VIBE reader poll: Eminem is the best living rapper

Uh, I'm not a huge hip hop/rap guy, but what the hell has Eminem done since 2004?

When VIBE decided to let the people decide The Best Rapper Alive, we just wanted to have a little fun. But with a final tally exceeding 920,000 votes, it’s safe to say we touched a nerve. Since the competition began on July 21, the NCAA tournament – style bracket sparked bedlam. T.I.? Nas? Joe Budden? Rick Ross? Decisions had to be – and were – made.

In the early rounds there were few upsets, as most of the higher-seeded competitors triumphed. Until the final eight MCs remained, it looked as though all four No. 1 seeds – Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Eminem, and Andre 3000 – would land in the final four. But then, the bark of underdogs could be heard in the distance.

The lesser of the two upsets took place in the Big Punisher bracket. Andre was defeated by No. 3 seed The Game, just as his album, LAX (Geffen), was impacting nationwide. In the Pimp C bracket, Lil Wayne, the man who many thought would take home the title, lost to Ludacris, also a No. 3 seed. Unfortunately for The Game and Luda die-hards, Cinderella would not be anyone’s date to the big dance. Jay-Z and Eminem easily beat out Ludacris and Game respectively, setting up a titanic final matchup. In the end, Eminem prevailed in a surprising landslide victory. Despite no proper album releases, since 2004’s, Encore (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope), 69 percent of the votes went to Detroit’s native son easily outpacing office favorite Jay-Z’s 31 percent.

"It’s obviously an honor to have won the fans' support by being voted the Best Rapper Alive,” Eminem said in response to his victory. “I don't think that there is any one rapper that is simply the best though. Everyone who was in consideration and many others are the best at certain things, and at what they do. But since VIBE's offering the distinction, hell yeah I'll accept!"

http://www.vibe.com/news/online_exclusives/2008/10/the_best_rapper_alive_is/

 

He shouldn't even make the Top 10.

 

Yeah, I probably should have thrown this on "Anything Goes."

 

Aren't,

Ice Cube
Dr. Dre
Snoop

Still alive?




PS: Yes.

 

Well, he's still "living" so no problems with the selection. Just surprised to see the vote was a landslide.

 

Eminem had three good albums and has done shit since 2002. I don't buy it.
Jay-Z still comes out with phenomenal shit, and Kanye is another good album from passing Eminem.

 

I like Kanye, but for me, it's more about the beats than his rap skills.

 

Yea, but there are few rap albums that you can push play and not skip a few songs. His beats alone allow you to do that.

 

Oz: Kanye's largely beats, but I like his wordplay. Other people might find it juvenile or stupid, but he flips a lot of stuff around that I think is pretty cool.

And I'd definitely put Eminem up there. I'm a Jay-Z girl though. Always have been. Always will be.

 

Lips.
For.
Days.


Sweet Jesus.

But I like him better smiling.

 

Climbing the charts after a tremendous "Paper Trail" album.