Hip Hop Tournament: The Final 4
9/22/02: Well, I finally got around to the final 4 of this tournament! As many of you know, Nas, Outkast, Eminem and our defending champ Ras Kass have made it this far to the semis. Lets size them up head to head and see who is still standing for the finals.
I will be the first to say that I did not think that Nas could regain his form and become a top notch MC again. Boy was I wrong! "Stillmatic" came out swinging and dealt a blow to the previous king of NY, Jay Z. Nas is simply the best MC when he is in a zone. A gifted lyricist, street poet and introspective preacher, Nas does not make songs, he creates sound landscapes. His weakness his himself. When he starts to rap about the "Bling Bling" and the mafioso style he starts to lose focus and his lyrics suffer. He seems to have corrected this problem and his new album is almost 2X platinum. The king has  regained his throne in the East. (Since I have been running this tournament, Nas has signed on with Murder Inc and he has 2 LPs dropping with "The Lost Tapes" and "Gods Son" in Late September and November).
Arguably the greatest hip hop group of all time, Outkast has become the spokesgroup for consistency and originality. The group recieved a well deserved Grammy for their work on "Stankonia", and their greatest hits package is one of the best collection of hits on 1 album. With no real weaknesses, Outkast embodies everything that is good about rap and the success that a group can have when they stick to their formula and keep it original.
He made his solo debut in 1996 with the independent release Infinite, soon followed by the Slim Shady EP; both records made a huge splash in the hip-hop underground, earning notice not only for Eminem's exaggerated, nasal-voiced rapping style but also for his skin color, with many quarters dubbing him the music's next "great white hope." According to legend, Dr. Dre discovered his demo tape on the floor of Interscope label chief Jimmy Iovine's garage, although it was not until Eminem took second place in the freestyle category at 1997's Rap Olympics MC battle in Los Angeles that Dre agreed to sign him. The best-selling Slim Shady LP followed in early 1999, scoring a massive hit with the single and video "My Name Is," plus a popular follow-up in "Guilty Conscience"; over the next year, the album went triple platinum. With such wide exposure, controversy ensued over the album's content, with some harshly criticizing its cartoonish, graphic violence; others praised its edginess and surreal humor, as well as Eminem's own undeniable lyrical skills and Dre's inventive production. In between albums, Eminem appeared on Dre's Dr. Dre 2001, with his contributions providing some of the record's liveliest moments. The Marshall Mathers LP appeared in the summer of 2000, moving close to two million copies in its first week of release on its way to becoming the fastest-selling rap album of all time. His 3rd album, "The Eminem Show" is now 5 times platinum and it has given him the respect and praise he deserves.
Ras Kass has to be one of the most screwed over and still slept on artists on any coast! His "Van Gogh" album has been shelved more than canned goods in a grocery store, but the extra time has given Ras the added push to get Premier and Dr. Dre to add more beats to the album. Airtight and waterproof as he says he is, Ras Kass is probably only second to Rakim, the most gifted lyricist to come around so far. Now it is just a matter of time and promotion that is keeping him from being one of the best to ever do it.
Results: Outkast Vs Nas: Nas' alliance with Murder Inc is seen as career suicide but we have yet to see what is going to happen, so just going with both head to head I give the edge to Nas. Eminem Vs Ras Kass: Ahh, a dream matchup. It is basically a toss up, but Em just has more battle scars and he has EARNED the respect of many with this last album. Hopefully Ras' album will blow up like it should. Stick around as this week we will have the championship between Eminem and Nas!
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