With the NBA season drawing to a close , I thought about how much effort it takes to assemble that perfect team to win a title. For this entry, I decided to link hip hop & basketball in a marriage discussion but with a little bit of a twist.
I incorporated the cliche ‘Top 5 MC Discussion’ and stretched my imagination by assembling my top 5 into an All Star Hip Hop Team a la basketball structure. With this type of discussion I asked myself questions like ‘who would I have as your point guard?’ or ‘who would be my franchise player or in this case my franchise MC?’
In order to keep it short and concise (I found this super hard), I kept the selections within years of 1993-2000 to help make it easier. Here is my full team and why I have them at their current positions.
Team Black Bruce Wayne (Seasoned Veterans from 1993-2000)
-Point Guard
Jay-Z – Jay-Z was selected simply because of his ability to match up and dominate some of his opponents. Jay-Z has had his epic battle with The Infamous Mobb Deep & Nas. He lead the young team of Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Freeway, State Property and even Kanye West to franchise glory from the late 90s into the millennium.
-Shooting Guard
Andre 3000 - For someone who is the shooting guard (gunner) position on my team, I want someone who cannot fail when the last minute shot falls on their lap. The consistency of Andre 3000 is definitely attributed to the equal consistency of his comrade Big Boi. The same can be said for Mr. 3000’s features and collaborations where he never seems to fall short in giving fans lyrically designed verse that leaves fans shaking their heads and wanting more.
-Small Forward
Nas – As for my small forward, I had to pick someone who is not necessarily the focal point of the team but his presence has to be acknowledged because of the overall contributions. Nas opened up some of the most lethal lyrically assaults which we have not seen duplicated in a while (LL Cool J on Canibus, Cool Mo Dee and others). As one man wrecking crew, he took on Jay-Z and his Roc-A-Fella team similar to Dwayne Wade drawing the triple team and sealing it with a stunning win.
-Power Forward
Big Pun – Aside from his physical stature, Big Pun commanded the microphone whether it was his track or a featured performance. The voice of Big Pun was so distinguished that you can remember the slight breathes he took in some of his multi-syllable rhyming techniques which would have the most well conditioned person out of breathe. Pun’s titanic-like performances would have people wondering if he could match with our next position player if he were still alive at the time. The phrase ‘lyrical prowess’ should have Big Pun’s picture next to it in the Hip-Hop guidebook. If the book actually existed his picture would be there.
-Center
Notorious B.I.G -Biggie Smalls is like Shaq when he debut in the NBA. Even though his discography only consists of two albums, he established a legacy and dominance which are just uncanny! Biggie’s verses were so vivid that you can imagine them in front of you. This Picasso of words was something that even to this day some people are claiming as the greatest of all-time next to his west coast counterpart Tupac Shakur.
-6th Man
Beanie Sigel – The 6th man would have to go to an individual who can come off the bench and make an immediate impact. without being in the starting line up. The Broad Street bully has not only took hip hop by storm with his debut album “The Truth” but he held his own by going up against a young lionhearted MC by the name of Jadakiss and being the leader of the Philly crew State Property.
-Clutch Player:
Jay-Z & Andre 3000 (tie)
-Head Coach
Dr. Dre & RZA (tie)
Dr. Dre - Like Pat Riley & Phil Jackson, Dr. Dre has been part of some interesting rap crews during his career as the lead maestro. Dr. Dre is responsible for the instrumentals for numerous hits by N.W.A. (Ice Cube, Eazy-E, and MC Ren), Death Row (Snoop Dogg, Tupac & Da Dogg Pound) and now his own umbrella Aftermath. He is not normally considered the leader of NWA, but his production credits are undeniable.
RZA – Now for this season veterans section, I could not leave this individual off this list because of his hand behind a dynasty. Like the Celtics’ Red Auerbach, The RZA certainly is responsible for the long lasting career of the Wu-Tang Clan. All the members of this ban of hardcore MCs have to admit that this man helped guide this dream team to hip hop glory with his production talent on many classic Wu-Tang tracks.
-General Manager
P.Diddy – Diddy’s resume speaks for itself. I am going to say that he had a roster of MCs which were unstoppable during the mid-to-late 90s. Not only did Diddy have Biggie but he introduced hip hop to an east coast team of Craig Mack, Black Rob, the L.O.X and Mase. P.Diddy has his hand in the industry and his resume of artists are a mile long.(Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, Al B. Sure, Craig Mack, Total, 112, Biggie, Faith Evans, Mase, the L.O.X.)
Honorable Mentions (My Bench Players):
2-Pac, Rakim, Jadakiss, Big L, Scarface and LL Cool J
I know my selections are heavy on the east coast side but that is the product of my environment. SHC would love for our readers to give their input on who would be on their team.
STARTERS
BIG
JAY
ANDRE
JADA
BEANZ
BENCH
GHOSTFACE
KANYE WAYNE
BIG L
This is kool; not one ever mentions Big Pun or Andre,I can see with except for Diddy ! Heis a horrible general manager all his players would leave his franchise disgruntled and in need of a career boast. I like Diddy but he over shadows his players and until he learns to fully support a push his artists over himself his line up will forever be changing.
Jay would d be my MVP. Timberland and JD would be my assistant coaches. Mos Def would be my 6th
I have to agree. Aside from Biggie, Puff hasn't developed his team. I would say my GM would be Russell. Am I biased because I'm from the Q boro? Perhaps. But no one can deny that he built the biggest Hip Hop label and has pushed some of the greatest artists to touch the mic.
da best. Keep it going! Thank you
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Peace
Thank you