My Takes On Polarizing Hip-Hop Acts

There are plenty of divisive acts and figures in the hip-hop world, so I wanted to give my feelings on some of the people that I deem to be the most controversial. All of these people are talked about fairly often and have dedicated fans who will ride out hard for them, as well as a group of haters who don't think they're all that. I'm sure all of you have very strong opinions about most of these artists so please let me know how you feel about them as well, and who's your favorite.

Playboi Carti

Favorite Album: Die Lit

Carti is undoubtedly one of the most influential artists out right now, with a whole subgenre taking after his sound. With that being said I will always give respect where respect is due, and Carti deserves a ton, he has a unique sound and is looking like a leader of this new generation, but I personally do not find his music enjoyable. At this point in time I see the appeal, except with Whole Lotta Red, but I'm just not too into that sound and I don't think there is too much merit to his sound as a whole other than being unique and influential.

Death Grips

Favorite Album: N/A

I'll preface this by saying I have not made it through a whole Death Grips album yet, but I do plan on it so my opinion can fluctuate. From the tracks I have heard it is hard on the ear and very unpleasant. I know they are touted highly as an amazing experimental hip-hop group, and I can see their music is experimental, it just does not sound good to me at all. I do plan on listening to their music though, so I'll update you guys once I've heard more.

JPEGMAFIA

Favorite Album: LP!

Like Death Grips, Peggy is held in very high esteem by fans of experimental and abstract hip-hop, but like Death Grips is also very often overrated. His music is great but I just don't think he's at the level that other people think he is. His music is hit or miss for me but when it hits, it hits hard and it certainly seems like a stroke of genius. However the times he misses are experimental, but I don't think that they are good just because of that. Peggy, as well as being creative, is a really great rapper. It frustrates me that he doesn't rap too often in his music because he is very good at it. He is a great artist to me but I think is a little overrated due to the lane he operates in.

Eminem

Favorite Album: The Slim Shady LP

Many people think Em is top 5 all time, and just as many think that he is bad. I fall somewhere in between. He is certainly not top 5 due to his weaker discography but is a great technical rapper with very high highs. It is hard for me to put more respect on Em's name as the mediocrity of his later work makes it harder for me to take his older, classic work seriously. He is an amazing technical rapper with textbook lyricism but can be corny at times and is overbearingly explicit in his old work, which hasn't aged the best.

Lil Nas X

Favorite Album: MONTERO

First of all I do not categorize Nas X as a rapper, he is dominantly a pop act though he takes inspiration from a plethora of genres. Second of all, he is great. He is one of the best hitmakers out right now and most of his songs will get your head bopping the most, let alone dancing and singing. Everything this man touches turns to gold, and all though MONTERO wasn't anything conceptually great, it was filled with great, fun music. I don't see how people can hate this man as his singing is amazing and catchy and his rapping is almost as good. He's not the most conceptual or skill based artist but he is great at what he does.

Drake

Favorite Album: If You're Reading This It's Too Late

For someone who is one of, if not the best hit maker of all time, his skill level is often highly debated. It's no secret that Drake is not very close to being one of the most skillful artists and that his ability to make popular songs and know how to make a hit song is not only why he's so big but his best quality. He has several great records, but as time goes on his level of quality has only decreased, with Certified Lover Boy being his laziest effort yet. Currently Drake does nothing to evolve his sound and yeah, he puts out some great tracks still, but as a whole he is just a good rapper. His earlier records showed more creativity and potential but he has had a significant fall off in quality, ever since IYRTITL was released.

Kanye West

Favorite Album: The College Dropout

Ye is someone that a very large group of people think is the best artist of all time, I am someone that loves his music, but thinks that that is a horrible take. Kanye is amazing in so many aspects but he has a couple of weaker albums and several moments in his career where he has incorrect and corny lyrics, as well as not being able to flow sometimes. Don't get me wrong Ye is certainly top 50, and at the lowest in the 30's, but a good amount of his catalog is disappointing, inconsistent and just not that great. Some people think I'm crazy or stupid for that but my advice to you is to stop staning Kanye for a minute because his output is not always quality.

Trippie Redd

Favorite Album: A Love Letter To You

When this man first came up he was one of the most promising young talents in the game, but as the quantity of his output increases, the quality decreases. Trippie has a super unique voice and I used to love him but as time progresses he continues to conform to a more mainstream, poppy sound. His gritty, raspy singing is what put him on and now he's steered pretty far away from it. Pegasus, Trip At Knight and ! are all bad albums, and everything else Trippie has put out has been mid to bad. Nothing he's done is particularly great and he seems here to stay, but I don't expect another high quality album from him.

Logic

Favorite Album: Under Pressure

One of the most polarizing artists of the last decade as he went from being an underground hero to one of the most hated rappers before announcing his "retirement". This makes sense as his career is very spotty with a couple highs but a couple lows back to back to back. The best way to put it is half of his albums are good and the other half is mediocre. He has great lyrics at times, while poor at others, tells great stories sometimes but at others is just annoying. I think Logic could be best described as a hit or miss artist who isn't quite as great as he could've been.

Big Sean

Favorite Album: Detroit 2

Sean is similar to Logic in the sense he has great flows and inconsistent lyricism but most importantly doesn't quite live up to his potential. His discography is consistent but not consistently great. He has a lot of good albums but nothing too standout other than Detroit 2. He has crisp flows and when Sean is hungry he is his best. He seems to be improving so I'm excited for his next album. I think Sean is over hated because he is corny and not that great but he's still a solid artist who deserves respect, even if he's not everything he could be.

Pi'erre Bourne

Favorite Album: The Life Of Pi'erre 5

Pi'erre as a rapper is similar to Carti but I find him to be more polished, understandable and enjoyable. When he's rapping he's good but not great and manages to melt into his instrumentals in an entrancing way. As a producer I think he can be overrated in complete honesty as like Carti he is very influential but I just don't think his beats are as great as everyone else makes them out to be. Once again unique, influential, just not my favorite.

Lil Baby

Favorite Album: My Turn

Baby is one of the biggest rappers in the game right now and he probably will be for years to come. Some hip-hop elitists aren't a fan of his sound or just don't think he's that good but I think he has gotten better over the years and really innovated his sound. His flow is unique and one of his best qualities and he shows slight diversity in his sound. I think there is no reason to hate on Lil Baby any more since he rocketed to a new level, and increased the quality of his music.