5 best MCs of all time

5 best MCs of all time  (And, yeah, I am old school…)
1. Chuck D.  It is shame that we watch Flavor Flav become this strange icon of love and weirdness.  But in the old days, Chuck D.’s rhymes and Terminator X on the turntables are what made this white boy have a Public Enemy poster up in his room.  Best track: “Night of the Living Baseheads.”
2. LL Cool J.  Call this the durability award.  LL knew from way back how to do all kinds of tracks, like “I Need Love” all the way to the wars he waged with MCs like Kool Moe Dee to the humorous tracks.  Today’s younger MCs need to learn how to do a diversity of records.  No one is always gangsta.  His versatility and his ability to use that variety of styles made him a great MC.  Best tracks: “I’m Bad” or “I’m Gonna Knock You Out.”
3. Rakim.  For straight flow, Eric B. and Rakim were one of the best duos in terms of one holding a mic and one spinning the tables.  There early use of what became the staple sound of later East Coast gangsta rap proves how much they influenced folks, even to today.  Best track: “Paid in Full”
4. Will Smith.  Okay, hardcore rap fans will argue with this one because Smith has never put out that “hard” record that seems to be mandatory to be included on the “greatest of all time” list.  But what Smith has done and done well for years is produce funny records, fantastic dance records and an occasional deeper track.  Just because white people like your music doesn’t mean it isn’t great.  (Though one could make an argument about Barbara Striesand.)  Best Track: “Getting Jiggy With It”
5. Speech.  I know, most people will shake their head and be curious about this one.  But the truth of the matter is Speech makes great music, has insightful lyrics and deserves to be on the list ahead of others from the same genre, like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul.  Best Track: “People Everyday”