View Full Version : Greatest Underground Emcee of All Time?
Massa Deep
03-03-2008, 03:48 PM
J Live or Mr. Lif?
Both are lyrical masterminds, with the deepest lyrics I've ever heard from Underground artists. But, after listening to "Arise" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U3r7u9uca8) [Link] from Mr. Lif from his EP "Enter the Collossus", my choice was certain. Mr. Lif takes the cake, but I'd definately rank J Live no. 2 (Check out "Longevity" by J Live, sick lyrics). So, who would you rank your no. 1 Underground Artist? Canibus, Deltron, Talib, Akin, Cise Star.. ??? :?
surprise
03-03-2008, 04:11 PM
yea lif is nice lyrically no question
as far as the best underground.. im in the rakim, canibus, killah priest camp. sad day when rakim especially is underground..
A.bNoRmAL
03-03-2008, 04:16 PM
Canibus
Listen to his Poet Laureatte songs
SiiNiDE
03-03-2008, 04:24 PM
depends if you mean Lyrically or Successfully. Cos with success, I'd prolly say Technique.. Dudes like as mainstream as underground can get, lol.
I wouldnt really consider Talib underground anymore, he's more like a NAS typa cat now. But lyrically, I'd say Canibus no doubt.
Cats_Pajamas
03-03-2008, 04:29 PM
Canibus no doubt.
Find me someone deeper, and so vivid.
Divine Write
03-03-2008, 05:10 PM
Mr. Lif is good...But his voice gets to me after while...I don't know...I guess it's just me...
If you want to talk lyrics than yes Canibus would definitely rank up there...But I think that Chino XL, Prevail of Swollen Members and Apathy can give Canibus a run for his money...
For deep lyrics I'd have to go with the likes of Sage, Slug, Brother Ali, and Aesop Rock...I love Sage but I think Aesop is on another level...If you sit down and truely take in Aesops' lyrics you'll be blown away...
For longevity I would have to go with MC Juice...Hands down...
makewayforenkay
03-03-2008, 06:31 PM
Best in the underground. hmmmmmmm apathy is nice, esoteric is nice, canibus is nice, Technique is nice, Vinnie Paz...i'd have to say canibus is the very best though.
Massa Deep
03-03-2008, 07:28 PM
Word, yeah, I've always liked Canibus, the King of flow and he's got the sickest punches. But Sii, I'm referring to Lyrically who's the Greatest, not in terms of Success.
Dex Aspen
03-04-2008, 02:13 AM
Find me someone deeper, and so vivid.
Qwel to name one.Pharoe Monach,Gift of Gab,Double K,Lyrics Born,Sage Francis,Blueprint...
...and Canibus is not underground.
-{A}-:out
makewayforenkay
03-04-2008, 08:25 AM
Find me someone deeper, and so vivid.
Qwel to name one.Pharoe Monach,Gift of Gab,Double K,Lyrics Born,Sage Francis,Blueprint...
...and Canibus is not underground.
-{A}-:out
canibus is underground, he's on an underground label, he only sold 2000 records his last album and isn't played on the radio. :roll:
SiiNiDE
03-04-2008, 11:19 AM
hmm, what dex said is kinda true....... canibus tried to sell out and failed, lol. Divine brought up a good argument, aswell. Sage is most definitely disgusting. though, im ashamed to say, ive never listened to aesop... im gonna download some shit right now lol.
makewayforenkay
03-04-2008, 03:11 PM
if he's on an underground label and isn't played on the radio and didn't even sell 5000 cd's of his latest release, how is he not underground??
dannyruxspin
03-04-2008, 03:25 PM
Canibus is underground? He was signed to Universal, and FLOPPED. He made a horrible career choice. That makes Canibus a failure, no matter how "dope his metaphors are".
Underground artists are the ones who choose to remain on low key labels, or start their own label. Not the ones that did horrible because he thinks his career will flourish on a major label but doesn't, and decides to sign with the only label that will take him.
Guys, Canibus did nothing. AT ALL.
I vote for El-P. He started Company Flow in the early Nineties. Him and his partner Big Juss had a problem, so El-P went on to start Definitive Jux records. Who is the distributor of many favored underground artists today. Like Mr. Lif and Aesop Rock.
makewayforenkay
03-04-2008, 04:09 PM
he's on babygrande now, which is an underground label. and to me, he is still underground, because he is on an underground label, and isn't all commercial, or on the radio, or selling a shitload of albums, and he is the best lyrically out there. Bar none, whether you want to say he's underground or not, that's just a label. let his lyrics do the talking.
Cats_Pajamas
03-04-2008, 04:22 PM
None of those guys that Dex mentioned delve quite as deep as Bis, and yes, I've heard them all. You do point out one good point. He did try to sell out, but who can blame him? The important thing is, he's in the lab making Poet Laureate mix's daily, check his myspace.
Amo the Ew
03-05-2008, 12:36 PM
omg
some posts in this topic are just hilarius...
canibus in the underground ????
even his first record was a major relase...
and as far as I am informed (and belive me, I am) he sold smth between 80-100 k of his 'For whom the beat tools', that's his latest album
is that underground???
study your hip hop....
artists like: brother ali, aesop rock, sage francis, blueprint, slug, eyedea,
these are underground artists...
jeah, J-live's lyrics are tr00 dopeness... (though I've only got my hands on all of the above album and EP from last year)
anyone has more of his raps? i would really appreciate it..
and rakim?
oh jesus...where do you people live? :?
yes, it's natural for underground artists to go platinum and gold in most of their albums....bitch please!
study your hip hop...
that's what happens...when cats think that lil wayne and chamillionare or such artists are the supremacy of lyrical contents, and imidiately set artist they never listened to more then few times to the underground zone...
makewayforenkay
03-09-2008, 04:25 PM
http://www.babygrande.com/scoreboard.jsp
says 2,741. and i guess it's all how you take underground. I take underground as being on an underground label, and not being played on the radio and tv.
Amo the Ew
03-09-2008, 06:15 PM
hmm...
U.S. Sales Figures as of Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The album sold 60,000 copies in North America as of October 17,2007
hmm.. :)
besides...it's not such an underground if even I can buy this cd (read: i'm from europe)...it is released worldwide...and the sales fell under expectations...
just because the label is indie, doesn't mean it's underground...
and what good rappers do get airplay today? :?
Grifta
03-10-2008, 12:25 AM
u shouldnt worry so much about record sales..
as for Canibus, hes dope, no doubt
but i think Vinnie Paz better then him lyrically...
but yea all round, Immortal Technique is probably the best.
Sage is there too, fucking genius
Canibus, Aesop Rock, Sage Francis, killah Priest, Deltron, El-p, Mr. Lif-
No specific order; it's hard to compare artists who come with such original material...
surprise
03-13-2008, 11:44 AM
actually makeway was right with that babygrande sales at the end of september. but actually canibus' latest album was not copywritten or even published, and as a result his manager claimed all profits from the album under the name micclub, so canibus fired him, left his company Mic Club and tried to sue him - but the expenses were so high he dropped his lawsuit.
even if canibus sold 1m of FWTBT, he is not entitled to ANY of the profit.. it sucks.
THATS being informed..
surprise
03-13-2008, 11:47 AM
..and yea.. rakim is so far underground he has had to delay his album for nearly 10 years... so he tried shady aftermath but left.. now all he has is his own self started independent label with no public mailing address or web site.
THATS as underground as it gets before it becomes classified as amateur.
SiiNiDE
03-13-2008, 03:12 PM
..and yea.. rakim is so far underground he has had to delay his album for nearly 10 years... so he tried shady aftermath but left.. now all he has is his own self started independent label with no public mailing address or web site.
THATS as underground as it gets before it becomes classified as amateur.
Isn't there a difference between underground and falling off though? Cos R.A. was a big name in the early 90s and late 80s, but now he's considered underground? Know what i mean?
Oh shit!
03-22-2008, 08:48 PM
Bis,Immortal Technique,Sage Francis.
dannyruxspin
03-23-2008, 08:29 PM
I've been saying this for a long time, Canibus is not underground, he flopped.
I've said this for years. Being underground is not signing to a label that will sign you an advance check. Being underground is signing to a label that offers you a partnership. Until this date, KRS-One is the most FAMOUS underground persona that will grace our presence. He made radio airplay, did it on his own, and is still working on the hip hop movement till this day. I do take back my old candidate "El-P". El-P had a HUGE impact, but KRS-One, and BDP paved the way. Of course you can disagree, however that would just display that you do not know SHIT.
Amo the Ew
03-26-2008, 05:18 PM
I've been saying this for a long time, Canibus is not underground, he flopped.
I've said this for years. Being underground is not signing to a label that will sign you an advance check. Being underground is signing to a label that offers you a partnership. Until this date, KRS-One is the most FAMOUS underground persona that will grace our presence. He made radio airplay, did it on his own, and is still working on the hip hop movement till this day. I do take back my old candidate "El-P". El-P had a HUGE impact, but KRS-One, and BDP paved the way. Of course you can disagree, however that would just display that you do not know SHIT.
signed..