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 Yandy Smith dished out her fave five last week, Arkatech Beatz's Mike "Trauma" D sounds off his top five.]
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Big Pun. I definitely have to name Pun. The thing about Pun is you knew he was genuine. You knew that he was genuine and you couldn’t f*ck with him. That’s what made him so great. He could do the street, grimey records and then make records that all of the women would love without changing up. -
Andre 3000. That dude is incredible. He’s an incredible lyricist. Not only is he an incredible lyricist, you don’t know what to expect from him. Whatever he delivers, you go “Oh wow!” He can travel outside of the box and you still enjoy it. He’s not just a great rapper, he’s a dope artist. He’s never disappointed me. He always goes in. I think he’s one of the best when you look at how he’s put it down with OutKast and he’s brought light to Atlanta. He brought a lot of shine to the town.
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Jadakiss. Jada is consistent. He never disappoints. Jadakiss is also underrated. He doesn’t get his fair share. He’s a lyrical monster that’s consistent. When he rides a beat, he takes it over. He destroys it. That’s another person who never disappoints. He keeps delivering dope music, dope lyrics, dope content. He’s like a full package and he’s still around. He’s been in the game for a minute and can still put out new records.
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Lil Wayne. I have to say Lil Wayne. I got Weezy in there because you never know what this guy is doing. You would have to be a hater to not realize what impact he’s having on the younger generation. He’s a trendsetter. You might not like what he’s doing, but you can’t hate on the impact he’s having. These kids are following him. When you have such a big influence, you have to be considered a major player. He’s been in the game for a minute, since he was a kid, so it’s only natural that he’s grown into the spot that he’s in now.
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Wu-Tang Clan. Wu-Tang have brought something to the game that’s never been seen before. It’s not just music, but business-wise as well. The theme they brought to the table and the logo. It was all like, “Wow.” From the music to the videos to the Wu Wear and everything. They were just doing it.
Big Pun. I definitely have to name Pun. The thing about Pun is you knew he was genuine. You knew that he was genuine and you couldn’t f*ck with him. That’s what made him so great. He could do the street, grimey records and then make records that all of the women would love without changing up.
Andre 3000. That dude is incredible. He’s an incredible lyricist. Not only is he an incredible lyricist, you don’t know what to expect from him. Whatever he delivers, you go “Oh wow!” He can travel outside of the box and you still enjoy it. He’s not just a great rapper, he’s a dope artist. He’s never disappointed me. He always goes in. I think he’s one of the best when you look at how he’s put it down with OutKast and he’s brought light to Atlanta. He brought a lot of shine to the town.
Jadakiss. Jada is consistent. He never disappoints. Jadakiss is also underrated. He doesn’t get his fair share. He’s a lyrical monster that’s consistent. When he rides a beat, he takes it over. He destroys it. That’s another person who never disappoints. He keeps delivering dope music, dope lyrics, dope content. He’s like a full package and he’s still around. He’s been in the game for a minute and can still put out new records.
Lil Wayne. I have to say Lil Wayne. I got Weezy in there because you never know what this guy is doing. You would have to be a hater to not realize what impact he’s having on the younger generation. He’s a trendsetter. You might not like what he’s doing, but you can’t hate on the impact he’s having. These kids are following him. When you have such a big influence, you have to be considered a major player. He’s been in the game for a minute, since he was a kid, so it’s only natural that he’s grown into the spot that he’s in now.
Wu-Tang Clan. Wu-Tang have brought something to the game that’s never been seen before. It’s not just music, but business-wise as well. The theme they brought to the table and the logo. It was all like, “Wow.” From the music to the videos to the Wu Wear and everything. They were just doing it.
