My Bass Rocks

One constant in rap music is the quest for the greatest MC in the game.  But what about the greatest of all time?  While 2Pac, Biggie, Nas, and Jay-Z usually make the list, there are always a good amount of sleepers that rarely ever get mentioned.    

That being said, I thought I’d dig a little deeper into some of these overlooked artists. Once a month I’m going to look into some G.O.A.T. contenders that rarely get the shine they deserve..  

For the first entry, I thought I’d give a nod to one of the founders of West Coast hip-hop…He’s the mastermind behind such monumental groups as N.W.A. and Westside Connection, and is responsible for such classics as Amerikkka’s Most Wanted, Straight Outta Compton, and The Predator.  Please give it up for the legendary Ice Cube.

Here’s why…

Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Yella, MC Ren

Ice Cube first made a name for himself when he emerged on the scene as the main voice and writer of Compton’s five-man onslaught, N.W.A. (along with Dr. Dre, Yella, MC Ren, and the late Eazy-E).  The importance of N.W.A. to music is unequivocal to any West Coast crew in recent memory.  To this day, their album Straight Outta Compton is noted as one of the most important albums in the history of rap.  

While Ice Cube had a nice run with his N.W.A. counterparts, they eventually split apart.  From here, Cube was really able to shine as an individual artist.  He teamed up with super-production crew The Bomb Squad (of Public Enemy) and continued fattening up his dominant catalogue.  The combination of these two forces created Cube’s debut solo project, Amerikkka’s Most Wanted.

He continued this impressive streak with such classics as Death Certificate and The Predator.

Not only that, but he’s responsible for one of the most significant anthems in rap with “Today Was A Good Day.”  Have you heard the remix too?  Bananas…

I believe that Ice Cube is slept on due to his recent career decisions.  All the family-friendly movies he’s been apart of (i.e. Are We There Yet?) have softened his image, which can’t possibly help the king of gangsta rap.  The truth is, people don’t like to see icons in hip-hop grow up.  Once they get past the age of thirty, the trends have moved on and it becomes extremely difficult to remain relevant.

However, when it comes to the greatest MC of all time, Cube should not be left out of the conversation.  Not many rappers have the amount of quality in their catalogue, or the level of significance within the genre.

 If you disagree with this choice, dig a little deeper and then get back to me…

“Ah-Yay YAY!!!”