25 Greatest MC's of All Time... 20-16

[M Dogg™]

People are thinking too short term. Trust me, this list will make sense once you see everything. And don't hate on Ren, listen to the N.W.A. albums, boy gots mad skills. As for who's better than Pun, I have 20 emcees better than Pun, the problem is people have short term memory.

20. Lauryn Hill



Strongest album: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Face facts, some of the greatest emcees of all time are women. And the greatest woman emcee ever is Lauryn Hill. No Hip-Hop artist has as many grammies off one CD, no female artist can switch so naturally from rap lyrics to soulful singing, outside of Mr. Tupac Shakur, there is no one in rap music you can call a complete artist that's better than Ms. Hill. Her place is Hip-Hop history was solidified with her solo release, but it was her work with the Fugees that put her in that position. She ripped the mic in one of rap's greatest groups of all time, and she was the main reason for the groups commercial success. Even before the radio play, Lauryn Hill had the game on lock, well the Fugees were proving how great of a group they were. No female can touch her, and no can really say they are a better all around artist.

19. Andre 3000



Strongest album: The Love Below

Ok, so this was by far the hardest man to rank. Why, simple, his so different, and the impact he and Big Boi had on rap is hard to judge. But the bottom line is that no one can denie his place. 3000 is on a world by himself, and that makes it very hard to judge where he ranks. But with Outkast albums llike Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik and Aquemini, to solidify his efforts with The Love Below, Andre is a proven emcee. The rap skills he displayed as a member of Outkast proved that he was to be seen as one of the greatest, and only 2nd to Scarface in the south. Now that he seems bored with rap, we are finally just beginning to see Andre at his fullest potential as a complete artist. His artist wings could possible spread beyond that of a 2Pac or Lauryn Hill, as Love Below proved that. Only time will tell.

18. Eminen



Strongest album: The Eminem Show (though some heads say Infinite)

You can't denie the white boy can rap. You also can front that he has skills. As leader of the D-12 crew, Eminem has tranform rap into a place that's even safe for white boys. A constent threat in a battle, Eminen is a true emcee, with the content and the commercial sense to know who to make a White America stand up and scream in horror. As he enters young American's head phones, Eminem makes sure most of his lyrics leave a make into his home country's conscience. The Blond Bomber, or Great White Hope is ready to surpass 'Pac is record sales, so it's just a matter of time, I say 3 years, that people claim Mr. Mathers as the greatest rap artist of all time.

17. Chuck D



Strongest album: It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back

Whoever hates on this ranking did not live in the late 80's, or never heard of Hip-Hop then. Chuck D and Public Enemy dominated the rap world in the late 80's. With N.W.A. in the west, Public Enemy in the east, America had no clue to react. It is because of Public Enemy that America decided to try and end rap music, their lyrics set the chain reaction for protest, and people were praying for their downfall. Many great political rappers of today all look to Public Enemy as their base, groups like Dead Prez, Immortal Technique, and others all see Chuck D as the man that started what they are continuing. Chuck D, with his booming voice, used rap to make his message public, and started a movement. Using the powers of being a Mic Controller to his fullest potential, Chuck D had all minority America screaming Fight the Power.

16. Kurtis Blow



Strongest album: Kurtis Blow

The first commerically successful rap artist, Kurtis Blow was the trailblazer for Run DMC and The Furious Five. Kurtis Blow was able to take an art form that people thought was just a fad with the Sugar Hill Gang, and show people that Hip-Hop was here to stay. His skills were also very shape, especially considering this is the pre-Rakim era. The poverty-themed Hard Times off Kurtis Blow marked perhaps the first instance of hip-hop's social consciousness. Kurtis Blow's skills as an emcee never faded, though once Run-DMC changed the way commerical rap sounded, (ironic since Run served as Kurtis Blow's DJ) Kurtis Blow faded out of popularity. But always promoting the old school, rap can always trace it's roots, at least commerically, to one of the illest rhymesayers of all time.

[Spicemuthafuc*in1]

i appreciate the work your doing, good job but no way should lauren hill be that high, come on man

[Don Breezio]

i think i could agree with all of those....but lauryn hill was best when she was doing fugees stuff...so i hope you either have the fugees in there as a group or you've got wyclef in there somewhere too...hes much better than lauryn anyway. Pras aint shit

['EclipZe]

that was a nice read, lauryn hill is tite with that switching from rap to soul.

[Black Uhuru]

Lauryn is dope so is Andre but to me his strongest album cant be love below because he only rapped 3 verses on  the whole album. Seeing as its 25 greatest Mc's and not overall Artists it should have been Southernplayalistic or Aquemini

[[sepehr]]

^No way...Dre's lyricism was best on ATLiens

The Pope and his folks got us under a scope
But for unknown reasons cuz we don't sell dope
That you distribute, we don't contribute, to your clandestine
activity, my soliloquoy, may be hard for some to swallow
But so is cod liver oil
You went behind my back like Bluto when he cut up Olive Oyl
Two things I hate lies and thieves they make my blood boil
Boa constricted, on my soul that they call

This ol sucka MC stepped up to me
Challenged Andre to a battle and I stood there patiently
As he spit and stumbled over cliches, so called freestylin
Whole purpose just to make me feel low, I guess you whylin
I say look boi, I ain't for that fuck shit; so fuck this
Let me explain on this child style so you don't miss
I grew up to myself not round no park bench
just a nigga bustin flows off in apartments

[On The Edge of Insanity]

Well from the amount of times you managed to mention him in the descriptions for the other choices, I think its pretty obvious who is going to be number one on your list

[PLANT]

this list is pretty fucked up IMO

[Don Breezio]

i thought 25-21 were fucked up....i think these are actually pretty accurate

[ToOoOoN!!!]

the list is tight! props!

[wcsoldier]

The only thing I disagree is for best Eminem album. His first 3 are way better than TES . Good job though 

[Like A N!gga Say Do]

this list is pretty fucked up IMO

[Twentytwofifty]

Chuck D is fine, I'd put him just outside the top ten. 
Lauryn  Hill is the best of the Fugees for sure but it would be a fight to get her in the top fifty. 
Eminem and Andre are in pretty good spots but I'd put them in the (mid to lower) twenties.
I'd have Kurtis Blow in the top fifty but not this high and Melle Mel and Grandmaster Caz would make the top twenty for me but I think they might not make it here.

[Thuglife]

eminems strongest album is the MMLP IMO

[white Boy]

^ yea, it def aint the eminem show.