Rap Expo Part 4: 50 Rappers

Welcome to the final part of the RAP EXPO. I'm just going to run down some rappers new and old. They're in alphabetical order....Enjoy.

·         2 Chainz (Non Lyrical Hit-Maker)- Style-Dirty South, Affliated with G.O.O. D. Music.A rapper who relies on delivery over lyricism. He isnt very lyrical at all, but he spits a good verse every now and then. Grade C+

·         2pac (Versatile Rap Legend)- Style-Westside, Affiliated with Dr. Dre, Death Row. Tupac\ Shakur is arguably the best rapper of all time. He was very prolific when he was alive, recording lots and lots of music. He was very versatile, able to make any kind of rap song effectively. California Love is still one of my favorite rap songs. Grade A+

·         50 Cent (Certified Hit Maker)- Style-East Coast, Aff-G-Unit. 50 is one of favorite rappers for a few reasons. He's a good lyricist, and seems to do really well with hooks. Even though his Animal Ambition albu was forgettable Fif is still a force in rap, 12 years after Get Rich or Die Tryin. B+

·         Ab-Soul (West Coast lyricist)-Westside, Conscious, Affiliated with T.D.E.-Ab Soul is a talented rapper that sometimes tries a little to hard to be commercial. He will be a force in rap going forward. C+

·         Big Boi (Dirty South Legend)- Dirty South, Affiliated with Andre 3000- Big Boi is one half of Outkast. He's got 2 solo albums now and they're both really good. He may not be as lyrical as 3stacks, but hes' no slouch lyrically. A-

·         Big K.R.I.T. (Versatile Rapper, Producer)-Dirty South,- Big K.R.I.T. is a really good producer, but perhaps and even better rapper. His music is really really smooth.The future looks bright for KRIT.  A

·        Bun B (Dirty South Legend) Dirty South, Aff-UGK- Bun B has been on a lot of rappers albums since I can remember. His solo albums aren't bad either. B

·         Chamillionaire (Underrated Versatile Rapper) -Dirty South, Cham is a great rapper that I feel well, kind of fell off. However he is a great lyricist, who's first 2 albums were very good. C+

·         Common (Lyrical Wordsmith)-Midwest, Conscious, Aff. Kanye West- Common is who you should think of when you think of a Conscious rapper. He's got a lot of albums, and they are creative. I really enjoyed his latest album, Nobody's Smiling. B+

·         Diddy (Lackluster Lyrical Hit Maker)-East Coast, Aff. Bad Boy Records- Diddy doesnt write rhymes he writes checks lol.Solo wise he has made some decent albums. C

·         DMX (Hardcore Delivery Rapper)- East Coast, Aff. Ruff Ryders- DMX is a good rapper, but I wouldnt say he's a great rapper. His popularity has gone down, but there was a time he was on top..... C+

·         Drake (Versatile Singing Rapper)- Aff. Young Money-Drake is another good rapper, but he's borderline great. He likes to sing, and it works just about everytime. Lyrically Drake isn't bad either, and he's gotten away from the monotone delivery of pre 2013 Drake. B+

·         Eminem (Rap Juggernaut)- Midwest, Aff. Shady Aftermath, Dr. Dre.-Eminem is the great white hope....his music is generally very introspective. He's a great lyricist and storyteller. Some of his albums have fallen short of classic status, but Em is still going strong and will continue to do so. A+

·         Eve (Talented Female MC)-East Coast,-Eve is a good rapper, who was a lot more popular before 2010. Her last album Lip Lock was good. C

·         Fabolous (Hit Maker)-East Coast- Fabolous was a really popular rapper during 2000-2010. He's kind of what you'd think an east coast rapper is. Fab posses good punchline flow. B-

·         Fat Joe (East Coast Pioneer)-East Coast-Joey Crack  has been rapping since the early 90s. Fat Joe isnt really a great rapper but he has his fair share of hits, like Lean Back in  2004. B-

·         Game (Versatile Rapper)- West Coast-Alot can be said about Game. He became one of rap's best in no time at all. He's had a good share of hits, and most of his albums have been great. He name drops alot and can easily rap like other rappers. B+

·         Ghostface Killah (Lyrical Wordsmith)- East Coast, Aff. Wu-Tang Clan. GK is one of the best rappers around, and that has been true for some time now. His storytelling abilities make him arguably the best member of the Wu-Tang clan. He may be slowly starting to fall off tho. A-

·         Ice Cube (Rap Juggernaut)- West Coast, Ice Cube is one of my favorite rappers. He has great delivery, and socially conscious lyrics too. Things have gone kinda downhill these days tho. A

·         Iggy Azalea (Hit Maker)- Aff. T.I.- Iggy is a force to be reckoned  with having a very successful 2014. The question is, can she sustain the hype...B

·         Immortal Technique (Lyrical Wordsmith)- Immortal Tech. is a really conscious hardcore rapper. He doesnt make songs for the clubs, at all. Or the radio. C+

·         J. Cole (Versatile Storyteller)- Aff. Roc Nation- Cole is one of my new favorite rappers (Since 2013). He's a really good storyteller and not a bad lyricist either. Now is his time, no doubt. A-

·         Ja Rule (Versatile Singing Rapper)- East Coast, Aff. Murder Inc.- Ja was once a top rapper,not skill wise, but popularity wise. The original rapper/singer. His career appears to be over tho after 6 albums. B-

·         Jadakiss (Underrated East Coast Rapper)- East Coast,- Jada is a really good rapper, who's albums, for the most part, havent been great. His fundamentals are sound so he can always make hit songs. B-

·         Jay-z (All Around Rap Legend)- East Coast, Aff. Roc Nation. Jigga aka HOVA, is an unescapable rap legend. Jay can make any kind of rap song, from storytelling, to club or love songs. Jay-z is rap greatness, with lots of albums. There's really only one rapper in this expo, that compares(thats still alive). A+

·         Jeezy (Certified Hit Maker)- Dirty South. Jeezy shows up on everybody's album's. He's really good at hooks. Lately he's sped up his flow and proved to be a good lyricist. B+

·         Kanye West (Creative All Around Juggernaut)- Midwest, Aff. Roc Nation, GOOD Music. Kanye is arguably the best thing to happen to rap music since 2004. He's a producer as well, and that's helped his albums be great. He's been a good lyricist too that can make any type of song.I can't wait to hear more from Mr. West. A+

·         Kendrick Lamar (Versatile Storyteller)- Westcoast, Aff. TDE, K.dot is a premier lyricist. He spits with great accuracy. He really stole the show on Big Sean's Control, and he dropped a borderline classic with GKMC. I await more greatness from K.dot. A

·         Kid Cudi (Versatile Singing Rapper)- Mid West, Aff. GOOD Music, Kid Cudder aka Scott Mescudi is a rapper who makes some really out there music. I like 3/5 solo albums he's put out. His music has some really bright tones, and also really dark ones. B+

·         Killer Mike (Hardcore Delivery Rapper) Dirty South, Aff. Run the Jewels. Killer Mike is 1/2 of the critically acclaimed RTJ group. He has great delivery and flow. C+

·         Lil Kim (Original Bad B**ch) East Coast. Lil Kim influenced the likes of Nicki Minaj, which makes their beef even weirder Kim was one of the first female rappers to bring sexiness to the female MC. She's kind of had her time tho, despite being a dominant lyricist. B-

·         Lil Wayne (Versatile Hit Maker) Dirty South,  Aff. YMCMB, Lil Weezy is kind of an enigma. He's really versatile and talented, but it seems like he rarely brings the effort these days. Despite that Wayne is a premier dirty south artist. Carter V anyone??? A

·         Logic (Flow wordsmith) Logic is a really dope. He flows with a smooth razor sharp flow, but his punchlines need work. The future looks bright however.C+

·         Ludacris (Certified hit maker) Aff. Dirty South, DTP. Luda is responsible (partly) for rap's popularity surge in the early 2000s. He's a big time punchline rapper who makes hits effortlessly. He's kind of fallen off now tho. Luda's music is mostly about fun. B+

·         Lupe Fiasco (Vesatile Storyteller/Flow Wordsmith) Midwest. Lupe is a great lyricist, who can rap with just about anyone. His music is really the opposite of most rap these days. He recently dropped what i think is his best album this year in 2015. A

·         Missy Elliot (Great Pop Rapper) Aff. Timbaland. Missy is my favorite female MC. Her albums are all very well produced. She is also great at making hits. Missy's music is mostly about fun and she has a very impressive discography. I feel she paved the way for rappers like Nicki Minaj. A-

·         Nas (Rap Legend) East Coast. While not as versatile as Jay-z, Nas is a better lyricst and storyteller, hell, he may be rap's best in those categories. Some complaints are that Nas doesnt switch up his delivery enough or pick good enough beats for his albums...but he's a legend. A+

·         Nelly (Great Pop Rapper) Midwest. aff. St. Lunatics. Another hit maker, who helped propel rap popularity to new heights in the early 2000s. Nelly is an underrated lyricist. I feel his time has past however for being really relevant. B

·         Nicki Minaj (Pop Rap Hit Maker) Aff. YMCMB. Nicki is one of the hottest rappers out now. She's really versatile. On her first 2-3 albums her punchilines were rather weak, but she's improved. I dont know if she can sustain this success...it might be Iggy's turn next.....but then again Nicki is the dominant female rapper.A-

·         Pusha T (Talented Lyricist) aff. Clipse. Pusha-T is a great rapper, with really only 2 terrific albums(If you count Hell Hath No Fury). He has his own lane lyrically and will continue to make hit music. B+

·         Raekwon (Lyrical Wordsmith) East Coast. aff. Wu Tang Clan. Rae is my favorite member of the WU. He's a great storyteller with a great discography.  Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 1 and 2 are elite albums. I can't wait for another album from Raekwon. A-

·         Rick Ross (Versatile Great Delivery Rapper) aff. MMG, Ross is one of the hottest rappers of the new decade. He's gotten better lyrically....alot better. Before that he was a dog who was all bark no bite lol. Ross may be slowing down now though. B

·         Schoolboy Q (Versatile MC) West Coast, aff. TDE. SBQ is a new favorite rapper of mine. He doesnt really spit any conscious lyrics like Ab Soul or Kendrick Lamar, but he can storytell quite well. C+

·         Snoop Dogg (Versatile Pioneer) West Coast, While originally a WC rapper, Snoop has made music with lots of different regional sounds. Snoop is a decent lyricist, but it seems his career is stuck in neutral going backwards down a hill. B

·         T.I. (Versatile Rhythmic Rapper) Dirty South, Aff. PSC. T.I. has shown tremendous versatility and longevity in the rap game. He doesnt really rap with punchlines, but his flow is solid. He's got a great discography too like King, Paper Trail and Paperwork.   A

·         Talib Kweli (Definition of a Conscious MC) East Coast, Talib is a great lyricist, that as Jay-z noted, doesnt sell well. Despite that, he's got some really good albums under his belt. B

·         Tech N9ne (Crazy Underrated Rapper), Midwest, Tech is a dope rapper that doenst really get the recognition he deserves. He has great flow and delivery. C+

·         The Notorious B.I.G. (All Around Rap Legend) East Coast, AFf. Bad Boy. Besides Pac, Biggie is the most emulated rapper ever. He's got excellent flow, delivery,and storytelling. Too bad he only has 2.5 albums.. A+

·         Tyler the Creator (Crazy Rapper) aff. Odd Future. TtC is a producer also, and i'm convinced that his best music is yet to come. Goblin was too much, and Wolf was kinda too toned down. C

·         Wale (A Rapper's Rapper) aff. MMG. Wale is a good rapper, but I don't think he can be a GREAT one. Despite that he has a lot of skills that every rapper should have...C-

Thanks for reading the EXPO!!!!