As we continue the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time), we are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups in a sequence not unlike March Madness. For the next several months, we will roll out battles, starting with artists from similar eras paired against one another, until one undisputed King or Queen of the microphone reigns supreme.

The next two MCs to square-off helped usher Rap from the late 1990s into the 2000s, with praises in the mainstream and in the streets: Eve and Cam’ron (click on one to vote). Both of these artists came up in powerful movements, stood out, and stayed the course with distinct styles, top-selling albums, and cult-favorite songs that outlasted the times.

Voting For Round 1 is now closed. Stay up to date with the latest Finding The GOAT brackets

Although each of these artists may have as many naysayers as supporters, numbers and hit-counts don’t lie. Read about these two legendary artists, listen to their music and cast your vote.

Eve

In the five years following the arrival of Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown, Eve helped lead the second charge of female MCs who expanded the repertoire of what Heads expected. Additionally, joining Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Floetry, and Ms. Jade, Eve represented a renaissance in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania around the turn of the millennium. It is Eve Jeffers’ ability to push her rhymes convincingly, and write from the soul that’s made her a sales juggernaut, despite lengthy absences from the release calendar.

With two platinum LPs and one gold addition, Eve operated on a higher level than most MCs. Partially discovered by Dr. Dre (as heard on the Bulworth soundtrack), Eve found fame as the First Lady of the Ruff Ryderz, on subdued Swizz Beatz production, before making a return to Aftermath Entertainment later in her career. In just four albums, Eve has left her trademark dog-paw imprint on the surface of Hip-Hop, rapping about the unsung voices hurt in domestic violence, the woman who’s good without the cat-calling, and the MC who’s competing to be on top of a star-studded crew.

Other Notable Songs:

“Got It All” (with Jadakiss) (2000)
“And I Came To…” (with Styles P and Sheek Louch) (2002)
“Not Today” (with Mary J. Blige) (2004)

Cam’ron

In a deadpan serious Rap era, Cam’ron made it cool to be silly. Cameron Giles has been an ambassador to so many Harlem, New York styles: the slang, the flamboyant fashions, but also, the snapping. With a staccato flow, Killa Cam has stuffed his flows with humorous social commentary, that at a distance, is some of the strongest wordplay in ’90s and 2000s Rap. Versatile in image, Cam’ brought his love of Hip-Hop, and helped toughen up New York City’s aesthetic. A product of “the shiny suit era,” Cam bridges the gap between his childhood friends/Children Of The Corn band-mates, Big L and Ma$e. Sometimes lyrical and aggressive and other times slow and soft-spoken, Cam has been one of Harlem’s biggest Rap stars of all-time.

Decorated with two gold and one platinum LP, Cam’ron’s deliberately been too hard-nosed for mainstream. The MC who frequently uses compound rhymes has always found approval in the streets, launching his Diplomats team in the image of Wu-Tang Clan, Naughty By Nature, and Boot Camp Clik. Whether rhyming beside KRS-One, Nicki Minaj, or J.R. Writer, Cam’s been the kind of artist whose skills forever get in where they fit in. This MC enjoyed the spectacle of the digital era, but his ’90s roots remain in his writing, humor, and over-arching style.

Other Notable Songs:

“357” (1998)
“Killa Cam” (2003)
“Curve” (2006)

So…who you got?

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