list is. I love to talk about MC's and would love to do that here with you.

Now, for the lyricists. Again, my wife makes a great point. Many rappers have great word play and not great stage presence, or are not known for their stage presence. Stage presence is not just being able to be entertaining. Many rappers are entertaining but have no stage presence, meaning that after the show, you are not left with a single long-term memory of anything except rhyming along to their songs as they performed them. We are talking about lyrics. Pure words put in motion by beats. These rappers you might never see live but their words have carried on. Let us begin…

1. Rakim: I can still see his words in my head. "Eric B for President" is one of those reasons that he is still my all time favorite rapper, MC and lyricist.
2. Big Daddy Kane: He was and still is one of the greatest wordsmiths this generation has ever created. "Raw" "Aint no half Steppin", "Set It Off", "the Wrath of Kane" are all lyrical gems. And he never used profanity on any of his records, Kudos are due for that
3. Ice Cube: He not only created the West Coast presence with his writing for NWA and himself, but also was the smart enough to go to the east and work with the Bomb Squad so his voice as an angry black male could be heard by the masses on "amriKKKa's Most Wanted". He then went on a tear and addressed everyone from hoes to presidents and did it in a way that left no stones unturned and left no question unanswered. Many might look at his current path and forget that he was one of the most feared MC's the west has ever created. But nothing can take away what his lyrics meant to hip-hop.
4. Kool G Rap: the godfather of the entire gangster movement, period. Any of you that are not familiar with this MC's works is a shame. I would love for you to become more familiar with his works. "One The Run" "Talk Like Sex (Which is on the most filthiest, dirties records ever recorded), "Road to The Riches" not to mention his verse on "The Symphony". He is the reason that many of your favorite rappers like TI are who they are today. I remember one time I wanted to battle G Rap and he said to me "I don't battle but give me a pad and pen and I will write you to death". Many of you just know him by his mention and brief marriage to Karrine Stephens. Get to know his music. Even is you can dig up his first record "I'm Fly". His words on that still resonate. And by the way, he was terrible on stage
5. Scarface: Houston's product of the environment by way of the Fifth Ward Projects, has given us some mighty words to chew on. His rhymes have given birth to 1000 MC's. Powerful and G-d fearing, loving, and callous. He was the lynch pin to the south for more then 15 years. Houston would not have the presence or the hip-hop community they have today with out 'Face. His words spoke to you about being poor and rich at the same time. Being afraid and feared, he was the guy most rappers wanted to be, and it was directly because of his words, not his actions. His prayer on "Smile" or his guest vocal on Jay Z's album talking about his friends recent death are vivid and concise.

Honorable mentions: Andre 3000, Mos Def, Talib Kweli,

Please let me know what you think and tell me your top 5 in either category. You might not be as literal, and you might not separate them as I have (Shout out to my beautiful wife for her idea), but I want to know your list and argue and comment on your list as well.

Serch