Contributors: B. Ware tha Siniq, Blastmaster, Glavet, multsanta, Jason Gloss
100. Uncle Murda - While some have already cast Murder away as a gimmick shock rapper, if they took the time to
listen to his most inspired material, 2 Hard For Hip Hop, they would see that he isnt some ICP/Necro groupie with
NYC street cred. He has Redman's voice, Jay-Z's conversational style and the attitude and demeanor of a less patient
BIG. His commercial appeal may be questionable in the short term, as he went over the deep end with the cop killing
shit right before he got his deal, but in 2007 there are far less endearing subjects to get stuck on. Tracks
like "Mind Full of Demons", "Tell Em What They Want T Hear", "Shootin and Missin" and "I Shot the Sheriff" show a
ton of promise and should give even the staunchest of change resistant fans of raw NYC street rap at least a
glimmer of hope for the future.
99. Gift of Gab
98. One Be Low
97. B.O.B. - Everything you like about Andre 3000 and none of the bullshit you hate. The guy is a goldmine. Not
only a tremendously talented emcee, but BOB produces huge sounding potential hits for a crop of young artists that
will prove to be the future of Southern rap.
96. Supastition
95. Turf Talk - Turf spits sandpaper cadences against Rick Rock & Droop-E's space ship landing soundscapes. Like
his big cousin 40, he's certainly an acquired taste, but one worth acquiring.
94. Inspectah Deck
93. O.C.
92. Casual
91. Tame One - A lot of people wrote off Tame shortly after The Artifacts split and while his ’06 release “Spazmatic”
was completely forgettable, it was his ’07 mixtape “The Grudge” that allowed Tame to show-off his talent on “No Hook”
and “Yes Yes Ya’ll.” He maybe an A&R nightmare, but he’s a producers dream. Now he just needs to find that producer…
90. Kool Keith - If you think Keith fell off, think again. It’s a number game; for every 10 albums he drops, 1 of them is
bound to be dope and that one was “Project Polaroid.” Vintage Keith returned on “Diamond District,” “The Overviewer” and
made every Ultra fan smile again with “Mechanism Nice” on the underwhelming Ultra release “The Best Kept Secret.”
89. El-P
88. KRS-ONE - What can you say about KRS that hasn't been said before. Often considered one of the top three MC's off
all-time, KRS may not be what he used to be in term of relevance, but KRS proves he can still bring it on the recent
release with Marley Marl.
87. Noreaga
86. Lupe Fiasco
85. Phonte
84. Reef The Lost Cauze - Reppin' Philly, Reef is an MC's MC. Armed with a dope voice and an ill flow, Reef comes hard
on every track, ripping every line to shred with his hard, in your face style.
83. Hell Rell
82. Fat Joe
81. MURS - He may not be “M.aking U.ndergorund R.aw S.hit” anymore, but MURS has definitely made enough noise to
get signed to Warner Bros. MURS traded in his Power Peralta skateboard for a candy painted ’64 when he chills with the
big homie Snoop Dogg or E-40, but he didn’t forget how to rhyme. Look for “MURS for President” as proof of that in 2008.
80. Aesop Rock
79. J.R. Writer - A mixtape rapper's mixtape rapper. A one-trick pony for the most part, but he is really really good at
that trick. 16 for 16, he is as good as any punchline rapper on the planet.
78. Apathy - Apathy's metamorphosis from a backpacking punchline rapper into a gun-toting thugged out punchline rapper may
lack authenticity, but its hard to argue with the resulting material. Eastern Philosophy is an excellent exploration of the
typical gangsta-minded subject material, but it stands out because Apathy is intelligent, witty and not afraid to poke fun
at himself. Songs like "All About Crime", "Chemicals" "The Buck Stops Here" and "One of Those Days" are focused and
well-executed efforts full of slick rhymes and varied flows that stand out against the typical battle rap whiteness that
you would expect from Ap.
77. Juvenile - Juve improved drastically on the severely underrated “Reality Check.” Not only did his writing and flow tighten up, he
had an opportunity to say some important shit and he took full advantage of it.
76. Slug - Despite what some may think of Slug, it’s hard to argue that he isn't one of the more vivid rhymers the game
has seen. Case in point, his recent "Sunshine" single which makes the listener feel the harshness of the hangover, the
warmth of the sun on your skin or the breeze blowing through your hair while riding a 10 Speed. Sean also demonstrates
the ability to cover more than just relationship problems with political views and deeper issues on his most recent studio LP.
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