[Severian]

Re: E-40

You know, I really love how ridiculously diverse this guy is, how prolific he is, how gangsta he can be, while also being semi-comedic/alternative in his style. I think he is one of the few rappers who *TRULY* deserve to go down in history as one of the all time greats of the game (alongside Jay-Z, Nas, Dre, and the Wu) because he has been able to stay relevant (and even influential) for three god damn decades, and he has done so more relentlessly than anyone else I named.
So while Furious Five, Treacherous Three, De La Soul, public enemy, NWA, Tupac, Biggie, and the Beasties may be the first to come to most peoples' minds when they think of "Best of All Time," it's really more because they were in the right place at the right time than anything else.

Don't get me wrong- Grandmaster Flash is a legend but he's not a great emcee, or really even an emcee at all. The rest are brilliant, or WERE brilliant for a while, and either burned out, faded away, or died. De La Soul may be an exception, as well as the Beastie Boys, but I am not sure how the Beasties are viewed from within the hip hop community. They were a white boy hardcore band who saw an opportunity and went for it. But as fun as they are, and as relevant as they are to alternative audiences, they're not truly representative of the spirit or sound of hip hop. Just my opinion.

Anyway, E-40 has been a SURVIVOR. And he has been all over the place, working with rappers from every sector of ever tier of the community. He's done backpacker, he's done krunk, he's done hardcore, he's done party, he's done sexy (sort of), he's done gangsta, he's done socially conscious, and he's fucking done it all well, and he has worked for his fans like an over eager Asian accountant working his way up the floors of an office building.

People talk about HOV as though he's this hip hop messiah. Well- yeah, he survived the 90s and ended up being a much more skilled emcee than anyone ever anticipated, but shit, he's only been at it since 95/96! By now, most bands are about that old. Now he's amazing, and I love him, and I get a little teary whenever I hear "Big Brother" because Jay really has been the Mohammed Ali of the post gangsta hip hop era, and the biggest success story by far besides. But if Jay is that revered for kicking out 12 albums and lasting 20 years, then E-40 should be the undisputed heavyweight champion of hip hop- period- end of story. I'm just saying that if we judge one emcee based on the quality and quantity of his work, why don't we do that with E? Because he's released like 30 fucking albums, been in several projects and groups, and he's been at it for more consecutive years than anyone else.

That said..... His voice sometimes irritates me. Sometimes I want to skip through his tracks because the chorus/hook is appallingly stupid, or just plain dull. His cadence is excellent but sometimes he uses that excellent cadence to sound like a proper twat. You can totally tell by his voice that he's a fat ninja with glasses.

Anyway, he's definitely B-list even though he's an A-list talent. I think Talib Kweli is kind of in B-list territory these days, but he's one of the best in the game. Speaking of game, GAME seems to be rather B-list, or viewed as such by many, but I think he's goddamn awesome. Busta Rhymes is rightfully B-list (if you've been a judge on MTV spring break's stupid little game shows, that pretty much makes you fuckin' B-list as fuck.

I've put far too much time and thought into this explanation.
Fucking listen to SMOKE DZA!!