2008 Woodie Awards
TOP TEN
Adam Casas
Issue date: 2/9/05 Section: A&E
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Welcome to the battle circle and the top ten illest rappers of all time. Go ahead, bombard me with emails to dispute my top ten rappers of all time. That's fair. You can email your viruses to deathbyvinyl@yahoo.com
10. JAY-Z
With his ability to adapt to any beat either on the street level or pack the dance floors at the clubs. His smooth and pimpish flow, young Hova is the man who bangs the club sound system monthly and can battle anyone on 24 hours notice. Jiggaman dominates radio play with precision, and his last album for certain raises him on the GOAT status. Jigga what, Jigga who?
9. GANGSTARR
Man oh man, when I heard this cat's first cut "I Manifest" back in the '80s I flipped. AKA Guru from Brooklyn, he had a grip on MC's back then like Jack the Ripper, giving us classics such as "Mass Appeal " and the double album "Full Clip." Gangstarr can be counted on to be a Lieutenant in hip-hop's army. He's got the best cutter in the game, DJ Premier, who can argue with Primo.
8. KOOL G. RAP
Oddly enough, he never got the RESPECT that Aretha Franklin sang about. Personally he is the Godfather of "Gangsta rap" as we know it today. He created the real thug image and had joints like "Road to the Riches" bumping in Cadillacs and sporting outrageous gold chains before the word "ice." Enough said.
7. MELLY MEL
As a member of the Furious Five, you young heads might not remember him, however, if you heard the old school jam "The Message" " and "Beatstreet breakdown" that served as a preview of what was to come in the form of gangsta and political hip-hop.
6. MOS DEF
Another Brooklynite, Mighty Mos Def has laid down his clever lyrics in social commentary style. Not too many MC's can repetitively flow without taking a breath like him. With torch in hand, Mos is still holding it down in the underground and injects intellect, humor, and knowledge into all of his rhymes.
5. LL COOL J
The ladies love LL. After stumbling into acting, LL is one of hip hop's consistent rappers in the game; from classic joints like "I'm Bad," "Mama Said Knock You Out," and "I'm Going Back to Cali" no one still wears the belt for hip hop's first sex symbol. You're jiggling baby.
10. JAY-Z
With his ability to adapt to any beat either on the street level or pack the dance floors at the clubs. His smooth and pimpish flow, young Hova is the man who bangs the club sound system monthly and can battle anyone on 24 hours notice. Jiggaman dominates radio play with precision, and his last album for certain raises him on the GOAT status. Jigga what, Jigga who?
9. GANGSTARR
Man oh man, when I heard this cat's first cut "I Manifest" back in the '80s I flipped. AKA Guru from Brooklyn, he had a grip on MC's back then like Jack the Ripper, giving us classics such as "Mass Appeal " and the double album "Full Clip." Gangstarr can be counted on to be a Lieutenant in hip-hop's army. He's got the best cutter in the game, DJ Premier, who can argue with Primo.
8. KOOL G. RAP
Oddly enough, he never got the RESPECT that Aretha Franklin sang about. Personally he is the Godfather of "Gangsta rap" as we know it today. He created the real thug image and had joints like "Road to the Riches" bumping in Cadillacs and sporting outrageous gold chains before the word "ice." Enough said.
7. MELLY MEL
As a member of the Furious Five, you young heads might not remember him, however, if you heard the old school jam "The Message" " and "Beatstreet breakdown" that served as a preview of what was to come in the form of gangsta and political hip-hop.
6. MOS DEF
Another Brooklynite, Mighty Mos Def has laid down his clever lyrics in social commentary style. Not too many MC's can repetitively flow without taking a breath like him. With torch in hand, Mos is still holding it down in the underground and injects intellect, humor, and knowledge into all of his rhymes.
5. LL COOL J
The ladies love LL. After stumbling into acting, LL is one of hip hop's consistent rappers in the game; from classic joints like "I'm Bad," "Mama Said Knock You Out," and "I'm Going Back to Cali" no one still wears the belt for hip hop's first sex symbol. You're jiggling baby.