Rave Recs Favorites Contest: Outkast v. Eminem

[mad rhetorik]

Match 1, Hip-Hop/Rap Division: Outkast v. Eminem

Polls close 4/15.

[newtrix1]

Eminem is OK. I like his latest song collaboration with that M#### group. Kind of a fun little diddy.

But Outkast rules, especially their early stuff.

[DariusNYC]

Man this is a tough one. Eminem is such a great lyricist, and a great rapper. But he's been musically limited and needs to get a more diverse sound for his next album. If you'd asked me a year ago, I would have said Eminem, but Outkast has it now. They've grown with each album, and have such a rich musical pallette.

[MindGoneHaywire]

I guess I'm the only one, or at least the first one, to hit this thread with the opinion that Eminem is, if not the best rapper of all time, second only to Chuck D in that category. I'm sorry, after listening to a couple of Outkast's records, I don't think they're even in the same league.

[mad rhetorik]

I guess I'm the only one, or at least the first one, to hit this thread with the opinion that Eminem is, if not the best rapper of all time, second only to Chuck D in that category.

Ehh...I don't see it (or hear it, as the case may be). Chuck D had menacing vocal prescence, excellent flow (rivalled, I think, only by what I've heard on A Tribe Called Quest albums), and of course he wrote some very intelligent political poetry set to some of the most innovative musical backdrops in the genre. I don't always agree with what he's saying, but he's clearly a smart dude.

Eminem, on the other hand, comes off as a juvenile and arrogant little scrub. Mr. Mathers is nowhere near as "provocative" or "smart" as he thinks he is. Rhyming about killing his wife or hating his mother is not profound, or funny, or even particularly controversial. Combined with his whiny vocal delivery and lack of melody, bland beats, and his willingness to collaborate with godawful mainstream "artists" like 50 Cent (ewww...) and I continue to wonder why he's held in such high regard by critics. Oh, and his piece of vanity cinema known as 8Mile SUCKED.