The CONSENSUS Top 5 Rappers of All Time - Let’s Vote on it!!!
After yesterday’s 100-plus comments regarding the issue, I feel like it’s time to have a legitimate and comprehensive way to settle this once and for all. Thus, introducing the CONSENSUS Top 5 rappers of all time!! This is an opportunity for each of you to make your opinions known, and to vote for who you feel should be in that Top 5 rappers of all time list. First the rules;
- Each of you will be asked to select your Top 5 rappers of all time. Feel free to explain or justify your picks, just be sure that if and when you reply, you leave me your Top 5.
- Once you send your Top 5 each rapper will receive a number based on their place (For example if your list has Jay-Z at #1, he receives a 1). That number will be averaged against all of the other numbers that rapper receives, and that average score will determine that rappers place in the Top 5. The final Top 5 will be an average of all of the voters picks, giving us the CONSENSUS vote. There is a little more math to it, but really you don’t need to know all that.
I’m sure each of you have your own set of criteria for judging who makes it into your Top 5. By all means state your case using your personal set of criteria, however below you’ll find what we consider General Criteria for judging the Top 5. Feel free to adopt any of the following to incorporate into your own criteria;
1) BATTING AVERAGE - If your rapper made 100 songs, how many of them were bangers? Look at the rappers entire catalog, then figure how many dope songs he has. Divide the hits from the total catalog, and you come up with a batting average - just like in Baseball. Batting Average is a great way to judge a rappers success at making songs that bang out. The higher the batting average, the better the rapper.
2) IMPACT ON THE GAME - What was your rapper’s impact on Hip Hop? Who has he influenced? How did his flow and his music change the game? Did he start a movement? Basically, how did this rapper affect the culture of Hip Hop? The best rappers have all had a big impact on the game. Consider this when choosing.
3) CONSISTENCY OF RELEVANCE - In the nutsshell, this criteria speaks to the length of time the rapper was relevant in the game of Hip Hop. Just like the best music, the best rappers maintain relevance for a long time. How consistent has your artist been at spitting that fire? Did he fall off after 2 years, or is his music still played hard even though he’s dead? Consistency and span of relevance is important when deciding who is the best in the game.
4) LYRICS - Of course if we are discussing rappers, then the main measuring stick has got to be lyrics. This is probably the most subjective criteria because everyone has different tastes, still if any rapper wants to be DOWN BY LAW then he knows that he must be lyrically agile, adept and able to move the crowd. You, the consumers ARE the crowd. Who moves you?
The Polls will be open until Friday July 1st 2011 at noon. Vote by either replying to this blog, or by sending me a FaceBook email message titled “Top 5”. You can only vote once. The results will be announced on my FaceBook page on July 5th 2011 at Noon. Debates are encouraged, and wack choices will be ridiculed. If any of you place Bow Wow on your Top 5 list, I promise to blow it up to the Tumblr and the Facebook and Twitter communities!! This is a serious voting process, so we expect serious answers!
It’s on!!! Let the voting begin!!!! The CONSENSUS Top 5 Rappers of ALL TIME!!!!
