THE 2005 / 7TH ANNUAL HIPHOPSITE.COM BEST AND WORST LIST 2
THE TOP FIVE MAJOR LABEL MC'S OF THE YEAR
1. Common
Was there any question in your mind? Common went back to basics with "Be",
after potentially alienating some of his core fanbase with "Electric Circus"
(hey, we liked it). Under production from Kanye West and J. Dilla, Common
produced arguably his greatest record yet, touching on a wide variety of
topics and exercising several different styles of rhyme. Testify!
2. Phonte (Little Brother)
Phonte Coleman's progress over time has been damn near scary. In just over a
couple of years, and now the release of "The Minstrel Show", Phonte
catapulted himself to the upper echelon of emcees, with an absolute stellar
outing. Combing sharp wit, a solid flow, brutal honesty and great intellect,
Phonte is one of the best yet. And don't front on his vocal chops either -
all hail Percy Miracles!
3. T.I.
Although we doubted T.I. declaring himself "king of the south", one year
later, we have to give him the crown. Able to rock a party, or simply deliver
his lines cooler than cool, T.I.'s got the natural swagger and essence of a
great emcee, as evidenced on "Urban Legend", not to mention several other
show-stealing moments on the P$C record, and wherever else he guest appeared
(ahem, Lil Kim). He's the king!
4. The Game
Sure, Game's lost a little hype since his early 2005 debut, thanks to his
defection from G-Unit, and people are quick to criticize him for excessive
name-dropping in his rhymes, but "The Documentary" proved that his skill
cannot be denied. Unlike most rappers out there, Game knows his hip-hop
history, frequently referencing classic events and classic records, such as
Eazy-E's dinner with the president and "Brenda still throwing babies in the
garbage". What you know about that?
5. Beanie Sigel
Though Beans is still a gangsta rapper at heart, with "The B-Coming", it was
interesting to hear him shift from the confrontational emcee to a more
pensive one, as tracks such as "Look At Me Now" and "Feel It In The Air".
Both songs displayed a matured emcee, willing to expose a vulnerability that
was previously untapped. It may have taken Beanie a few LP's to get his
formula down, but there's no denying he found it here, as even Bean's more
commercial friendly material did nothing to lessen his product.
He found his zone with Snoop and the Neptunes on "Don't Stop" and continued
his amazing chemistry with Jay-Z on "Its On." While Beans LP features a slew
of high profile guest shots (Jay-Z, Snoop, Redman, Twista, Bun B) it was his
husky growl and venomous lines that solely command your attention throughout.
THE TOP FIVE INDY MC'S OF THE YEAR
1. MF Doom
The decision for top indy emcee these days is pretty much unanimous.
Everybody loves MF Doom, with many new people joining the cult fanbase every
day. Hilarious rhymes and a one of a kind style set Doom above the rest,
proving that you don't need to parade drugs, murder, and your wealth to see
success as a hip-hop artist.
2. Cage
Ironically enough, in an interview with this very website, Cage stated that
he's not concerned with being on anyone's top emcee lists, just making good
music. Nevertheless, after shedding excess weight both physically and
lyrically, the true tales told on "Hell's Winter" made for some of the most
compelling and interesting lyrical material featured on record this year -
and he did it without having to resort to drugs or horrorcore.
3. Ras Kass
If Ras Kass released more material, he'd likely be on this list every year,
as there may not be a finer, more technically proficient emcee then John
Austin. While his choice in beats, like some of his "Four Horsemen"
counterparts has been his Achilles heel, there's no denying he's mastered
the craft and is able to flip a variety of styles at ease. Name another
emcee as rough, rugged and raw, who can dazzle with metaphors and punchlines,
yet still be edutaining? But there is a virtual laundry list of reasons Ras
is not a yearly member of this list; first, thanks to Priority Records he has
not released a "proper" solo-LP in over seven years (2001's Van Gogh never
hit shelves - although its an E-Bay top seller) and though he has tracks in
the can with a virtual who's who list of producers (Dr. Dre included), Ras
refused to do anymore business with his now former label. Second, Ras has
spent the last few years incarcerated due to DUI charges (Vegas, baby!).
Now released, Ras returned in 2005 with Institutionalized, a mixtape/primer
effort that picks up where he left off, and proved Game is not the only
emcee that can resurrect the Left Coast. While Institutionalized is a bit
rough around the edges and contains the usual mixtape filler, it finds Ras
doing what he does best, shredding microphones; "Air Em Out" and the
ridiculous "Write Where I left Off" (homonyms anyone?). While Ras may not be
the most commercially accessible artist (at least not yet), in 2005 he proved
that his best is yet too come! But can we get another LP already??
4. Slug
Releasing a total of 3 records this year (although "Se7en's Travels" being
old material), Slug got his chance to shine brightly on Atmosphere's "You
Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having" and "Felt 2: A Tribute To Lisa
Bonet", with Murs. Master of the "average guy" style of rap, Slug was at his
most lyrically physically fit this year, fashioning himself into easily one
of the best emcees in the game. Slug - you can find him in the A's in your
Ipod.
5. Gift of Gab
Although the response was mixed on Gab's solo outing , "4th Dimmensional
Rocketships Going Up", he saw a return to form with Blackalicious' "The
Craft". Showing off his amazing lyrical agility, as well as smart, conscious
lyrics, Gab was at his best in 2005. With such crazy complexity, people will
still be dissecting his verses, as 2006 rolls ahead.
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