Kendrick Lamar Tells Erykah Badu His Top 10 MCs Of All Time (DETAILS)
Ask anybody who really knows rap, and they will say that Kendrick Lamar is the best pure rapper hip-hop has right now. It didn’t happen overnight: time after time Kendrick has proved that he’s someone who’s studied the greats. So when he names a list of his 10 greatest rappers of all time, you listen.
Interview magazine recently enlisted Erykah Badu, who knows a thing or two about dropping a classic album, to sit down with Kendrick Lamar. It’s a pretty good interview, you should check it out: Badu asked Kendrick some quality questions, ranging from his family life to what his favorite cereal is.
A highlight of the interview came when Badu asked him to name his top five rappers of all time. Kendrick struggled, but he was able to formulate a list:
“BADU: Okay, top five rappers of all time. Who are they?
LAMAR: Oh, man.
BADU: I know, it’s hard. I can never answer that question either. They don’t have to be in order.
LAMAR: Okay . . . Give me Jay-Z.
BADU: Bam.
LAMAR: Give me Nas.
BADU: I’ll give you that.
LAMAR: Give me Tupac.
BADU: I might give you Pac. . .
LAMAR: Please give me Pac. Also give me Snoop.
BADU: Okay, that’s four.
LAMAR: And give me B.I.G.
BADU: I’ll give you B.I.G.”
Kendrick couldn’t just leave it at five, however. There are just too many great rappers, so he continued:
“LAMAR: But that leaves off Eminem and André . . . I’d probably formulate the perfect 10 if I really thought about it for a day.
BADU: You just named seven. You got three more?
LAMAR: Rakim . . . [pauses] Kurupt.
BADU: That’s nine.
LAMAR: Who would the last one be? Give me Method Man.
BADU: I will give you Method Man all day.
LAMAR: But it’s a battle because if I say Method Man . . . Will you give me DMX?
BADU: Okay.
LAMAR: Yeah, give me X. That’s my 10.
BADU: And then Meth would be the alternate. I hope y’all get that into Interview magazine. [Lamar laughs]”
That might be a little confusing, so here’s a clear version of what Kendrick’s top 10 looks like:
- – Jay-Z
- – Nas
- – Tupac
- – Snoop Dogg
- – The Notorious B.I.G.
- – Eminem
- – Andre 3000
- – Rakim
- – Kurupt
- – DMX
- – Method Man (Honorable Mention)
What you do think of K-Dot’s list?
