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

Rating:
Summary: A Must-Read for all Aspiring Emcees/Rappers!!!
Review: At last, somebody finally got it right!!! I read this book in five days!!! That's how thorough it was. What better person to analyze and rate the best emcees than Kool Moe Dee, someone who was in the rap game from virtually the beginning (with the legendary Treacherous Three), lived the rap game, had hits as a solo artist, and understands the rap game. If I ever see another "Greatest rappers of all time" list on MTV, VH1, or even BET, I will change the channel in a heartbeat!!! I knew there was something wrong when one of those three channels had Rakim rated #20 and Puff Daddy rated ahead of him, and Kool G. Rap not even making the list. For Kool Moe Dee to break down Spoonie Gee, Grandmaster Caz and Just-Ice the way he did, you know KMD knows his hip-hop!!! He definitely sets the record straight in this book. This is definitely a must-read for all aspiring Emcees/Rappers as to the criteria of being a really good emcee. This book is worth 10 stars to me!!!

Rating:
Summary: It's About Time Someone Did This Right!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: a really good Book
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Kool Moe Dee
Review: 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

Rating:
Summary: thorough but incomplete.
Review: moe dewese is a legend in hiphop, he helped build the industry with the treacherous three, paving the way for run dmc and the whole def jam ensemble; he went solo, helping to make producer teddy riley's new jack swing a cornerstone of soul music; he brought the element of battling to the nation's attention via his famous ll battle (which ended peaceably unlike the other famous battle, big vs. pac); he along with krs one participated in the HEAL project at a crucial time in 80s race relations and brought the issue of black on black crime to the fore in a positive way; he introduced new vocabulary and flows to the world of rap; he became one of the first golden age rappers to sell platinum; he maintains a high level of lyricism on and off record; and he seems to have become a mentor to many in and out of the world of rap.

being a music fan i will disagree with some of the placements. big pun, ras kass, and pharoahe monch should be in the top 15 because they are lyrically superior. kool g rap should have made top 10. lauryn hill should be top 7 (listen to mystery of iniquity on her unplugged album for proof of her prodigious skill on the microphone). also, there are some mc's who have me scratching my head in disbelief at having made it into this book (fat joe? noreaga? keith murray?) while others with much better lyrical or commercial skill have been questionably left off: kool keith, roxanne shante, mc eiht, the doc, big l, jadakiss, canibus, bun b (from ugk), q-tip, dmx, eminem, and nelly to name a few. this is especially glaring in the case of eminem, dmx, and nelly because they dominated hiphop in their primes (eminem still does) and made a huge impact in the sound and development of modern hiphop.

also, moe chose to use an old-school bias in his judgments where the lyrics are based on writtens rather than off-the-top lyrics or the trend towards hookiness and catchphrases that stick in the mind. mc's such as casual, supernatural, and craig g should also qualify for the top 50 list because they have elevated this element of hiphop and many of today's younger mc's work very hard to develop this extempore improvisation style into their repertoire. i admit the freestyle/battle mc's in general don't make great records but freestyle has become a cornerstone of mc-ing even as turntablism has become a cornerstone of dj-ing.

finally, i notice a lack of foreign representation outside of slick rick (from the uk). maybe it's too soon but foreign artits such as bounty killa, beenie man, k-os, dizzee rascal, tego calderon, etc. have something to offer the world of lyricism and and are deeply influenced by hiphop even if they don't call their music straightahead rap. if it wasn't for foreign artists such as mikey general and papa san, big daddy kane or treach's flows wouldn't have been so choppy and sharp. it's the influence of dancehall toasting that led to such rapid-fire lyrical styles. don't discount the influence of foreign styles into hiphop's vocabulary.

overall i think this book is very well written. i recommend it highly to anyone who loves the lyrical side of hiphop.

Rating:
Summary: Good book
Review: The book overall was rather well done. I liked the rating system and all the different asepects that were measured for each artist. However, there were many inaccuracies in the details. At times it seemed as if Kool Moe Dee had not even heard the artists freestyle or battle and yet he made guesses and gave them good ratings. It was also a shock that Big L was not even mentioned and that itself lowered my opinion of the book.

Rating:
Summary: A really great Hiphop book...almost hits it dead on
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Kool Mo Dee - The God of Rap/Hip Hop
Review: 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

Rating:
Summary: Kool Mo Dee - The God of Rap/Hip Hop
Review: 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

Rating:
Summary: Fair & Balanced
Review: While any list which sets out to be the definitive "best of" or "greatest of all time" is bound to spark criticism and be challenged due to subjectivity, one that sets out to list the greatest MC's of all time is bound to be controversial. An intial glance at some of the selectees (Foxy Brown, Mac-10, Mystical?) in Kool Moe Dee's "There's a God on the Mic: The True 50 Greatest MC's" caused me to raise an eyebrow. However, further reading yielded an opinion of what is a fair and balanced analysis of the artists and the art. Unlike similar attempts by outlets such as MTV, BET, and local radio stations whose lists seemed to be informed more by what's hot right now, rather than by the various categories that Moe Dee breaks the MC's down by (originality, vocal presence, body of work, social & industry impact, etc.). It is this thoroughness and almost scholarly approach to analyzing the many facets of MC'ing gives the book credibility.