Friday’s ULTIMATE TOP TEN list of Rappers by region!!!! that’s right, you’re gonna get at least 40 of them!!!!

so i was too tired to do that shit last night, but i memorized some notes (not really)………..i’m gonna do this shit with Whitesnake playing in the background. that’s how fucking badass i am!!!! Nootch! god bless you, Kevin Smith

anyway, Jay and myself are self proclaimed hip hop conneseurs (spelled that shit wrong. correct me, i dare you!!) of the rap game, and i have moderate skills on the M-I-C if i do say so myself. so here, in no Particular order, are my TOP TEN hottest Rappers past/present by region:

i’m gonna start with the Midwest first. this will probably take the longest to do.

1. well, hell. what classifies the midwest? where does the region start/stop? i know who i’ll start with. Lupe Fiasco. coming out of Chi-Town deeply rooted in Muslim beliefs, he attacks any track ferociously. don’t believe me? check out everybody nose remix. his entire verse destroys the track!!!!

2. i’m gonna slide over the Chi-town right now and use pic number two for a man who actually set a record for most words spoken coherently in a minute: Tung Twista, bka Twista. all i’m gonna say is this. this man was so underground for a while that when he finally did break platinum, no one knew who he was! hey, does anyone remeber do or die’s PO PIMP? now who’s verse was the most memorable? that’s what the fuck i thought!

3. down to Missouri. of course what list would be complete without the man who brought a state NO ONE thought listened to hip hop to the limelight. Nelly did the damn thing with his sing-songy flow, children’s songs as hooks, and creative style. he definitely put the LOU on the map with his stellar first album, and put his homies on as well!!

4.let’s ride to Memphis for a minute. how can you not think the state that lays claim to the birth of country music wouldn’t give birth to a bastard stepson called memphis rap? and no one reps memphis harder than Young Buck. now i know i’ll get some kind of feedback, shut up and bear with me. this man has travelled the states trying to get inked to anyone. just listen to his songs!! went down to N.O. to sign, with Juvenile, who took him to Cali and left him there. but while sitting on a tour bus with G-Unit, Buck impressed 50 so much, he signed his ass!! take that, Juvy!! bet you’re kicking yourself in the ass knowing you had such an outstanding young talent in your camp and let him go…….

5. back to Cleveland. this quintets quietest member (and i’ve met this man in real life. very introverted) and most productive when smoking trees and sipping on remy and hen (mix mix it all in!) has crafted some of the most lryically memorable hooks and choruses for the better part of the 90’s. i’m talking about the one and only Krayzie Bone of Bone Thugs n Harmony fame, and my personal favorite rapper of all time!!

6. what? did you think i’d forget about Detroit? motor city’s finest couldn’t keep me out of the city’s limits, or from reaching you know who. this man climbed to the top of the charts with his unique ability to make the impossible possible, with his patterns, wordplay, and subject content. if you didn’t know i was talking about Eminem, go smack yourself with a loaded weapon right now.

7. back to Chi-town. the first FEMALE to ever go platinum absolutely has to make this list. why? because she made history. and she’s fine too boot! even though she’s currently incarcerated, we’ll probably get a fire track from her the minute she gets out. i’m talking about Da Brat, everyone!

8. now, i know this is crazy, but i’m gonna go right back to the D, and pick Royce the 5′9″. why, you ask? its my list. feel free to create your own list or comment and make a suggestion or two. i’ll reply back to that. here’s what i gotta say to that. bad meets evil. lyrically on em’s level. booyah!

9. for my last two, its back to Chi-town. how can you not have these two on your list? first off, i gotta put com’ sense on here, aka Common. that’s a given. he practically held down the chi for god know how long? and he’s been doing it ever since I Used to Love H.E.R.

10. last but definitely not least, i’m giving this one to Kanye West. not Kayne, lol. but Mr. West came in the game and consistently dropped hit after hit after everyone told him he wasn’t going to make it in the industry. a self made story like that deserves a spot on the top ten list. Wake up, Mr. West!!!!!

HONORABLE MENTION: Ray Cash (just peep she’s a g {d boy anthem} and give him this slot).

i’m gonna jump over to the WESTSIIIIIIIIIIIIDDE!!! next. i’m going going, back back, to cali, cali!

1. “i started this gangsta shit. and this the motherfuckin thanks i get?” goddammit, you knew from the intro in the line above i was starting with ICE CUBE. the perfect blend of lyricism, club bangers, political activism, and hardcore social commentary with slight amounts of racism catapulted this man to the legendary ranks of Cali hip-hop. from his early days to NWA to current hollywood status, he can still hold it down behind the mic.

2. XZIBIT isn’t from Cali, but this Nevada native sure got there quickly. he makes the list for two reasons. a: no one from Nevada has done it before, and 2: after dropping a few underground classics, he achieved success with the good doctor and hasn’t looked back since, propelling him from underground unknown to X-files agent. hard work does indeed pay off. and you can’t miss that voice. it stands out like naked people on the subway.

3. Nate Dogg may not be a rapper in the slightest, but Cali’s resident crooner has worked with more rapper’s than most labels have, instantly putting a song on the billboard charts with his melodic singing a straight up g approach. want to get in the top ten? put nate on the track singing the hook. it’s gonna happen.

4. Can’t not have a top ten west coast list and not have one of the godfathers of gangsta rap on here: i’m talking about ICE-T. i shouldn’t have to say anything more. you already know where i’m about to go. 6 in the mornin is still one of the greatest storytelling songs coming out of the 90’s. although he hasn’t done anything credible in a while, he’s still a legend in his own right.

5. Eazy E founded NWA with the goal in mind of signing hot artists and making money off of them. little did he know, fate had a funny way of twisting this around for him. his songs are still memorable to this day, over more than a decade after he passed away. that infectuous voice and swag has carried him through the years.

6. “Insane in the membrane!!” just reading that already tells you who earns this spot. little was known about latin rappers Cypress Hill, but you just couldn’t stop buying the albums. hell, i’ve run through three copies of Temples of Boom. you have to have B-Real and company on this list. they smoked pot live on air on Saturday Night Live!!!!

7. The Game started in hip hop late, but quickly etched his spot in history. while staying away from the usual topics more commonly associated with gangsta rap, he’s penned songs in a wide range of topics to include the birth of his son, death, and coming of age. a highly publicized beef with the G-Unit general and getting dropped from his label still couldn’t stop this man from dropping a second hot album, rarely heard of in the industry. he released a third album and claimed “retirement”.

8. I have to give love to the Bay Area on this one. who’s been holding it down as long as Too $hort? Oaktown is his. check out the longest rap ever Get in Where You Fit in, the album Cocktails, and his guest verse on the Notorious BIG’s The World is Filled………giving us hip hop from a Mack’s perspective.

9. I’m gonna have to put two in this column. Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. “Bow wow wow, yippey yo yippey yay, Snoop Dogg’s in the muthafuccin, house!” “Yeah, Hell Yeah!” honestly, you can’t put one without the other. there really wouldn’t be a Snoop without Dre, and what would i do if i couldn’t listen to Dre Day?! check it, he went to No Limit and sold plastic. Dre comes back, and Snoop D-O-double-G hasn’t looked back since. now if we could just get Detox………………………….

10. What would a TOP TEN list be without one of the greatest of all time on here? although he left us early, he continues to drop jewels posthumously. only elvis can do that and be successful at it. 2Pac was gone before his time and didn’t leave us with nothing but a legacy of great music. rest in peace, Pac. we miss you.

HONORABLE MENTION: Knoc’turnal (his flow is spot on for Dre’s beats. check the Knoc and get back at me).

Let’s take it down to tha Dirty Dirty right now……..

1. Scarface. who else should i’ve started this with? you know that unmistakable voice. Brad Jordan laced us with one of the greatest songs of the 90’s with My Mind’s Playin tricks on me. you may not remember everyone else’s verses, but you remember his………….

2. Ludacris. Cris Lova Lova stepped from behind the mic to behind a mic, transitioning from radio personality to MC supreme. his uncanny flow and ability to bring energy to any track, as well as bringing forth topics such as teenage pregnancy and child abuse to the limelight makes him a very versitile artist. platinum plaques be damned, this dude deserved a Grammy from out the gate!!

3. How do you not remember the headwraps, the deeply poetic lyrics, the braids when short hair was the norm, the comic book on the inside jacket when you bought the ATLiens album?!! Andre 3000 has elevated the game for any artist who even thinks about ASKING him to be on a track!! peep anything he’s been on without big boi and tell me i’m lying…….

4. Of course, i can’t forget Mystikal. its been some time since most of you heard from him, but he seriously was one of the pioneers of the dirty south movement. and for any and all you ex soldiers out there, download Out Tha Boot Camp Clik and tell me i’m lying! hell, who doesn’t remember Superhead wearing the pasties in the fuccin video! and MTV and BET played that shit uncut!! success!

5. Reppin another part of Texas from an area called Port Arthur (Port A here in Texas), this man has been working his ass once his homey got incarcerated to keep their names on the street. Bun B was always the laidback one compared to Pimp C’s infectious delivery, and slickly laid rhymes over 808 drums only proved a point. this man was here to stay. reunited after Pimp C’s lock up, they dropped I choose U and threw OutKast on their and crafted a beautiful sonnet of love from four different angles……

6. you can’t have 3000 and not have Big Boi on here. that shit ain’t possible. the player to 3000’s poet, Big changed his name more on wax than most people change underwear in a week. and having probably the dopest MC in the south as your best friend would only make you want to elevate your game as well. what other duo has a five mic rating in The Source and consistently gone platinum out of the gate?

7. Oh, how could i forget Mississippi? i almost slipped up on that one. David Banner is a one man band man. he raps, produces, acts, hell, he’s a graduate of college!!!! his crafty sounds and diverse lyrics and topics have kept him in the top ten down south. M-I-crooked letter I-crooked letter I-P-P-I!!! who can forget his cribs? his pops told him he wasn’t gonna be shit in the rap game, now he’s sitting on some land with his own catfish pond!!!!

8. Slide out to the state where you put two fingers up, then two down-Virginia, where the Clipse practically pioneered coke rap and brought it to the spotlight. hell, their first video was so raw, they ONLY played it on BET uncut-and the fucking album still went platinum! signed to NERD’s Star Trak label, they’re destined for greatness………..

9. Did you think i wouldn’t put someone from Florida on here? no, for fuck’s sake, i’m not putting that  unoriginal bastard Flo Rida on this list. he’ll never make a Top Ten List if i have my say….I gotta put Luke on here. Uncle Luke was responsible for getting jumped by politicians and the SUPREME COURT, and whooping that judicial ASS!!!!! only drawback, you now know whether or not an artist is gonna curse on his album. fuck shit ass bitch cunt pussy motherfucker———PARENTAL ADVISORY. thanks, Luke.

10. i know, i know, i almost have to put the next man on here simply because he’s on everyone’s song. Lil Wayne has basically been all over the map, from his own albums, to mixtapes he doesn’t even care if you buy, to rock and pop crossovers!!! really, if he does a jazz track or a gospel, there truly will be no artist he will not work with. the self-proclaimed “Whore of the Industry, cuz whores get paid” knows no limits. he’s from mars, people!!!!

HONORABLE MENTION: T.I. (not because he doesn’t belong here, i just didn’t do a TOP ELEVEN. my apologies)

Now, my roots are buried in East Coast hip hop. so this will be the absolute toughest category of all. i know you’re all going to want to chime in with an opinion.  that’s exactly what i’m looking for! i might actually have to do a top twenty just for the East Coast alone, lol.

1. Busta Rhymes- had to kick this off the right way. from his early days as a leader of the new school to current status as hip hop’s energizer bunny, busta’s delivery and charisma carries over from track to track, album to album. his ability to slow down or pick up the pace over any beat outshines any other artist he’s on the song with.

2. Jay to the MWAH!! Jadakiss constantly proves that you can succeed with mixtape quality rhyming over club bangers and radio friendly beats. hell, his first album went platinum off the formula! from riding with Puff during the “Shiny Suit” era, to rollin with the Ruff Riders and eventual solo career, “Mr. Raspy’s” consistently breathes fire to a track.

3. Brooklyn’s finest- The Notorious B.I.G. dropped a debut album so hot, he practically set the standard for how an album should sound. under Puff’s tutelage, Bad Boy quickly rose to the top as THE label to get recognition on. His life cut short, he ultimately did not get to see the success his sophomore album garnered. still considered a classic to this day.

4. Let’s Jump over to Philladelphia, or Illadelph, as Black Thought likes to call it. as lead vocal of THE ONLY BAND in hip hop, The Roots have finally achieved crossover success after four albums with his ability to freestyle, and intricate and thought provoking lyrics. his ability to stay on topic throughout the course of the song should be the mold in songwriting today. and not to mention the band can play ANY song. ?uestlove is the greatest drummer some of you have never heard of…

5. I gotta slide over to Dirty Jerz and give this group their props. anytime you hear this anthem, your hands immediately go up in the air. hell, they made it a dance in their video!! i’m talking about Hip Hop Hooray, and the group is Naughty by Nature. Treach, Vinnie, and Kay Gee brought Jersey hip hop to the forefront with OPP (if you don’t know what that song is about now, you missed the bus. wikipedia that shit), Hip Hop Hooray, and many other radio friendly rap anthems.

6. M-E-T-H-O-D, Man!!!! this easily recognizable member of the Wu-Tang clan was the first to branch out and achieve fame and fortune on his own. considered “too street for radio”, the Clan gained popularity by inserting movie clips of Kung Fu films into thier albums skits. Meth, however, is the star. his ability to ride the beat perfectly, almost methodically (pun intended),  showed he was the standout of the group. He’s since branched out to acting, but occaisonally will guest verse with someone to prove that he’s still got it.

7. The first Puerto Rican artist to ever go platinum, Bronx’s own Big Punisher was another artist who left before his time. gracing us with a phenominal debut album, no one could believe the rhyme schemes and delivery this man had, being that he was 400 plus pounds! don’t believe me? the only song you have to listen to is Dream Shatterer.

8. What Hip-Hop Top Ten list isn’t complete if you don’t have Rakim on there? He practically gave birth to the “swag” scene, with fly outfits, fresh gumby haircuts, and the dookie rope chain!! not only that, the man could rhyme!! any artist out now who doesn’t give this man credit, should fork over their royalties immediately. you’re all just copying him……

9. 50 Cent. c’mon, you all screamed G-G-G-G-G-G-Unit at the top of your lungs. most people didn’t know who he was until Get Rich or Die trying. True hip hop heads like Jay and myself remember the Black Gangster soundtrack where you didn’t recognize him, because he hadn’t been SHOT yet! or howabout the Mad Rapper’s album, where he had the hidden cut on there How to Rob, the song that had EVERY rapper & rnb singer called out, from Lil Kim to Kirk Franklin!! and those are the first and last artists he calls out on the cut! or what about Onyx’s Shut em Down album, where he rapped uptempo? i didn’t jump on the Get Rich or Die Tryin bandwagon, i helped him buy it for the rest of you to get on it!

10. Last but not least, of course i’m not gonna not put this man on the Top Ten List. i probably wouldn’t make it down the street without getting a bottle tossed my head. The other half of Brooklyn’s Finest, Hovito, Hovi-baby, Jiggaman himself, none other than Jay-Z. how many artists out there have gone platinum on every album? even when he switched it up and got socially conscious on you (Kingdom Come, anyone?), he still went platinum. from his slick delivery, the monster of the double entendre waxes poetry on every cut, giving you 110%, and all in one take!! this artist with no easel paints pictures in your head with wit, clever wordplay, and gangsta’s ambition.

HONORABLE MENTION: Fabolous. if you say your rhymes one way, Fab can flip it, say it a completely different way, and still get his point across. case in point, Get Smart. the whole song is about fellatio using school terminology.

Per Jay’s request, I’m going to throw Nas on the honorable mention. i definitely should’ve done a top twenty for the East Coast. there’s a lot of people on here that need to be. pioneers of the many styles of hip hop. and he’s right, God’s Son does belong on this list.