Welcome to first edition (1 of 3) of The Greatest. It is here where we will list the top…anything. It could music videos, sports teams, rappers, or even video girls. This is the way it works: everyone here at nappyafro makes a list, we combine it and add it based on numbers (if you ranked number 10 you get 1 point, 9 gets 2, 8 gets 3, 7 gets 4, and so forth. So with out further delay…
10. Jim Jones
King Jerm: One word….BAAALLLLLIN!!! Everybody and their grandmother was doing the “Fadeaway”.
B-Easy: Okay, hit song complete with catch phrase and dance move: CHECK. Hip-Hop beef with a rap legend to build up publicity: CHECK. Great album sales and an above average album: …well, two out of three ain’t bad.
9. Busta Rhymes
B-Easy: Bussa Bus year started with The Big Bang, the release of his first Aftermath album. Even after the death of his bodyguard, shot at his video shoot, Busta still tried to bring back that “New York Shit”. He even told the young boys to step it up (You know you heard him at the BET Hip-Hop Awards).
8. The Game
King Jerm: I know he’s a name dropper and all, but he does it so well.
B-Easy: Chuck Taylor delivered a good album without Dr. Dre (Doctor’s Advocate), got a hundred niggas together to do one song (“It’s Okay (One Blood) (remix)”), and proved to 50 that he just might be okay without G-Unit after all. Now, about sellin’ five million albums…
7. Ludacris
King Jerm: Chris Bridges came back from acting this year more serious and with less hair. He tried to show the world he could really go for that “Number One Spot”. Did he get? No, he got number 7.
6. Young Jeezy
Blood: Yep, the snowman makes it into the top 10 MC’s’ of 2006. With some of the catchiest lyrics of any year, Jeezy is proving that he is going to be here for a while.
5. Andre 3000
Blood: When Dre decides to rap he proves that he is about the illest one doing it, period, no room for discussion on that matter. If he had rapped more on Idlewild he would have definitely landed in the 1st or 2nd spot. But because of his raw uncut lyrics that he spit on the few tracks that he chose to rap on, he got a top 5 spot.
King Jerm: Check out “Walk it Out” remix, “Hollywood Divorce”, & “Mighty O”.
4. Nas
B-Easy: When Nas declared Hip Hop Is Dead, the world took notice (You know you heard Jeezy, T.I., & Ludacris). But if anybody noticed, he was also on he grind, coming out from under his rock and doing a bunch of cameos (He did songs with Diddy, The Game, DJ Clue, Hi-Tek, & Busta Rhymes). Oh yea, he dropped his best album since God’s Son too.
3. T.I.
Blood: With the success of King and some of the best songs that T.I.P. has written in his 4 albums, he has showed growth that will only bring him closer and closer to the top of any list that measures an artist. He has become one of the best songwriters in the game to go along with the lyricist that he came into the game as.“King Of The South” Shawty!
2. Lil’ Wayne
Blood: There are 2 guys who claim to be “The Best Rapper Alive”, Wayne happens to be one of them. With The Dedication 2 and Like Father, Like Son both dropping in ’06 right on the heels of The Carter 2 Wayne is definitely coming for that number one spot. Example:
“Lil’ Wayne right from Kims’ corner store/
Chopper wake a Nigga ass up like the morning show/
Put me in the game, and I see’em callin audibles/
Hearts beating fast, better work on your cardio”
King Jerm: Nobody was hungrier and all over the place than Weezy was this year.
1. Jay-Z
B-Easy: When word leaked out that Jay-Z would be releasing an album and coming out of retirement this year, the Hip-Hop world went into frenzy. Either you hated Hov coming back or you praised him for it. You couldn’t help seeing this man on TV (Budweiser & NBA Live commercials), you heard about his concerts (seven cities in one day!), and Barbara Walters wanted to talk to him (Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2006). All this while dropping a 4.5 mic album (okay, it’s The Source, I know), and betting out T.I. for the top selling Rap album of ’06. Jay-Z shows Hip-Hop that you don’t have to be under 30 to be the best in Hip-Hop.
Blood: Who else but the other self proclaimed “Best Rapper Alive” could top off this list. Lyrically it doesn’t get any better than Jay-Z. Even with an album that is not as good from start to finish as his usual efforts, he still proves to be:
“Superman in the booth”. Example:
Kingpin of the Ink pen/
Monster of the double entendre/
Coke is still my Sponsor…/
Huh, the Cola/
Yeah, Hova still getting it in with soda”
King Jerm: It’s Hovie Baby!