Top Hip Hop Artists

Generally, the measure of quality music is subjective in nature. The business that is the music industry identifies quality in the form of dollar signs. Musical critics find their influence limited at best and utterly discarded at worst. The landscape of music is cluttered with one hit wonders, copycats, hustlers and fluff. In the midst of this musical carnage hip hop has risen to the top featuring raw sounds and a hardcore appeal. Hip hop covers a spectrum including gangsta rap, conscious rap and pop rap. What makes a good hip hop artist? A list of Grammy winning rappers reveals Kanye West, T.I., Black Eyed Peas and Ludacris as the best in hip hop. These artists have been stamped as “good” with a measure of objective judgment evaluating music, lyrics, and style.

The foundation of good hip hop music is the music itself. Good beats, bass lines and unique sounds must come together consistently in order to produce a memorable track. Sound effects using full or partial voices are often looped in repeatedly blending into the rhythm of a song. All manner of instruments, natural and synthesized are mixed together to create a hypnotic flow. Great hip hop songs will feature diversity and complexity drawing from a variety of musical genres such as jazz, pop, rock, country, soul and classical. Jay-Z and Kanye West are known for the stimulating nature of their beats while the Game and 50 cent produce a rawer form of beat, a driving adrenalin rushing sound.

Once the track has been laid the lyrics must be written. The hook is often the most recognizable part of a song therefore the most important. Three Six Mafia won an Oscar for a song with the hook “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp.” One of LL Cool J’s biggest hits contained the memorable hook, “Mama Said Knock You Out.” In hip hop the hook has to translate an instant idea or message catching the imagination of the listener. The quality of the lyrics is not as important as it once was in general, as the quality of hip hop has been diluted and the revenues have increased. Although artists like Dilated Peoples and Jurassic Five produce the best rhymes with highly original content they are often overlooked. Instead the artist who can best bring together music, lyrics and style are vaulted to the forefront.

Style is important. Fashionable clothing and jewelry, attractiveness and toughness are assets to a burgeoning hip hop image. Back in the day Run DMC scored a mega hit rapping about their shoes in “My Adidas.” Tupac and 50 cent built their images on tattoos, alcohol and guns. Jay-Z has the tightest cars, boats and bling jewelry. Chingy is portrayed as a ladies man parlaying his “look” into hip hop prominence. The music video is the portal through which these artists can influence fans. P. Diddy has mastered the video format portraying himself as the ultimate musician, businessman and player. Cartoon like figures with a hip hop comedy twist populate the videos of Ludacris solidifying his reputation as reliably original.

In today’s media frenzied environment a successful hip hop artist must find a balance between substance and image. The final analysis shows that being considered good and actually being good is the same in the public’s eye. Consumers vote with their pocketbooks in this regard trampling thoughtful critics in a mad dash towards the hottest hip hop concoction.