Top Ten MCs of All Time

April 17, 2006 by Marc Lamont Hill

Last week, MTV unveiled its Ten Greatest MCs of All Time List. Here it is:

10. LL Cool J

9. Eminem

8. Ice Cube

7. Big Daddy Kane

6. KRS One

5. Nas

4. Rakim

3. Notorious B.I.G.

2. Tupac

1. Jay-Z

Of course, any top ten list in music, sports, etc. is going to be highly contentious and this one is no exception. Still, I can’t imagine how the folks at MTV could release this list with a straight face. Under what criteria can you put Tupac ahead of Rakim as an MC? If we’re talking about skills, how do you exclude Kool G Rap, Common, Black Thought, and Lauryn Hill? If you argue that the choices are based on the artist’s impact on the generation, how could you not have Chuck D, Scarface, or Snoop on the list?

I know some hardcore hip-hop heads/race wo(men) will object to Eminem being on the list but I think he belongs, given his skill set and impact on his generation. As a Jay-Z fan, I’m fine with him being on the top of the list, even if I object to the likely reasons (commercial success) behind his position.

I won’t go so far as to write my on top ten list (yet), but I must say that any conversation about great MCs must include, in no particular order: Jay-Z, Common, Nas, Kool G Rap, Rakim, KRS One, Eminem, Andre 3000, Black Thought, and Big Daddy Kane.

Let the arguments begin.

Categories: MLH
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8 Comments

1. omodiende wrote:

I have been a lazy scholar all week, but I wonder if there is a theme here, based not just on sales and units (ugh) but on label and affiliation also. Might explain the oversights and exclusions. After all, I don’t see Del the Funky Homosapien on the list so we KNOW the list is bogus.

What actually were their criteria?

April 17, 2006 @ 3:00 pm

2. Marc Lamont Hill wrote:

WHAT? You’ve been listening to that damn whistle song too long. Jigga is the greatest of all time. Period. I’ll accept Rakim and KRS One as possibilities but Too Short? E-40? Pac? Hellllllll to the no….

Respectfully,

MLH

April 17, 2006 @ 4:03 pm

3. Marc Lamont Hill wrote:

Sammy, Eazy shouldn’t make the top 5978 greatest rappers of all-time list. If anything, there’d be no Eazy without Ice Cube, not the other way around. Why, you ask? Because Cube wrote most of Eazy’s lyrics. Even though NWA was Cube’s start and Eazy was the group’s father, you can’t put Eazy anywhere near that list.

April 17, 2006 @ 6:14 pm

4. Marc Lamont Hill wrote:

Latisha, What’s your beef with Jay-Z?

April 17, 2006 @ 6:15 pm

5. SammyBee wrote:

AUGH! My feelings are so hurt! And to think I considered you a friend.Where’s Audi? She’s my only true friend on this site! And she respects the west too!

April 17, 2006 @ 8:46 pm

6. SammyBee wrote:

Thanks Ting for havin my back! Next time Dr. Hill is in the Bay, I’m dropping him off on International Blvd in Oakland @ 12:30am so he can witness a sideshow see people going hyphy-retarded and ‘ride the yellow bus’ as they ghost ride their whips!!!

April 18, 2006 @ 12:46 pm

7. Marc Lamont Hill wrote:

DC, I agree that RWS is nutso to exclude LL from the conversation. He is the most consistent rapper in the history of the game.

April 18, 2006 @ 4:43 pm

8. Hal wrote:

I am so glad that some of you are coming to LL’s rescue but you didn’t mention his most important attribute that kept him in the game so long: THE BODY! Goodness!! If he continues to look like this, he will stay on the list forever! Damn! That man is fine! Nuff said.

April 19, 2006 @ 10:58 am

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