Tag: Rap

A highly debatable ranking of the 14 greatest rappers of all time

This was the closest we could get our staff to at least sort of agreeing.

Now that we’ve reached the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, we wanted to celebrate the greatest rappers of all time.

Ranking musicians is an impossible task, of course, because everyone brings their own criteria and preferences. For example, we recently tried to rank the greatest American rock bands, and we realized there was no perfect science.

Music isn’t like sports. There aren’t definitive stats we can mention in order to demonstrate why someone is better than someone else. Rap is so much more about the way something makes you feel, which makes it very hard to judge and quantify.

But we still did our best to try and answer some important questions.

How exactly does one define greatness? Is it your personal favorite rapper, or is it more based on accomplishments and influence? How much do we factor technical ability relative to storytelling? What weight is given to flow compared to popularity? We all had our own definitions so we had to really just trust our gut here.

What about collectives? Rap groups (e.g. Wu-Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest, The Beastie Boys, N.W.A., Public Enemy, Run D.M.C., Salt-N-Pepa, etc.) were excluded from this list. We will revisit this at a later date.

Here was our methodology: Our staff was allowed to cast ten votes for any rapper, dead or alive. We were asked to rank each rapper from No. 1 overall to No. 10 overall. Rappers that got first-place votes from a staffer received ten points, rappers that got second-place votes received nine points (and so on … until rappers that got tenth-place votes earned one).

We calculated the results and brought them to you, the reader. This article is, by nature, imperfect. This list missed a lot of the best rappers to ever touch a microphone.

Art is subjective, as we know. But this was the closest we could get our staff to at least sort of agreeing.

RELATED: Hip-hop’s 50th anniversary is the perfect time to celebrate how intertwined it is with sports

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Boston legend Larry Bird could ball, but did you know he also rapped?

If there was any doubt as to why Larry Legend did not eschew a career on the court for one on the stage, this might be the best evidence we have to settle such a question.

When it comes to the Hick From French Lick (as Boston Celtics Hall of Fame forward Larry Bird was affectionately known by his fans), very few people stacked up against the all-time great on the basketball court. But fewer today know about Bird’s incredibly brief career as a rap artist.

Yes, you read that right — though we might be stretching the concept of rapper about as far as one can before it ceases to make any sense. In an ad for one of the first sneakers sold with the endorsements of multiple NBA players, the Indiana native dropped some (very awkward) bars to finish the cipher started by lifelong friend and rival Magic Johnson.

“The Converse Weapon, that’s the shoe,” began Johnson. “Lets Magic do what he was born to do.” Detroit Pistons icon Isiah Thomas followed with “Maybe so, but that’s not all. Lets Isiah play like he’s 10 feet tall.”

“For the types of moves that never fail, the Weapon is the choice of Kevin McHale,” countered Bird’s star teammate, with Mark Aguirre and Bernard King dropping some verses before Bird took it home with “You already know what they did for me — I walked away with the MVP.”

If there was any doubt as to why Larry Legend did not eschew a career on the court for one on the stage, this might be the best evidence we have to settle such a question.

But then, very few NBAers have ever made that leap successfully — and fewer still with the level of skill on the court Bird possessed (h/t to Sportscasting’s Mike Thomas).

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Drake’s new hairdo looks like it came straight out of a 1970s mafia movie and fans let him know all about it

What is Drake doing?!?!?

Listen. Drake has certainly done some questionable things with his appearance before. We can’t act like he hasn’t.

I mean, the dude cut a heart into his shapeup for the sake of an album rollout. He also got Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant’s numbers tattooed on his arms, which is fine, I guess, because they’re friends. But also still kind of weird and definitely a questionable decision.

But this? Slicked back mullet? This is definitely a new one.

That’s right. The Boy popped out here looking like Billy Dee Williams’ Lando Calrissian — Star Wars fans, you’ll get that reference. It’s very fitting that he took this picture at a casino. He definitely belongs there with this hair.

Mans is out here wylin. Bro went to the barbershop and said “give me the Kenrich Williams. He looks like he played in Scorsese’s Casino. 

The internet is rightfully roasting this man for this. Because what else are we supposed to do? The jokes are flying.

Watch our sneaker unboxing series, Special Delivery

What is Pushin’ P? Everything you need to know about the internet’s latest obsession

Keep it P and click this.

Pushin’ 🅿 is all the rage these days on the internet. Or, at least, it’s trying to be, anyway.

Most people have no idea what it means or where it even comes from. They’ve only seen blue parking sign emojis on the internet everywhere and are trying to figure out what is going on.

If that’s you —and it definitely is because that’s why you clicked this — don’t be embarrassed. You’re not alone. There are a lot of people who have no idea what P is nor do they know how to keep it P.

But don’t worry. That’s why you’ve got me. I’m here to fill you in. You’re welcome.

Now, let’s dive in.

Every athlete name-dropped in Drake’s Certified Lover Boy album from LeBron James to Sha’Carri Richardson and more

So. Many. Sports references.

That’s right, folks. Drake’s new album is officially here. It dropped in the wee hours of the morning on Friday and some people are already stamping it as album of the year.

While it’s a little too early for that, the project does seem to be solid. There’s a lot of R&B Drake on it, which is what everyone expects of an album named Certified Lover Boy. 

But don’t get it twisted — there are definitely some bars in it for those of us who lean toward the hardcore hip-hop Drake. And, as we usually get with Drake, many of them are sports adjacent.

Let’s dive into some of the best ones.

Fans and peers everywhere are paying homage to DMX, who died at 50 years old

Rest in Peace, DMX.

DMX is a hip-hop legend. The game simply just won’t be the same without him.

The legend died at 50 years old on Friday after being taken to the hospital as a result of a heart attack from an apparent drug overdose, per the Associated Press.

For so many people, X was a beacon of hope. He was an inspirational figure — an imperfect picture of resilience. He spent his entire life battling with addiction and personal demons that he never quite found a way to shake, as The Undefeated’s Justin Tinsley points out here ever so eloquently.

Still, as Tinsley writes, throughout those battles, he persevered and lived a life that impacted so many people in such positive ways.

So many of those people took to Twitter to share some of those stories and some of their favorite moments in seeing him. Everyone from his peers to his fans paid their respects.

Some had amazing stories to tell.

Others shared their favorite moments.

Some of his peers reflected on the impact that he had on them and on the music world at large.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNc_5MQBB4p/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNdEblxHoi5

More than anything, though, everyone held on to something he said from one of the last interviews he had that we saw.

“If I was to drop dead right now, my last thought would be: I’ve lived a good life.”

He lived a great one. Rest in peace, DMX.

Comparing every starting QB to a different rapper

Raiders writer Maliik Obee, better known as @NFLMaliik on Twitter, compared every current starting quarterback in the league to a different hip-hop artist with an explanation for each.

The start of the NFL’s 2020 regular season is still a few weeks away and without a preseason, there isn’t much for fans to talk about other than training camp practice highlights.

Sometimes we rely on player comparisons to fill the void. But who says we have to restrict our comparisons to a single sport, or even the same genre?

Writer Maliik Obee, better known as @NFLMaliik on Twitter, compared every current starting quarterback to a different hip-hop artist. Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan was described as rapper Freddie Gibbs:

There’s some other really interesting comparisons that Falcons fans will enjoy, especially this savagely accurate description Saints QB Taysom Hill.

Check out the rest of Obee’s QB/rapper comparisons below.

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Nipsey Hussle fans everywhere celebrated what would’ve been the rapper’s 35th birthday

Rest in peace, Nip.

Nipsey Hussle was taken from this world far too soon.

Just a little more than a year ago in March 2019, Hussle was killed in his own “Marathon” clothing store by local rapper Eric Holder while making an impromptu visit as he would a few times a week.

His death dealt a big blow to Hip Hop as a genre. He had finally just released his debut and only studio album Victory Lap in 2018 after more than a decade of releasing critically acclaimed mixtapes.

Hussle was a legend in Hip Hop before his death because of how he worked and persevered as an independent artist for a decade before releasing his debut album. That same spirit he brought to the genre remains after.

His music was motivational. His songs were about just getting up and achieving goals until you’ve found success. People loved him for that.

While he is gone, he’ll never be forgotten. Fans made that clear on Saturday on what would’ve been his 35th birthday. They posted tributes all over the internet to remember the legendary rapper.

(Warning: There is some NSFW language contained in these tweets) 

Some just posted pictures.

Some posted his greatest quotes and moments that connected him with so many people.

Some posted stories about him.

Others posted pieces of hard hitting music from him. He never wasted a single word in his lyrics.

Nipsey is gone but his impact was very clearly made. His imprint will last forever. In his own words, the marathon continues.

J Cole’s new song ‘Snow of tha Bluff’, and why it’s controversial, explained

This isn’t a beef.

J Cole is considered by many to one of the best rappers of his generation. When he drops anything — be it a song, or an album, or even something as simple as a tweet — people listen, read and watch.

That happened again on Tuesday night when Cole dropped a new song for the first time in about a year called “Snow on tha Bluff.” It felt like everyone took a four minute pause to go listen to the song.

The results probably weren’t what Cole expected, though.

Instead of folks coming back with the usual “wow, this is fire” reaction they’d had to to his other songs, this time fans chastised him for the song’s content.

What is the song even about?

The song’s news peg is the current discussion about racial injustice and police brutality across the country.

Listen to it here.

what made this song different?

He expresses some deep insecurities in this one that we don’t normally hear. It feels like a diary entry. One that serves as both a confession and then a critique — of someone else and, eventually, himself at the end.

He starts off by saying people think he’s “deep, intelligent” and are “fooled by my college degree.”

Where does the critique come in?

Immediately after that line, he transitions into his critique of an unnamed Black woman who he says is “way smarter” than he is and is angry at all the systems the country is built on and constantly rants on Twitter about it.

He says she’s done all the reading and done all the work to validate her arguments and critiques, but also lashes out at people occasionally. And he felt that one of her Tweets was an affront on him.

And this is where the controversy starts.

Who is he talking about here?

Most people on the internet seem to think he’s talking about Chicago rapper, poet and freedom fighter Noname.

She first jumped on the scene for most people when she appeared on Chance The Rapper’s Acid Rap mixtape. Her music is mostly centered around the Black experience in America — particularly that of Black women — and how she grew up in Chicago.

She doesn’t make music as much anymore, though. Instead, she’s built a whole community through her book club that constantly reads about Black life, struggles and Black advancement.

But wait, Cole didn’t even mention her in the song

Cole didn’t mention her, but she fits the description pretty well.

On top of that, she had a tweet critiquing an also unnamed rapper for not contributing when the George Floyd protests first broke out.

So why are people mad at Cole?

We live in a country where women — particularly Black women — do not feel safe. They are assaulted regularly and their voices are suppressed. Whether Cole intended for it to be or not, this song turned into another form of suppression.

And, considering that this was just days after activist Oluwatoyin Salau was found murdered after she had been sexually assaulted, the timing could not have been worse.

Cole’s critique basically amounted to him telling this educated woman who he says is smarter than him on the issues to educate him instead of talking down on him, which is neither that woman’s job nor her responsibility. Whether it’s Noname or not. Especially after Cole admits openly in the song that he hasn’t done the work to educate himself.

Did Cole apologize?

Well, not really. He said in a Twitter thread this morning that he stands by every word in the song.  He also wouldn’t confirm who he was talking about.

However, he did say that he follows Noname and “I love and honor her as a leader in these times” in that same thread. And lauded her for doing the work while critiquing himself for just being a rapper.

That’s not really an apology, though.

Is this a beef?

Nah, it’s definitely not a beef. Maybe a misunderstanding, but not a beef. At some point, hopefully, Cole actually speaks to whoever he’s talking about and clears things up.

But that’s probably what he should’ve done in the first place.

Celtics guard Marcus Smart releases new rap video with Trey Davis

Boston Celtics veteran guard Marcus Smart has released a new track with friend Trey Davis called “Quarantine Cap.”

Boston Celtics veteran guard Marcus Smart has bars, it seems.

Roughly a year after releasing a track celebrating his new contract with the Celtics — using the nom de plume “52M” — with childhood friend Trey Davis, Smart has teamed up with his former AAU circuit companion to release “Quarantine Cap”, a song clearly inspired in part by the pandemic.

In this track, a bass-heavy mumble rap track with a catchy hook, the Flower Mound native is going by “Young Gamechanger”, a name Smart employs in a lot of other, more basketball-related contexts.

Davis has maintained close ties with Smart since his AAU days, the pair on the same Texas circuit.

He’s since played for the University of Massachusetts Minutemen and then several stops in the G League — most recently with the Maine Red Claws — while Smart’s grown his stature within the NBA.

Making music together has been an avenue to continue that bond, and has produced some pretty solid tunes for folks who spend most of their time working on an entirely different craft.

Check it out for yourself if the genre is your bag — be warned though, the lyrics are explicit — in the video below.

While the Texan guard and his longtime friend aren’t going to be the next Dead Prez, they’re definitely worth a listen. And if you missed Smart’s first track, click here to check it out as well.

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