VIBE bracket results

By now, I'm sure you've all seen the results of VIBE's best rapper alive tournament, and I believe two key variables led to the outcome of this tournament. One is age of the votes, and the second is what defines a rapper. For the purposes of this post, I'm looking at straight lyrical skill. Not at content, (b/c so much of it is the same) albums sold, fashion, beats, or hood status.

I'll start with the final match up: Jay-Z vs. Eminem. Eminem won this one and I have no problem with that. I listen to Jay-Z a lot more becuase sometimes Em is like the lyrical equivalent of Saw 1-5, - very entertaining, but also scary and disturbing. Em is cool, but just not my thing. He's great tho if you want to hear about violent deaths, and matricide. Jay-Z is a great rapper as well, but to list the number of artists and songs he's bitten from warrants another post completely. Even still, his swagger and ability are undeniable. I'm sure this was a close one.

Notable upsets:

Kanye over Lupe. - Kanye is an excellent producer, speaks from his heart, and his performance @ the Glow in the Dark Tour was amazing. But, I have heard the leaked singles from Heartbreaks and 808's and I'm concerned. Also, Lupe's flow, timing, and wordplay are crushing Yeezy. My pick: Lupe Fiasco

Ghostface Killah over Raekwon. - Ghostdini has been more consistent over the years, but Rae dropped a classic in '95. If you don't know the title, and you voted in this tournament, you should be ashamed of yourself. In this case, a classic wins out. My pick: Raekwon da Chef

The Game over Andre 3000. - Wow. Perhaps the most shocking of all upsets. No disrespect to the Game, but 3k's guest spots alone over the past year should have guaranteed him a spot in the final four. I'd take Andre's verse in the Throw Some D's remix over most of the Game's library. When you look back on OutKast's career, 3 stacks brings it consistently.
My pick: Andre 3000

If I were to take into account the total package of a rapper when filling out this bracket, my final four would have been Jay-Z vs. Wayne, with Jay-Z on top. Wayne is hot now, but we'll see how long it lasts. Jay-Z is a biter, but his original lyrics are still killin 95% of all other rappers out there. The other matchup would be Nas vs. Andre 3000, with Nas winning by the narrowest of margins. 3 Stacks is an amazing rapper, but Nas has had so much influence on rap over the last 14 years. His murdering of Jay-Z on Ether, not only added another word to the hood lexicon, but solidified his status as one of the greats. In the end, Hov reigns supreme. He is the face of hip-hop, not only from the music standpoint, but as a testament to hip-hop's global presence, and it's ability to set trends in almost every industry in the U.S.


In the end, who you like as a rapper depends largely on what you want to hear when you listen to their music. Drugs - Rick Ross. Pimpin - Snoop. Sex - Luda. Not sure what they're sayin - Twista. Sidekicks and Bapes - Soulja Boy. Hood struggle -Talib. Things Biggie said in '95 - Jay-Z.

So whatchu wanna hear?

Do you.