well for starters i used to be one of those pure west coast guys- dickies and ben davis all day, nike cortez to finish it off..... snoop, dre, cypress hill, warren g, tupac, dj quick, ......... those are staples out here. thats pretty much all i listened to until i was around 16 or so and i started listening to wu tang and redman as well......
dr dre is far from the greatest rapper man.... to each his own, but to call him a real rapper is just that: hes a rapper, not an mc, not a lyricist and to tell the truth rappers and lyricists are two different things....
dr dre, snoop and warren g are all weak mc's, weak lyricists, but they are somewhat like the guys from the south: the make joints for their area, that they and their peoples relate to- thats a different thing to judge than actual skills.... is dr dre one of the greats? absolutely. does snoop fit into that category? i guess..... but dre's impact has more to do with getting the most out of an artist, putting together albums that cross over and still keepin em gangsta, and making stras out of good artists. he is a great producer, as far as overseeing the overall album and i dont even know what beats he actually makes or supervises these days...... but you ever see dre hod down an entire album without a whole slew of guests? thats his strong point- not rapping. i was arguing his rapping skills....
warren g dropped a very timely album that was a classic in my book, but what has he done since? three coasters for setting drinks on at 15 bucks each.... a real bargain. and even though he had a classic album (to me.... actually timeless is the better term..), that doesnt mean he i s a skilled mc or lyricist...... he is far below average.
snoop sells because he is snoop. lines like "poppin our collars/gettin them dollars".... thats real rapping alright. at least it rhymes. he hasnt been any good since doggystyle, and that was just raw, one of the greatest and most memorable albums to ever come out the left..... and then......? again it was a timely album that was relevant to his people, his area, california life- which was what sold at the time.
if you want real rappers, they are your guys i guess. throw mack ten on there along with dub c and the whoridas and comrads and while your at it throw in the kottonmoth kings and insane clown posse..... they do the same things and rap the same way. i am not a deaf judge just because these guys are more reminiscent of mother goose after a year in the 'hood then actual mc's.
