September 30th, 2007

The definition of an MC today is really different than what it was 20 years ago back when track suits and Addidas kicks were the outfit of choice. You see, back then it was all about flow and lyrical delivery -- you really had to be a natural at rhyming and own the stage with a strong presence and an undeniable charasmatic aura.

With that said, I still associate quality live performances, clever and/or witty rhymes, topped off with a great voice and flow to traits a true MC should have. What I'm trying to get across is that, to me, there were always just normal rappers who are good in most cases, but then there were MCs who were the cream of the crop in hip hop. It's like mentioning Wu Tang Clan and Vanilla Ice in the same sentence -- something ain't right.

However, in this day and age, MTV thinks there's more to this formula. They say to be a hot MC you need to up your swagger and, in most cases, be on top of the charts. The problems with this are quick to spot -- rapping about diamonds, how rich you are, the girls you get, landing commercials/endorsement deals, and general hustle are now MTV's definition of what a relevant MC is. Well, even a few rappers on the countdown even co-signed for this which makes it even sadder. But I'd doubt they'd care about the criteria if they've already made the list.

To make matters worse, this is a top 10 list of today's hip hop climate and not an "all-time" or even "of the year" compliation. So naturally, some questionable entries are going to be slipped in given the shoddy state of the genre at the moment. Now, I don't consider myself a guru on rap music as most of my knowledge is rooted in the post-Pac era (I have gone back to listen to the old stuff, so don't crucify me yet), but I know enough to dispute what some of these clowns on MTV's roundtable came up with.

MTV News is getting anally raped with negative feedback with this list, and rightfully so. Even the most out of touch hip hop listener can look at this and figure out these guys are full of it. Sway has mediated roundtables in the past, but never before has MTV News come across as the Justice League of Super Douches so strongly.

I'm interested in hearing your feedback to see if you're as outraged as I am, so be sure to drop a line at the end of the recap on page 2.

10.  Jim Jones

How is this guy even on this list? His lyrical ability is damn near non existent with lines in his songs that barely make any kind of sense. Jones has been around for a minute and has only had one hot song ("We Fly High") with one hot catchphrase (BALLIIIIIIIIIIN'!) and now everyone's feelin' him? I'm sorry, I don't buy it. It's called dick riding, and he has yet to impress me with anything other than that single. Excuse me for not lubing up my ass and blindly jumping along butt first with everyone else.

They probably put him on the countdown because of his unique sense of fashion over his actual skills on the mic. Jim Jones is the only black guy I've seen other than Kanye (and maybe Pharrell) to rock tight fitting clothes. My friend Roderick is even trying to imitate this style, so if they're looking for overall impact, I guess that counts for something. But being a poster boy for fashion doesn't equate to being a hot MC and MTV was wrong for this shit.

9. Common

I agree that Common should be on the list, but he should atleast be higher in the top 6 because this is an insult. He's in a dying breed of rappers who are a throwback to the old skool, positive era of rap and hip hop. I really enjoy listening to his music and he is truly gifted at what he does, so like I said, I think he is a true MC. No real problems with this one. Still, they fucked up putting him right here.

8. 50 Cent

Fiddy is more of a product than what I'd consider to be an MC. I mean, look at the guy. He's in vitamin water commercials and has a clothing line with G-Unit to the point that the 50 Cent "image" overshadows his music a great deal (I'm amazed these idiots didn't decide to throw Diddy on here at this rate of foolishness). Even with a few "hard" joints that grab the attention of the streets like "I Get Money," I don't consider this nigga anything close to being an MC. His live performances suck ass as you can't understand a word coming out of his mouth if you're lucky to even hear that much with G-Unit members and about 500 other niggas on the stage yelling into the mic (See Steve Harvey's hilarious commentary about this in 2000's The Original Kings of Comedy). How many of you watched the BET Awards this year?

Okay, so none of you did. Well, at that show he walked around cussing at random with his cohort, Tony Yayo, as he totally messed up and missed the entire first verse to "Amusement Park". So what MTV is telling me is that all I need to do is get shot 9 times, survive, go on to whore myself out to corporate America, and forget the first 16 bars to my hit single to be considered a great MC? Get fucking real! He has no business being on this list in my opinion.

7. Jay-Z

I thought this a list of relevant MCs of right now, not 6 years ago. While I've never been a huge fan of the guy, Jay-Z has had a few joints I enjoyed. I consider him to be an MC, but lately he hasn't done anything more than what Eminem is doing. MTV said they omitted Slim Shady because he hasn't been on the mic as much... um, what? Em has been on several remixes in addition to appearing on multiple albums in the past year (including T.I.'s latest) while Hova isn't exactly doing anything spectacular besides dick riding the latest pop act and lacing their tracks with forgettable performances.

The rhymes he has spit in 2007 have been pointless. Sure, he dropped his comeback LP, "Kingdom Come," but that was LAST YEAR and it only had two freakin' singles! He didn't need to appear on Rhianna's "Umbrella" as it would have been a sure fire hit without him anyways and why the hell did he need to be on the remix of "Rehab" by Amy Whinehouse? He's just wasting space at this juncture and it's easy to see he's either playing it safe or has simply fell off. Atleast when Snoop appears on pop songs he seems to fit a lot better.

If he has to be on this list, then throw him at #10 to get rid of Jim Jones. Mr. Carter is more concerned about waxin' Beyoncé's ass and redesigning Cherry Coke cans than being hungry for rap these days.

6. Young Jeezy

At first I didn't buy into the Jeezy hype. I have a problem with any rapper saying they rep the streets while they're bragging about fast cars and how much money they make. If you make a claim of repping the streets, then get a fucking apartment next to the avg. joe and drive a damn Honda Civic that's on the brink of breaking down. As I heard more of his music I eventually became a fan, but not of his rhymes, mostly because of his hilariously catchy ad libs like "CHYEAH!," "HA-HAAAA!," and "AAAAAAAY!". One member of the roundtable even mentioned Jeezy's ad libs are so catchy, Kanye had to sample it for "Can't Tell Me Nothing".

They mostly put him on this list for what I just mentioned and the fact, for some reason, he has a huge street following. So in that respect, I don't consider him an MC, just a good rapper and/or hustler. There's nothing really bad about that, I just don't see how he's higher than Common... Maybe I'm missing something?

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