{"id":5,"date":"2003-06-23T01:57:08","date_gmt":"2003-06-23T05:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tradermike.net\/movethecrowd\/2003\/06\/22_greatest_mcs\/"},"modified":"2003-06-23T01:57:08","modified_gmt":"2003-06-23T05:57:08","slug":"22_greatest_mcs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/2003\/06\/23\/22_greatest_mcs\/","title":{"rendered":"22 Greatest MCs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div align=\"center\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/images\/bdpcover.jpeg?w=750\" hspace=\"10\" border=\"1\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/images\/cd_covers\/blackstr.jpeg?w=750\" hspace=\"10\" alt=\"Mos Def &amp; Talib Kweli are Black Star\" border=\"1\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><\/div>\n<p>Anyone catch MTV&#8217;s 22 Greatest MC show? The moment they announced number 22 I knew we were gonna have beef.  Their list was the result of a public poll, so I have to give a little slack given all the youngsters that likely voted.  (Learn your history!)  And I do have to say that I didn&#8217;t have too many problems with the list as a whole.  But by first issue is the name of the show.  Judging by the results, it should have been called the &#8217;22 Greatest Rappers&#8217;.  Some of the people on MTV&#8217;s list just don&#8217;t qualify as MCs in my opinion.  (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.shockg.com\/knowin\/emcee.htm\">Shock G has an excellent description of what an MC is on his site<\/a>. ) Besides that, there are some glaring injustices on MTV&#8217;s list:  KRS-ONE after Nelly and Lil Kim???  The fact that Foxy and Lil Kim even made the list&#8230;  Chuck D at 22&#8230;  <\/p>\n<p>So of course I had to come up with my own list.  This was a very difficult thing to do, especially after I got out of my top 15.  I really wanted to just say these next 30 people are tied for the next spot.  But instead, I made an honorable mention list. <\/p>\n<p>But first, some quick notes:  <\/p>\n<p><UL><br \/>\n<LI>KRS-ONE is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.letssingit.com\/?http:\/\/216.239.51.100\/search?q=cache:5Ls6q3f7es0J:www.letssingit.com\/boogie-down-productions-i-m-still-1-sv92gkp.html+krs-one+lyrics+%22still+number+one%22&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8\">still number 1.<\/a>  KRS is the definition of an MC.  Go to a live show, and you&#8217;ll feel the power of a true MC.  Crystal clear lyrics.  Booming voice.  Switching styles.  Going acapella.  Beating down wack soundmen (yes, I was at the LA show when that happened!)  TEACHING!  The choice is clear.<\/LI><\/p>\n<p><LI>Rakim = skills!  Check the lyrics. (&#8220;I take seven MCs, put &#8217;em in a line\/ and add seven more brothers who think they can rhyme\/ well it&#8217;ll take seven more before I go for mine\/ then that&#8217;s 21 MCs ate up at the same time.&#8221;)  True heads will note that the name of this site is a reference to a Rakim song:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i> My mind starts to activate, rhymes collaborate<br \/>\nCuz When I heard the beat I just had to make<br \/>\nSomething from the top of my head<br \/>\nSo I fell into the groove of the wax and I said<br \/>\nHow could I move the crowd?<br \/>\nFirst of all, ain&#8217;t no mistakes allowed<br \/>\nHere&#8217;s the instructions, put it together<br \/>\nIt simple ain&#8217;t it? But quite clever<br \/>\nSome of you been trying to write rhymes for years<br \/>\nBut weak ideas irritate my ears<br \/>\nIs this the best that you can make?<br \/>\nCuz if not, and you got more, I&#8217;ll wait<br \/>\nBut don&#8217;t make me wait too long cuz I&#8217;m a move on<br \/>\nThe dancefloor, when they put something smooth on<br \/>\nSo turn up the bass, it&#8217;s better when it&#8217;s loud<br \/>\nCuz I like to move the crowd <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/LI><\/p>\n<p><LI>Eminem &#8211; If anyone out there doesn&#8217;t think he&#8217;s top 5, you&#8217;re just a hater.  This kid is niiice.  Check for some of his freestyle joints.<\/LI><\/p>\n<p><LI>Mos Def &#8211; I can&#8217;t believe he wasn&#8217;t even on MTV&#8217;s list.  What&#8217;s wrong with you people?  Mos could very easily have been number 1 on my list.  Talk about talent.  My man writes, acts, plays instruments, sings.  And like KRS and Rakim, he actually rhymes about things that matter!  People are really sleeping on Mos Def.<\/LI><\/p>\n<p><LI>Grand Verbalizer Funkin&#8217; Lesson Brother J &#8211; Go back and listen to those old X-Clan CDs!  Once again, skills, the ill flow, and actually talking about things of substance.<\/LI><\/p>\n<p><LI>Roots Manuva &#8211; 99.9% of you don&#8217;t even know who he is, and that&#8217;s a damn shame.  There&#8217;s so much good music coming out of the UK, yet most of us Americans are deaf to it.  This is one of the nicest rhymers out there, plus he&#8217;s got the reggae mixed in.  Wake up people!<\/LI><br \/>\n <\/UL><\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<table border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tr>\n<td><b><font color=\"#0000FF\">Rank<\/font><\/b><\/td>\n<td>\n<div align=\"center\"><b><font color=\"#0000FF\">MTV<\/font><\/b><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div align=\"center\"><b><font color=\"#0000FF\">My List<\/font><\/b><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>1.<\/td>\n<td>Tupac<\/td>\n<td>KRS-ONE<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2.<\/td>\n<td>Biggie<\/td>\n<td>Rakim<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>3.<\/td>\n<td>Eminem<\/td>\n<td>Biggie<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>4.<\/td>\n<td>Nas<\/td>\n<td>Eminem<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>5.<\/td>\n<td>Jay-Z<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mosdefinitely.com\/main.htm\">Mos Def<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>6.<\/td>\n<td>Rakim<\/td>\n<td>Big Daddy Kane<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>7.<\/td>\n<td>Dr. Dre<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/members.aol.com\/Intelexx\/Blackwatch.html\" title=\"Check the lyrics!  Don't Sleep...\">Grand Verbalizer Funkin&#8217; Lesson Brother J<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>8.<\/td>\n<td>Lil Kim<\/td>\n<td>Chuck D<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>9.<\/td>\n<td>Beastie Boys<\/td>\n<td>LL Cool J<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>10.<\/td>\n<td>Missy Elliot<\/td>\n<td>Brand Nubian<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>11.<\/td>\n<td>Bug Pun<\/td>\n<td>Nas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>12<\/td>\n<td>Nelly<\/td>\n<td>Tupac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>13<\/td>\n<td>DMX<\/td>\n<td>Run-DMC<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>14<\/td>\n<td>Run-DMC<\/td>\n<td>Jay-Z<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>15.<\/td>\n<td>KRS-ONE<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/tg\/detail\/-\/B000002JN4\/ref=m_art_li_1\/104-5428609-9243956?v=glance&amp;s=music\">D.O.C.<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>16.<\/td>\n<td>Snoop Dogg<\/td>\n<td>Furious 5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>17.<\/td>\n<td>Common<\/td>\n<td>Snoop Dogg<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>18.<\/td>\n<td>Foxy Brown<\/td>\n<td>Kool G Rap<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>19.<\/td>\n<td>LL Cool J<\/td>\n<td>Sugar Hill Gang<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>20.<\/td>\n<td>Queen Latifah<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rootsmanuva.co.uk\/\" title=\"Americans are sleeping on this brotha!\">Roots Manuva<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>21.<\/td>\n<td>Method Man<\/td>\n<td>EPMD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>22.<\/td>\n<td>Chuck D<\/td>\n<td>Doug E Fresh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/p>\n<table border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tr>\n<td><b><font color=\"#FF0000\">Honorable Mention (in no particular order)<\/font><\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bahamadia<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ice Cube<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ras Kass<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Common<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>De La Soul<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.okayplayer.com\/theroots\/\">Black Thought &amp; The Roots<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Treach<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Big Pun<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.okayplayer.com\/talibkweli\/\">Talib Kweli<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Slick Rick<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Busta Rhymes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Das EFX<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>OutKast<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dr. Dre<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Craig G<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>M.O.P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Missy Elliot<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>MC Lyte<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Queen Latifah<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ice-T<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Tash (Alkaholiks)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Craig Mack<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Q-Tip<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Chubb Rock<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Method Man<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Guru<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jeru The Damaja<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kurtis Blow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Poor Righteous Teachers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mobb Deep<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dres (Black Sheep)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Paris<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Pharcyde<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jurassic 5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.shockg.com\/\">Shock G<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>D-Nice<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cypresshill.com\/\">B Real (Cypress Hill)<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Lauryn Hill<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Roxanne Shante<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Lady of Rage<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Monie Love<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rcm-images.amazon.com\/images\/G\/01\/rcm\/468x240.gif?resize=468%2C240\" width=\"468\" height=\"240\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Shop at Amazon.com\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anyone catch MTV&#8217;s 22 Greatest MC show? The moment they announced number 22 I knew we were gonna have beef. Their list was the result of a public poll, so I have to give a little slack given all the youngsters that likely voted. (Learn your history!) And I do have to say that I&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/2003\/06\/23\/22_greatest_mcs\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">22 Greatest MCs<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":292,"url":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/2004\/03\/20\/kool_mo_dees_new_book_ranks_the_50_greatest_mcs\/","url_meta":{"origin":5,"position":0},"title":"Kool Mo Dee&#8217;s New Book Ranks the 50 Greatest MCs","date":"March 20, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Let the greatest MC argument begin anew. Kool Mo Dee was on Tavis Smiley's show last night promoting his new book, There's a God on the Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs. It seems that Mo Dee, like many of us, was moved to make his own list after seeing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/www.awltovhc.com\/image-1550889-10282364","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":138,"url":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/2003\/08\/07\/10000_hits\/","url_meta":{"origin":5,"position":1},"title":"10,000 Hits","date":"August 7, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"I just passed 10,000 hits (actually visits... hits are a bit higher) on this blog. I'm surprised that it reached that level so fast because my other blog, Trader Mike, is almost 3 months older but only has 5,600 hits so far. I wish I could say this blog has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blogging&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":192,"url":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/2003\/09\/18\/top_50_emcees\/","url_meta":{"origin":5,"position":2},"title":"Top 50 Emcees","date":"September 18, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"I've just come across another top MCs\/Emcees list. If you thought my top MCs list was controversial, wait until you see theirs. I haven't even heard of about half of the people on the list. I guess I'm just too damn old to keep up or the voters for this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Shop at Amazon.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rcm-images.amazon.com\/images\/G\/01\/rcm\/468x240.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":78,"url":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/2003\/07\/16\/mtvs_backstage_pass_week\/","url_meta":{"origin":5,"position":3},"title":"MTV&#8217;s Backstage Pass Week","date":"July 16, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"There are some shows worth checking out on MTV & MTV2 over the next week or so. They're having a 'Backstage Pass Week', which means: Enjoy the best in live music from the comfort of your favorite chair as MTV, MTV2 and MTV.com team up and issue you a VIP\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":163,"url":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/2003\/08\/21\/making_breaking_the_band_ii\/","url_meta":{"origin":5,"position":4},"title":"Making Breaking the Band II","date":"August 21, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Lots of rumors are flying about Da Band from MTV's Making the Band II. Apparently there are questions about whether Sarah has quit the group and whether the group will ever make any money. Here are parts of the SOHH.com article 'Da Band's Grim Financial Future, Goodbye Sarah?' (emphasis is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":210,"url":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/2003\/10\/07\/pop_goes_the_weasel\/","url_meta":{"origin":5,"position":5},"title":"Pop Goes the Weasel&#8230;","date":"October 7, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Pop Pop goes the weasel, the weasel *3X* Pop goes the weasel, `cuz the weasel goes pop [MC Serch] Hip-hop, got turned into hit pop the second a record was number one on the pop charts For those that get on heart that got it`s start in the ghetto Let\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.michaelseneadza.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}