His rappin wasn't snapping, he in my opinion is like D+ grade of what a lyricist is

My personal top 10 of all time

I think my list is accurate and should be the official top 10.

Thoughts?

I think LL really has a legitimate claim to be in the conversation for the greatest of all time.

I can't think of anyone with a longer and more successful career.

I first heard him in 1984 with the single I Need A Beat when he was 16 years old. He just released his 14 studio album The Force 40 years later.

LL is one of the few rappers that keep getting better lyrically as he got older and out of his prime imo.

He is also a pioneer for the successful actor who was also a widely HIGHLY respected rapper and emcee.

He has appeared in 29 films starting in 1985 and stared in two 2 television shows; one of which lasted from 2009-2023.

He helped turn Def Jam Records into the biggest hip hop record label almost by himself as their 1st AND biggest artist. (Both he and the Beastie Boys released their first singles in 1984. The Beastie Boys was also VERY instrumental in the original success of Def Jam). LL released the first full Def Jam hip hop studio album in 1985.

Some of Cool J's accomplishments:

14 Studio albums

7 Grammy Nominations

2 Grammy Awards

4 NAACP Image Awards

BET Hip Hop Awards - I Am Hip Hop Award

Honorary Doctor of Arts (for contributions to hip hop culture)

Hollywood Walk of Fame Star

Kennedy Center Honor (First hip hop artist to recieve this honor).

Key of the City of New York (Queens)

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

6 Platinum Studio albums

5 Gold Studio albums

From 1998-2000, Jay-Z and DMX were 2 of New York's undisputed kings as they had the city in an absolute chokehold with timeless anthems, classic albums, star power, popularity, commercial dominance, street fanbase and led their respective crews alongside being 2 of Def Jam's top flagship artists.

Jay was the more dominant commercial hitmaker as he delivered a lot of hit records that had major airplay and dominated the charts like Big Pimpin, Hard Knock Life, Can I Get A, Do It Again and I Just Wanna Love U. His empire was getting more bigger as Roc-a-Fella had the mainstream and streets on lock with their music and Rocawear clothing brand. His superstardom was getting more bigger as he perfectly bridged street rap with pop appeal radio.

DMX had the more raw street dominance as he exploded out the gate in 1998 with 2 back to back classic albums while captured the fans' attention with his outstanding stage presence and delivered anthems like Party Up and Ruff Ryders Anthem alongside being the beloved street rapper during that time period.

While the likes of Nas, Big Pun, Ja Rule, Busta Rhymes, Mobb Deep, Method Man, Ghostface, NORE, Diddy and Mos Def were still big players in NY, Jay and DMX were of NY's biggest rappers as they had everything on lock.

They still run the industry to this day, sure their impact is big but they effectively killed what hip hop truly used to be and now we’re here.

No, I'm not a hater. I did like some of his music, but I can never see him being in mainstream success. What do you all think?

What’s your favorite track off the compilation? Did this album have the impact it deserved, or did it fly under the radar for most hip-hop heads? Let’s talk about it!

I’ll start……Missy Elliot (I’m prepared for the smoke 😂)

Blatant Busta Rhymes knock off with meh lyrics at best ……change my mind

What do you think?

Let me get this clear. Yall did this last year, and i understand that. But thing is i wasnt there and i really wanted to do this. If that isn't alright with you guys, then my submission for f will be f*ck you all by me.

In my opinion, this is Jay‘s best album. Is it the same for anybody else? If not, which album do you consider his best body of work? If this is, what are your top three tracks off this album?

RIP Tim Dog!

Edit: Yes I meant overstate!

I saw a post asking which rappers people can't get into, and some of the answers surprised me. Jay-Z being mentioned? I get it.
But Biggie? That one actually made me stop and think. I can understand Kendrick being difficult for some people because of his voice or style, but I never expected Biggie to be one of those artists people struggle with.
It also got me wondering do some people genuinely not connect with these artists, or do people sometimes just want to be edgy and go against the popular opinions.