Lil Wayne AKA Weezy = THE Best rapper alive

[Sweet Sassy Molassy]

Well there's been a lot of talk of Wayne having a ghostwriter.

Regardless, I've never been a Wayne fan. I just don't like him that much.

[skinsfan07]

Oh.

The only reason I would say yeha is becasue he dissed the whole rap game by saying that he needed to come back to save it. Cudos for Lil Wayne by being the first one to attack, but I think he can't hang with Jay Z track for track.

I do agree with you on that. Jay-Z is one of the best. His older CD, The Blueprint 2:The Gift and the Curse, is very, very good.

[Art]

Eminem?? When he gets off his punch-line rap he's capable of being the greatest.

You need to PM me your address so I can send you a good mix of everything.

The only CD worth buying right now is Redman and Devin The Dude...sad but true.

No doubt Eminem has stuff you simply can't listen to. But, no rapper has songs as meaningful and well done as he does. Not out there today. Most of his real good stuff is not in the Shady character to be sure. Stan, Cleaning out my Closet, Lose Yourself, The Way I Am, Sing for the Moment, Toy Soldiers, Mockingbird and, hell, one Shady song, Without Me, are as clever, meaningful, interesting, diverse and deep as you get in rap now OR ever. Now, he has so many garbage songs -- even if some are listenable -- that you won't put him above all others untouched, but, no one reaches him when he gets introspective.

[CrypticVillain]

No doubt Eminem has stuff you simply can't listen to. But, no rapper has songs as meaningful and well done as he does. Not out there today. Most of his real good stuff is not in the Shady character to be sure. Stan, Cleaning out my Closet, Lose Yourself, The Way I Am, Sing for the Moment, Toy Soldiers, Mockingbird and, hell, one Shady song, Without Me, are as clever, meaningful, interesting, diverse and deep as you get in rap now OR ever. Now, he has so many garbage songs -- even if some are listenable -- that you won't put him above all others untouched, but, no one reaches him when he gets introspective.

Man he makes them garbage songs for fun, if he made a CD when he had all serious songs that joint will be one of the best CD's ever.

[roadkill]

I never undersood the infatuation with Wayne (especially those who think he's one of the best of all-time). I've never liked him either.

[richard saunders]

Art, I liked what you said about Rakim. If he ever had a great producer it would've been over. Dre was supposed to do an album and it fell apart.

I know everyone chooses Big as their greatest, but for me it will always be 2Pac. No one could spit harder.

[CrypticVillain]

Man I don't know what your saying everybody that I know has said Pac was better.

[Enter Apotheosis]

Why? Because.

[skinsfan07]

Man I don't know what your saying everybody that I know has said Pac was better.

same here. Alot of ppl say that pac was better.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Well there's been a lot of talk of Wayne having a ghostwriter.

Regardless, I've never been a Wayne fan. I just don't like him that much.

I'm pretty sure I read an interview in XXL or something with a guy who said he wrote all of Waynes raps. I forget his name. This had to have been at least a year ago though.

I've never been a fan either. I don't know, i just don't feel it.

[Kevin101]

Sorry, I don't listen to rappers who have Gillie Da Kid ghostwrite for them.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

And for the record Eminem fell off big time. He's put out nothing but garbage for like 5 years now, since the Eminem Show.

My vote is for Immortal Technique but that's a topic for the Underground Rap thread.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Sorry, I don't listen to rappers who have Gillie Da Kid ghostwrite for them.

That's the dude. From Philly I think.

[Art]

Art, I liked what you said about Rakim. If he ever had a great producer it would've been over. Dre was supposed to do an album and it fell apart.

I know everyone chooses Big as their greatest, but for me it will always be 2Pac. No one could spit harder.

Biggie and Tupac had differing styles to be sure. Why Biggie is considered better is because he never pranced around in Digital Underground. That movie Nothing but Trouble has Tupac as an innocent, funny kid bouncing around with DU, which was non-serious, funny, easy listening rap. He went solo and that first album was awful. Brenda had a Baby being the one song that stick with you. I remember reviewing that for the college newspaper back in the day.

Then he does a little jail and comes out HARD. Many felt, perhaps wrongly, he was putting on a front to sell. So, he was less believable than Biggie who either lived the life, or, could convince you he did. And, most people view rappers like Tupac and Eminem, who go into their personal lives with those swelling, yearning songs, as weak in that community. Biggie only did that ONCE with Juicy, and that didn't go all that deep.

If you judge rap on depth of emotion and personal connection with the songs, Biggie won't rate. If you rate it on battle rap, Biggie would do ok, but not be the top. Biggie gets the nod because he stayed outside the music as a storyteller and no one really was as consistently good at JUST being that.

[Art]

Why? Because.

THAT is a fun blast from the past .

[Stew]

In their time, KRS One, & Guru and Priemiere were my favs, maybe some of the most underrated for their time.

Now I listen to MF-Doom, Vaste Aire, Smutpeddlers, El-P, ect I also listen to beats from producers like Quasi, Blockhead, and DJ Shadow. Its all about the beats.

Seriously, who cares who the "best" in the rap game really? It certainly isnt "Lil Willi" or "Young Scooby". What defines the best exactly?

[richard saunders]

Biggie and Tupac had differing styles to be sure. Why Biggie is considered better is because he never pranced around in Digital Underground. That movie Nothing but Trouble has Tupac as an innocent, funny kid bouncing around with DU, which was non-serious, funny, easy listening rap. He went solo and that first album was awful. Brenda had a Baby being the one song that stick with you. I remember reviewing that for the college newspaper back in the day.

Then he does a little jail and comes out HARD. Many felt, perhaps wrongly, he was putting on a front to sell. So, he was less believable than Biggie who either lived the life, or, could convince you he did. And, most people view rappers like Tupac and Eminem, who go into their personal lives with those swelling, yearning songs, as weak in that community. Biggie only did that ONCE with Juicy, and that didn't go all that deep.

If you judge rap on depth of emotion and personal connection with the songs, Biggie won't rate. If you rate it on battle rap, Biggie would do ok, but not be the top. Biggie gets the nod because he stayed outside the music as a storyteller and no one really was as consistently good at JUST being that.

Nothing But Trouble :laugh: A guilty pleasure of mine for some odd reason.

It wasn't really jail though for 2Pac. He actually became more introspective while in jail, other than his crap against Biggie. Listen to "Me Against the World."

It was really when he played Bishop in "Juice" where he tried to play that guy.

[RonArtest15]

I see the threadstarter is 17....IMO Wayne can't hold a candle to Nas, Face, 3000, Black Thought, Jay, Common, Rakim, KRS-1, or even dare I say.......KANYE (I just named all of the rappers on "Classic" LOL)...Wayne is a nice rapper, but there has been a lot of discussion if he even writes his own material. Gillie tha Kid anyone? I am not one to knock someone's opinion, but before making a baseless comment about how Wayne is the BEST RAPPER ALIVE, I suggest that you broaden your horizons and listen to some of the old/new material of some of the artists that I have mentioned. Saying his is the best rapper alive is a serious slap in the face to many of the pioneers and OG's of the rap game...

*edit* LOL @ you thinking that Baby is his father or stepdad...they have a wierd relationship (the look on TQ's face in the pic says it all), and there is NO logical way to explain it. Baby was a father figure in Wayne's life, but there is NO blood relation between the two. He can't even explain why they kiss on the lips, or the fact that each of them has a tattoo of their faces (wayne has baby, and baby has wayne) on their chests....

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Biggie just does it for me. Guy puts a smile on my face.

2pac I can listen to when I need a boost of hardening my core.

Bone Thugs are the **** and I love 'em

Three 6 is my favorite rap group right now. They dominate my rap collection.

[Fan since a Fetus]

I don't get rap, I really don't. This next question is not meant to be disrespectful, I am just trying to understand the music. How do you know when one rapper is better than another? What makes a good rapper? I am not talking about his background or whether or not he is from the streets. I am questioning his skill-level. On a musical level, what makes a rapper superior to other rappers? Is there any kind of music theory behind what they are doing? Does it take years and years to capture a skill?

Musically, it all sounds the same to me. I know there are different voice qualities and lyrics that can make a rapper stand out. Take any standard rock band for example, you can change the tuning of a guitar, there are five billion different ways, and that could really make a difference in what a band sounds like. But, this alone will not make the band good. There are many other intangibles. I listen to progressive rock/metal and songs that range from 3 min to 30 min. There is a large diversity in the music. I need change constantly. It seems that rap has a standard 3-4 min length for songs. It seems very montonous. Are there any underground progressive artists that are way out of the ordinary and show a skill level beyond the main stream media hype?

Once again, I am not trying to cause a disturbance within the rapping force. It is obviously a big genre for a reason. They must be doing something right. Please help a long haired, headbanging white man understand!

[TradeTheBeal!]

Why? Because.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHXy4K2isr8

Best Hip-Hop vid ever. Not likely to be duplicated.

[RDSKNfaithfull]

Before I clicked on the post I knew you under 21 :doh:

[Big Weirdo]

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

Uhhh yeah.

[ArmchairRedskin]

Ready to Die is badass from front to back. Easy Moe Bee put down the tracks for his best songs on that album. Easy produced Big's first hit Party & Bull**** which is one of my favorite Biggie tracks. Puffy had way too much influence on Life After Death for my taste. That album for me was mostly fluff material. RTD was good from front to back.

By the way, I don't think you can get more introspective than Suicidal Thoughts.

Tupac had charisma and a unique voice. Lyrically he was just ok. Not real clever, but a good flow. Death Row put him on the map. 2Pacalypse now is the album where he proved himself to most rap fans though and that was pre-Death row. I wore the hell out of Violent because I had two twelves in the back and that song bumped.

Em is probably the cleverest rapper out there. You gotta get all the references, but he puts a lot of work into his lyrics. From the Slip Shady LP to Encore, he doesn't slip. Some of the guest stuff he's done recently are really disappointing though. I don't like his slower flow at all. Cleaning out my closet is a good example of that style.

If Luda were to put a little more effort into his lyrics he could definitely be up there at the top. He can be clever when he tries, but his albums smack of lazy writing. Some of his singles/guest spots showcase what could be. It's a shame, really.

Jay Z doesn't interest me a whole lot. I mean he's pretty good, technically. He's got some good songs with good lyrics and a nice flow, but he just doesn't appeal to me all that much.

Outkast for my money is still the most interesting group out there. Both Big Boi and Andre can easily keep my attention. Whoever said Andre killed it in "Walk it Out" is right. His flow is sick on that track. I think their last effort (SpeakerBoxx/Love Below)was a misstep, but I won't write them off for it. Lets hope they still have another ATLiens in them.

My take on Rakim is that he has some good lines and a helluva flow, but he has never put together any songs with cohesive lyrics. His technique is what sets him apart, not his writing skills.

Rap for the most part has been disappointing for me lately after making up the majority of my listening preference throughout the 80's and 90's. It's lost it's way with all the repetitive bling and 22" rim lyrics. I know there are exceptions to that, but honestly the majority of rap today is unlistenable to me.

[dg28daman]

Lil Wayne is an awful, awful rapper. His "freestyles" are terrible too. If you want freestyles, listen to Big L, who at his worst was still better then Lil Wayne ever is. Jay-Z just put out his worst album ever, Kingdom Come, and its still better then Tha Carter II.