One of the most intriguing debates in music is who the greatest rapper alive is. Rap is in great condition nowadays. There are multiple rappers from every important Hip-Hop region putting out quality projects and the majority of them are quite young and have long, bright futures. It begs the old debate:
*Take note that I say currently. I know plenty of you are going to want to say Nas, Eminem, possibly even Jay-Z for their work over nearly the last 20 years, but these are rappers that I consider to be past their prime. However, that's not to say that the argument can't be made for them to still be the greatest rapper alive. If you can make that argument, I'd love to hear it. But I would not agree with that. I have my own opinion.
Before I get into who I believe the greatest is, these are things in which I take into consideration:
There is one man that each of my personal criteria matches: King Kendrick Lamar.
I've been following his career closely since Section 80, his first album, was released. good kid, maad city was a classic album. I am not stuttering. From the first to last track, his second album was absolutely on point and has the replay value of an Illmatic; each track was carefully crafted to go along with the concept of the album, and they wound up fitting perfectly. The concept of the album was essentially following Kendrick around during a day in his life growing up Compton, tackling all of the issues that a young, black teen may experience growing up in that area. It was done perfectly. Every single bar on that album complimented the concept and the interludes helped the tracks flow from one to the other, yet they also added another dimension to the album.
Kendrick's not my number one guy in the game because of one album. Section 80 was nearly as perfect. His other work is wonderful as well. Kendrick Lamar has countless songs that simply leave me mind blown. The man is on another level compared to the other rappers in the industry. Every verse he releases is top notch. He can appeal to a mainstream audience as well as an underground audience.
Some exemplary items
Also important to discuss when bringing up Kendrick Lamar is the verse heard 'round the world. Of course, I'm referring to the verse he laid down on Big Sean's song 'Control' where he calls out the industry, claiming he's in this game for blood, that he wants to be the best, feels he is the best, and to prove him wrong by rapping better than he can. God damn, what a statement. This verse was met with great respect from his peers which shows that if he can get away with saying such things without much disagreement at all (except from a few irrelevant, butthurt individuals) that he is obviously held in a different light amongst other rappers.
Another note: he's a genius at his craft, a perfectionist. He doesn't drop the monthly mixtape or track. He's not even a frequent feature nowadays. He's been continuing to push back his upcoming album, in which he's been working on since late 2012. We may not even hear it until 2015. It was originally slated for this exact month. In an interview he said he has plenty of tracks recorded, yet only two or three are satisfying him enough to even be included on the album for sure. He's considering scrapping most of them in general. He wants to get it right. Hopefully he doesn't got he Detox route, but at the same time, he really does have a Dr. Dre mentality when it comes to releasing quality work. He takes his time and feels zero pressure.
To summarize, Kendrick paints vivid stories (Nas, Pac), has ridiculous flow (Eminem, Biggie), represents his region well and does its issues justice with how he depicts them (Pac, Biggie).
Do you agree, disagree, why, who do you believe is the greatest rapper alive? I'd love debate and hash this out with anyone, as well as hear your opinion in general.
Runner-up: Big K.R.I.T.
Rappers that are potential phenoms: Vince Staples (listen to his songs "Nate" and "Outro"), Isaiah Rashad (listen to his song "Banana" and "Soliliquoy")
Who is currently* the greatest rapper alive?
*Take note that I say currently. I know plenty of you are going to want to say Nas, Eminem, possibly even Jay-Z for their work over nearly the last 20 years, but these are rappers that I consider to be past their prime. However, that's not to say that the argument can't be made for them to still be the greatest rapper alive. If you can make that argument, I'd love to hear it. But I would not agree with that. I have my own opinion.
Before I get into who I believe the greatest is, these are things in which I take into consideration:
- Flow - Most important; wow do they approach a beat. Can they put a strong rap over any beat. How quickly can they rap. Can they switch up the tempo of their flow. Technicality. etc
- Lyrical Content - Do they actually have something meaningful to say. Are they intellectual.
- Quality of Work/Versatility - Take an overview of their catalogue; are the majority of their tracks and tapes great quality? Can they make bangers yet also slow things down. Can they flex or swag out but also turn around and make an emotional track.
- Vision - Are they conceptual rather than just blindly putting out tracks. There's an art to making music. Rapping for a greater purpose.
There is one man that each of my personal criteria matches: King Kendrick Lamar.
I've been following his career closely since Section 80, his first album, was released. good kid, maad city was a classic album. I am not stuttering. From the first to last track, his second album was absolutely on point and has the replay value of an Illmatic; each track was carefully crafted to go along with the concept of the album, and they wound up fitting perfectly. The concept of the album was essentially following Kendrick around during a day in his life growing up Compton, tackling all of the issues that a young, black teen may experience growing up in that area. It was done perfectly. Every single bar on that album complimented the concept and the interludes helped the tracks flow from one to the other, yet they also added another dimension to the album.
Kendrick's not my number one guy in the game because of one album. Section 80 was nearly as perfect. His other work is wonderful as well. Kendrick Lamar has countless songs that simply leave me mind blown. The man is on another level compared to the other rappers in the industry. Every verse he releases is top notch. He can appeal to a mainstream audience as well as an underground audience.
Some exemplary items
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[YOUTUBE]RpX--7xb2IA[/YOUTUBE]
Also important to discuss when bringing up Kendrick Lamar is the verse heard 'round the world. Of course, I'm referring to the verse he laid down on Big Sean's song 'Control' where he calls out the industry, claiming he's in this game for blood, that he wants to be the best, feels he is the best, and to prove him wrong by rapping better than he can. God damn, what a statement. This verse was met with great respect from his peers which shows that if he can get away with saying such things without much disagreement at all (except from a few irrelevant, butthurt individuals) that he is obviously held in a different light amongst other rappers.
Another note: he's a genius at his craft, a perfectionist. He doesn't drop the monthly mixtape or track. He's not even a frequent feature nowadays. He's been continuing to push back his upcoming album, in which he's been working on since late 2012. We may not even hear it until 2015. It was originally slated for this exact month. In an interview he said he has plenty of tracks recorded, yet only two or three are satisfying him enough to even be included on the album for sure. He's considering scrapping most of them in general. He wants to get it right. Hopefully he doesn't got he Detox route, but at the same time, he really does have a Dr. Dre mentality when it comes to releasing quality work. He takes his time and feels zero pressure.
To summarize, Kendrick paints vivid stories (Nas, Pac), has ridiculous flow (Eminem, Biggie), represents his region well and does its issues justice with how he depicts them (Pac, Biggie).
Do you agree, disagree, why, who do you believe is the greatest rapper alive? I'd love debate and hash this out with anyone, as well as hear your opinion in general.
Runner-up: Big K.R.I.T.
Rappers that are potential phenoms: Vince Staples (listen to his songs "Nate" and "Outro"), Isaiah Rashad (listen to his song "Banana" and "Soliliquoy")
