There Are 2 Remaining In The Competition To Name Hip-Hop’s Best Group

“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 were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot was reserved for a wild-card entry, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no deserving band of MCs and DJs was neglected. The 2018 contest consists of seven rounds, NCAA basketball-tournament style, leading to a Top 32, then the Sweet 16, the Elite 8, Final 4, and championship, 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.

Voting for Round 5 is complete, setting up the final match-up: the championship round. The results in both of the Final 4 bouts were similar, statistically. A Tribe Called Quest defeated Public Enemy, 66% to 37%. As they enter the championship, that is the narrowest margin of victory for Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Jarobi White’s collective. Meanwhile, Wu-Tang Clan bested OutKast, 62% to 38%. Round 5 was also the closest its been for the Killa Bees swarm of RZA, GZA, Inspectah Deck, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man, U-God, Masta Killa, Raekwon, and Ghostface Killah. Throughout the ’90s, Tribe was signed to Jive, and the Wu were on Loud, sharing the same RCA Records distributor.

To reach this tournament’s finale, Tribe has knocked off Souls Of Mischief, Black Sheep, De La Soul, Run-D.M.C., and last week, P.E. Dating back to early May, Wu’s victories include defeats of Heltah Skeltah, M.O.P., Cypress Hill, The Roots, and ‘Kast. Many readers have championed Wu and A.T.C.Q. in comments since the tournament launched in April. The results have taken the competition to this stage, making the final match-up most interesting for fans.

The championship round begins Tuesday (September 25).

#BonusBeat: As an appetizer, ere is a 2012 A Tribe Called Wu 30-minute mix from DJ Charlie White that places these two legendary groups’ music side-by-side: