T.Q.D: T.Q.D's Corner

T.Q.D's Corner will be the commentary portion of this website (okay, so it's basically a blog).  I will post roughly once a month (sometimes sooner) about my opinions/what's on my mind in the world of Hip Hop.  Without further ado, here is post number 1...

We live in a polite society..so polite that folk seem more willing to go along with the crowd or walk away rather than (gasp) disagree.  This is especially true in politics, but I digress.

I'm going to start off with one of most contested debates.  The simple question: who are your top 10 all time emcees?  I guarantee plenty will disagree with many of my selections (and omissions).  That's fine.  I'm not afraid to have an opinion.  Here are my top 10 in order.

Chuck D

-Other emcees (some I list below) have spawned more imitators (though many have tried and failed with him) and plenty have sold more records, but no one has (and still doesn't) feel more important than the entity known as Public  Enemy.  Chuck D at his best, and even now as simply solid strikes the perfect balance between education and entertainment. 

Kool G Rap

-Kool G Rap is another emcee who's highly copied and emulated, but has never really been given his proper due.  His delivery is about as technically sound as anyone to ever pick up the mic and has been bitten many times over.  In my opinion, he's second only to Slick Rick in the story telling department.  Whether the stories are true or not doesn't even matter, because he never really made it an issue.  He just tells a great story and you can't help but listen.

J-Live

-Largely unnoticed, due to being an "indie rapper", J-Live is the dopest rapper  that too few people know about.  'All Of The Above" and "The Best Part" are some of the best Hip Hop records I've ever heard.  He can sometimes have a weak ear for beats (see his album "The Hear After"), but even then, the writing is as good as anyone.

Rakim

-No rapper after Rakim, whether they listened to him or not, like him or not, or may be too young to be familiar with him can claim they aren't under his influence.  He single-handedly changed the way people rap forever.  His lines have been bitten so much that people forget they were his to begin with...oh and by the way, his raps are brilliant.

KRS-One

-Save for a couple missteps, his extensive catalog is one the most consistent in Hip Hop history.  When he's great, he's great.  And even when he's not great, he's still damn good.  He's also highly bitten in terms of delivery and lines.  And I would also argue, perhaps the best live Hip Hop performer we've ever had.

Ice Cube

-In my humble opinion, if you go back and listen to N.W.A. records, it was plain to see that Cube needed to be by himself.  He was just that much better than the group.  Once he decided to fly solo, it was full speed ahead.  He came out with 4 straight classics (I'm partial to 'The Predator') and left a mark on the game that only a select groupo can touch.  Those first four records were followed up with the two okay, but uneven 'War & Peace' discs, but like any true legend, he has since come back to being not necessarily the best, but right up there (see Raw Footage and Smile Now Cry Later)

Posdnuos

-De La Soul is one of those groups that has just managed to fly under the radar.  They never really sold a ton of records.  They just made great ones and left it at that.  While I like both emcees, Posdnuos always stood out to me.  He has a knack for being profound in such away that sometimes you don't even realize what's being said until later.  While he's never flown solo, he's always stood out enough to me to make my top 10.

Nas

-The career of Nas has been an interesting one to observe.  He started out so strong with a classic and followed that up with a dope album...and then things got fishy.  He followed his first two albums with a couple duds to close out the 90s and many folks (myself included) gave up on him.  However, he picked himself back up and spent the 00's decade with a series of quality records that now make his catalog, that of a certified legend.

Slick Rick

-He's the ultimate story teller.  There are those who come close, but to this day, none do it better.  It's hard not to wonder what his career could've been had he not had his legal trouble in the early 90s and put out more records, but when he's put out albums they've been brilliant.  He's one of the few emcees, whom when I listen to and could care less about the beat behind him.

Big Daddy Kane

-If we're simply talking raw talent/ability, then by far the greatest is Big Daddy Kane.  However, one's catalog must be considered, so he loses points.  'Long Live The Kane' remains a certified classic.  However, those of us who remember, saw him take a dip due to over-indulging on the mack daddy raps, thus making the final product less than it could've been.  He did manage to return and make more consistent records later (see Looks Like A Job For... and Daddy's Home), but that doesn't erase previous uneven material.  However, he's so dope that it doesn't really matter as much as it probably should.  And of course, he's another legend who has been endlessly bitten when it comes to lines and delivery.