Rap Rating System: How to judge an MC
Ever wondered, what makes a good rapper? What makes some better than others? Here's how I do it; points from 1 to 5 based on select categories:
Lyrics: How skilled with wordplay/metaphors and punchlines they are, and similies and all that other good stuff.
Presence: How's their tone on a track? Do you like their voice? hate it? do they pack punch or vocal venom? Or better yet, do they demand your attention, or snag it?
Flow: How well the rapper flows and connects with a track, does it blend well? is it often out of place? too slow, too fast? Or just right?
Relevance: This is where it gets opinionated and starts to really very, although I find it pretty universal. What's their message? Are they relevant to you? can you relate? or do you feel like their saying BS and wasting your time?
Popularity: This one isn't very important, but it makes a point. Just because an MC's popular doesn't mean he's good in the 4 above categories, but it means he has a following. Helps us to see who's overhyped and who's earned it, as well as who's underrated and needs an audience.
Score ranges:
1-5= Trash MC
5-10=Jelly bean MC( 1 out of an assortment, but there a ton of others just like it.)
10-15= Junior/Underrated MC
15-20= Rising/ProdigyMC
20-25= Beast MC
I'll do some examples for you guys:
Drake
Lyrics: Drake's definitely capable, Although he favors telling personal stories and getting people to relate over fancy wordplay. But when he wants to, he can go off, as he's demonstrated a bunch of times. 4/5
Presence: He knows how to work this when he needs to. Subtle on a mellow track but strong on a hard beat like Worst Behavior. Good control, but not especially great or unique. 4/5
Flow: Amazing, simply amazing. This is where he excels the most. 5/5
Relevance: He's pretty relevant, as far as I see it. He mostly talks about life in fame and his turbulent love life, as well as talking about his past from time to time, giving us a recap. Pretty relevant, but I don't emphasize with him on a deep level like other artists. 4/5
Popularity: He's just as popular as the best, which a lot of people are saying he is now. Drake's been trailblazing like wildfire since he started in 2009. 5/5
Overall Rating: 22/25= Beast MC
That one was too easy, I'll try some trickier ones
Kid Cudi(One of my personal faves, but rating him is hard!)
Lyrics: Not on the heavyweight level, but relevant to the stories he tells. I feel like he's more of an alternative hip-hop singer than MC. A lot of his songs are deep and personal, and have powerful, thought provoking lyrics to reflect that. But as far as just rapping, his lyrics are ok with some "ooh not bad" sprinkled in. As a singer, pretty good. So his score here will be split, use whichever applies to you as far as how you want to define Kid Cudi. Singing-wise=4/5
Rap-Wise=3/5
Presence: Similar to Drake, it's a matter of what fits but he's mostly pretty mellow, and at times can have a heavy darker tone/presence in his songs. But overall, pretty good. Smooth. Gets your attention, but doesn't demand it. 4/5
Flow: Really good, rapping and singing. He has a unique, special flow that fuses and gains momentum from his unique style. 4/5
Relevance: He's kind of an indie MC, so not relevant to most, but his stuff is deep, personal, and a lot of his themes are self-empowerment and working hard to achieve your dreams, as well as a high emphasis on creativity. I can dig it. 4/5
Popularity: Kid Cudi's more underground than mainstream, so doesn't have a huge following, but it's still significant. 3/5 with potential to be 4/5
Overall Rating: 19/25=Rising/Prodigy MC
I'll post more later, but I'm more interested in seeing what you guys come up with using this point system.
Let the ratings begin!
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