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 Rich Hil gave his Top 5 earlier this week, Hollywood star Tom Hanks' son/rapper Chet Haze rolls out his picks.]
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Big L. Number one has to be Big L. Big L was just absolutely probably one of the most savage cats when it came to lyricism and punchlines to ever touch the mic. It’s just beyond an absolute tragedy that his life was cut short when he was just at his peak. He was at the point where he could have been doing really legendary things. His life was cut short in a terrible way. But when it comes to punchlines and clever style, Big L is untouchable. -
DMX. Number two is DMX for me. DMX is in there because I love that he has such a poetic flow. His words are just filled with so much energy when he’s on the mic. He just tells it all. Also, he’s really been through a lot in his life and he’s conquered it. On top of that, Belly is one of my favorite movies of all time. He kills it in there.
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Mobb Deep. Their first album, The Infamous, is a hip-hop classic. I love Mobb Deep just because they have such a gritty sound. Havoc’s beats are simple and dry, but that just makes it so you can really hear their lyrics. They’re people who really gave it to you straight. That’s just some sh*t you can always put on when you’re trying to get into the zone.
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Dr. Dre. I named Dr. Dre not only as a rapper but also as a producer. I just think he’s one of the most talented people to ever be in this music industry. His musical ability is unparallel. He’s a fantastic rapper and he created a sound. He created G-Funk. It was like a sound and genre that ruled the airwaves throughout the 90’s. He created that from using samples from different soul records. It’s just insane to me.
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Eazy-E. Being from LA, Eazy is the man who put L.A. on the map. I have to respect that. And he’s swag is just untouchable. Eazy’s E’s swag was untouchable. It’s a tragedy that just like Big L, his life was taken at such an untimely place in his career.
Big L. Number one has to be Big L. Big L was just absolutely probably one of the most savage cats when it came to lyricism and punchlines to ever touch the mic. It’s just beyond an absolute tragedy that his life was cut short when he was just at his peak. He was at the point where he could have been doing really legendary things. His life was cut short in a terrible way. But when it comes to punchlines and clever style, Big L is untouchable.
DMX. Number two is DMX for me. DMX is in there because I love that he has such a poetic flow. His words are just filled with so much energy when he’s on the mic. He just tells it all. Also, he’s really been through a lot in his life and he’s conquered it. On top of that, Belly is one of my favorite movies of all time. He kills it in there.
Mobb Deep. Their first album, The Infamous, is a hip-hop classic. I love Mobb Deep just because they have such a gritty sound. Havoc’s beats are simple and dry, but that just makes it so you can really hear their lyrics. They’re people who really gave it to you straight. That’s just some sh*t you can always put on when you’re trying to get into the zone.
Dr. Dre. I named Dr. Dre not only as a rapper but also as a producer. I just think he’s one of the most talented people to ever be in this music industry. His musical ability is unparallel. He’s a fantastic rapper and he created a sound. He created G-Funk. It was like a sound and genre that ruled the airwaves throughout the 90’s. He created that from using samples from different soul records. It’s just insane to me.
Eazy-E. Being from LA, Eazy is the man who put L.A. on the map. I have to respect that. And he’s swag is just untouchable. Eazy’s E’s swag was untouchable. It’s a tragedy that just like Big L, his life was taken at such an untimely place in his career.
