CeeLo Green Celebrates The Mind-Blowing Greatness Of His Favorite MCs (Audio)

Veteran MC CeeLo Green has proclaimed that he is back in the Rap game. In the 21 years since Goodie Mob released the acclaimed Soul Food debut album on LaFace Records, CeeLo has ascended into a pop music sensation, care of Gnarls Barkley, The Voice, and a certain profane viral 2010 hit.

Before Drake and Future, the Atlanta, Georgia native and member of the Dungeon Family balanced his rapping with melodic singing—blending the church with the street. After releasing Heart Blanche in 2015, new single “My Favorite MCs” lodges the 42 year-old squarely in his Hip-Hop roots. As the song says, the five-time Grammy Award-winner states the rappers who he likes most.

The song premiered at Digital Trends. In a corresponding interview, CeeLo revealed that he did multiple takes of the song, with some artists not making the cut (including Fu-Schnickens’ Chip Fu) on the released version. The song-maker also says that some of the MCs he mentions in the talking parts of the record were also edited out in the mixing of the digital single.

At the song’s close, Cee’ demands the instrumental to the song be released—encouraging Rap peers to share their own lists, rapping the artists they want to recognize for influence and advancing Hip-Hop music.

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In the more than five minutes of rapping and talking, CeeLo praises MCs from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. He includes himself and Goodie band-mate Khujo. In some cases, Green lists groups—though in the case of Wu-Tang Clan, he stresses all members.

“I could have gone longer and did a 10-minute song,” admitted the Atlantic Records artist. “But, in the process you’re trying to make something seamless so it can be represented as a song. I wanted to do something that was sort of chronologically based, for the most part. I wanted both purposes to be served. to acknowledge those who I had an affinity for a on a personal level, but to also shine some light on some of the other ones that go unsung, that you might not think that I had noticed like a J.R. Writer.”

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J.R., a onetime member of the Diplomats extended collective is just one of the artists that may veer from the traditional list. CeeLo also specifically dedicates parts of the song to praise battle-rappers and female MCs.

In the interview, CeeLo Green says he is at work on a project with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MC Tone Trump. He makes no bones about returning to Rap in the song. In 2013, CeeLo reunited with Goodie Mob after a decade-plus hiatus for Age Against The Machine.

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For those wanting to keep track, this is the grocery list of CeeLo’s favorite MCs. For artists that have not released solo albums, the corresponding groups are in parentheses:

Jay Z
Kanye West
Big Boi
The Notorious B.I.G.
Tupac
Andre 3000 (Outkast)
Grandmaster Melle Mel (Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5)
LL Cool J
Nas
Grand Puba
M1
stic.man
Posdnuos (De La Soul)
Dave (De La Soul)
Black Sheep Dres
Brother J
Busta Rhymes
Doug E. Fresh
Kool G Rap
Rakim
KRS-One
Kool Keith
Cam’ron
Big Daddy Kane
Billy Danze (M.O.P.)
Lil Fame (M.O.P.)
DJ Quik
Slick Rick
Wu-Tang Clan (all members)
8Ball
MJG
Beanie Sigel
Lil Malik (Illegal)
The D.O.C.
Dr. Dre
MC Ren
Ice Cube
Redman
Rick Ross
Dray (Das EFX)
Skoob (Das EFX)
Tech N9ne
Too Short
E-40
Kendrick Lamar
J. Cole
Kurupt
Snoop Dogg
Tray Deee
Tash
Suga Free
JT Money
Trick Daddy
Jadakiss
Three 6 Mafia
Sean Price
Buckshot
Boot Camp Clik
Rev Run
D.M.C.
Mystikal
Big Mike
Scarface
Wise Intelligent
Lil’ Kim
Foxy Brown
Kwamé
Talib Kweli
DOOM
DMX
Ladybug Mecca
MC Lyte
Queen Latifah
Lauryn Hill
Pimp C
Bun B
Big Pun
Black Rob
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
Cee-Lo
Phife Dawg
Q-Tip
T.I.P.
Lil Wayne
Gucci Mane
Lil Boosie Badazz
A$AP Ferg
Ras Kass
Eminem
Twista
Treach
Black Thought (The Roots)
No Malice
Pusha T
Pharrell
Prodigy
Havoc
Pharaohe Monch
Fabolous
Young Thug
Khujo Goodie
Future
Drake
Game
Big Sean
ONYX
Stetsasonic
Chuck D
Public Enemy
Calicoe
Loaded Lux
Murda Mook
J.R. Writer
Common
Heavy D
Jalil (Whodini)
Ecstasy (Whodini)
50 Cent
Young Buck
Slaugherhouse
Nice & Smooth

How does this list compare against yours?