“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest collectives vying for the #1 spot. Sixty-two groups have been pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot will be reserved for a wild-card entry, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no deserving band of MCs and DJs is neglected. The 2018 contest consists of seven rounds, NCAA basketball-tournament style, leading to a Top 32, then the Sweet 16 and so on, until one winner is determined. For each battle, two groups are pitted against one another with a ballot to decide which one advances to the next round. Though there will be an enormous amount of debate in comments, on social media, in barbershops and text messages, which we encourage, only votes cast in the official ballot (below) count.

Next is a Big Apple bout between two close collaborating crews. Wu-Tang takes on Heltah Skeltah in a Clans vs. Cliks rumble. Your vote is needed to send the elite collective to Round 2 in this match-up of grimy, lyrically-advanced groups from the harshest of New York City streets.

Wu-Tang Clan

The name Wu-Tang Clan is synonymous with legendary Hip-Hop groups. RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Raekwon The Chef, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, U-God, Inspectah Deck, and Method Man created a musical brand as strong as any in the last 25 years. Since formation, Wu has stood for power in numbers and featuring many styles in one place. The collective’s 1993 debut album, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) never cracked the Top 40, and somehow challenged the mainstream understanding of rugged, unconventional Rap music from a very raw place. The Loud Records LP also served as a launchpad for every artist in the group, collectively and individually over the next decade. The Clan has unified for at least seven other albums in the last 25 years, and countless compilations, side projects, and factional lineups on a la carte songs. Witty Unpredictable Talent And Natural Game is an acronym that lived up, as recently as October, Wu still forms like Voltron to attack microphones and feeble-minded peers. The 2004 death of O.D.B., internal legal battles, and so many obstacles that only Wu seems to face cannot stop these swordsmen, who have pierced the consciousness for decades and sliced through the Rap landscape.

Heltah Skeltah

The Brooklyn duo of Ruck (aka Sean Price) and Rock (aka Rockness Monsta) are lyrical generals within the Boot Camp Clik with decorated deliveries. In just three albums, particularly 1996’s Nocturnal, H.S. proved they were a force to be reckoned with. This Duck Down act had distinct chemistry, with Sean’s compound rhyme structures and deadpan witticisms set against Rock’s baritone braggadocio. Beyond the three LPs, the duo worked together on the bulk of Boot Camp Clik albums (Rock would pursue outside solo interests for a period in the early 2000s) and on each other’s solo albums. Amidst those ventures, Heltah Skeltah united for songs and the eventual D.I.R.T. LP, 10 years removed from Magnum Force. As the duo forged new roads, plans halted with the tragic and sudden death of Sean three years ago. Heltah Skeltah lives on as a shining example of hardcore Hip-Hop.

Finding The GOAT Group: N.W.A. vs. UGK. Who Is Better?

So who is the better Hip-Hop group? Make sure you vote above.