Unpopular Hip-Hop Opinions

    Yes, yes, as a 'hip-hop head' I am presented with certain aspects of the genre I am not supposed to question and just accept. Unlike the other pawns that blindly follow these 'guidelines' I will openly disagree with a few of them.    1. Tupac & Biggie are extremely OVERRATED  

  ^ Yeah, those guys.  First off, to get another unpopular opinion out there, Biggie, as a rapper, was miles ahead of Tupac.  Now there is no denying these two are amazing rappers, but they simply aren't the best rappers of all time.  Taking into account lyricism, delivery, flow, and overall content they simply don't match up to many artist that have made their mark on the genre since.  Hell, they weren't the undeniable pinnacle when they were alive - Nas, Rakim, Ice Cube, & Big L were all rapping around the same time these guys were and were atleast on their level.   2. Not All Mainstream Rap Is Awful  

  While there most definitely are terrible mainstream artists (Wacka Flocka/Flo Rida/2 Chainz/Nicki Minaj) there are also talented ones with more potential and credit than they are given simply because they were able to pull a breakout single.  J.Cole, Drake, B.o.B, Asher Roth, Big Sean, Kanye West, Rick Ross, T.I., Young Jeezy, ect. are some examples of artists commonly overlooked and pissed on by 'hip-hop heads' simply because they've gotten hot on the radio.  You know who else has gotten big on the radio? Nas, Lauryn Hill, Tupac, Biggie.  While the artists I listed aren't always on Nas' level, they do make dope rap music.   3. Immortal Technique is OVERRATED  

  Let me preface this saying I do listen to Immortal Technique, but like Pac and Biggie he tends to be overrated beyond his actual level of skill.  One way to tell how into 'underground rap' someone is, is to ask them who they listen to, and if their first response is Immortal Technique then you can generally assume they don't know anything about underground hip-hop.  Immortal Technique is the 'mainstream' of the underground.  He has a lot of talent, but I've seen people put his name up there with Nas, Jay-Z, Biggie, Pac, ect. and frankly, he's not that good.  What most people note about IT is his messages in his music, he has substance.  You know who else has substance? Lil B, seriously check out his album 'I'm Gay' he talks about a lot of real topics and social issues.  The problem with Lil B is that he isn't a good rapper.  IT faces a similar problem - he is good, but he is put on such a high pedestal because of his topics and themes that he just can't match anyone he's usually put with as an emcee.   4. Tech N9ne is Overrated  

  Why is the overrated not all capped like Biggie, Pac, & IT?  Because it's not as big a problem with Tech.  Tech is an amazing rapper, but again because of his 'gimmicks' (couldn't think of a better word for this) he is typically placed with artists far above his caliber.  In Tech's case his 'gimmick' is his speedy flow and multisyllabic rhyming.  The problem I have with Tech's multis is that more than often he is saying words just to rhyme, and it takes away from the message of the song and believablity of the emcee.  I'm going to address this problem in an artist that faces it to a much larger extent next.   5. Eminem Hasn't Released a Good Album Since 2002  

  I expect to have the most people disagree with me on this one.  Yes, 'The Eminem Show' was Eminem's last good album.  Encore was one of the worst albums I've ever listened to, Relapse, while having the best production Dre has ever made, was awful - facing the problem I described Tech N9ne having tenfold, and Recovery was an awful attempt at pop success, bad beats, a horrible yelling delivery, uninspiring features, and a boring attempt at a motivational sound.  From 1999 to 2002 there were very few rappers holding a candle to Eminem's skill (other than Nas & Jay-Z I really can't think of any).  He flawlessly paired countless rhyming syllables while keeping original, and descriptive themes very clear for the listener.  There has been glimmers of hope on his recent albums (Deja Vu on Relapse/Going Through Changes on Recovery) so maybe it is possible for Eminem to release more material on par with 'The Eminem Show'.
6. Jay-Z's 'Takeover' Was a Better Song Than Nas' 'Ether'  

  While Ether is a legendary diss track, I like to think Takeover is a better song.  Many of Nas' disses are childish name calling with only a few personals.  Jay-Z on the other hand had more damaging personals and better overall production.  Nas' diss had more comedy and I think that's why his is always brought up, it's more memorable and has more moments where you just think, "Did he really say that?".   That's all for this post, if I think of more I will do a part 2 in the future.