G.O.A.T.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytH5R4EG-HwSecond best rap video of all-time (behind "California Love"
. Excess done right. Every typical "rap" video followed this blueprint. The only one that came close was "Big Pimpin'" by Hov and UGK.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7yQwQtSN7MOne of the the two or three hardest songs evarz. A couple of other songs started the east/west coast beef, but this is the song that started and eventually ended the Tupac/Notorious B.I.G. beef. The beat, Big's verses, Puff's ad libs. Legendary b-side. Pac's career (and life) went downhill after this song. Sad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsT8FaZnzdEBest first/debut rap single ever? Maybe. The only ones that came close were "My Name Is" by Eminem and "In Da Club" by 50 Cent. Homer in his first at-bat. Who doesn't know the words to this song?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSj4_8MR2lISpeaking of Eminem, this may be the only, ONLY song that he got upstaged on. He destroyed Jay-Z on "Renegade" and Hov put out two of his best verses on that track. 50, Dre, Snoop, Royce, whoever. Eminem went harder than them if they split/traded verses. Except on this song. And Eminem laid this verse down posthumously after Big's death. Big made Em look like Carlton Banks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEPgA4ZQf0U"Stan" by Eminem? "99 Problems" by Jay-Z? "One Love" by Nas? Basically any song that featured the same rapper rapping back to himself as another character/entity, well, Big did it before them and better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNwvHEme_JEProbably the first and last rapper to go at both Raekwon and Ghostface and win. And this was during the height of the Wu's powers. Dude said "**** it, why try, throw bleach in your eyes, now you brailin' it..." I love, love, love Rae and Ghost, but they're was no coming back from that diss. He even implicitly dissed DJ Premier on this track and Primo was the one that produced it! Monster status.
He really can't be touched.
Best flow:
1. Notorious B.I.G.
2. Snoop Doggy Dogg (1992-1995)
3. Eminem (1997-2002)
4. Method Man (1993-1995)
5. Jay-Z (2001)
Best punchlines:
1. Big L
2. Notorious B.I.G.
3. Canibus
4. Big Daddy Kane (1987-1990)
5. Jay-Z (2003)
Creativity/Imagination:
1. Andre 3000
2. Eminem (pre-2005)
3. Notorious B.I.G.
4. Nas
5. Kanye West
Best voice:
1. Snoop Dogg
2. Tupac
3. DMX
4. Method Man
5. Notorious B.I.G.
Best delivery:
1. Ice Cube
2. DMX
3. Notorious B.I.G.
4. LL Cool J (1984-1992)
5. Kool Keith
Most versatile:
1. Jay-Z
2. Notorious B.I.G.
3. Andre 3000
4. Nas
5. Eminem
Best catalogue:
1. Notorious B.I.G.
2. A Tribe Called Quest
3. Ghostface Killah
4. Eric B. and Rakim
5. The Roots/maybe Kanye West
Biggest impact:
1. Run-DMC
2. LL Cool J
3. Tupac
4. Dr. Dre
5. Notorious B.I.G.
Most quotable/biteable/imitated:
1. Rakim
2. Notorious B.I.G.
3. N.W.A.
4. Tupac
5. Snoop Doggy Dogg
And yes. Back to the thread title. Referenced in the best battle/diss song ever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z63cQKWlDgQ"The greatest rapper of all-time died on March 9th/ God bless his soul, rest in peace, kid/ It's because of him now at least I know
What('s) Beef is..."