Eazily I approach, the 100 GREATEST RAP (OR HIP HOP OR WHATEVER YOU CALL IT) TRACKS OF THE GODS because I ain't no joke.

Children's Story has so much bounce to it.

yeah...if "Ching-A-LLing" or "Best Best" or blah blah was as big as "Work It" that album would've been out a long time ago.

it was a long time before I noticed that RZA nicked the Children's Story bassline for Ghost's Daytona 500

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Children's Story is so damn good. Happy to see other's love it too.

would have voted "Children's Story"

Recap

100. Big L - Put It On [4 votes, 125 points, 1994]
98. Boogie Down Productions - The Bridge Is Over [5 votes, 125 points, 1986]
98. Ol' Dirty Bastard - Brooklyn Zoo [5 votes, 125 points, 1995]
97. Public Enemy - Night of the Living Baseheads [3 votes, 126 points, 1988]
96. Fat Lip - What's Up Fat Lip [5 votes, 126 points, 2000]
95. OutKast – Spottieottiedopalicious [4 votes, 1 #1 vote, 127 points, 1998]
94. T.I. - Rubberband Man [5 votes, 128 points, 2003]
93. Skee-Lo - I Wish [6 votes, 128 points, 1995]
92. EPMD - Strictly Business [4 votes, 133 points, 1988]
91. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony - Tha Crossroads [5 votes, 1 #1 vote, 134 points, 1995]
90. EPMD - You Gots To Chill [4 votes, 139 points, 1988]
89. Jeru The Damaja - Come Clean [5 votes, 140 points, 1993]
88. De La Soul - Eye Know [5 votes, 142 points, 1989]
87. Ludacris - Southern Hospitality [6 votes, 143 points, 2000]
86. Smoothe da Hustler ft. Trigger tha Gambler - Broken Language [4 votes, 146 points, 1996]
85. Nas - The World Is Yours [5 votes, 146 points, 1994]
84. Naughty by Nature – O.P.P. [8 votes, 150 points, 1991]
83. Heltah Skeltah ft. OGC - Lefleuf Leflah Eskoshka [4 votes, 151 points, 1995]
82. The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight [4 votes, 1 #1 vote, 151 points, 1979]
81. Ice Cube - When Will They Shoot? [4 votes, 153 points, 1992]
80. Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel - White Lines (Don't Don't Do It) [6 votes, 153 points, 1983]
79. Jay-Z ft. U.G.K. – Big Pimpin' [5 votes, 154 points, 1999]
78. The Notorious B.I.G. - Party and Bullshit [5 votes, 156 points, 1993]
77. Dr. Dre - Still D.R.E. [6 votes, 156 points, 1999]
76. Ol' Dirty Bastard - Shimmy Shimmy Ya [8 votes, 158 points, 1995]
75. Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew - The Show [4 votes, 1 #1 vote, 168 points, 1985]
74. The Coup – Me and Jesus the Pimp in a '79 Grenada Last Night [5 votes, 168 points, 1998]
73. LL Cool J - Rock the Bells [6 votes, 172 points, 1985]
72. The Notorious B.I.G. - Gimme The Loot [4 votes, 1 #1 vote, 173 points, 1994]
71. The Crooklyn Dodgers - The Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers [5 votes, 1 #1 vote, 174 points, 1995]
70. Eric B & Rakim - Paid In Full [6 votes, 174 points, 1987]
69. RUN DMC - Rock Box [5 votes, 175 points, 1984]
68. Wu-Tang Clan ft. Isaac Hayes - I Can't Go to Sleep [6 votes, 176 points, 2000]
67. Public Enemy – Rebel Without a Pause [6 votes, 1 #1vote, 176 points, 1987]
66. Jay-Z - 99 Problems [7 votes, 176 points, 2004]
64. The Notorious B.I.G. – Hypnotize [6 votes, 180 points, 1997]
64. RUN DMC - Peter Piper [6 votes, 180 points, 1986]
63. Kanye West - Gold Digger [6 votes, 182 points, 2005]
62. Kanye West - Flashing Lights [7 votes, 183 points, 2007]
61. De La Soul - The Magic Number [5 votes, 1 #1 vote, 184 points, 1989]
60. Juvenile - Ha [6 votes, 185 points, 1999]
59. N.W.A - Express Yourself [5 votes, 186 points, 1988]
57. OutKast - Bombs Over Baghdad [6 votes, 186 points, 1999]
57. Eric B & Rakim - I Know You Got Soul [6 votes, 186 points, 1987]
56. A Tribe Called Quest - Can I Kick It? [7 votes, 186 points, 1990]
55. O.C. – Time's Up [6 votes, 188 points, 1994]
54. Clipse - Grindin' [8 votes, 189 points, 2004]
53. Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five - The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel [7 votes, 190 points, 1981]
52. Missy Elliott - Work It [6 votes, 191 points, 2002]
51. Slick Rick - Children's Story [7 votes, 191 points, 1988]

awesome run today. I voted for "The Show," "Rock The Bells," "Rebel," "Ha," I Know You Got Soul" and "Children's Story"

Also doesn't seem like missy is all that committed to her career -- can't even remember the last time I saw her (vh1 honors?) let alone to promote new music

less than 25 points between that 25 btw

Under Construction is far and away my favorite Missy album and I was bummed it didn't place in the albums poll

here's a challop: "Gossip Folks" > "Work It"

My people.

yeah I just get the impression that she's done, more or less.

kinda like Andre 3000

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Shakey that's "nautilus"

684 songs voted for. 41 voters.

I know what it is. they just both use it so differently

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684! I feared a top hundred was pushing it, but in fact that's admirable restraint there.

Not to bring up old shit, but...

Kanye is only a weak rapper if you have a myopic definition of what constitutes a great rapper. He presents complex thoughts in concise statements that pay off over time. He's also charismatic and funny. To me, that makes him the definition of a great rapper. I can't think of many better lyrics than "I had a dream I could buy my way to Heaven/ When I awoke I spent that on a necklace." And he's dropping lines like that *all the time*. I will rep for Kanye getting even better over time.

That being said, "Gold Digger" is probably my least favorite track on this list so far.

cleverness is not a good indicator of rapping ability

I mean, Kanye can speak in rhythm but he can't actually rhyme to save his life, and for every clever couplet he drops there are approximately 500 banal and/or horrifying ones

"ha" placing is awesome! hopefully it won't be the only non-wayne cash money

I'm starting to think Ultramagnetics are gonna get shut out of this list... am I wrong?

gonna be interesting to see who placed on the albums poll but not on the tracks poll, I think

The tracks poll is such a random crap-shoot, kinda hard to be mad it. I have no expectations really. Flashing Lights is the only surprise to me so far.

There's a huge difference between being a great rapper and a great technical rapper. Kanye's a great rapper but not a great technical rapper. I'd still rather listen to MBDTF than, like, W.A.R.

Or Relapse

I just think content is so much more interesting than technique.

eh it's best when the one is married to the other ennit

i voted for flashing lights, not high enough that it wouldn't have gotten in without my vote. i will admit it was 100% because of the beat. i can't actually remember a single line from the song or what it's about. but when i first heard it on good headphones i did a O_O

My votes from today:
74. The Coup – Me and Jesus the Pimp in a '79 Grenada Last Night [5 votes, 168 points, 1998]
64. RUN DMC - Peter Piper [6 votes, 180 points, 1986]
60. Juvenile - Ha [6 votes, 185 points, 1999]
54. Clipse - Grindin' [8 votes, 189 points, 2004]

Coup and Juvie were in my top 10!

I voted for Kanye's first 2 albums but seeing those tracks show up here bums me out. I don't even really think of them as rap songs (Flashing Lights especially).

How did I entirely ignore Rick the Ruler in this poll??

i will admit it was 100% because of the beat. i can't actually remember a single line from the song or what it's about. but when i first heard it on good headphones i did a O_O

ditto.

Challops time:

I LOVE Tribe (and "Walk on the Wild Side") but Can I kick it is their most boring single.

3 is the magic number is corny and weak.

Work It is great but the best part of it is the Take me to the mardi gras/Peter Piper sample, so it surely shouldn't be higher than Peter Piper.

68. Wu-Tang Clan ft. Isaac Hayes - I Can't Go to Sleep [6 votes, 176 points, 2000]
62. Kanye West - Flashing Lights [7 votes, 183 points, 2007]
59. N.W.A - Express Yourself [5 votes, 186 points, 1988]
57. OutKast - Bombs Over Baghdad [6 votes, 186 points, 1999]
56. A Tribe Called Quest - Can I Kick It? [7 votes, 186 points, 1990]

voted for these -- yeah my rap exp does not run too deep

my #3 track was "my favorite mutiny" by the coup tho, which i imagine is a million times less popular here

Nothing from my list today. I didn't realise how personal it was - a lot of records so tied up with particular memories and friends that they felt canon to me but, it now seems, aren't at all.

Tribe's most boring single is a tie between "Stressed Out" and "Find My Way"

Ha. Stressed Out is so loaded with important memories for me that I almost voted for it. Point proven.

That's typically the guiding factor for voting in any of these genre or decade polls, right? Personal context? My ballot was about half canon, half personal faves...of course what I consider canon is probably more in line with what would've been considered canon sometime in the mid 90s rather than 2011.

I LOVE Tribe (and "Walk on the Wild Side") but Can I kick it is their most boring single.

kinda feeling this -- "Scenario" and "Award Tour" better place higher

this list is cool but reading this thread is boring

"ha" placing is awesome! hopefully it won't be the only non-wayne cash money

― positive rapper (k3vin k.), Wednesday, June 8, 2011 4:43 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

well i mean Wayne is on "Back That Azz Up" and "Bling Bling" -- it's not like a Big Tymers single is gonna place or anything

Needs more trolling flopson?

People calling Can I Kick It? boring need to get out of my face.

it's more like what i was saying upthread about "Hypnotize" -- it's on the low end (no pun intended) of a very high spectrum

Agree ^

ya xp s_o_d

idk y but its not interesting to read abt how some ilm random never really got epmd or how "can i kick it" is only their third fav tribe single prefer it when ilm lists explode into flameouts abt whats corny & rly peel back the layers of self-hatred -- mb its just me & u guys are relaxin at work tho, im on summer vacation shouldnt even be anywhere near here

It should be noted that most of the people who usually lead to thread blow-ups aren't posting in this thread.

come back whiney all is forgiven!

Get lex and Geir in here too while we're at it.

thing about the first half of a poll is you can only get so pissed off because you don't know whether top 50 or whatever has the stuff you think it should

someone made the prescient comment on the albs poll that singles would be less contentious

I don't mind the goodtime vibe up in here

gonna be interesting to see who placed on the albums poll but not on the tracks poll, I think

― S'cool bro, I only cried a little (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, June 8, 2011 4:47 PM (1 hour ago)

on a related note i'll be shocked and saddened if 50 gets shut out