Phantom Limb

When you listen to a rap album, at least 50% needs to be attributed to the producer. A great producer can make an average emcee sound great, but a great emcee will have a very difficult time making an average producer sound any better than that: average. The beat provides the mood and energy (at least a portion of it) to a song and should not be discounted when listing your favorite rap artists, because chances are, quite a few of your favorite rappers are your favorite because of the beats they use. Without the guy behind the MPC, all you'd have is spoken word poetry.

djchameleon

I disagree.

When coming up with your list of your favorite rapper, you should consider their pure skill alone as if they didn't have a beat in the background. If he was rocking his lyrics acapella. Would he still sound good based off of his flow/cadence, lyrical content and overall skill.

__________________

Fame, fortune, power, titties. People say these are the most crucial things in life, but you can have a pocket full o' gold and it doesn't mean sh*t if you don't have someone to share that gold with. Seems simple. Yet it's an important lesson to learn. Even lone wolves run in packs sometimes.

[MERIT]

I disagree. A rapper should be judged based on his lyrical content, delivery, flow, cadence, etc. The beat that he raps over has no bearing on his rapping skills.

In the early days of hip-hop, it was all about the DJ. The rappers where just there to make the DJ look good. But as the genre progressed, and now anyone can make a beat from their basement, the skills that the rapper bring to the table are clearly more sought after than the DJ's.

Thom Yorke

I put more emphasis on lyrics/flow than producing but I don't disregard it at all. It's still music afterall. Producing may not have any influence on their lyrical skills, but it definitely has an effect on how good of an overall artist they are, in my opinion. Otherwise, you're just talking about how good of a poet they are.

"now anyone can make a beat from their basement"

Anyone can write lyrics in their basement too. Not everyone can write good lyrics though, just like not everyone can make good beats.

djchameleon

That is what we ARE talking about. How good of poet they are and how they delivery their poetry.

If we wanted to have a top 10 list that included production with everything it would have to have a different name. Rap performer maybe? When I think of this list, I'm thinking mostly of just the rapper himself and his skills alone now how he sounds being assisted by a producer.

__________________

Fame, fortune, power, titties. People say these are the most crucial things in life, but you can have a pocket full o' gold and it doesn't mean sh*t if you don't have someone to share that gold with. Seems simple. Yet it's an important lesson to learn. Even lone wolves run in packs sometimes.

Phantom Limb

Actually it's the "Top 10 Rap Artists", we should be taking into account all of the artists- including producers- who make rap music.

Phzed

Rap isn't a genre of music, it's a vocal technique.

You'd be right, if the title was Top 10 Hip-Hop artists, or Top 10 Rap Music artists, but it isn't.

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last.fm & rateyourmusic

jhanegyle

Roots Manuva
A Tribe Called Quest
The Roots
Marxman
Incubus
Ludwig von Beethoven
Tupac
Method Man
GZA
Jay Z

Mrd00d

Let Dirty rofl all he wants, I agree whole heartedly. Eminem is child's play to even Aceyalone, let alone Aesop Rock. Nas seems good, but I can't get behind him. Illmatic may be legendary, but I'd take Labor Days any day.

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Mrd00d's Last.fm

Sparky

I agree as well, but i doubt Labor Days, or whatever Aceyalone has done(is he the dude with the crazy nasally voice btw?) will have the staying power of illmatic or whatever eminem fans say is his best album.

geez, that comment was way less punctual then i hoped.