Finding the GOAT: None of These MCs Have Made the Top 10…Yet
Ambrosia For Heads’ Finding The GOAT series, the search for the Greatest Of All Time MC (as determined by you), began in September, 2014 and is soon down to its final 10+1 bye (Rakim, bringing the tally to 11) contestants. The MC who wins by the biggest margin in this Round 4 will get a bye in Round 5. At 5:00pm EST on Sunday April 26, Round 4 polls will close, and Round 5 will kick off on Monday, April 27. Prior to finalizing this round and unveiling the next match-ups, at least one extremely close battle remains, with anything possible by the close.
At the conclusion of Round 3, AFH recapped just what has transpired since late 2014. With that said, the votes came out in droves for Round 4, and, thus far, none of these MCs will be part of the final 10.
Although it was not planned that way, the tightest race is the most recent. Yesterday (April 24), AFH presented “The Notorious B.I.G. vs. Andre 3000.” Both of these legendary MCs, with major label album debuts that were within months of each other have created a massive online debate and a race, which at thetime of this publishing, is less than 1% apart.
In discussing the concept of “GOAT,” one must include LL Cool J. While it is uncertain where exactly the “Greatest Of All Time” term came from, James Todd Smith is most definitely the one who put it in the Hip-Hop vernacular. In 2000, LL released G.O.A.T., an acclaimed Def Jam Records release. At the time, the FUBU model/star actor’s project raced up the charts, scoring a #1 (the only LL album to do so) and a platinum plaque. At present, the MC closest associated with the term GOAT is on his way out—losing to an artist without a #1, and six less platinum LPs. Redman, who was just 15 years old when LL released Radio, is presently beating his former label-mate and collaborator by a margin of nearly 20%. Is Redman the biggest dark-horse GOAT, or have LL’s “Accidental Racism”-era verses erased some of his first 15 years of iconic greatness?
At present, in addition to LL, Guru, DMX, Erick Sermon, Big K.R.I.T., Scarface, MF DOOM, Ludacris, and Black Thought are being ousted from the tournament. However, final-day ballot box stuffing has had tremendous effect on the series thus far—is your personal GOAT being slighted? Speak on it, through driving those votes.
Stay tuned tomorrow at 7pm, when Ambrosia For Heads announces the final Top 10, joining Rakim in Round 5, which will make next week anything but dull.