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Where Do You Rank Them? (Vol 47) - Rakim

Where Do U Rank Him?

  • Top 5

    Votes: 9 33.3%

  • Top 10

    Votes: 13 48.1%

  • Top 25

    Votes: 3 11.1%

  • Top 26-50

    Votes: 2 7.4%

  • 50+

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    27
Rakim stands like this:

In whatever order you shake out Big, Pac, Jay, and Nas, they go 1-4. We understand that.

Rakim is #5. Period. And thatā€™s the Top 5.

Those four in whatever order, then Rakim Allah.
 
Mister B. said:
Rakim stands like this:

In whatever order you shake out Big, Pac, Jay, and Nas, they go 1-4. We understand that.

Rakim is #5. Period. And thatā€™s the Top 5.

Those four in whatever order, then Rakim Allah.
Click to expand...


That's a classic case of groupthink. We've been on the same message boards for so long that we've been brainwashed that Pac, Nas, Jay & Big are the top 4 as if it's a fact not an opinion. As if LL Cool J can't get a spot, or Ice Cube, or Melle Mel.

I remember Rakim when he was in his prime. He certainly ushered in a new style of rapping. If you listen to Run DMC's Raising Hell album, and then listen to Eric B Is President/Check Out My Melody 12" which came out the same summer, clearly Rakim was doing something different than what Run DMC was doing.

Eric B & Rakim's first 3 albums were heads and shoulders above what everybody else was doing, lyrically. Their 4th album was cool but their sound was getting played out.

My main gripe with Rakim, or Eric B & Rakim, was they didn't make any hits. No radio friendly songs that were catchy. KRS was the same way, they were hardcore Hip Hop whereas artists like Run DMC, Salt N Pepa or LL Cool J always had something for the radio.

Then when he went solo he tried making smoothed out R&B tracks that flopped hard. (On a side note, he should have gotten Puff Daddy to produce his 18th Letter album in 1997)

Anyway, he was top 3 of his era along with LL and KRS.

I voted top 10
 
Idk. Niggas REALLY need to be honest. Definitely niggas born after 1985. This nigga is only ok.
 
5 Grand said:
That's a classic case of groupthink. We've been on the same message boards for so long that we've been brainwashed that Pac, Nas, Jay & Big are the top 4
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U really think niggas just started thinking those were the mount rushmore when forums were created? U gotta start going outside nigga
 
Goldie said:
U really think niggas just started thinking those were the mount rushmore when forums were created? U gotta start going outside nigga
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When I was coming up it was KRS, Rakim & LL Cool J (before that it was Melle Mel, Caz & Moe Dee).

In the mid 90s, people in my generation used Rakim, KRS & LL Cool J as a benchmark, or the bar for a great MC because cats like Nas, Jay, Big & Pac only had one album, or in some cases two albums.
 
5 Grand said:
When I was coming up it was KRS, Rakim & LL Cool J (before that it was Melle Mel, Caz & Moe Dee).

In the mid 90s, people in my generation used Rakim, KRS & LL Cool J as a benchmark, or the bar for a great MC because cats like Nas, Jay, Big & Pac only had one album, or in some cases two albums.
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Lol @ when i came up, nigga u came up in 82. The old heads on this site all have most of those 4 mount rushmore niggas in their top 5. You're the only old head on here pushing this narrative.
 
Goldie said:
Lol @ when i came up, nigga u came up in 82. The old heads on this site all have most of those 4 mount rushmore niggas in their top 5. You're the only old head on here pushing this narrative.
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That's my point. People are brainwashed and don't want to go against the grain.

It's ok if you don't go along with the group. You can have your own opinion.


I see people saying that Lupe is in their personal top 5, but they vote top 25 because other people don't listen to them. Does that make any sense?
 
5 Grand said:
That's my point. People are brainwashed and don't want to go against the grain.

It's ok if you don't go along with the group. You can have your own opinion.


I see people saying that Lupe is in their personal top 5, but they vote top 25 because other people don't listen to them. Does that make any sense?
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It's being a realist. I personally think Tsu Surf is better than most of these niggas yall voting for, but realistically I can't put him in the top 10. When I rank a mf, i take into acct his catalog, influence, impact, flow, content, etc. There's a lot of categories. Surf wouldnt rank high in most of those categories.
 
Rakim is Top 10 non debatable!

When you're called the God MC your place in hip hop rankings can only be debated between The GOAT or the 10th greatest.
 
5 Grand said:
That's a classic case of groupthink. We've been on the same message boards for so long that we've been brainwashed that Pac, Nas, Jay & Big are the top 4 as if it's a fact not an opinion. As if LL Cool J can't get a spot, or Ice Cube, or Melle Mel.

I remember Rakim when he was in his prime. He certainly ushered in a new style of rapping. If you listen to Run DMC's Raising Hell album, and then listen to Eric B Is President/Check Out My Melody 12" which came out the same summer, clearly Rakim was doing something different than what Run DMC was doing.

Eric B & Rakim's first 3 albums were heads and shoulders above what everybody else was doing, lyrically. Their 4th album was cool but their sound was getting played out.

My main gripe with Rakim, or Eric B & Rakim, was they didn't make any hits. No radio friendly songs that were catchy. KRS was the same way, they were hardcore Hip Hop whereas artists like Run DMC, Salt N Pepa or LL Cool J always had something for the radio.

Then when he went solo he tried making smoothed out R&B tracks that flopped hard. (On a side note, he should have gotten Puff Daddy to produce his 18th Letter album in 1997)

Anyway, he was top 3 of his era along with LL and KRS.

I voted top 10
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Fam, back then there was no such thing as "radio friendly" hip hop. Everything got played. If it was dope, it got spins. Shit, even if it wasn't dope it could get spins.

Eric B and Rakim got spins because the shit was dope, not because it was "radio friendly". Thats the difference between then and now: Right now, it's gotta appeal to the masses with catchy hooks, simple lyrics about simple shit (club, drugs, clothes/designer shit, my money, etc), and "bangin" beats. Back in the 80's/early 90's the masses cared about the shit being dope. That's why 40 and 50 something year old chicks can recite "I Ain't No Joke", "Follow The Leader", "You Gots To Chill", or "So What You Saying" word for word: The shit was dope and it got hella spins on the radio. KRS was the same way: Mad people my age know "My Philosophy", "You Must Learn", and "Love's Gonna Get'cha" 'cause that shit all got radio play.

BTW: "The 18th Letter" was certified RIAA Gold a month after it was released. The deluxe edition: "The 18th Letter / The Book Of Life" was also certified Gold at the same time.

That's hardly what anyone would consider a flop in 1997.
 
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