Quote:
Originally posted by ThurgreedMarshall
You people are out of your fucking minds.
Yez.
Yez.
Yep.
No question.
I'd let someone get away with arguing this one, but in my opinion, yeah.
Undoubtedly.
Please.
I'm talking about pure talent here. Some of those guys may have him beat in terms of the substance and message of their songs, but for pure skills, no one beats Biggie. No one. Period. End of Story.
Being a good hip hop artist means you have flow. Flow is hard to explain, but it's the ability to make the words you spit fit the music well. Eminem has flow. Rakim and Chuck D and Tupac had it too.
The difference between Biggie and everyone else (except maybe eminem and Tupac) is that he can flow on any type of beat. This is one of my biggest criticisms of Fifty Cent. Sure he sounds great on In Da Club and Wanksta. But those beats were built with his style in mind. Put him on a faster song, one suited to Outkast for example and watch him flounder. Rakim's songs all sounded somewhat similar in style. Mind blowing at the time, but he fell off because he can't switch style. Same with Chuck D. Same with countless others.
What separates Biggie from the best is that not only can he flow on any type of beat, he can switch his style a number of different ways on any given song. When he freestyles (underground tapes and live performances -- I've only seen a few), he blows your mind because not only is he making up the lyrics on the spot, but he switches his style back, forth, up and down at the same time. Enormous talent.
Puffy watered him down a lot because if there's one thing Puffy learned is that the more people can understand your artist, the more successful you are (see Mace).
And he's a great story teller. He can describe the scene and feel of a story better than anyone I've ever seen. Slick Rick had this ability. Biggie had it too. Difference is, he's got the whole package.
I've never heard a song Biggie did that was bad. He was on another level. Ask any hip hop head (who isn't from The South where they listen to almost nothing but crap) and they'll tell you he was the best or will put him in the top three.
TM
|
TM,
I'm out. I cry uncle. I'm found to be a lacking dilletante in this arena.
I still dig Chuck D the most. No reason why. I just think he was the Johnny Rotten of rap - whetever you were doing, when he was rapping, you were fucking listening. Biggie may have exceptional technique, but Chuck D could actually grab you by the ears and spin your brain.
Slick Rick is probably the smoothest I've ever heard, but as I said, I am obviously a dilletante here.
S(Did Rick get deported? I think Ashcroft and his thugs were trying to send Rick to England for some stupid immigration thing)D
Threaded Mode