A Rap Enthusiast's Top 10

1. Biggie Smalls. He was born with the gift of gab. Just a big, fat, motherfucker who was blessed with the voice of a generation. Not much needs to be said: The GOAT.

2. Nas. Nas is a more cerebral Biggie Smalls. If you listen to enough of his music you will come around to the acceptance of my theory that he is brilliant and probably has the highest IQ of all rappers. (apologies to OutKast fanboi's because, while Andre3Stacks is the most creative and artistic of any rapper- he's a craft artist, if you will- Nas is intellectual horsepower.)

3. Tupac. Tupac, while not being the most technically sound and talented rapper, had pure, unadulterated passion. In fact, I would argue that NOBODY ever rapped with more integrity. This motherfucker made the conscious decision to truly and wholly embody his music and, I would argue, traded his life for a higher calling- that of his art. He created and threw himself into "Thug Life" and truly lived like there was no tomorrow. With Tupac I'm reminded of the old ham and egg breakfast idiom:

"When it comes to a bacon and egg breakfast, the Chicken is involved, but the Pig is committed" and 'Pac was committed! He was an artist's artist and while I don't think most of his music aged well, he gets my highest respect and honor.

4. Ghostface Killah. This is a controversial pick for some, but I feel he has a true talent and is the closest to "Rapper/Warrior Poet". His unique brand of "stream-of-consciousness" is fascinating and stretches the listener (a lot of that is his unique delivery and slang as well, but not to be discounted).

Beyond all that, I don't think there is a rapper, save maybe 50 cent for about 6 months, who has ever commanded more tacit fear and I think it's largely because his music his full of testosterone and adrenaline, like raw meat.

5. Jay-Z- While it is my opinion that someone of his tenure and visibility (and discography) should have way more tier 1 songs, he is one of the best technical rappers. It makes sense after all, he followed and was close to Biggie. He is lyrically very strong and while he may not be a lot of people's favorites not mentioning him in the top 10 I think is fallacy.

6. Eminem- Eminem is an example, to me, of what happens when hard work and practice meets a unique perspective, story and style. Eminem could have sold out and been a bitch, but he made the decision early in his career to keep his music on the cutting edge (stylistically- not so much shock lyrics) and it worked. His unique style- not rhyming ABAB or AABB, but multi-syllabification within verses (eg. "Whatever 'happened to 'catching a good ol 'fashioned 'asswhoopin and getting your shoes,coat and hat took'en) is ground-breaking.

7. Controversial pick - Fabulous. I know his first exposure (and last to most music fans) was that pussy ass holla back song, but Fab is hands down the best punch line rapper ever. Cannibus, Cassidy, Ludacris- eat your hearts out. Lyrically, he does the most twists and turns and is clever enough to extend metaphors for multiple bars. If the rappers above are great literary titans, Fab is like the intellectual satirist.

8. T.I. - I generally fancy music that glorifies violence, misogamy, drugs, and glory and while there are grimier and more raw rappers that embody those ideals, T.I.P. birthed them in the South. I think what makes T.I. great is that his best music all has the message, by way of subtext and underlying themes, of hope. He reminds me a lot of Tupac and I think, if he doesn't quite elicit the same emotion and following with his fan/populace/constituents, when it comes to actual rapping, he is better.

9. Juvenile- I contend that 400 Degreez might be the greatest debut album ever. Juvenile, like carcinogenic cellular mutations in the human body and Mother Nature, just doesn't give a fuck and won't be denied. I feel like all men are born with a purpose. Most men use resistance and excuses to wallow in mediocrity and deny themselves the passion in their heart until it doesn't exist. Juvenile was a born rapper and nothing- not the death of his kids, bankruptcy, fraud- will deny him. Without rap Juvenile would cease to exist on this earth and I feel that manifests through his music. I think in 20-30 years we will all understand his genius and celebrate his entire catalog.

10. Lil Wayne- I think Wayne in TC1-TC3 (and all his mix-tapes) deserves to be in the top 10. His experimentation and exploitation of that time was remarkable in that he truly mastered his craft and could invoke his message, his journey, his being, in each and every song from 2004-2008. It has become chic to forget those days but I think eventually time will do him justice. In fact, I think Lil Wayne will be one of those who commits suicide because as the drugs, fame and fortune wear off, he will wake up in a stupor to realize that he sold out his art and is an empty man who spawned fagets like Drake and Niki Menage