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that list is flawed to me cuz it doesn't have the best hip hop verse of all-time on it:
Mos Def - Thieves in the Night
Mos Def - Thieves in the Night
Allhiphop's list of the 20 Greatest Verses Of All-TIme
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Personally I think The first verse of "Money,Power,Respect" should get on there as well.
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Originally Posted by EzFlash26
Its a few I would switch out, but not a bad list at all...
Quote:
By The AllHipHop Staff
Ladies and Gentlemen: we , the staff at AllHipHop.com, have seen many lists over the past few years regarding whos the best emcee, and what are the greatest albums of all time. Weve decided to throw our hats into the ring and give you our consensus views as a staff as to the answers of these things. Enter: DIGITS, an ongoing series. The rankings are based on the number of reoccurring songs or artists appeared on a composite list. Songs with the fewest instances were eliminated First up: The 20 Dopest Verses of All Time.
How do you quantify dope? Is it the most lyrical? Is it the most emotionally raw? Is it the best delivered? Where does flow come in? How quantifiable is something so subjective? Sometimes a verse looks way better on paper than it does when you hear it. For this exercise, the dopest verse typically involves when an emcee abnormally blacks out on a verse. Sometimes its a highly lyrical performance. Sometimes its a relentless assault far beyond the walls of the 16 bar box. With such a list, youd probably get a different 20 verses depending on the day of the week (we sure did). But we sat down and hammered out this list based on the first 20 that came to mind from each of us. Then we tallied up the ones with the most votes, and then battled continuously over which ones would be whittled down to the final list (in random order). Hate or love it, without further ado, AllHipHop.coms 20 Dopest Verses of All Time!
(To hear the song in which each verse resides, just click the title of the song.)
King of Rock-Run DMC - King of Rock (1985)-First Stanza DMC Followed By Run
Im the King of Rock, There is None Higher! Think about that. Yes there were 4 Beatles (Sorry Run). Only Jay could play an instrument, but the DJ aborted them as the group made a proclamation that would change the world and our lives forever. They didnt wear costumes like most of the acts in the '80's. There werent even any non-MiJac Black people on MTV, much less Rap/Hip-Hop. The minimalist rock drums (You crazy for that one, Rick). The reverb on DMC's booming voice, copied by so many afterwards. The rush of those guitars that pretty much deaded any disco powered Hip-Hop related music. The power of DMC. The swagger of Run. Its iconic. Its everlasting. Its the greatest verse of all time in our eyes.
Winter Warz-Ghostface - Killah Ironman (1996)-Cappadonna Verse
Before he was a cabdriver, Cappadonna was a serious contributor to both Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and Ironman. On "Winter Warz," he lost his mind and assaulted the pounding drum powered beat. Rhyming for over two minutes straight and seemingly out of nowhere as a cleanup hitter, 'Donna switched from the Stapleton lingo ("1-6-0 4-9-3-11""> to the gutter and back. He doesnt pause for a breath, hes just relentless. He may not be on top of the overall emcee list, but Cappas "Winter Warz" verse is like Sleepy Floyds 53 Point NBA Playoff game: An all-time performance from a footnote player.
Victory-Puff Daddy & the Family - No Way Out (1997) Notorious B.I.G. 1st verse.
There are so many reasons why this verse is here. The last virtuoso performance of Biggie. The first salvo from a top selling, yet underrated album. Puffys suspense building intro combined with Rocky Balboas Championship pedigree, and then B.I.G.s explosive abandonment of the slow flow that made him king. Arguably better than any verse on his last album, the power of the verse can be summed up in one stanza. Warm nights I perform like Mike/Anyone, Tyson, Jordan, Jackson. Nuff said. We dont know whats on his tombstone, but no greater epitaph exists for his music career.
Live At the BBQ Main Source - Breakin Atoms (1992) Nas Verse
The Streets Disciple was still nasty with no sign of Escobar. Just hearing it evokes a feeling of 40 ozs, bodega heroes and blunts. Nas entry to our lives was full of the power of youth. Rich with imagery ("Shoot slugs from my brain just like a rifle""> irreverence ("I went to hell for snuffin' Jesus""> and young rage ("Nasty Nas is a rebel to America""> , Nas was definitely causing hysteria. While Main Source was NOT forever, and Akinyele went from dropping rhymes to bumping rumps, Mr. Jones would go on to greater heights as arguably the premiere lyricist of his generation. This verse was his entry and calling card.
The Headbanger-EPMD - Business Never Personal (1992) Redman Verse
Rough, rugged, and raw. Politically incorrect (clowning cerebral palsy!) hood pop culture referential ("Lullaby your stupid @#%$ - Rockabye baby - shout to Keisha from "New Jack City""> , and just flat out bugged, Redman was as raw as it got for a lyricist in his era. The cherry on top of a hardcore chocolate sundae, the cleanup verse was frenetic, comical, violent, and everything about Hip-Hop in that era, complete with the metaphors and similes. Respect is due and this verse keeps collecting.
The Message-Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 - The Message (1982) Grandmaster Melle Mel 1st Verse.
Post-Civil Rights. Post Disco. Product of Reaganomics. Urban. Gritty. Broken glass everywhere, people pissing in the corners, yo they just dont care. Mel took us from the parties in the club and took it to the mud. Mirroring Stevie Wonders abandonment of Berry Gordy-flavored bubble gum, Mel took that disco rap and slammed it in the grime. Yeah, he yearned for the color TV to watch the Sugar Ray fight, but The Message was the truth from the mouth of the Grand Master. Not from the Klan, but representing the Clan. The Furious Five. The world would never be the same.
"Puffin on Blunts and Drankin" Tanqueray-B-Side to Dr. Dre F**k With Dre Day Single (1992) Kurupt Verse
It was supposed to be a throwaway record. 7 Minutes which began with Dre poppin off of a G-Funked up "Impeach the President." Nobody told that to the Dogg Pound. With apologies to Rage, who got the rhyme of the month when the bible was still sacred, Kurupt BLACKED OUT! Just relentless mic slaughter with wordplay, delivery, even spelling. It was brutal and unforgettable. It was Kurupts message to the East Coast: Death Row was for real on the mic. He edges Rage due to emotion and length, but the female lyrical murderer gets honorable mention for her own lyrical tornado on this.
Raw-Big Daddy Kane - Long Live The Kane (198"> 1st. Verse
You got a small taste of him on Just Rhymin With Biz. Cameo, Afro, Virgo, Domino. Well this verse on "Raw" brought another word virtuoso. Hardcore. That voice, so dominant. If you never saw Kane, youd think he was 9 feet tall with the force of the terminator. Words were simultaneously smooth and rough. Subtle and powerful. Kane perfected both sides of the spectrum so well that the balancing act was in full effect. You got up and dancedcause Kane said so. The skill to ill and break and take. Long live the Kane.
Straight Outta Compton-N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton (1989) Ice Cube
The shot heard around the world. When Im called off, I got a sawed off, squeeze the trigger and bodies are hauled off. There were others who were more outlandish, and others who were more authentic, but not many were more convincing. Ice Cube entertained and terrified those who were close enough to see, and enthralled those who were so far away they could only live vicariously through his verse. Down, with a capital CPT. This verse is the reason your parents hate rap music and is the progenitor of mainly everything we argue about concerning the life and death of Hip-Hop.
The Symphony-Marley Marl - In Control, Vol 1 (198"> (Kool G. Rap Verse)
Batting cleanup on a song with the Kane wasnt easy but the Kool Genius delivered what many hail as the greatest verse of all time. Twice as horrifying as Vincent Price, D-evil (Before Hov) in a spell of a sleep, and while hes counting his money you count sheep (Sleeping). It was verbal assault in its purest form. You couldnt replace him , ice him or ace him. Base him face him slice him or race him. Indestructible on the microphone and rumors say he initially rhymed the verse until the tape reel popped. G rapped for so long the video had to cut a portion of his verse. The only rapper to have ever rendered Kane in his prime as anti-climactic on a track.
Beast From The East-The Lost Boyz - Love, Peace, & Happiness (1997) Canibus Verse
From nowhere, newcomer Canibus destroyed this track like the Knicks destroy the dreams of their fans. Even with a dope Redman verse, you dont remember anything from this song but lyrical devastation. The fire in his voice. The raw lyricism. It was almost like the next stage of evolution. I existed, in the Garden of Eden getting lifted, sticking d**k to Eve before she was Adams mistress. All you could do was cover your mouth and go Ohh, did you hear that! 50 bucks says we can tell you exactly where your tape popped. Thank God for CDs.
Triumph-Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Forever (1997) Inspectah Deck Verse
Rhyming over the drums of war and blanketed by string instruments, Deck heralded the triumphant return of the Clan, passionately referencing Socrates, atomic bombs, forensic science and just about everything but the kitchen sink. On a double album with 8 other emcees with different styles, The Inspectah Deck had perhaps the most memorable verse of them all.
U Dont Know-Jay-Z - The Blueprint (2001) 1st Verse
No more admiring the Jiggaman from 4 fiends away, The Blueprint represented Jay-Z s first real attempt to let us in. Even in an attempt to be more soulful, Marcys finest showed hes at his best when hes bringing the grit and the game at the same time. U Dont Know is almost Where Im From part 2, but with more passion and more force. Just Blaze on the boards gives Jay just enough fuel to blast off about the place where the hoods swallowing (pause) and theres so much coke that you can run slalom. Even when talking on the hood, Jigga throws in something like skiing to show he wasnt your average hustler. Now you know.
Times Up-O.C. - WordLife (1994) 1st Verse
The first call to arms of the Keep It Real Brigade. Previously seen batting clean-up on Organized Konfusions Fudge Pudge,O.C gives a stern warning to those who pose lyrical but really aint true, delivering a caveat to posers and rappers who present themselves as gangsters and thugs when their actual lives deviate from their rhymes. While skilled, O.C.s career wasnt been mainstream, but he spearheaded the underground vanguard and put fakers on notice: their time was up!
Lyrics of Fury-Eric B & Rakim - Follow The Leader (198"> 2nd Verse
Hes got more classic songs, and hes definitely got more popular songs to reference, but the original god mc rarely showcased lightning fast mic crushing flow such as he represented on Lyrics of Fury. Funky Drummer powered, guitar enhanced, no hooks or funny business. Rakim switches flows, and rhyme schemes effortlessly with a punishing array of line after line. The second verse gets the nod over the other two for the energy, the pace, and capable, breaks the unbreakable series that leaves you breathless. You dont have time to clap to this. Just listen and let the rhythm hit you.
Respiration-Black Star - Black Star (199"> Mos Def Verse
B-Boy intro and melancholy beat segue into a robust Mos Def delivering his version of The Message. No longer Reaganomics, but the post Bush, Clinton era America highlighted by Giuliani dystopia masquerading as Disneyfied New York. Mos describes a Rotten Apple encapsulated by higher costs of living, a stock market tempting brokers towards dishonesty, and evening news casting urban as villain, and overall the everymans attempt to sift through the garbage and survive. The city was alive and breathing and Mos Def had his finger on the pulse.
[color= rgb(255, 255, 0)]Dream Shatterer - Big Pun - Capital Punishment (199[/color]"> [color= rgb(255, 255, 0)]1st verse[/color]
[color= rgb(255, 255, 0)]Its Big Pun, the one and only son of Tony Montana, you aint promised manana in the rotten manzana. So true in light of Pun tragically passing away due to complications of his massive gerth. Providing gargantuan lyrics every time he touched a mic, Pun was the beacon for Latinos in Hip-Hop who for too long were relegated to second string status in the rap game. The Boricuas flow stole many a show [Off The Books, Banned From TV, et. al] but on Dream Shatterer hes going for self, asserting skills knows no color in the process: Im the first Latin rapper to baffle your soul, master the flow, n***as be swearing Im blacker than coal.[/color]
Elevators (Me & You) OutKast - ATLiens (1996) Andre 3000s 2nd verse
Mr. Three Stacks was already flowing something crazy since he and Big Boi laid that Southernplayalistic music for your trunk. There is nothing too outerworldy about the track or the flow, but the beauty is in the simplicity of it all. Illustrating his position as a layman that has a superior rap ability with tongue and cheek chutzpah, [True I got more fans than the average man but not enough to loot to last me/To the end of the week I live by the beat like you live check to check, if it dont move your feet then I dont eat, so we like neck and neck], his job security is since no longer an issue.
Born Killer Scarface - Mr. Scarface Is Back (1991) 2nd Verse
For the budding psychotic, Scarface provided the soundtrack of a lifetime. For the uninformed, he offered a glimpse in to the mind of a man tettering on the edge of insanity. Combine that with one Brad Jordans penchant for being one of the Souths finest and you have a verse for the ages. My momma did her part / But it ain't her fault that I was born with out a heart / In other words I'm heartless duke / I don't love me, how the f**k I'mma love you? With lyrics like these and a bar none mentality Mr. Scarface received a universal ghetto pass.
Renegade-Jay-Z - The Blueprint (2001) Eminem 1st verse
Absent the antics. Minus the mom mashing. No Hailey in sight, Mr Mathers' lyrical gymnastics outshined S. Dots verse over the melody of the beat he himself created. The verse that made Eminem all good in the hood on a critically acclaimed album, and gave a true blueprint on how to flow yet deliver a message. Dropping with the bassline and rising with the background strings, then breaking the pattern for onomatopoeia, Mr. Kiss My @#%$ was certainly the Renegade on this joint.
....yea, Ima Need All That....
TG/G.B'z the fam, ESD what I bleed
'...Now yall know why I flow like that...I aint Em, I here to put the real hood on the map, b****!!!!"...'
big pun top 5 dead or alive imo.
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No Prodigy's verse on shook ones pt. II?
No Nas verbal intercourse verse?
No Illmatic verse?
No RTD verse?
I know it must have been hard to narrow it down but those are mandatory. There is no if's and or's about it. Those are MANDATORY.
No Nas verbal intercourse verse?
No Illmatic verse?
No RTD verse?
I know it must have been hard to narrow it down but those are mandatory. There is no if's and or's about it. Those are MANDATORY.
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AZ's verse in Life's A *#%#! should be up there,it's funny because he thought that verse was whack (He'll never write one as good IMO).NaS' verse in Live at the BBQ was coo, but he has hella better ones
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my contribution...
Well I woke up this Mornin
with the same frustation from situations like these
got a call about some work
from one of them temporary agencies
no high school diploma
or any kinda degrees
I can't enlist, but they'll draft me if there's a war overseas
Oh please... of course i can slang some oz's
but see I'm one of those aspiring emcees
and uh, bills are due so at times I'm doubtful and everyone disagrees
but I'd rather struggle on my feet
than to live on my knees
so my uniform tight
workin all night at mickey d's
got about $98 and some change
after the government get they fees
these minimum wages aint enough to
feed my babies
purposely its limitations on black folks opportunities
so i quit cause I'm tired of being one of those
overworked, underpaid employees
stopped carin at all
went on and did a few small burglaries
it seems like my faith done turned into
forgotten memories
and i aint gettin away with nothin
cause i know He always sees
but see, right now,
I need to see how I can get this here dope sold
I done stuffed in my pockets
as many rocks as it can hold
they gon get high, so I'ma get the money
even if its freezin cold
now how many times you done heard this story told?
believe it or not, its some very intelligent junkies
but dependencies is eatin away at they soul like disease
any body can turn into someone who
covets and envies
unequal economics can easily make u some enemies
and the crime rate never drops,
so the cops ride around in threes
I knew he would have killed me if I did
anything but freeze
they found the rest of the dope
in some nearby shrubberies
in a dimlit room bein questioned by these authorities
and they gave me some time in
correctional facilities
and now my woman's gotta take on
a man's responsibilities
Cee-Lo Green
I Refuse Limitation
Well I woke up this Mornin
with the same frustation from situations like these
got a call about some work
from one of them temporary agencies
no high school diploma
or any kinda degrees
I can't enlist, but they'll draft me if there's a war overseas
Oh please... of course i can slang some oz's
but see I'm one of those aspiring emcees
and uh, bills are due so at times I'm doubtful and everyone disagrees
but I'd rather struggle on my feet
than to live on my knees
so my uniform tight
workin all night at mickey d's
got about $98 and some change
after the government get they fees
these minimum wages aint enough to
feed my babies
purposely its limitations on black folks opportunities
so i quit cause I'm tired of being one of those
overworked, underpaid employees
stopped carin at all
went on and did a few small burglaries
it seems like my faith done turned into
forgotten memories
and i aint gettin away with nothin
cause i know He always sees
but see, right now,
I need to see how I can get this here dope sold
I done stuffed in my pockets
as many rocks as it can hold
they gon get high, so I'ma get the money
even if its freezin cold
now how many times you done heard this story told?
believe it or not, its some very intelligent junkies
but dependencies is eatin away at they soul like disease
any body can turn into someone who
covets and envies
unequal economics can easily make u some enemies
and the crime rate never drops,
so the cops ride around in threes
I knew he would have killed me if I did
anything but freeze
they found the rest of the dope
in some nearby shrubberies
in a dimlit room bein questioned by these authorities
and they gave me some time in
correctional facilities
and now my woman's gotta take on
a man's responsibilities
Cee-Lo Green
I Refuse Limitation
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Things that have occurred since this post died.
-Giants shocking the sports world
-Devastation in China/ Myanmar
feel free to contribute.
-Giants shocking the sports world
-Devastation in China/ Myanmar
feel free to contribute.
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Straight Outta Compton-N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton (1989) Ice Cube
Comin straight outta Compton, a crazy m_fer named Ice Cube…
Beast From The East-The Lost Boyz - Love, Peace, & Happiness (1997) Canibus Verse
Respiration-Black Star - Black Star Mos Def verse
Renegade-Jay-Z - The Blueprint (2001) Eminem 1st verse
I prefer Jay's 2[sup]nd[/sup] verse over either of EM's verses, but maybe that's just me.
Comin straight outta Compton, a crazy m_fer named Ice Cube…
Beast From The East-The Lost Boyz - Love, Peace, & Happiness (1997) Canibus Verse
Respiration-Black Star - Black Star Mos Def verse
Renegade-Jay-Z - The Blueprint (2001) Eminem 1st verse
I prefer Jay's 2[sup]nd[/sup] verse over either of EM's verses, but maybe that's just me.
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Nas' verbal intercourse and any verse on Take it in Blood kills all these verses............Kurupt?? r u kidding me ??? he has a hot verse?
.........also i dont think Em's verse on renegade was all tht IMO
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Originally Posted by GUILLERMO GUTIEREZ
Canibus......">
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yep, i think i agree with 80-85% of it, not bad.
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I'm missin A+ verses, cant think of which is his best. Andree is definately amazing, Canibus as well. My fav is the em verse on renegade.
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Jay-Z's second verse off D'Evils should have made the list.
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Prodigy's verse on Apostle's Warning should've been on there
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Victory-Puff Daddy & the Family - No Way Out (1997) Notorious B.I.G. 1st verse.
There are so many reasons why this verse is here. The last virtuoso performance of Biggie. The first salvo from a top selling, yet underrated album. Puffys suspense building intro combined with Rocky Balboas Championship pedigree, and then B.I.G.s explosive abandonment of the slow flow that made him king. Arguably better than any verse on his last album, the power of the verse can be summed up in one stanza. Warm nights I perform like Mike/Anyone, Tyson, Jordan, Jackson. Nuff said. We dont know whats on his tombstone, but no greater epitaph exists for his music career.
Big
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Originally Posted by AirMaxin1
I bomb atomically, Socrates' philosophies
and hypothesis can't define how I be droppin these
mockeries, lyrically perform armed robbery
Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me
I remember listening to Triumph for the first time as a kid. Deck's verse AUTOMATICALLY stuck out.
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