“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’ annual competition 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 match-up, 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 or those using the official hashtags on social media count.

The next bout features Fat Boys and Run-D.M.C., two of the most influential Rap trios ever assembled. These iconic groups co-starred in the seminal 1985 Hip Hop film Krush Groove are highly responsible for their music and marketing plans to help Hip-Hop culture become mainstream. As we review their primal influence and legacies, your vote will decide which of them will make it to the Round 2.

Fat Boys

This legendary New York City trio made a then-burgeoning 1980s Hip-Hop culture reach a tipping point in popularity as their girth tipped the scales. The Fat Boys collection of Big Buff Love (aka The Human Beatbox), Prince Markie Dee, and Kool Rock-Ski, whose kitsch as comical gluttons with dope rhymes and inimitable routines caused other MCs to enhance their skills and public image. This collective became one of pop culture’s most prominent acts as they recorded seven albums, with the first six released annually between 1984 to 1989. The most celebrated albums that made them household names were their first four, including gold-certified self-titled debut and sophomore (The Fat Boys Are Back) LPs. The Brooklyn crew’s love for food brought The Fat Boys worldwide fame with their chart-topping collaborative remakes of 1960s mainstream hit “Wipeout” with The Beach Boys and “The Twist” with Chubby Checker. Plus, the Fat Boys were one of Hip-Hop’s brand marketing cash cows and helped push Hip Hop from the hood to Hollywood with their guest appearance on top-rated 80s TV show Miami Vice, and received top billing for their own 1987 major studio film Disorderlies. Sadly, Buff passed away in 1995. However, the group’s brand and influence are still heavy in the game.

Run-D.M.C

The original kings of Queens have been often imitated, but never duplicated in how they turned the music community on its ear when some still viewed Rap as a fad. Run-D.M.C. became top-selling acts with music that melded hard rock guitar riffs with towering vocals and street-savvy content. Run, Darryl, and Jam Master Jay gave Hip-Hop music and fashion a facelift as they took a hardcore sound to the mainstream. They accomplished several firsts as a Rap group: the first with their video “Rock Box” featured on MTV in 1983, the first Rap group on the cover of Rolling Stone, and the first with a platinum-selling LP with 1986’s Raising Hell. Through seven studio albums, Run-D.M.C. cemented their place in music history and are among the five Hip-Hop acts inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Their first two albums, the self-titled effort and King Of Rock, catapulted them into the conversation of Rap’s elite in 1983 and 1984, respectively. But their biggest hit to date “Walk This Way” revived would-be Rock legends, Aerosmith, to become one of Rap’s most important songs to date. Run-D.M.C. was an undeniable force in the marketing world with product placement tune “My Adidas.” Although JMJ was murdered in 2002, this group’s legacy burns bright. It’s like that, and that’s the way it will always be.

Finding The GOAT Group: Gang Starr vs. The Beatnuts. Who Is Better?

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