Story by:  Bobby Samuels

You’ve heard of Lil Wayne right? Carter III? The guy who claims he’s an alien with
the cool tattoos. Many independent hip hop heads out there just decide to
automatically hate Wayne because of just that: his alien-esque music and
beautiful vocoder that sooth our ears in bars, cars, on TV, in supermarkets, in
preschools, etc. Yeah I’ll say that most of the Wayne you hear on the radio feels
worse than waking up for a 9 a.m. class after being at Cornerstone or 317
Hartwick the night before. But to those who still think they are above the Wayne
bandwagon, I challenge you to listen to his track Dr. Carter on the Carter III.

People always ask the question, what makes a great MC? Dr. Carter is the most
informative text on the topic. The premise of the track is Lil Wayne as the doctor
healing patients who are MCs that lack certain aspects of what it takes to be
great. The first patient is suffering from a lack of concept, originality, delivery,
and style. The second patient has a “heart problem” meaning he lacks respect
for hip hop, lacks confidence, and lacks a vocabulary. The third patient is
completely “healthy” yet only lacks swagger. Of course Lil Wayne in the end
saves the day because he is the all knowing “greatest rapper alive.”

Although I disagree with Wayne’s godly self assessment, Dr. Carter is not only a textbook
for what it takes to make it as an MC, but is also a track which in itself
exposes some of Lil Wayne’s attributes that have caused him to skyrocket to the
top of the music world. To be a great MC, these are the necessary qualities: lyrical
content and intelligence, delivery and flow, charisma and swagger, and
originality and versatility.

To not only be a great MC but also a music icon, you
cannot just be great at one aspect. You need to be great at all four.
Lyrical content and intelligence is where everything begins. This is the
foundation of the art form. Really, if you have no lyrics, then you have nothing
to say, and if you have nothing to say, then you have about as much to offer to
hip hop music as a French figure skater. MCs with lyrical content have paved the
way for other MCs, and have broken ground in making hip hop what it is today.
Some of the greatest pure lyricists in hip hop are not only lyricists, but are
teachers as well. In fact KRS-One, who is arguably one of the top five greatest
pure lyricists refers to himself as “The Teacher.” That’s different than the
boastful names we hear today such as the aforementioned Lil Wayne or
“Greatest Rapper Alive,” or T.I. as “King of the South,” or Rick Ross as “Boss.”
You get the picture. The MCs that have just made their money off of being
educated lyricists, the Commons, the Mos Defs, the Talib Kwelis, the Lupe
Fiascos, the Rakims, the Big Ls, and the Big Daddy Kanes, while known in
underground circles as great hip hop artists, have not fully crossed the barrier as
“music icons” but only as hip hop icons.

Delivery and flow is the next aspect. Where much of the aforementioned
lyricists have solid deliveries, and have distinct voices, there are MCs out there
that have made their money solely from the way that they flow. MCs like Busta
Rhymes and Twista come to mind. I love Twista, and not to knock him, but does
he really have anything valuable to say besides “hibbidihubbadibubbadi?” Now
come and kick it with the Twista/Black Caddy, Mack Daddy/With a hoe up in the
back seat/With the ’97 pimp flow/Gotta feelin when you smoking/When I flip it
to a track speed. Doesn’t exactly sound like Def Poetry Jam does it? The fact is
however, is that turning on 93.9FM on your radio, one is much more likely to hear Twista’s rapid
fire delivery than Mos Def’s social commentary.

MCs that have the lyrics have the basics down. But if they do not have that distinct delivery that can just wow
a listener, then all they really are are rappers with a cult following.
Charisma and swagger are how MCs today make their money. Very rarely
does mainstream rap have any lyrical value. If you can act like you are on top,
dress and act the part, and use your swagger to get a club going, you have it
made. Soulja Boi, Gucci Mane, Plies, Rick Ross, T.I., Lil Wayne, and Drake have all
made their money this way. Granted T.I., Lil Wayne, Drake, and Rick Ross are all
solid lyricists and can flow, but have become famous mostly from their swagger
and style. Even if a lot of the MCs on the radio today really are not up to par to
past MCs, with the kind of culture we have today, if they look the part, act the
part, and can entertain a crowd, they have it made. Hip hop because of this has
evolved from Ali-Frazier to Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior: the art form vs.
showmanship.

Lastly, originality and versatility are crucial for artists that are either looking
to make a mark, or have already established themselves and are looking to grow
musically, and become more than just a hip hop artist. In my opinion, the first
hip hop act to use versatility to their advantage, and cross musical barriers was
Run DMC. By bridging gaps between hip hop, rock, and pop, Run DMC became
the first hip hop act to sell over a million records, and collaborate with a rock
artist (Aerosmith-Walk this Way). Artists like Outkast, Wu Tang, The Roots,
Kanye West, and the Black Eyed Peas have made a living off of not only evolving
their styles, but also expanding themselves to other genres. Nowadays, artists
such as B.O.B. have crossed musical genres by blending hip hop lyricism with
R&B and his unique guitar skills. Additionally, Kid Cudi has proven himself to be
extremely versatile. As a matter of fact his hit single “Day n Night” came out
about three years ago but the song never blew up until last year when the
Crookers house mix of the track came out.

Many of you reading this article are probably thinking that I left out some
prime examples for these categories. The answer as to why I did that, is that to
put some of the greatest MCs in only one of those categories does not do them
justice. The greatest hip hop artists are not limited to one strong point. The
greatest hip hop artists also are not only hip hop artists: they are musical icons.
Tupac was not only a great lyricist. He also had one of the most distinct
deliveries, an uncanny swagger, and the originality and versatility to make all
different kind of tracks. The same goes for Biggie, Jay Z, and Nas, the other 3
greatest MCs of all time. All of those artists have lyrics that have been ingrained
in brains around the globe for over a decade, all are known by their voice, all
have the swagger to command a crowd, and all have made their mark and have
crossed over musical genres due to their originality and versatility. The question
must be asked however: who today has what it takes to conquer all four
categories and change the game for the better.