RE: RE:BET's Top 10 List...The R's List

Every year the BET Hip Hop Awards seems to get worse and worse. And every year Black people (myself included) complain about how bad the award show and the BET network are. But there is something about BET that has us all tuned in. We sit with perceived thoughts of how the network sets us back and makes us look "sooo ghetto" but deep down we hope things get better. Its like watching the Five Heartbeats. We want to see Eddie King sing with the group again, but the drugs have consumed him. And at the end, we take the DVD out of the player and put it back in the case, only to watch the same movie again and have the same hopes of Eddie King getting better...but it will never happen. Well, BET has proved this with their latest flop...The top 10 Best Rappers of the 21st Century. In the words of Jermaine Dupri, who was a panelist, "it was some bullshit!"

I will not waste time reposting that horrendous and insulting list that BET has compiled, but I will post the list of Hip hop artist that I feel should make up this top 10. Just as BET had 15 artist and made a list of 10.


10. Eve

• Eve had a major influence on the rap game with her flow and style. The pitbull in a skirt was unlike her counterparts, Lil Kim and Foxy Brown whose bodies took our focus off of their lyrical abilities. Instead Eve was a ruff ryder with the boys on record, but a lady off the scene.

9. Nelly

• Not only did Nelly introduce us to his "Country Grammar", he changed how we viewed music videos. Everybody and their little brother were fighting sleep to catch Tip Drill on none other than "BET" Uncut, which led to every female from pre-school to church secretary owning a pair of Nelly's "Apple Bottom" jeans and apparel.

8. Krayzie Bone

• I know, I know! He was 1/4 of the multi platinum Group Bone Thugs -n- Harmony. But I figured if BET would allow Jadakiss who was the best out of the mediocre group the Lox, why not have Krayzie who dropped his first solo album appropriately titled "Thug Mentality 1999?" Krayzie bone has dropped 4 successful solo albums and has Grammy awards, a MTV Video Music Award and American Music Awards under his belt since going solo.

7. T.I.

• This generation knows nothing about putting money in the bank because they want to be a "Rubberband Man." T.I is the self-proclaimed King of the South. He is not the best in the game from the south but his skills lands him on this list. Besides, who is that rapper that you see on BET when you wake up and before you go to sleep? Not Denzel but he has the potential to have acting skills to accommodate his rap skills.

6. The Game

• No, I am not talking about rap game. I'm talking about The Game, the hip hop artist aka Chuck Taylor(not the sneaker). Drake, this guy's name is sicker than most lines you have spit so far. Just when people thought New York was taking the rap game over, The Game emerged out of the West under Dr. Dre's wing to prove the West Coast is still the coast with the most!

5. Fabolous

• I must admit that I am biased towards the west coast and those who have west coast influence, however Fabolous earns his keep in the top 5 of this list. Dude has serious word play, lyricism, flow and had swag before it was an overused term. The radio hits and inconsistency on "Loso's Way" prevents Fabo from being higher on the list.

4. 50 Cent

• Everyone wanted to know just who is this guy talking about robbing everybody in the rap game. Well, with "Get Rich or Die Trying," 50 not only jacked the rappers for their spot on the charts but he got rich in the process. 50 has 3 multi platinum albums, record label, awards, clothing line, acting career and while most rappers are under the influence of alcohol, 50 kept it healthy with his own vitamin water. Talk about positive influence.

3. Ludacris

• Ludacris has kept the streets john blaze this entire decade and shows no signs of slowing down. Ludacris is versatile and shows how he has evolved as a hip hop artist going from rapping about ho's to the seriousness of the pain that children today deal with, and in between time his music keeps the party going. Sorry Drake, Luda is the "hardest light skin rapper since Ice-T."

2. Kanye West

1. Eminem

• Even if Kanye West could not rap, his confidence will make anyone believe he is the best to ever rap. But Kanye has the skills to accommodate his cockiness. Kanye has not only released the most anticipated and successful albums(just ask 50 cent)but he is one of the best beat makers of the 21st century as well, so why is he not #1. Although I had no problem with Kanye defending Hip-Hop/R&B on more than one occasion at the award shows, some fans had an issue with it and in return, it made it harder to gain the respect of the "potential" fans. Influence is one of the requirements according to BET, therefore the #1 spot goes to none other than Eminem. You can hate on him and call him the "Elvis" of hip hop that only talks about gays and pop artist, the man did it with pure talent and rap skills. Eminem is the one of the most successful to do it being the first rapper to win 3 consecutive Best Rap Albums in as many LPs, 11 Grammy's over the span of his career, voted best rapper alive by Vibe magazine in 2008 and many other accolades. Eminem took 5 years off between his 2004 "Encore" and 2009 "Relapse" and never missed a beat. Eminem states that his influences are some Detroit locals such as Esham and more notably artists such as Melle Mel, LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, Run DMC, Boogie Down Productions and Rakim. With that type of influence, is there a question as to why he should not be #1? Ask any Jay-z fan or critique how Em murdered "Renegade."