S. Samuel
[Each week, SOHH asks two entertainment personalities to name their Top 5 rappers of all-time. To make things tricky, we've created a "Hall of Fame" of emcees (see right) who are universally respected and therefore may not be mentioned. After Lee Bannon brought out his top spitters, White House Band's David E. Beats unloads his fave five.]
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Kanye West. Kanye gets the number one spot because he really made a lane for people like me, the non-gangster musical types. N*ggas used to tell me I had too many instruments in my beats. I used to tell them for years that this sh*t is hot. Kanye gets the number one spot because he really paved a lane for people like me to come in and do what we do. -
Drake. I think he’s really great and writes really good songs. That’s really what I’m about in hip-hop. I feel like hip-hop artists really need to get back to making songs and I feel like Drake’s really good at that. He’s making music and overall art.
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T.I. I’ve always been a fan of T.I. since day one. I’ve been a big fan of that trap music. So I’ve been a big fan of T.I. T.I.’s the sh*t. He’s just dope. I feel like he really grinds and hustles. He knows how to make moves and stay relevant.
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Young Jeezy. I love trap music. I would have put 2 Chainz on the list but I feel like he’s still coming up a little bit. I like Jeezy because he hasn’t really changed for anybody. He didn’t really switch up his style and people were saying how unlyrical he was. I wasn’t even feeling him when he first came out but he was like, “Hey man, this is it. This is what I do. If you don’t like it, f*ck off.” That’s what I like about him. He keeps working that niche. I eventually grew to like it.
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Lupe Fiasco. Lupe gets in because I really feel like he’s got art. He’s creating great albums. He’s not about just having a great song. All the artists on my list, they’re all about great catalogues. They’re all about having great albums and everything, not just a hot song.
Kanye West. Kanye gets the number one spot because he really made a lane for people like me, the non-gangster musical types. N*ggas used to tell me I had too many instruments in my beats. I used to tell them for years that this sh*t is hot. Kanye gets the number one spot because he really paved a lane for people like me to come in and do what we do.
Drake. I think he’s really great and writes really good songs. That’s really what I’m about in hip-hop. I feel like hip-hop artists really need to get back to making songs and I feel like Drake’s really good at that. He’s making music and overall art.
T.I. I’ve always been a fan of T.I. since day one. I’ve been a big fan of that trap music. So I’ve been a big fan of T.I. T.I.’s the sh*t. He’s just dope. I feel like he really grinds and hustles. He knows how to make moves and stay relevant.
Young Jeezy. I love trap music. I would have put 2 Chainz on the list but I feel like he’s still coming up a little bit. I like Jeezy because he hasn’t really changed for anybody. He didn’t really switch up his style and people were saying how unlyrical he was. I wasn’t even feeling him when he first came out but he was like, “Hey man, this is it. This is what I do. If you don’t like it, f*ck off.” That’s what I like about him. He keeps working that niche. I eventually grew to like it.
Lupe Fiasco. Lupe gets in because I really feel like he’s got art. He’s creating great albums. He’s not about just having a great song. All the artists on my list, they’re all about great catalogues. They’re all about having great albums and everything, not just a hot song.
