It is nearly impossible to get a bunch of passionate hip hop fans to agree on anything. But I tried anyhow, starting with a series of polls on Facebook that aimed to figure out which emcee or group was the best in the game as driven by the letters of the alphabet. No specific rubric or criteria was given; just a simple request for answers to the question, "Who is the best emcee or hip hop group beginning with the letter 'A'?; 'B'?; 'C'?; 'D'?..." and so on. The responses were immediate and spurred some pretty spirited discussions. A general consensus was ultimately reached for each and per the request of Music Editor Leilani Polk, I'm bringing the poll results to Ear Buds. Each week, I'll reveal a letter and its "winning" artist, and then I'll re-open the question for further debate. Once we finish the first 26, we'll start it all over again fresh.
Pharcyde’s Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde gave us hip hop classics like "Passin’ Me By" and "Ya Mama" (the latter which I know better than most of my own lyrics). But the Los Angeles foursome could only manage third in the Hip Hop ABCs battle for the Letter 'P.'
Pharoahe Monch is the underground emcee’s favorite underground emcee but despite seven albums (three with Organized Konfusion), his body of work was only good for a distant second place finish. So who was Letter P’s number one?
Public Enemy is the first name anyone thinks of when the subject of political rap comes up. Tracks like "Fight the Power,""911 Is A Joke,""Can’t Truss It" and so many more are just part of the reason why Public Enemy has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Chuck D’s deep authoritative voice and powerful lyrics delivered more than songs. They were calls to action.
Flavor Flav, aka Hip Hop’s most famous hype man, provides the perfect counterbalance with his infectious antics. The duo has been lighting up stages for more than 30 years including dozens of world tours. Already one of Rolling Stone’s Top 100 Artists of all time, Public Enemy is also the winner of the Hip Hop ABCs Letter P.