Customer Reviews

There's a God on the Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Kool Moe Dee without a doubt is one of the greatest ever do it and his selection of emcees to compile is genius. His choice of emcees shows his love for hiphop and respect for the art. However, the rank to me was the problem. It's a book about EMCEES so the era has nothing to do with skills. Industry Impact is also not important because we all know that skilled emcees are not really acknowledged by the media as influential artists and do not receive the accolades due. With people like Rakim, KRS, BIG, G Rap, Kane all high on there, I knew I had to get the book. But with Lauryn and Latifah ahead of Lyte, Meth ahead of GZA, Pac ahead of Common, Guru and Black Thought, I knew there was something wrong. I love Lauryn to death, she should be high on anyone's list because she is the FLAWLESS LYRICIST, however not the greatest female emcee. I feel she is more of a lyricist than an emcee, Lyte however is the greatest female EMCEE to ever rock a mic. Lyte is a GOD on the mic like Rakim, whereas Lauryn is in the next to succeed like Nas. I feel Latifah is a very positive woman and has influenced a string of respectable women, but thats it. Lyrically she isnt as good as Bahamadia and Jean Grae. GZA and Inspectah Deck are the greatest lyricists in the Wu-Tang, however as far as an emcee is concerned the two best have to be Mr. Meth and GZA, but with the gap between them in this book, I still have my doubts about its FLAWLESSNESS. I personally feel Tupac has more substance than Black Thought and more vocal strength than Common, but Common & Black Thought are all-round stronger candidates for any Lyrical Title than the late Tupac Shakur. More vocab, poetry, flow, imagination than him. Apart from some notable omissions like Canibus, Q-Tip, Inspectah Deck, Bahamadia, Eminem, RahDigga, etc., the candidates all deserve respect as Greats. I feel that Moe Dee should have called it "My TRUE 50 Greatest Lyrical Legends" or something like that. It seems like he deliberately omitted the strengths of others to suit his other favorites. MC Lyte has spit the tightest lines in the most unforgettable ways and they were all omitted. I feel the point to create such a book is to underscore the essence of hiphop and forget about international and public recognition but as a Legendary emcee as Kool Moe Dee, to give respect to where its due strictly and explicit to lyrical ingenuity elusive of accolades, records, Grammys awards, etc. Nonetheless, you should check it out for yourself. Its definitely worth-reading. For a Hiphop LOVER like myself, I was not very amazed with the ranking, the candidates definitely are worthy of their nominations though.

This is a very solid book about the greatest Hiphop emcees from one who used to do it so well. It has some great pictures and I like his system of grading each MC. I also agree entirely with who he chose for the top 5. Ignoring placement and MC's that should have been left out, I'm left asking how he forgot a certain few: Kool Keith, who has been in the game since 1987-88, Aceyalone, absolutely better than almost anyone since 1991, underground or mainstream, should be in top 10, what about Biz Markie, Masta Ace? There were a couple others I had in mind but forget at the moment, but I can't fathom why Keith and Aceyalone were left out. Did he just pass them by every time they dropped an album?
Overall, a great book I recommend to any Hiphop purist or casual fan who needs to know more about Hiphop's beginnings. Great pictures, great ratings system, and a pretty accurate ranking of the MC's, but Mo Dee forgot about a couple legends. I can't wait for the movie to this book, and his upcoming book about the greatest Hiphop groups!

When God speaks, the wise will listen!! If you like/love Kool Mo Dee's music, then you'll absolutely love his book, "There's a God on the Mic - The True 50 Greatest MC's"! This is not just another list of MC's - this is the definitive Hip-Hop Bible. Previous attempts to rank MC's have been compiled by people who don't possess the knowledge, expertise and wisdom that Mo has - who better to write this book than a veteran practitioner of the craft?? This book is also a historical look at hip-hop/rap music and he provides the reader with thoughtful and thought provoking analysis of each rapper included on the list. It's written from a personal perspective and he includes an explanation of the categories used for ranking purposes. And for you sports fans, Mo uses a lot of sports analogies in this book, which makes it even more enjoyable to read. If you're a serious student of musicology, hip-hop-ology or rapology, this book is required reading! Peace

If you like H.I.P H.O.P you must get this book. It is very informative to a person who doesn't know as much about this music. Lyrics are cited and they a rated in 17 catagories! But.... the ratings I find are a little off. Listen to this. Big L is not even mentioned!!! One of the greats! I am not a huge eminem fan but the guy is far better than mack 10 or lil kim. Mos and Kweli are great poets and they are not considered better than snoop dogg! Also Guru and Black THought shold have been higher up but what can u do. Towards the end of the countdown the book get a lot better. But anyways it is not for me to decide, when I bought the book i wanted to see Kool Moe Dee's POV and thats what I got. So all in all you must buy it to see and trust me you will learn a lot of stuff. So buy IT!

This book is ILL. Props to KMD for creating a list and system for hopeful and dedicated emcees to go by. I really would give this a 4.5 star rating, but I cant so I gave it four. I can't help but say he misjudged a few emcees, and he even missed one completely.

He said he couldn't rate some of the newer emcees (Eminem, DMX, Mos Def, etc.) because of longevity points, but he made exceptions for Pun, BIG and Pac cause they've done all they could do. Well, what about Big L??? He put out two albums, just like Pun did. I'm not saying L was neccessarily top 10 emcees of all time material, but he should have EASILY made that top 50 list. Also, in arguement for all the deceased great emcees, he has to score longevity for them in a different way. Pun was number 41, but what really killed his score was recieving a 40 in longevity. Pun would have had a lot better total score if it wasn't for that. BIG recieved a 70 in longevity and he only put out two albums. I quote KMD saying "After he passed, they still put out his music and his presence has been felt and still is felt to this day." Same deal with Pun. His singles like "Still Not a Player" still get spins on the radio, and plenty of Hiphoppas still bump his music. It just makes sense to me that even if an emcee is dead, if his music is STILL making an impact after he's died, then that counts as more points. Big Pun should've at least recieved a 70, BIG should've got a little somethin more than 70, and PAC... Oh Pac. His case is extremely crazy. He died in 96... more Pac albums have dropped since his death and he's STILL revered and loved as one of the best to ever do it. I'm sorry if you disagree, but he would be the only deceased emcee I'd consider giving a 90 or above in longevity because of just how much his presence is still felt. Considering he died 7 years ago, WOW.

By no means at all am I trying to disrespect KMD. He's one of the greats himself, I love his work, and I know he thoroughly explains his reasoning throughout the whole book. I'm just trying to say I might have considered things a little bit differently. Still, the book is fantastic, and I love it. If you don't have it, GO OUT AND GET IT!!!!

KMD writes a very entertaining and compelling book on 50 Mcs though I have to argue with some of the placements Nas-#11 and Lauryn Hill-#10 come on Nas is better any day but anyway it is a great book,but with his formula of 17 steps plus 3 of my own I see KRS-One as the greatest he sees KRS-One as #3 if you want to find out who was #1 and #2 buy the book-Just to note it is Not Tupac or Biggie

I never get tired of List Books when it comes to Music.because you can debate any&everything&still be right.when it comes to MC's debates can go on&on&this Book will stir many a debate but is very well written&covers the basics for where Cats rank&why.very detailed,interesting&Brings so elements that can have you looking&listening to an Artist diferently because of Presentation alone.

This book is a must for any true fan/student of hip hop history. Kool Moe Dee is by far one of the original great MCs and he breaks it down. The point system is excellent. Although I might disagree with some of his scores, KMD does a great job of explaining how and why each artist scored what they did. Whether you agree or disagree with his list, it is a great insight into hip hop history from one of the MCs that helped create it.

Great piece of work! Now I not only have music and lyrics but I also have this book to go along with it. You can't imagine how important this is especially when you consider how many arguments I've had since before the music made it's way on wax and radio.
I'm happy to see that the whole Mo Dee vs Cool J battle has been properly addressed. I remember a show on MTV where Run said LL won the battle. I almost choked. I couldn't watch anymore of the show. The same happened with the recently televised showings served up for us. Pure junk food. I couldn't watch the whole thing.
No Top 5 list on the subject should ever begin without the following emcees:
Melle Mel
Rakim
Kool Mo Dee
KRS 1
Big Daddy Kane

It's a relief to see that someone with the "pedigree" addressed this issue. Please, no more fluff from the industry.

I have been listening 2 hip for over 20 years now, When I think of KMD, I think battle rapper. A rapper who i thought beat LL in there battle between each other. When it comes 2 music he has some hits under his belt. Now 4 him 2 rank himself top 5 was going a little overboard. This dude does not any classic albums. But then again its his book and his opinion. But I look at this list and see Will Smith,Fat Joe,Lil Kim,Mack 10,Foxy Brown. Where is Masta Ace,Chubb Rock,Biz Markie,Special ED,Big L. As I said its his book. But overall decent book.