Soulquarians vs. Hypnotize Minds: The Greatest Rap Crew Competition
In recognition of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary, BET Digital, in partnership with Ambrosia For Heads, is celebrating the culture by hosting a bracket-style competition that allows you to determine Hip-Hop’s greatest crew.
Rather than having “experts” tell you who is the greatest of all-time, this is your opportunity to collectively make that decision. After giving the opportunity to any and all fans to provide feedback on which crews should be included, 32 collectives from different regions, styles, and generations have been selected—all vying for that #1 spot. When the final battle is over and the last vote is cast, you will have determined who is your Greatest Rap Crew of All Time. The voting began with eight crews from the Midwest, which were selected with your feedback. Now, that bracket is down to four.
SOULQUARIANS VS. HYPNOTIZE MINDS
Throughout their reigns, the Hypnotize Minds crew and The Soulquarians each yielded Oscar-winning success. Three 6 Mafia earned an Academy Award for their soundtrack smash “Hard Out Here For A P*mp,” while Questlove’s “Summer Of Soul” documentary gave Oscar gold to an illustrious musician-turned-director. Although they run in different sections of Hip-Hop, both of these musical crews channel classic soul music into their sound while creating charged-up songs for devoted audiences. These two also launched around the same time, with Common and early Hypnotize Minds acts being Relativity Records label-mates during their respective rises. Hypnotize Minds won out against the fellow Memphis-based Collective Music Group in Round 1, while the Soulquarians bested Griselda to advance. Many plaques, awards, and accolades later, these two crews clash—and only one can reach Round 3.
Go to BET.com to vote on which of these crews you believe should advance to the next round, and to learn of the other East Coast crews that are battling in this round. You can also vote on Twitter and Instagram, using the hashtag #BETGreatestRapCrew and a hashtag with your favorite crew.