Published: Monday - November 14, 2005
Words by Jay Reckless
Big Pun Photo: Loud
UPON browsing a certain popular urban music site's forum recently, I came across a debate which got me thinking. The discussion itself was generic enough: the tried-and-tested "Who's better, X or Y?" format that adorns hip-hop message boards all over the net. It was an offshoot of this main topic that concerned me. The post itself was focused on two of hip-hop's late greats, Big Pun and The Notorious B.I.G. There was a surprisingly even divide between the two MCs, with heads choosing both sides, and giving a slew of valid reasons for their choices. However, one post from a user in particular interested me -- he claimed that Pun far surpassed Biggie because he was (and I paraphrase) "more lyrical." This term -- "lyrical" -- struck a rather ambiguous chord inside the head of this particular writer.
Lyrical?? Surely this is what makes an MC great. It is certainly a defining characteristic that separates your Nas's from your Nelly's, and your Hov's from your Hammers. But then I rethought, looking over a quick mental list of those MCs that are considered to be superior to the vast majority. In short, to be saying something, lyrics are not exactly paramount. Think about it, hip-hop is full of its submachine gun lyricists, spouting words at 100 rpm's, that, whilst interesting to listen to, don't exactly make many people's top ten. It's what makes the difference between a Raekwon and, say, an Atmosphere, or an Eyedea. The Chef is often hailed as one of rap's top emcees, with a tingling skill for wordplay. But where are your Detroit-based rapid-firers? A lot further down the list, IF they get a mention.
Obviously, Raekwon's Wu-affiliation makes him more well-known, but there are plenty of "below the radar" rappers who often get mentioned in people's toplist (Chino XL, Cuban Link, Talib Kweli, to name but a few), whilst other rappers of the Big Pun lyrical vein are passed over like a Jewish holiday. And it's not just personal preference or affiliation, it's simply that the MCs have that charisma about them. After all, I like listening to Se7en's Travels as much as the next guy, but if I'm trapped on a desert island with my walkman and only one album, all signs point to choosing Illmatic or Cuban Linx -- hip-hop opuses which ooze personality, sublimely drawing the listener in to their creator's environments, rather than an album which is simply "hot."
And it's this point that stuck in my mind as I continued reading the debate, and realizing that, whilst Pun was arguably the more lyrical MC, stringing together multi-syllable one-liners at a rate of fire so fast you could practically SEE the words before you heard them, I was gonna have to go with Biggie. Now don't get me wrong Punisher fans, I'm not for a minute denying the premise of the late, great, Christopher Rios. It's just that no matter how much I enjoyed Pun's verbalicious onslaughts, they would somehow never be able, in my mind, to top hearing Mr. Smalls' heavy, razor-sharp delivery, whether being witty ("You mad 'cause my style you're admirin'/Don't be mad, UPS is hirin'"), gritty ("We had to grow dreads to change our description / two cops is on a milkbox missin'") or just plain kidding around ("That girl look so good, I'd suck on her daddy d---"). It was Biggie's charisma, his X-factor and his sheer presence on the mic that tipped the balance.
I realized this is what separates a dope MC from a "top ten" MC. It's just "that-something-about-them" and their presence on a track. They don't even have to be skilled in all aspects of being a dope MC (after all, let's not forget that Mr. Frank White himself once actually let out the line "What you tote? / More Guns than Roses"), but if they've got that spark, well, then they've got that spark. It's your Biggie's, your Jay-Z's, your Nas's, your Eminems...to take it back, your Rakim's, your Big Daddy Kane's, your Kool G Rap's...that just have that thing. And they know it.
Conclusion: being a dope MC isn't all about lyrics, or how fast you can rap. To use an old cliché, it's not what you say, but how you say it. So next time the debate comes around -- and it will -- it might pay to take a little more mind on your choices, and why?
The views expressed inside this editorial aren't necessarily the views of BallerStatus.net or staff.
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