Yeah I’m a white guy, is that a problem? Oh, what, just because I’m white I can’t judge who “has good flow” and who “doesn’t”? Yeah right, I speak English (or some form of it), as well as have a concept of grammar and speech devices that, when combined, equate to something close to the concept of “flow” in the rap game. Anyway, the list starts now!
1. The Notorious B.I.G
Yes it’s cliche, but it’s cliche for a reason; it’s da truf. Multisyllabic rhymes, easily accessible vocabulary that keeps one guessing, and a knack for weaving fascinating narratives. Also, check out his split personality verses on the song “Gimme the Loot” from the irreproachable Ready to Die.
2. Nas
I am basing this placement of Nas on this list solely on The Illmatic. I listened to it on youtube and bought a couple of his songs. But whatever, he’s sick. If this dude wrote books, he could’ve been an incredible author. His command over multi-syllabic rhymes, internal rhyme scheme, and a supreme feeling of utter control of his rhymes and impeccable rhythm makes him an all-time great, even if he never bested The Illmatic (not that I would know lol). ”New York State of Mind” for proof (not to be confused with that Jay-Z/Alicia Keys song).
3. Mos Def
Mos Def is a boss, straight up. His wide vocabulary and a unique rhythmic delivery make him quite notable. His esoteric topics and politically-aware lyrics also help him stand out from the crowd. He’s also a pretty dope Freestyler. Check out “Mathematics” and his verse on The Roots’s “Rising Down”.
4. Eminem
Eminem was going to be number three on this list, but then I remembered that he sounds kinda weird and that song with Rhianna fucking annoys me. God. Anyway, Eminem has an incredible talent for fitting more syllables into a line than any other known human being. It’s also funny how much of a total psycho he is. But seriously; he uses a lot of cool rhythmic rhyming techniques, odd intonations, and some cool syncopation techniques. Plus he’s Dr. Dre affiliated. I like “Role Model” by him. He also sort of played himself in a movie(!!!)
5. Kanye West
Kanye West is like my favorite rapper ever. I love his production style, and I like how his lyrics actually refer to something other than selling crack (which I can’t really identify with) and he actually talks about being in college and shit (which I can totally relate to!). His flow can be pretty hilarious. He even sort of got rid of it for an album called 808’s and Heatbreak; maybe you’ve heard of it. His best “flow” songs would probably be “Big Brother” and “Champion” off of Graduation and “Heard ‘Em Say” from Late Registration. He can also sing on songs like “Runaway” and “Lost in the World”. My love of Kanye can be further explored by reading my review of his most recent album, also on this blog. Check it out.
6. Ghostface Killah
First Wu-Tang member on this list, which is surprising as I love the Wu-Tang. Anyway, Ghostface has awesome flow. Wikipedia has described his flow as “Stream-of-Conciousness”. Whatever, I’ll take it. He sounds very genuine, which I like. He doesn’t sound like he’s trying. Hence, “flow”. Check out his verse on “Impossible” off of Wu-Tang Forever and the first verse on “Bring da Ruckus” off of 36 Chambers.
7. Method Man
Second Wu-Tanger. Method Man makes me laugh. He has a really low, gritty-yet-smooth voice, and his flow varies from incredibly smooth to jagged and funny as shit. For funny, see “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta Fuck Wit” and for cool, see his verse on “Shame on a Nigga”. His first solo album Tical also had ridiculously cool beats, courtesy of The RZA. He talks about weed a lot.
8. Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg also makes me laugh. Doggystyle has cool rhyming by him. He’s had some weird albums in between that and… everything else. But whatever. He’s also Dr. Dre affiliated, and he’s a hilarious person. He wrote a love song to weed, you should check it out. It’s called “I Love Weed” (you would have never guessed, I know). This dude’s hilarious, listen to him.
9. The RZA
I put The RZA on here because he’s like my favorite producer (probably tied with Kanye) and his knack for (deliberately?) mispronouncing words to fit them into a rhyme makes me laugh. But seriously, this guy was the vision behind the Wu-Tang Clan, and he gets mad props for that. There are just better rappers out there than him. Check out his verse on “4th Chamber” off of GZA’s album Liquid Swords (which The RZA produced himself, in it’s entirety.) His verse off of “Click Click (Careful)” from The W is pretty funny because it’s not really a verse.
Hip-hop purists out there might be saying things like “WHERE THE HELL IS TUPAC ON THIS LIST!??!?” and “why are all of these guys from the nineties and early 2000’s? To answer in sequence: because I’ve never listened to Tupac, I didn’t feel like putting his stuff on my iPod. Jesus, so sue me. And it’s only those timeframes because that’s what I listen to. LL Cool J should get an honorable mention, speaking off that. And this is my list, so keep your catty judgements to yourself. Thanks you guys, I hope you think I write pretty!
Originally posted to Tumblr on December 4, 2010
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