“If I don't like it, I don't like it – that don't mean that I'm hatin...”

Ok....this discussion seems long overdue so it's time to put it all out on the table. First – a brief history lesson: Soooooooo circa 1995 – 1997, Diddy's (then Puff Daddy) Bad Boy Entertainment was the first to popularize the term “playa hater”. This was meant to call out those “hip-hop purists” who were at opposition with the lavish lifestyle that was branded by Bad Boy in its hay day. Since then we've heard different variations of the term used (Hater, Ph. D, and one that should never be used in 2010 - “hater-aid”). It seems like we've seen every version of a “hater” song released. Needless to say, it is a common and sometimes overused term in our culture.    

My question is this...what makes someone a hater?

Lately, I feel like I've had to passionately stand up for some of our popular artists – not because I feel like they're God's gift to hip-hop – but because they are unfairly criticized. Don't get me wrong...if you've listened to their music with an open mind and realized it's not your cup of tea, I can't be mad at you. But if you're upset that they're always on the radio so you call them “wack” or “overrated” - that's just unfair.

For instance, I've talked to friends who've introduced me to Drake's music when So Far Gone was popular. They sold me onto him: said “He is the future!”, “He's the best thing to happen to hip-hop!”, etc. Now, since he's gotten popular, they refuse to listen to him because they don't “feel him anymore.” “Why?” I ask, out of curiosity. “They just don't rap like they used to.” This confuses me because unless I heard a different version of Thank Me Later, not much has changed in Drake's flow and formula since So Far Gone: same monotone flow, same rhyme scheme, same punchline setup, same style of hooks. I've also heard people say “he can't rap.”, which is the biggest pile of bs I've ever heard. Let it be known: Skee-Lo can't rap. Are we comparing Drake's talent level to that of a Skee-Lo?! I can see the argument in saying he can't sing...but Drake can rap circles around most rappers out right now. Do not sit here and tell me Drake does not have talent. You may not like his style or delivery, but that's completely different than saying he has the inability to put words together. That's just harsh.  


I think it's funny that the same people who used to complain about the state of hip-hop - crying that they're tired of artists glorifying violence, misogyny, and ignorance - are the same ones who dislike Drake: an artist who is the complete opposite of these images. He's clean cut, fairly positive, smiles, dresses nice, articulate, non-violent, caters to women and he sings. Where's the problem?

I used Drake as a point of reference because of his current popularity, but this could be said about any popular artist: Kanye West, T.I., Jay-Z, Lil Wayne...even Wiz Khalifa – but on a smaller scale. My point is that we need to learn how to listen to music objectively and stop listening for faults. The only thing that should matter when you listen to something is “how does it make you feel?” That's it. Different artists have different strengths. Paul Wall is one of the worst rappers to ever go platinum, but for some reason “Sittin' Sideways” stayed on repeat at one point in time for me. Am I not allowed to like The Roots and Paul Wall at the same time? I can't like Jay Electronica and Waka Flocka Flame?  If I judged every artist on their talent level or lyrical content, half of my 400 gigs of music would be deleted. I would never describe Triple 6 Mafia as the most talented rappers on earth, but dammit, their music makes me feel good. Does that make you look down on me?

It baffles me because we don't know how to listen to artists objectively. Example - I'm not a fan of Chuck D. Yeah, I said it. I'm just not. At least not as a rapper. Lyrically he does nothing for me. Is he in my top 5? Not even close. Top 10? Not at all. But I recognize this man is intelligent and incorporates poetic devices in his writing. I understand he was the face of an entire hip-hop generation in the late 80's. I have a huge respect for him. Unfortunately, his music just doesn't reach me the same way that Nas' does...or Jay-Z. Of course I grew up in a different era, so that's part of it. But I do recognize his impact on the game.

So back to my original question....what makes someone a hater? 


I think a hater is someone who dislikes something without proper reason. Right now, it's a trend to not be a fan of current mainstream hip-hop. We like to prove how wise and omniscient we are by showing off our useless music knowledge, name dropping unknown underground artists and complaining how “music isn't what it used to be”, the same way our parents did when we were growing up.

In addition, we as a people love to root for the underdog. We love to see someone overcome obstacles and make it to the top. Maybe it's us embracing movies like Scarface and Forrest Gump. Maybe it's the constant teachings of David and Goliath as kids in Sunday school. Whatever it is, we love to see someone succeed against all odds. And at the end of the day, that's what hip-hop was built on. Making something out of nothing. But here's the problem: We're also crabs. The same way we wanna see that person succeed, we don't want them to get “too” successful. God forbid. We love artists when they're “underground” and virtually unknown because of the novelty of it all. We feel like we have something that no one else has, and it feels great! But the minute that artist “crosses over” and becomes mainstream.......it's on to the next phenomenon. Happens every time. 



I challenge you – the next time you find yourself saying something negative about a mainstream artist – ask yourself is it because you're truly not feeling it? Or have you just trained yourself to not like what's popular, without giving it a neutral and unbiased listen? Can we learn to accept artists for what they are and the roles they play? We can't truly expect every rapper to speak on the plight of society or say something deep and profound. Not to say we should support ignorance all the time, but we need to lighten up! And if at that point, you still don't like it....then I guess you ain't hatin...

"...who's the best Emcee's?"

Yessir...it's that time again! I feel bad for MTV because BET pulled a straight up jack move on their “Hottest MC's in the Game” concept and created their own. This one is debating the hottest emcee's in the 21^st century (the past decade). First thing's first...there must be some clarity on the criteria on which these emcee's were judged. The decision was based on a rapper’s: flow, lyrics, subject matter, cultural impact, dough, and as needed in the arsenal of a 21st Century rapper –digital skills (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, their own website, etc.). BET's list is as follows:

# 10: Rick Ross

# 9: Jadakiss

#8: Young Jeezy

#7: Drake

#6. Ludacris

#5: TI

#4: 50 Cent

#3: Kanye West

#2: Lil Wayne

#1: Eminem

with Eve, The Game, Fabolous, Gucci Mane, Nelly as honorable mentions.


Personally, I think it's bs they left Jay and Nas off the list because they "came up in the 90's", but hey, these are their rules so I made my list based off of their criteria, not mine.  

My list is:

10. Lupe Fiasco – I thought it was a crime to leave Lupe off of this list. Sure he's not a platinum selling artist, but where he lacks in sales, he makes up for it in: creativity, artistry, lyricism, skills, digital skills, subject matter and cultural impact. Again, he's not a platinum selling artist...but Lupe can go on tour whenever he likes because he has a cult following that will attend his concerts and buy his albums everytime he drops. He has a cult following that will protest outside of Atlantic Records, demanding they give his highly anticipated Lasers album a release date. Lupe said it best: he's not in the game to sell millions of records. He's only here to provide balance. For every Gucci Mane, you need a Lupe, and vica versa. That goes a long way, in my opinion. Also - there's not a better lyricist to come out since Lupe. He is the best bar for bar lyricist to come out since Eminem. Flow, subject matter, lyrics, technique.  Name a better rapper? (besides the OG's: Jay, Nas, Em)........don't worry, I'll wait....

9. Young Jeezy – Ayyyyy! Jeezy showed us that less is more. When I first heard him, I never thought I'd ever include him on any top 10 list...he was a joke to me. But he has proven me wrong over time. Young Jizzle may lack lyrical complexity, but he proves you don't need wordplay as long as you have a little depth and substance. Think DMX in his prime. Jeezy has a knack for being motivational in his music. He makes you wanna get up and grind by painting a vivid picture, showing you the ups and downs in his story. Impact on the game? Lemme ask you this...you know what a “Young Jeezy beat” sounds like, right? You know when someone is using that “Jeezy flow” right? Most importantly, you know where rappers got their adlibs from, right? 'Nuff said.

8. Fabolous – How do you leave Loso off this list? He's been in the game since 99, cranking out hit after hit. "Can't Deny It", "Holla Back Youngin", "Trade It All", "Can't Let You Go", "Into You", "Breathe", "Baby", "Diamonds", "Make Me Better"...I can keep going.  Sure his first solid album came just last year with Loso's Way, but one thing's for sure – he's always been a dope emcee. Fab has had bars for days, but his problem was his delivery – at least until recently. He's probably the best punchline rapper in the game right now. In addition to his skills on the mic, Loso is killin the game via twitter. He's learned how to keep people interested and has gotten reactions out of everyone from Usher to 50 Cent. How's that for digital skills?

7. Ludacris – LUDA! There's no way you can mention this past decade without mentioning Ludacris. If we were only critiquing a rapper's flow, he'd be in the top 3 easily. Luda's always been a beast lyrically – his only weakness is putting together cohesive albums. It's impossible for him. I think Theater of the Mind is probably his most solid effort, but even that had its hiccups. Aside from that, he definitely had a huge impact on the game and the sales to go with it.

6. TI – I have this argument with people all the time. Why isn't TI ever listed in anyone's top 5? He....1.) has a catalog of hit records longer than every artist but Jay-Z, Nas, and Em. 2.)  He's sold millions of albums. 3.)  To say he's not a dope lyricist is a crying shame, especially after he murked Jay, Ye and Wayne on “Swagger Like Us” and finally 4.) He gave birth to many of our “trap-star” rappers that are popular today. So why? Why won't TI ever be in anyone's top 5? I think we all laughed when he claimed to be The King of the South on his debut I'm Serious. 5 albums later, I guess he had the last laugh. Aside from his poor decision-making abilities, TI has consistently cranked out hit after hit, while not compromising his skills as a lyricist.

5. Nelly – Yep. Nelly's #5, dammit. Why? If we're going by BET's criteria, Nelly is the obvious pick. I remember Nelly at the height of his popularity. Country Grammar – 10 million and some change. Nellyville – 6 million and some change. Even Jay-Z shouted him out saying “...the only rappers moving units is Em, Pimp Juice and us...”. While he gets minimal points on lyrics, he gets major points on flow. His melodic sing-song flow set the standard on how to deliver your lyrics for a hit single. As far as influence goes, he made a good point himself - who sang on record before Nelly? Which rapper incorporated melodic bridges in their songs before Nelly? He may not be your favorite lyricist, but he taught rappers how to re-structure their hit singles. His impact on hip-hop was so strong, he actually made you wonder who really won the battle between him and KRS-One? I'm not saying he did, but his career certainly wasn't damaged by it. Oh yeah, and he put St. Louis on the map. The only place he lacks is digital skills, and I'll say that's probably because he came up before social media took over.

4. 50 Cent – I had a hard time putting 50 at #4, but after thinking about it and BET's criteria: 1. He's still relevant. 2. He has lots and lots of dough. 3. He had a huge impact on the game with his Get Rich or Die Tryin and Massacre albums 4. He's the only rapper with a successful website (thisis50.com). Artistically, he's been a hit or miss with me lately, but one thing's for certain: 50 is probably the most respected (and feared) rapper in the game. Nobody wants it with him. We may even like his interviews more than his music because he's so unpredictable. You never know what he's gonna say about who...and that makes him exciting. Let's not forget, it was 50 that started the whole mixtape-game. He showed us how to build your buzz off of them, which is a formula that's still being used today.

3. Lil Wayne – I admit, I didn't know just how big of rapper Lil Wayne was until I saw his Rebirth album sell almost 800,000 (in this downloading era) without a smash single and a huge mistake by Amazon.com, leaking it six weeks before its actual release date. Even in prison, we feel Wayne's presence. He is the face of the new generation. He's always had the flow, but his lyrics finally caught up when he dropped The Carter in 2004. His work ethic made rappers step their game up, otherwise they'd get left in his dust. There was a point when Wayne was featured on EVERYTHING, in addition to mixtapes circulating throughout the underground market. Only Pac had a stronger work ethic – and it paid off by the time The Carter III sold 1 million its first week. As far as impact goes, there's no denying that Wayne has a tight grip on the game right now. He's introduced the world to Drake and Nicki Minaj and has no plans of stopping, even from prison.

2. Kanye West – Everyone has their opinion on Kanye West: you either love him or hate him. Outside of his many controversial statements and actions, Mr. West deserves the #2 slot for many reasons, but mostly because he is the most consistent across the board in terms of sales and artistry. By this point, you know if you buy a Kanye West album, you know you're going to get nothing less than high-quality music that is timeless. He is one of the few rappers who can say they have (arguably) 3 classic albums under their belt. Even his 4^th album 808's and Heartbreaks set a new musical trend by fusing hip-hop and pop. And although he didn't start out as the best technical rapper, his skills have heavily improved since his 2003 debut. Outside of his artistry and sales, Ye's impact on the game was very evident since he stepped on the scene. In an era dominated by gangstas and thugs, Ye made it cool to be preppy and revived socially conscious lyrics. In addition to resurrecting the careers of fellow Chi-Town rappers Common and Twista, he also introduced the mainstream to underground rappers like Mos Def and Talib Kweli.

1. Eminem –  Make no mistake, if Em were black he wouldn't have sold half the amount of records he sold – even he admits that. But outside of him being the top-selling artist (not just rapper) this past decade - you cannot deny the man's skills as a lyricist. He's not dope for a white guy – he's dope for any guy. Flow? Flawless. Lyrics? Always pushing the envelope. Battles? His track record speaks for itself. And while you may not be able to relate to all of his subject matter, you can relate to his overall story and struggle. You feel where he came from. The amazing thing about Eminem is that his influence and impact stretch beyond hip-hop. This man is the poster child for an entire generation of adolescent teens who observe the many hypocrisies of our society, but have no voice or platform to speak on it. In short - he is every conservative parent's worst nightmare. He has the skills to please any underground hip-hop head, but also has the commercial appeal to sell millions of records.



 

Honorable Mentions: Drake, Rick Ross, Jadakiss, Joe Budden


Thoughts?  Speak on it! 

"...I'm number 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5!!!"

What up hip-hop heads! Oooooook...I have a problem. A big problem. XXL Magazine recently rated the top 10 established producers turned rappers, and the only one I can agree with is the #1 slot. It's an ok list to me, but a couple of names were forgotten. I decided to construct my own list but I'm gonna keep it 100...I couldn't even make a top 10 because there are only a handful of artists who can balance both attributes well. While some are masters at one craft, the other is too weak to give credit for. I could only make a top 5.  XXL's list is as follows:

1. Kanye West
2. Dr. Dre
3. Diddy
4. RZA
5. Jermaine Durpi
6. Diamond D
7. Pharrell
8. Mannie Fresh
9. Swizz Beatz
10. Timbaland

Thoughts?

My list:

1. Kanye West This goes without saying. Ye has always been a monster with the beats but I admit I never truly started to rank him as a lyricist until Graduation. He started rocky with lines like “...so many aunties, we could have an auntie team...”....but as of lately he's been on a roll with his G.O.O.D. Friday series.  He actually makes you forget that he is also a producer. Dude is actually spittin! He actually murked Hov on his own joint!   
Memorable beats: “IZZO”, “The Truth”, “Gone”, “This Can't Be Life”, “Dreams”, “Get By”
Memorable songs/verses: “Big Brother”, “Barry Bonds”, “Run This Town”, “Live Fast, Die Young”, “Monster”

2. Havoc This is just personal opinion. Havoc is the most consistent as far as being well-rounded. His skills as a producer are second to none but his pen is not too far off. Of course, he's accomplished more as a producer by far, but lyrically he's proven he can hold his own with a Grade-A rapper like Prodigy (in his prime).  Similar to Kanye, Havoc is one who has gotten better with time.  
Memorable beats: “Shook Ones”, "Survival of the Fittest", “Quiet Storm”, “Why (Jadakiss)”, "It's Alright", "Nothing Like Home"
Memorable songs/verses: “Survival of the Fittest”, “Shook Ones”, “Temperature's Rising”, "Stole Something", "Clap"
3. Black Milk  As a rapper, Black  Milk is #1 by a looooooong shot. Talk about someone with skills – voice, wordplay, metaphors. It's his consistency as a producer that puts him at #3. He's a hit or miss. When the beat is hot, it's undeniable. But if it's not...well...two words: fast forward. But one thing's for sure, he's a beast!
Memorable beats: “Losing Out”, “Give the Drummer Some”, “Black and Brown”, "Hell Yeah"
Memorable songs/verses: “Losing Out”, “Bounce”, “Deadly Medley”

4. RZA RZA needs no explanation as a producer. C'mon son – he made “Triumph”. That's enough in itself. As a lyricst, I admit he lost me a few times with his vocabulary (“...perpendicular to the square, we stand bold like flare...escapse from your dragon's lair”)...but outside of that, when at his best, he had the charisma to stand out amongst arguably the greatest group ever - which consists of 9 above average emcees. He definitely earned my respect.
Memorable beats: “Bring The Pain”, “Triumph”, “Liquid Swordz”, “Tres Leches (Big Pun)”, “All I Got Is You”
Memorable songs/verses: “Protect Ya Neck”, “It's Yours”, “A Better  Tomorrow"  
5. Jermaine Dupri Yep. JD is #5. Why? Easy. As a producer, his legacy is solidified.  Dude has a resume that goes back to Kriss Kross' "Jump" (which he wrote).  On the mic, he's actually not a bad rapper bar for bar - at least not as bad as some make him out to be.  I feel like he's underrated and overlooked because of the type of rapper he brands himself as.  Perhaps he's the opposite of Black Milk:  his skills behind the boards are remarkable, but his pen is a hit or miss.  Though he comes up short on his subject matter (that wasn't a shot at his height), he makes up for it with personality and delivery.  I didn't even mention what he's done for R&B because I wanted to keep it hip-hop, but anyone who can say they contributed to most of Usher's "Confessions" album is ok by me!

Memorable beats: “Jump”, “Funkdafied”, "Give It 2 You", "Sittin' On Top of da World", “Grillz”, "Welcome to Atlanta"
Memorable songs/verses: “Welcome to Atlanta”, “Let's Talk About It (Clipse)”, "Money Ain't A Thang" 

Honorable mentions are:

Q-Tip, Andre 3000, Hi-Tek, Pharrell, Erick Sermon, Eminem, Timbaland, Mannie Fresh and Will.i.am.


The only reason Q-Tip and Andre 3K didn't make the list is because they don't have enough (hip-hop) production credits to their resume to make an argument.  Same with Pharrell on the rhyming tip.  Timbaland, Mannie Fresh, Erick Sermon, Hi-Tek and Diamond D were also close ones - all top-level producers, but not as gifted lyrically.  Will.i.am, who I've actually seen do a dope freestyle, doesn't have enough quotable verses on his resume to make an argument.  On the flip side,  Eminem is arguably one of the greatest lyricists we've seen.  As a producer we were beginning to see him step his production game up in the mid 00's, but we haven't heard too much from him lately. Dr. Dre and Diddy are legendary producers, but because they both admit to not writing their own lyrics, it seems unfair to include them in this discussion.  Swizz Beatz – really?! Dope producer but...I only hear him on hooks. Gimme 16 bars then we'll talk.  Speak on it!

Q-Tip

Hi -Tek

Timbaland