Lil Wayne is the best rapper alive period. There is no one out there who can drop as many mix tapes as wayne. There is no one out there who's mixtape can outsale damn near any rappers album. Lil Wayne is a one of a kind rapper. Who does the east have Jay Z, 50, Nas, Fab, Jim Jones, Juelz. None of these guys are better than Wayne. The west is dead. T I better step his vocabulary up if he wants to get on wayne's level. I heard someone say Andre from outcast. Let's be serious. Lil Wayne doesn't make radio hits. He make gangster and real nigga shit. Everyone in the game is fucking with his shit because he hot. Now you'll eastcoast cats debate that.

Let us truly consider this:

The main question you have to ask yourself with this is, are we looking for legit intelligence, vocabulary, eloquence, or are we looking for 'hardcore gangsta' raps?

As far as Lil' Wayne is concerned, he is most certainly the first mainstream artist that comes to mind. I actually own 95% of his work, mixtapes and collabs included, and without a doubt he is the best lyricist that gets airplay. With regards to your comment "Lil Wayne doesn't make radio hits," I'm baffled. it is clear that he does considering that every other song on any mainstream hip hop or top 40 radio station at least features him. Some of his stuff is pretty crap, but in most instances he is impressive if you can get past the usual rap cliches.

The other guys you mentioned are garbage, save Nas.

So if the question is best mainstream rapper who gets a lot of exposure, I won't contest Wayne.

If we look at the bulk of Hip Hop though, Wayne probably wouldn't even make top ten, of still active artists.

Aesop Rock-you want to talk vocab, look this dude up.
Kool Keith-I don't care what his name is Kool Keith, Dr. Dooom, Dr. Octagon, Mr. Gerbik, he's insane.
El-P-New album, I'll sleep when you're dead may be the best hip hop album of the year.
Sage Francis-he paints a picture with his lyrics.
Cage-mostly ignored, but his work speaks for itself.
KRS-One-Got to show respect the the grandmaster of the BDP, he shaped the entire industry.

On top of that, only one member of the Wu-Tang Clan is dead, so let us not forget the Rza, Gza, and Ghostface Killah.

And we got to show love to MF DOOM before this post is over.

I've gotta say, this is somewhat difficult to sort out. You could make a case for several M.C.s here, but each has his drawbacks.

Take Nas, for example. He released what is, in my opinion, the greatest hip-hop album in history with Illmatic, but has been wildly inconsistent since then. He began to reestablish credibility with Stillmatic and God's Son, but recently he's begun to take himself too seriously and comes off as a preachy, cantakerous old man on Hip-Hop Is Dead. Nevertheless, his flow is unrivaled.

With Resurrection, Common came with a playful sense of humor, serious concerns about a young man finding his place in the world, and a wicked gift for wordplay, similes, and metaphor. But I'm getting to the point where I can hardly stomach Common anymore, with his boho-chic sensibilities and his all-too-often effeminate, schmaltzy subject matter.

I'd also like to throw out Pharoahe Monch as someone to be considered. Although he was part of a group early in his career, and he's only just now getting ready to release his second LP, he is probably the most technically talented M.C. I've ever heard. This guy has styles upon styles, and his wordplay is ridiculous.

I'll agree with Mike that, while Wayne is a cut above the rest of the mainstream rappers out there, he can't reasonably be considered anywhere near the best alive (I wouldn't put him in my top 20), despite the fact that he drops a new mixtape every three days. Prolificity does not equal greatness.

Finally, I want to recognize Ghostface, GZA, and MF DOOM as some of my absolute favorites, but in the end, despite all his shortcomings, I'll cast my vote for Nas as the greatest alive or dead.

I'm sure they've been mentioned, but what about Mos Def and Talib Kweli?

first of all i need to say Bs^up 2nd lil wayne weezy f baby is the best rapper alive. He can get on anybodys song and make a part 2 and they cant touch him. 1.lilwayne 2.t.i 3. the game 4. lil scrappy 5.ludacris dats in order

I don't mean to be harsh here, but 2, 4, and 5 combined wouldn't even be comparable to one legit lyricist such as Talib Kweli. T.I. never has really had anything other than a gimmick, Lil' Scrappy can hardly be called a 'rapper,' and Ludacris is just another one of the 'dirty south' crew. All three are completely full of shit and themselves.

If you aren't familiar with the other names on this thread (which I'm assuming because your list looks like it was made by MTV), do yourself a favor and find out what I'm talking about.

quote:

Originally posted by Jglass:
I'm sure they've been mentioned, but what about Mos Def and Talib Kweli?

As far as raw lyricism is concerned Talib is untouchable. To be honest, though, I'm ashamed to say that I've been sleepin' on this cat for years and kept my sights primarily on Mos Def when it comes to the Black Star crew. Mos Def is nice, no doubt, but as far as material goes I say Talib Kweli's more consistent.

Now, let me speak my mind on the subject matter. I've seen some pretty fuckin' ridiculous suggestions so far. Some of you niggas got shit between your ears, foreals, talkin' that mainstream. Yo, I'm all for club bangers and positive energy in hip hop. Mainstream emcees like Hov, Luda, and Weezy got serious swag and even if sometimes they don't have much to say they're lyrically on point. But to even put bitch niggas like Cam'ron and Lil Scrappy on a top 5 is fuckin' crazy. CRAZY.

Talib Kweli is the nicest dude on the mic right now, conscious rapper or not. It's a good thing niggas like Kanye, Lupe, and Common are making it harder for ignorant fucks to piss on the rap genre.

There is no messing with Wayne's game right now!!! End of story. If dont know you havent heard! Get the starter kit. "Carter 2, Dedication 1 & 2, and the drought 3 mix's". extra credit Lilweezyana and Blow with Juelz S. Weezy isnt hating on Jay-Z check out hustlenomics. they respect what each do!

jedi mind tricks, and outerspace.

this includes army of the pharaohs

It's impossible to choose who the best rapper alive is, because hip hop is different and every artist despite similar subject matter between many of them...is different. For example i love Jigga and Biggie my roommate digs Nas & Pac, you can't tell me either of us is wrong, you may not like one, a couple, or nay of our choices but you can't diss the success and impact that they have had on hip hop therefore it's a question that can only be answered on a personal basis. I can give you my top 10 and a small reasoning behind each as a true hip hop head...
10) Busta Rhymes Lyrically at the top of the class, this mans been lighting up the mic for years with ill rhymes, lightyears ahead of others Why #10 Not enough airtight classic material, he's crazy ill he just has a fair amount of wackness to go along with it.
9) Ice Cube: Albums all have incredible impact on genre, subject matter tight, songs i can chill to, fight the power to, get my groove on to etc # 10 because everything is great just don't think he's the greatest lyricist which is a big thing for me hes just average lyrically
Best Album: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
8) Eminem: Arguably the nicest MC alive lyrically. Why # 9 He plays too much, and is too silly and lyrically lacadsial when he doesn't have to be songs like "Just Lose it" and "Ass like that" turned me off later in his career.
Best Album: The Marshall Mathers LP
7) Rakim Lyrically sick just makes it seem effortless, too many classics to count
Why #8 really just because of longevity, he's fell off the map no new material and he;s not keeping up with the times, but i hear he's got an album coming out soon...
Best Album: Paid in Full (w/Eric B.)
6)Common I just think he's ill and he speaks the real, he's lyrically up there with the best of them (ask Jay-Z) subject matter stays relevant
Why # 7? He's elite but he's just not up there because he just doesn't have the artist down as well as the MC if you know what i mean.
Best Album: Be
5) Andre 3000 Out of this world lyrically sick as crazy with the flow as they come. All of the Outkast albums (with the exception of Idlewild) are classic must listen to material. Why # 6 He's been the member of a group i mean he's incredible on the mic, but how much of their overall success is owed to Big Boi?
Best album: No real solos but I'd pick Outkast Stankonia
4) Scarface Every album is a classic need a say more? Lyrically amazing and vivid with the story telling.As visceral as they come. Why # 5 He's just chillin right now besides how many people outside of the south know who he is?
Best Album: The Diary
3) LL Cool J The self proclaimed G.O.A.T is arguably what he claims to be, from bodying everyone whos every battled him to releasing classic album after classic album he's done it all and lived to tell the tale. Why # 5 Post the Mr. Smith album Uncle L has fallen off and that fall off has been drastic, and though he has an MC's wet dream of classic material he's not as lyrical as one might expect

and the top 2 well who else would you expect...
2) Nas He's one of the best story tellers in hip hop, an ill lyricist and the he just has the material to back it up
Why number 2, well honestly just don't think he's a better package than number one. Arguably lyrically better depending on who you ask, just not totally complete
1) Jay-Z (Who Else)The best MC as a whole lyrically a few are ahead of him, but he's still insanely sick and his catalog is damn near only filled with classics, he's never really had a bad album and has never really fallen off, and he's just the truth.

So theres my list of the best rappers alive, now my favorites are a lil different

10) Snoop Dogg
9) Ice Cube
8) Jadakiss
7) Common
6) Redman
5) Slick Rick
4) Rakim
3) Nas
2) LL Cool J
1) Jay-Z

Where's the underground at JustBlaze? I appreciate the sincerity of the list, but I've always disliked LL and Jay Z. With regards to Redman, he's not even the best rapper in Wu-Tang. Also, you're bottom short top 10 is a lot different then the written up top ten (See M & M as well as Rakim, who should have replaced Redman anyway).

I'm not a big fan of Hip-Hop and Rap, but I've practically been converted by DoseOne.

That guy's a genius.

quote:

Originally posted by Shadrach:
I'm not a big fan of Hip-Hop and Rap, but I've practically been converted by DoseOne.

That guy's a genius.

True...

quote:

Originally posted by Mike:
Where's the underground at JustBlaze? I appreciate the sincerity of the list, but I've always disliked LL and Jay Z. With regards to Redman, he's not even the best rapper in Wu-Tang. Also, you're bottom short top 10 is a lot different then the written up top ten (See M & M as well as Rakim, who should have replaced Redman anyway).

Since when was Redman ever in Wu-Tang? Just goes to show your hip hop knowledge, huh? And even comparing him to the top dogs in the Clan puts him pretty high on the list. Besides Raekwon and Ghostface who can lyrically touch Redman? Meth? Bullshit...

I agree with you that LL is garbage, though, and is the only problem I have with JustBlaze's first list. Jay-Z's the shit though, both commercially and lyrically... well "lyrically" back in the day.

Yeah, I was going to say that Redman wasn't in Wu but I decided not to..

..and don't question Mike's knowledge. He knows a hell of a lot about Rap.

quote:

Originally posted by Jglass:
Yeah, I was going to say that Redman wasn't in Wu but I decided not to..

..and don't question Mike's knowledge. He knows a hell of a lot about Rap.

Well yeah I was gonna edit that out just now but since it's already been replied to I'll just go ahead and apologize to Mike for that comment. It was out of line I didn't mean it.

No prob man, I have like ADHD and a bit of dyslexia to boot, so a lot of times my mind just makes random connections to other things. This time at least it was coherent. I'm obessed with the Wu, so I can probably name all the members without google: ODB, Rza, Gza, Inspecta Deck, U-God, Raekwon "The Chef, Ghostface Killah, Method Man...Wait that's eight...Who the fuck did I forget? Oh well I'm sure someone knows (I'm looking at you Mr. Jackson).

quote:

Originally posted by Mike:
so I can probably name all the members without google: ODB, Rza, Gza, Inspecta Deck, U-God, Raekwon "The Chef, Ghostface Killah, Method Man...Wait that's eight...

No, that's all 9 right there—as long as you meant The Chief when you said "the chef."

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:

quote:

Originally posted by Mike:
so I can probably name all the members without google: ODB, Rza, Gza, Inspecta Deck, U-God, Raekwon "The Chef, Ghostface Killah, Method Man...Wait that's eight...

No, that's all 9 right there—as long as you meant The Chief when you said "the chef."

It is "The Chef" and I looked it up I forgot Masta Killa. I must be contagious. Why aren't you in the chat Frag?

Ah OK, I always though of Masta Killah as “The Chief,” I think he also went by that. So I just figured you forgot the comma after Raekwon, but it’s all good.

I can’t get into the chat, I am at work and it doesn’t work from here.