Top 50 Lyricists(The Source Magazine)

[MetalMario]

Originally Posted by AIRJORDAN JB23

Lupe at 49?

Stopped reading after that.

 

[drew]

Lupe @ #49?
List is invalid.

-Drew

 

[evolution fight]

lol figured all the lupe stans would be furious

 

[DownByLaw]

Originally Posted by 6 rings MJ

The list is debatable..

The Source has been a piece of $!!% for over 17 years now.

 

[MajinZuub]

Originally Posted by 00david00


Ice Cube top 15 lyricist?

He is though.

 

[heatpinoyboy]

Originally Posted by Evolution Fight

lol figured all the lupe stans would be furious

I mean but dam...49?!

Ludicrous

 

[k town trash]

lupe @ 49 is just laughable. lupe god should be in top 10 no questions asked.

 

[mossman75]

Originally Posted by J A M E S

For the NTeenth time (SWIDT?).....

These lists are never really about lyrics. Rakim is amazing, but he's not the best lyricist in hip-hop. No way.

Edit:

This.

I would love to hear if they actually gave a definition for "Lyricist" before posting the list. 

Rakim= The best lyricist in hip hop history


only dudes i put up there with him are...

Nas
big daddy kane
G. Rap
Maybe a slim shady eminem

but everybody else nope


everybody else is

 

[mossman75]

Originally Posted by MusicalExcellence

Originally Posted by mossman75

Originally Posted by MusicalExcellence

guru is on the list... void

Guru is better than alot of dudes on that list, his spot is about right

guru sucked... wasnt ++$@ lyrical about him

aint !*#% lyrical about..



t.i.
lil wayne
rick ross
fabolous
lil kim
queen latifah
50 cent


and they all made the list


guru was a lryicist, just not on a high level

 

[illphillip]

Originally Posted by mossman75

Originally Posted by J A M E S

For the NTeenth time (SWIDT?).....

These lists are never really about lyrics. Rakim is amazing, but he's not the best lyricist in hip-hop. No way.

Edit:

This.

I would love to hear if they actually gave a definition for "Lyricist" before posting the list. 

Rakim= The best lyricist in hip hop history


only dudes i put up there with him are...

Nas
big daddy kane
G. Rap
Maybe a slim shady eminem

but everybody else nope


everybody else is



You could put Jay in there.

Here's the thing....anyone who's seen this $!#% develop from the beginning to now acknowledges Rakim as the greatest.

Now, bar for bar, are there some guys saying more complex $!#%? Sure. Well then Pun should be MUCH higher. Maybe even higher than Jay.

Thing is, Ra was WAY ahead of his time. And that's why he gets the respect and the props that he does. That is why he ends up #1 on these kinds of lists.

As the music progressed, Em was nice, Jay was nice, Nas was nice, BIG was nice etc, Pun was nice. Who was the nicest was a toss up.

Wasn't no toss up in '86, '87, '88. It was Ra. No one has rapped like that brother before. Everyone rapped like that brother after.

Sometimes historical significance DOES outweigh current greatness when you are attempting to discuss ALL TIME greats.

$!#% is all subjective so these lists are *+@+!*$! anyway.

 

[illphillip]

Originally Posted by mossman75

Originally Posted by MusicalExcellence

Originally Posted by mossman75


Guru is better than alot of dudes on that list, his spot is about right

guru sucked... wasnt ++$@ lyrical about him

aint !*#% lyrical about..



t.i.
lil wayne
rick ross
fabolous
lil kim
queen latifah
50 cent


and they all made the list


guru was a lryicist, just not on a high level

Agreed. All those dudes you listed have their great moments and their not so great moments.

Guru was no different. And was a part of massive, classic records.

Don't even argue with dude. Another classic example of a cat on here %!@@%@+# on someone who did it way bigger, way longer. I don't even know where they get the audacity.

And a dead man at that? Weak *%+%. Clearly there are informed heads out there who acknowledge Guru for his contributions. One bitter NTer won't change that.

In case you guys can't tell, this list really isn't about just lyrics. If it was El-P should be in there. Pun would be higher. Rick would be higher. Too many others to mention.

This is almost more of a greatest "MC's" of all time list. Which to me includes lyrics, delivery, significance etc.

 

[J A M E S]

Here's the thing....anyone who's seen this $!#% develop from the beginning to now acknowledges Rakim as the greatest.

Now, bar for bar, are there some guys saying more complex $!#%? Sure. Well then Pun should be MUCH higher. Maybe even higher than Jay.

Thing is, Ra was WAY ahead of his time. And that's why he gets the respect and the props that he does. That is why he ends up #1 on these kinds of lists.

Not disagreeing that Ra changed the game for his time. That will NEVER be in question. Then again, I could argue that Nas did that in '94 when Illmatic came out, or even that Jay did it in '96 with RD. Dudes were talking that bum-stickedy-bum hardy-har-har-har stuff, and then these guys elevated things to a whole other level of detail and intricacy. Kris was another one who, before him, no one was rhyming that way.

It's like Dr. J - when he came into the league, NO ONE played like him. No one. He made grown men look like boys on that hardwood. But, just because he changed the game for his time, would I say he's better than Jordan? Not me, because I feel like Jordan changed the game again, and that has to be acknowledged.

For lists like this, we have to put everyone on an even playing field, leaving historical context out of it. Judge everyone on their merit, bar for bar, nothing more, nothing less. Looking at it like that, Em, Pun, Big L, and maybe even Canibus could all, arguably, be rated higher than Rakim.

It's easy to get caught up in nostalgia, and then we only judge MCs against who else was out at the time when they were poppin'. But that's not what this is - just judging on pure skills, there's no way I can say Rakim is THEE best. One of the best? No doubt. But bar for bar the BEST lyricist? No.

Just my $0.02, though...

 

[J A M E S]

Also, let's not forget guys like Ras Kass, Chino XL, etc...

Do I bump in the whip? No way.

But are they disgusting with the words? Absolutely.

I think people confuse these list with "overall best artist" comparisons. Two completely different things. No way you're going to sit their and coherently argue to me, or anyone else that lives this that 'Pac is a better LYRICIST than say, Black Thought.

Step away, remove any cultural impact, and judge dudes based on their words. If the Sauce did this, the order would be totally different. Then again, this is the house that Benzino built, and now, that an entertainment lawyer co-owns/publishes.

 

[datrealballa12]

So much wrong with this list I don't know where to start smh

 

[jomitm]

Originally Posted by J A M E S

Also, let's not forget guys like Ras Kass, Chino XL, etc...

Do I bump in the whip? No way.

But are they disgusting with the words? Absolutely.

I think people confuse these list with "overall best artist" comparisons. Two completely different things. No way you're going to sit their and coherently argue to me, or anyone else that lives this that 'Pac is a better LYRICIST than say, Black Thought.

Step away, remove any cultural impact, and judge dudes based on their words. If the Sauce did this, the order would be totally different. Then again, this is the house that Benzino built, and now, that an entertainment lawyer co-owns/publishes.

Amen to all this.
And with that said, Black Thought is that dude

 

[moodmuzik75]

Originally Posted by J A M E S

Also, let's not forget guys like Ras Kass, Chino XL, etc...

Do I bump in the whip? No way.

But are they disgusting with the words? Absolutely.

I think people confuse these list with "overall best artist" comparisons. Two completely different things. No way you're going to sit their and coherently argue to me, or anyone else that lives this that 'Pac is a better LYRICIST than say, Black Thought.

Step away, remove any cultural impact, and judge dudes based on their words. If the Sauce did this, the order would be totally different. Then again, this is the house that Benzino built, and now, that an entertainment lawyer co-owns/publishes.

So sick