Ask any emcee who started rapping before the turn of the century who their all-time favorite emcee is and a good percentage will tell you Kool G. Rap. While the Kool Genius may top many lists, he also has one of his own. He recently spoke to VladTV and revealed his top 5 from Queens.
“Run-DMC, right off the top, because they had made so many classic hits that even if you throw them on to this day, it will take you back and you will lose your f*cking mind. And just for that alone, I miss Jam Master Jay so much because you know you will never see Run-DMC on-stage again like the way they started out.” G Rap continued with another Def Jam legend. “LL Cool J. LL because he’s one of the first rappers to bring a complex flow to the game. Maybe not so much with his commercial records, but records like ‘I’m Dangerous’ and songs like that, he really displayed his lyrical and flow capabilities. I mean, he really showed out. For that time. Nas. Nas because he’s everything you would want to hear out of a rapper. He’s lyrical, he’s witty, he’s got wordplay, he has the ability to tell a story.”
“Mobb Deep because Mobb Deep, they came out at a time where I felt that real gritty, gritty hardcore street rap was needed,” G. Rap said of the Queensbridge duo he influenced so heavily. “Because there was the rise of the West Coast at the time and it was like, no one was holding the crown down on our side. So Mobb Deep, I give a lot of credit to for like being one of the representatives of East Coast rap and New York and you know, things of that nature. Holding it down.”
“[Lastly], I would have to say 50 [Cent]. I would have to say 50. I mean, 50, he just, at the time he came out, the impact he had on the world, it was like that hardcore street shit — 50 just brought it back,” Kool G. said in a surprise to some. “He just put f*cking NY on his back and was like, ‘I’ma hold it down, don’t even worry about it.’ [He] brought that gritty sh*t back to the game. And on top of that, he had a h*ll of a story. If somebody was to write a 50 Cent movie before 50 Cent’s life actually unfolded like that, you’d be like, ‘Yeah, this is definitely fiction. This would never happen to nobody.’ Somebody that get shot nine times, survive that and then blow up and become one of the biggest artists in the f*cking game and kind of corner the market almost d*mn near, the whole world like ‘GG-GGG?'”
No one from Westcoast?????
Is there a Queens there too, maybe?
Reading is fundamental. He’s talking about the top 5 MC’s/rappers from the borough of Queens dumbass.
Lol, read the article dumbass.
Walter, you are an IDIOT!!!! They said Queens you stupid fuck!!
r.o.t.f.l.m.a.o., at WALTER ^^^^^^^^^^^. l.o.l.
there are some real dunce people, on this planet…UNFORTUNATELY.
QUEENS is a borough, in N.Y.C. s.m.h.
Idiot, Its his top 5 from Queens. But I guess you west coasters cant read
lol
right, it’s a coastal thing… or not
Mmmhhh….very dissapointing, but I guess he is being honest. I understand that Kool G is from the 80s so thats his calling card of sorts….still, to put Run DMC and LL on there strike me as being a bit too symbolic. I guess Nas is a given, Im not a fan past the 1st two albums, but I can understand. And prodigy should certainly be there….
But….How the FUCK is Cormega not on this list?!?! 50??
You must be Cormega himself, or somebody close to him because no one in there right mind thinks Cormega has done anything remotely close to impacting hip hop like the five acts that he listed.
If you’re not Cormega or a close relative, you sir are extremely delusional.
As a matter of fact, even if you are either of the two, you’re still delusional
When you drop a classic album like Get Rich or Die Trying its gonna be hard to make an album as great but seriously Nobody had an impact on the game the way 50 cent has that’s why he’s on the list he blew up and sold 10 million records spitting that hardcore street shit and turned them into bangas he didnt have to go pop to sell like these corny artists out now and hes still relevent and hated on like crazy ask any person from 2003-07 who they favorite artist was and they would answer 50 cent….
Ben, I don’t how old you are (I’m 32 y.o.) and the fact is that none of us has any say about which time period that we are born into; however, Run-DMC or LL Cool J are in no way “symbolic”.
Run-DMC literally increased the mainstream commercial viability of Hip Hop with their song “Walk This Way” featuring Aerosmith. This was the first black rap video to be aired on the primarily white, non-hip hop/non-rap MTV.
So when Neilsen Soundscan first came into existence in March 1991 and revealed that Public Enemy’s platinum-selling album, Fear of A Black Planet, sold 70% of its sales within demographic White America, who do you think was responsible for influencing all those surburban kids to cross-over and consume hip hop music to the point where 50 Cent could sell well-over Diamond-status (10 million).
In addition, the super-versatile LL Cool J made the sweetest ballads-past, present, future (I Need Love, Hey Lover, Around The Way Girl, Hey); the rawest anthems (I’m Bad, Jack The Ripper, Mama Said Knock U Out); and the nastiest theme songs (Big Ole Butt, Jinglin’ Baby, Doin It). He managed to cover a wide range of emotions and sub-genres while still doing him and not selling out as well as always maintaining a decent acting career. Please read his inside notes of the Walkin’ With A Panther album. He prophesied his impact right inside there on how he wanted black males to be seen in America.
I hate Michael Jordan but I believe he was the best professional basketball player of all time b/c I witnessed it. But if an older cat disagrees who has seen MJ but has also witnessed the greatness of Bill Russell, Jerry West, or Julius Erving, who am I to argue the G.O.A.T. with him?
Peace, Ben. P.S. Cormega Montana, J-Zone, ATCQ, and Black Sheep are some of my favorites too. Cannot ever limit to Top 5, though. Too many memories.
Spot on Schoolcraft313!
LL COOL J most definitely
lmfao at “no one from the west coast”?
your a dumbass cause he said queens dick head not new york in a whole or nobody else queens u assface.shut up nigga you stupid
You do know the guy was just sarcastically pointing it out, not actually asking where the west coast guys are.
I’d have subbed Q-Tip for 50.
true true
Thats a good list Kool G Rap kept it real.
50 Cent before Onyx or ATCQ? r u kidding me
Lol, I’m not a 50 cent stan but even Britney knows that without 50 HipHop wouldn’t be as recognized as it is nowadays.
I’m glad he put Nas on the list.
of course he would assholeeeeeee… fuckin faget
Yup, good choices. But putting 50 ahead of Tribe? But he is right about Mobb. Yeah Wu & Black Moon had already dropped but Mobb came hard with Infamous. LL is always forgotten on alot of peoples list. Dude can spit with teh best of them. Heads dont give him credit because he makes love songs. …Rock the Bells, I’m Bad, Jack the Ripper man the list goes on and on!
i dont if some of ya notice but the title is called Kool G. Rap Names (His) Top 5 From Queens it his top 5 not yours if he doesnt put q-tip in his top 5 then he dont have to it not your list
missing out ATCQ is scandalous!
TRAGEDY THE INTELLIGENT HOODLUM/KHADAFI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2w8WZDA2Uw
STEP INTO MY ARENA IF YOU DARE
http://www.youtube.com/user/305ilovemia#p/u/23/CHf8lFuMEgY
Get Ready Hip Hop Heads!! Tonight @ 9 pm est – 6 pm pst on BKS1RADIO.COM Bks1 Radios Live In The Cipher Team along with you the listener will rate and review Talib Kweli’s new release Gutter Rainbows. Join us for our interactive review process where your opinion counts. Tune in on BKS1RADIO.COM and chat in our shout box or Call in 646-929-1530. Hip Hop rumors, gossip, trivia and more!! Join the experience!!!
great list…
Is Akinyele from Queens? If so, I’d put him on my list, along with Extra P, Phife and MC Shan. Don’t know how 50 made G Rap’s list.
if you can read, he picked 50 mainly for the impact he had on the game…which KGR isn’t lying about…whether you like 50 or not.
Say what you want but imo………Sticky Fingaz is that dude. Eminem knows whats up.
Sticky got K.O.’d by a “white-boy” live on MTV!!!…Yeah that punk knows whats up!
YALL HATE ON 50 B/C YALL CAN’T STOP HIM SO YALL ARE FORCED TO WATCH HIM. I GUESS THE HATERS AIN’T DOING THEY JOB CAUSE G-UNIT IS STILL HERE PUTTING OUT BANGERS, BANK$ IS DA HOTTEST RECORDS ON DA EASTCOAST SINCE 2010 NOT TO MENTION DA SUCCESS OF HIS SINGLES SELLING 700K-PLUS! GET ON UR JOBZ HATERS THE BOSS 50CENT IS STILL SCORING HUNDRED-MILLION-DOLLAR DEALS AND SUCCEEDING WITH NEW VENTURES(SLEEK EARNED HIM $8.7MIL IN 2-DAYS)…I KNOW WHY YALL MAD CAUSE UR FAVORTIE RAPPERS WANNA BEEF WITH HIM BUT THEY CAN’T TOP HIM! 50 WON’T GO AWAY NO MATTER HOW MANY OF UR FAVS THAT TRY TO STOP HIM BISD WENT GOLD HIS LOWEST BUT YALL FAVS MOST! 50’S MOST WENT DIAMOND WHATS UR FAVS MOST???…ITS LONELY AT THE TOP! DAMN, WONDER WHAT 50 & JAY DOING UP THERE???
50 Cunt, 50 Cunt? G. Rap you disappoint me man …
true 50 cant rap nomore fuckin garbage.. everyones fuckin garbage these days …..
50 had one of the biggest impacts on hip hop in history! hate all u want but i bet u were a fan of GRODT and for all the real hip hop heads POWER OF THE DOLLAR is classic raw NY shit
Yeah, as much as I would beg to differ it is G Rap’ s own Top 5…gots ta respect that from [who who I woul name the King of Mafioso rap], the greatest. Tripple R, we waitin’ on that plus how yo flow like noawadays man? Fingaz is crossed that u don’t be co-signin’ with the bullshit that goes on in the game 2day. We loyal fans ‘r here to cop yo shit & make sure u stay eatin’ God
NECRO DIE!