Phonte, who released Foreign Exchange’s Love in Flying Colors in September, spoke with HipHopDX about his favorite television shows of all time, comparing some of them to rappers.
“My Mount Rushmore of TV shows consists of ‘The Sopranos,’ ‘Six Feet Under,’ ‘The Wire’ and ‘Breaking Bad,’” Phonte said in an exclusive statement to HipHopDX. “Admittedly, I’ve never watched ‘The Sopranos’ outside of a few episodes because the subject matter bored me. Between ‘Goodfellas,’ ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Casino,’ I pretty much have all the Mafia I’ll ever need. But ‘The Sopranos’ laid the groundwork for all that came after it, so it gets my respect for being a forerunner. All the other greats are standing on its shoulders.”
Phonte Praises “Six Feet Under” & “The Wire”
Phonte also explained why “Six Feet Under” and “The Wire” made his “Mount Rushmore of TV shows.”
AD LOADING...
“‘Six Feet Under’ was visually one of the most gorgeous pieces of television ever,” Phonte said. “It handled the themes of family and mortality in such a heartbreaking way. It’s one of the few shows that will have you looking over your life and re-evaluating everything in it.
“‘The Wire,’ to me, is still the greatest of all time,” Phonte added. “There has never been a show to take such a brutal look at American life and how our institutions, government, the education system, drug-law enforcement, have failed us on every level. ‘The Wire’ was genius because it showed that in life, there are rarely ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys.’ There are simply people who do the best they can with the hand life has dealt them.
Phonte Compares Nas & Jay Z To TV Shows
Phonte continued, describing TV’s greatest shows, according to him.
AD LOADING...
“With that said, while I think ‘The Wire’ is the greatest, ‘Breaking Bad’ is the best,” Phonte continued. “Hands down, if the primary purpose of TV is to entertain and engage, I dare you to find a show that is flat out more entertaining and addictive than ‘Breaking Bad.’
“To put it in a Hip Hop perspective, ‘The Wire’ is Jay Z and ‘Breaking Bad’ is Nas,” Phonte added. “In terms of everything he’s accomplished and the way he’s turned himself into a global brand that transcends Rap music, Jay Z is the greatest rapper of all time and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who could argue intelligently against that point. But if you’re asking me on any given day who I would rather hear rap? It’s Nas all day. Period. In terms of flow, voice, content, skill, influence and overall bar for bar track record? Nas is the best because he makes for a more engaging listen. That’s the best analogy I can make to sum up the everlasting ‘Breaking Bad’ versus ‘The Wire’ debate.”
Earlier this year, Phonte also compared several rappers, including Eminem, Kanye West and Snoop Dogg to TV shows via Twitter.
#LawAndOrder is Snoop Dogg: Same formula for over 20 years, but it’s a show where your whole family knows at least ONE episode by heart.
— Phonte (@phontigallo) October 1, 2013
#Lost is Kanye: An unorthodox story that became an unlikely cultural phenomenon and just got weirder and more ridiculous with each season.
— Phonte (@phontigallo) October 1, 2013
#TheNewsroom is Lupe: A technically brilliant show that would be a lot smarter if it stopped trying to show people how smart it is.
— Phonte (@phontigallo) October 1, 2013
#HouseOfCards is Kendrick Lamar: An excellent newcomer that put EVERYBODY on their ass and has a lot to live up to come season 2.
— Phonte (@phontigallo) October 1, 2013
#SonsOfAnarchy is Rick Ross: An over the top, completely unbelievable spectacle that still managed to triumph in spite of itself.
— Phonte (@phontigallo) October 1, 2013
#MadMen is Eminem: Technically FLAWLESS, but I can only listen to the existential angst of rich white men for a short while.
— Phonte (@phontigallo) October 1, 2013
“Oz” is 50 Cent; a gritty show with a great premise whose downfall was due to a focus on sensationalism over content. RT @QG5000 what’s Oz?
— Phonte (@phontigallo) September 30, 2013
#SonsOfAnarchy is Rick Ross: An over the top, completely unbelievable spectacle that still managed to triumph in spite of itself.
— Phonte (@phontigallo) October 1, 2013
#HouseOfCards is Kendrick Lamar: An excellent newcomer that put EVERYBODY on their ass and has a lot to live up to come season 2.
— Phonte (@phontigallo) October 1, 2013
#SouthCentral is Tupac: An edgy show with a talented cast whose legend was made larger due to early cancellation.
— Phonte (@phontigallo) October 1, 2013
#TheSimpsons are The Roots: Constantly and quietly killing shit for over 20 years and on the way to becoming an American institution.
— Phonte (@phontigallo) October 1, 2013
#HowToMakeItInAmerica is Biggie: A promising show that was cut short after two seasons just as it was starting to find its voice.
— Phonte (@phontigallo) October 1, 2013
#BoardwalkEmpire is T.I.: A notable contender with all the right ingredients but lacks that one intangible to place it amongst the greats.
— Phonte (@phontigallo) October 1, 2013
#ArrestedDevelopment is Phonte: A critical fave with a cult following that got pulled by a major, but came back indie and got his bread. lol
— Phonte (@phontigallo) October 1, 2013