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Mount Rapmore

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by GBNF, May 2, 2008.

  1. DanOregon

    DanOregon Well-Known Member

    Rakim needed Eric B. But true, they were pretty tight.
     
  2. Bruce Leroy

    Bruce Leroy Active Member

    You don't have Nas, Jay Z, Biggie or Tupac without Rakim. He changed the direction of the genre. Eric B. helped, but the way Rakim rhymed changed the genre more than Eric B.
     
  3. Oz

    Oz Well-Known Member

    Rakim -- As noted above, the list starts here. The guy's a pioneer in so many ways on the mic.

    Chuck D -- The lyrical rhyme animal serves as the political face to my Mount Rapmore. Fierce as hell, never afraid to take on controversy, always came correct. And aside from "She Watch Channel Zero," he avoided misogynistic lyrics. "Black Steel In The Hour of Chaos" made a huge impact on me in junior high; still one of my favorite songs today.

    Ice Cube -- Sorry, Tupac, but the hardcare rapper who branched out to movies and TV didn't start with you. Did N.W.A. before "Amerikkka's Most Wanted" and "Death Certificate" became classics on his own. Was every bit as controversial and popular as Tupac before Tupac. Brought that West Coast storytelling to the forefront (with Ice-T).

    Q-Tip -- The Abstract is a must. "Women love the voice/brothers dig the lyrics/Quest the people's choice/we drive them for the spirit." The Low End Theory changed the game with that Ron Carter bass, and the lyrics -- no matter what the CD -- were filled with witty banter and punchlines that also made you think.
     
  4. Bruce Leroy

    Bruce Leroy Active Member

    A legitimate mountain. Is that your top 4 ever or just your Mount Rapmore based on older influences? After Hip Hop is Dead, I have to put Nas in my top 5. Chuck D-KRS is a good debate for one of the other spots. I almost have to keep Big Daddy Kane in there because fast rappin' has been a part of hip hop forever but isn't pulled off by many good artists. Maybe I'm biased, but Kane has two of three my favorite lyrics ever:

    "For you to cope is just a wish and a hope, and if you are what you eat, they're feedin' me dope. 'Cause I'm just about as dope as dope can get, ultimate, legit, Kane is a perfect fit." -- Set it Off

    "Battlin' me is hazardous to health, so put a quarter in ya ass 'cause you played ya self." The Symphony
     
  5. GBNF

    GBNF Well-Known Member

    Damn, Nas is pretty good too. Forgot about him...
     
  6. Oz

    Oz Well-Known Member

    It's part what I grew up with, part influence on rap. Mainly influence, which I figure would be appropriate given that Mount Rushmore is reserved for pioneers to the Oval Office, ones that did some groundbreaking things. Granted, there are others that have come along and changed the way things are done, but Mount Rushmore is limited to essentially this country's first half, so I kept that in mind when coming up with my Mount Rushmore Rapmore.

    Agree on the Chuck D-KRS debate -- I went with Chuck D because I liked him more, and he had the broader mainstream appeal, especially with an anthem like "Fight the Power" on his resume. And whatever bad PR came PE's way, it usually didn't involve infamous decisions/words on his part, it was usually Professor Griff being a bigot or Flavor Flav being arrested. KRS can't say the same about his negative PR.

    I thought about Nas, Jay-Z and Eminem among recent rappers, as well as Tupac. (No Biggie, I never got the hype about him.) I would lump Eminem in with Tupac in that they both can be negative to positive to genius all on the same CD. They run the gamut, there's no telling where they might come from, other than you believe 100 percent that they mean it. Nas and Jay-Z, I thought about them for how they can tell a story -- gritty, tragic, funny ... whatever -- with an amazing flow.

    If I went with favorites, I would have considered the Beasties or Cypress Hill (who are pioneers themselves for introducing odes to weed, which everyone's seemingly done). But instead I went with most influence on rap as a whole.
     
  7. Chi City 81

    Chi City 81 Guest

    If influence is your metric, Oz, then how can Dre not make the top four? I'm asking in all honesty.
     
  8. Rumpleforeskin

    Rumpleforeskin Active Member

    Mount Rapmore, right up my alley. In no particular order:

    Jay-Z -- Hova has done a great job of crossing genres in rap. He was able to collaborate himself and Linkin Park together to make one of the greatest mash-ups of all-time. I still get goosebumps when I heard the first note hit at Live 8 in Philadelphia. Not only is he a great entrepreneur, but he's a great lyricist. Sure, some of his lines may be very simple, but, Jay-Z never writes a line down. He spits it off the top of his head for every single song. If you ever watch "Fade to Black," you will see musical genius in action. Enough said.

    Tupac -- His lyrics touched a new meaning in the rap community. He spoke about real themes and not the typical money, cash and bitches. Although he did rap about the former, he brought local and world issues up. One artist today that I can compare to his consciousness is Lupe Fiasco. Listen to "The Cool" and you'll know what I'm talking about. But, not only is Tupac a great lyricist, he's impacted lives beyond his death. People are still living by conspiracy theories and they are still convinced he's rapping from the beyond. He has so many unreleased verses and freestyles that producers are just tapping the well that was Machiavelli's mind.

    Eminem -- Until he fell off recently, Marshall Mathers brought rap to a new level. He's one of the greatest white rappers (I'll pistol whip whoever says Vanilla Ice) of all-time. Eminem's first album was one of the top-selling rap debuts ever, right next to his Shady Records employee, 50 Cent. Em also created Shady Records, which is a highly-recognized record label. He's signed 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, hell, all of G-Unit and Busta Rhymes, who he stole from Murda, Inc. Eminem's an amazing freestyler as well and his battle with Rip Van Winkle and his song "Nail in the Coffin" stand above a lot of other diss raps, including "The Takeover" and "Jack the Ripper." His upcoming album "King Mathers" is one of the most anticipated albums for the last several years.

    Nas -- I really thought about this one, but Nas belongs on the list. He's been dropping hit albums since he entered the rap game. Beginning with "Illmatic" and all the way to "Hip Hop is Dead," he's crushed verses like monster trucks. His battle with the afore-mentioned Jay-Z raised the level of disses, only to the level that Eminem topped. The rap community was as torn between Jay-Z and Nas as they were Tupac and Notorious B.I.G.



    Honorable Mention:

    Timbaland -- I know he's a producer, but he's also rapped on his tracks. He's brought together different genres. He's featured Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado and The Hives on the same album.

    Notorious B.I.G. -- Tremendous MC who continues to amaze with his lyrics, even though they are simplistic and misogynistic, he brings the heat. Biggie's fued with Tupac really put the East vs West on the map.

    Rakim -- For the above mentioned reasons.
     
  9. Bruce Leroy

    Bruce Leroy Active Member

    Very legitimate response. I understand your reasoning for Chuck D. instead of KRS. I've eliminated Jay Z from any conversation with Nas ever since Ether. And I thought Jay Z admitted he lost that battle based on his lyrics on "Black Republican." I threw Nas around as top-5 material before his last album, and I cemented him in there after that. He's probably not on Mount Rapmore because he's not a pioneer, but he's top 5 ever.

    What about Mount (Hip-Hop)Producersmore?
     
  10. Rumpleforeskin

    Rumpleforeskin Active Member

    Timbaland, Rick Rubin and Dr. Dre. The list starts there.
     
  11. GBNF

    GBNF Well-Known Member

    Gotta go Rubin, Simmons, Dre and Timbaland in my bookj.
     
  12. GBNF

    GBNF Well-Known Member

    Good taste, Rump
     
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