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It’s Mostly The Voice: The 25 Greatest Voices In Hip-Hop (*sticky*)
With the passing of Guru, we’ve decided to take a look at some of the most distinct, original, outstanding, and classic voices in hip-hop. This isn’t about skills, how many hits you had, your influence on the game, this is about genetics. Sorry new rappers, you’re all a little too green to make the list quite yet….
25. Rock of Heltah Skeltah – Rock’s physical genetics are partly responsible for his booming voice, and we first heard him say “Heltah Skeltah Means War”, we believed every word. Sean Price may be the more able lyricist, but when Rock speaks, people have no other choice but to listen.
24. Chali 2na – The Jurassic 5 emcee had no other choice but to rise above his peers, as his incredibly uniquely deep and equally crisp vocals stole the show every time.
23. C.L. Smooth – There’s a reason why people always beg for a Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth reunion album. While yes, Pete is one of the greatest producers of all time, there’s one voice that always brought the best out in his beats, that of C.L. Smooth, who is every bit his namesake. Brief reunion songs like “Back On The Block” showed there’s nobody better on a Pete Rock track, and why we’ve never seen another rapper share equal billing with Pete for more than one album.
22. Ludacris – Chris Bridges has one thing that many of his other peers in the south lack, clarity. When Luda hops on a track, the stand out punch-rhymes and crass lyrics are to be expected, but they are all the more effective when spit so loud and clear. Rappers, take note.
21. Lil Jon – Yeah, this list isn’t resigned to just lyricists, some hype men on here too. Love him or hate him, Lil Jon’s voice demands you listen. While hearing him rhyme 16 bar verses leaves something to be desired, he can propel any track into an anthem, just by jumping on the hook. Sorry, Fatman Scoop.
20. 2Pac - ‘Pac’s voice was rose above the rest since his first appearance on Digital Underground’s “Same Song”, and continued to do so until the day he died. With time we saw it transform to convey a variety of emotions – danger, fun, anger, passion, hate, love, despair, and hope.
19. KRS-One – The voice of the self-proclaimed god of hip-hop sounds exactly how one would expect: thundering and commanding. His lyrics might as well be etched on two stone tablets.
18. Andre 3000 – In the case of Three-Stacks, it’s a combination of his unapologetic ATL accent and his ultra cool, laid back drawl. He sings, too.
17. Mos Def - Part rastafarian accent, part headcold, Mos Def’s unique vocal tones sounds equally dope when either rapping or singing – and he excels at both.
16. Ice Cube – While Cube’s voice has lost some of its luster in his later years, during his prime he spoke the loudest – both literally and figuratively.
15. Flavor Flav - While Chuck D was Public Enemy’s voice of reason, Flava Flav took what he said and affirmed it with unmistakable adlibs such as “Yeeeeeeeeeah Boyeeee” that only sound dope when he says them.
14. Cee-Lo Green – The Goodie Mob / Gnarls Barkley frontman has it all – the ability to rhyme ridiculous styles, as well as belt out a note like the highest paid southern gospel preacher.
13. Guru – Guru’s one of the few emcees that could keep the listener’s attention with such a monotone style, as his voice conveyed coolness and class.
12. Eazy E - Eazy’s voice suggested that he was a bit like Joe Pesci’s character in Casino – small, evil, and deadly. Not an accident that he was the first member of N.W.A to have a solo album.
11. Dr. Dre – Sure, Dre gets other rappers to ghostwrite for him, and the only reason we’re okay with that is because of how dope it sounds coming out of his mouth. There’s a reason why people anticipate Dre albums so much – the production is only half of it.
10. B-Real - Many rappers have tried to alter their voice in some form or fashion in order to sound different, but B-Real is the only one that doesn’t sound forced when he does it. His incredibly distinct nasal style sounds as if he’s holding a pillar of smoke in lungs as he raps, and, guess what, he probably is.
9. Method Man – Sorry Jeezy, sorry Gucci, while we like your voices (and truly for you guys, it is “mostly the voice”), we have to go with the original raspy voiced rapper, M-E-T-H-O-D Man. Meth quickly became the star of the Wu-Tang Clan thanks to his unique vocal style, even if people later realized that other members of the group had a better hold on things.
8. Big Daddy Kane – Awwwww yeah, we’re with this. Like Ice Cube, Kane’s voice isn’t quite as polished as it was the late 80′s and early 90′s, but back then, this man had both the smoothness of Barry White and the competitive spirt of Ali.
7. Busta Rhymes – Like Chali 2na earlier in this list, Busta Rhymes was a voice, spirit, and personality much bigger than Leaders Of The New School. He was show-stealing every time back then, and he continues to embarrass rappers by murdering them on their own shit today. DJ Khaled’s “All We Do Is Win” remix is the latest example.
6. Lauryn Hill – Lauryn’s got kind of an advantage on everyone else here because of the fact that she has probably the most beautiful voices in hip-hop music, which she really shows off when she sings. Where she’s got all of her fellow femcees beat is in the fact that she can also rip many mics on the daily.
5. Notorious B.I.G. – There’s a certain heaviness heard in a lot of overweight rappers throats – you could hear it in Chubb Rock, you could hear it in the Fat Boys. But Biggie took that sound, took out the jolliness, and made it cool – something a generation of literally hungry rappers were trying to do years before him, and skinny rappers were trying to duplicate after (i.e. Shyne).
4. Rakim – Similar to Guru, Ra’s mastered the monotone style, but in truth has done so much greater. Even on the fastest 120 BPM hip-hop track, Ra sounded calm as the storm. Don’t sweat the technique.
3. Snoop Dogg – Despite all of the “izzle” slang and strange Bootsy Collins channelling he’s done over the last few years, Snoop’s voice is one of a kind instrument unto itself, best exemplified on his earliest works. How iconic is the voice of Snoop Dogg? You can get GPS in your car with it. Really.
2. Q-Tip – Hands down, Q-Tip has THE most unique, unmistakable voice in hip-hop music, used to the best of it’s ability in the Tribe era. Others have tried to duplicate this, but nobody can compete with verses from The Abstract.
1. Nas – Combine the QB accent with a quiet, calmness in the voice of Nasir Jones and you have vocals that come out sounding like pure poetry. And as an added bonus, his lyrics are just that.
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Awesome list! one glaring omission though……no Slick Rick and no LL??? Slick Ricks voice was an instrument on its own, and LL just had a smooth, yet precise delivery that can’t be ignored.
Also talking about how Cube’s voice not being what it once was? I think thats more true for KRS, if you listen to him on Survival skills compared to his old albums, the mans voice sounds tired now, 20+ years of spittin will do that to you i guess. Meanwhile Cube still takes over a room when he speaks
Dont know who yall would bump from the list, but how could yall forget Brotha J from X-Clan
I agree with that list for the most part except Lauryn Hill. She is more of a singer than a MC. Definitely sticks out like a sore thumb. I would take her off for sure. Nas as numero uno, don’t think so….
Notable mentions:
-MC Ren (talk about gruff and commanding)
-Ghostface Killah (dude that conveys anger quite well)
-DMX (he makes me pissed off even when I’m in a good mood)
-The one dude from M.O.P. (how the hell did you forget him?!)
-Scarface (angry to tragic to reflective all in the voice)
Wait, whut? No Chuck D? Are you sniffing glue or something? Whose got a voice with more power than Mister Chuck? Here it is BAM! And you say GOD DAMN! Nice idea but you undermined those whole tostada with that oversight.
Great list. I’d change around the ordering a little, though. And where the hell is Del in this??
I’m OK with most of this list, but I’m curious as to that next tier that just missed. I’d throw Honorable Mentions to Too $hort, Dres, Apathy and the aforementioned Chuck D and Brother J.
How you gonna forget Sadat x and Slick Rick? You guys dropped the ball on this one.
Phife Dawg? RA THE RUGGED MAN!!??? Kool Keith? 8Ball? Good list, but you guys definitely missed a few
Glaring omissions, there’s always one – we definitely dropped the ball on Slick Rick…. Sadat was considered for his uniqueness, but he’s such an acquired taste – some love him, others hate him. Chuck was another one who just missed it – for us it was more about what he said than how he said it. LL, of course, but it’s almost as if his legacy has been tainted because his bad music has outweighed his good at this point in the game. Probably should have made it 30 Best Voices, eh?
Freddie Foxxx was another near miss.
Apathy was certainly considered…
MC Serch anyone?
Fair enough about the near misses…. I’ll have to agree with the Slick Rick thing though, he should definitely be up there instead of Mos Def, Lil John, or Lauryn Hill. On a female MC level, I would have gone with Foxy Brown.
yall fronted on Sadat X
Whut, no Redman?
No Slick Rick? Common?
no aes rizzle? I thought 2na fish would fare better, too.
I know this sounds very Stan – like but I think an honorable mention is in order for Eminem. That voice is crazy distinct, in all its incarnations. Anyways, well put together list. Mad props!
DMC and Kool Moe Dee say Chuck D has the greatest voice in hip hop, yet he’s not even in your top 25. hmmm.
I would’ve completely left Flava Flav and B-real off the list, but then again, this list is totally subjective to the listener. In my opinion Ghostface, Foxy, RZA (especially his Gravediggaz shit) and Common should have made the list, but once again it is totally subjective. To the comment that Em should have made the list… If you like whiny high pitched bitch voices then yes, add him, and add Lil Wayne too. Em’s a great lyricist, but if I listen to him for too long his voice starts sounding like nails over a chalkboard. Good call leaving him off, and good call on the list. Fact is that everyone’s list will differ, but these are agreeable to most.
Shouts for Slick Rick. I’m also pretty surprised nobody has mentioned Jay-Z for this list. His voice is very distinct and smooth and I think it helped him a lot in his career.
Also where is Xzibit and Canibus, surely too of the better voices in rap.
Jay-Z?
Maybe Slick Rick, Common, GZA, Lord Finesse, Butterfly (Digable Planets), Jeru the Damaja, Evidence, Phonte, DOOM, Starang Wondah, Skillz?
@ D-bo the “… If you like whiny high pitched bitch voices then yes, add him, and add Lil Wayne too.” comment actually made laugh out loud (seriously), thanks for that.
Chuck D is a def miss! How about Ghost Face? Rza?
Saafir should been on that list too.
Yeah, Ghostface should definitely be on there. What about Aesop? I know some hate him, but you are talking about distinct voice. What about Biz, Del, RZA?
No Aesop Rock? How bout Sticky Fingaz?
How about Celph Titled? Nine? MC Eiht?
This list was pretty much on point.
I can only echo what others have said. Slick Rick should have been here for sure. I kept scrolling down the listing thinking he would be at the end, but no… Chuck D, Ghostface, RZA, Del, Aesop Rock, Eminem, Bushwick Bill, and Biz Markie are all unmistakable after just 2 bars. I guess this list is the “greatest voices”, and not the “most recognizable”, though.
I’d take Lil Jon and Lauryn Hill out of the list and replace them with Chuck D. and Kool G. Rap, and add Redman and the list is good.
Really it is time to say…. CHUCK D …yes….AESOP….not yet…MC REN….better than Dre…Lauryn and Lil Jon over RZA…maybe next time…
Sadat X. Eminem. Scarface. but good list overall
Chali 2na should be closer to the top of the list if we are going by distinctive voices! I would drop Dre and Mos Def as I find their voices fairly average and add Chuck D and maybe Dres from.
Seriously?? Where’s Phonte Coleman from Little Brother? Unique and confident voice, not to mention white hot rhymes…a BIG oversight!
Slick Rick? O.D.B? Ice-T?
What? No Common? No DMX? Q Tip? Kanye?
Grr… >:[
What about Phife, DOOM, Kool Kieth or any of the Beastie Boys?
What about Sticky Fingaz? Master of the third verse.
Where is Big L on this list. Also, instead of Lauryn Hill, I would have added Rah Digga or MC Lyte.
Okay list, where’s Chuck D? Bushwick Bill? Willie D? Scarface? MC Ren? Redman? And Lil Jon? REALLY? If I wanted a hypeman with a similar role as him I’d take Luke over him ANY DAY!
Also Brother Marquis from 2 Live Crew has an awesome voice.
Sticky Fingaz should of got the # 1 spot and he doesn’t force his voice to be rugged like Fredro and Sonsee that’s his regular rapping voice i can’t believe he was not mentioned on the list everybody always forgets about Onyx
The list was cool but the position is what I may have a problem with…. Here are a few cats that I believe you have good voices…. Prodigy was a miss his voice is sampled more than any other rapper, I cant believe cats didn’t put him down….Diamond D or J-Dilla should be on there before Dre
1) Prodigy of mobb Deep has one of the best voices ever..
2) Slick Rick, British accent and hi pitched voice…
3) Big L – He has a voice and a flow like no other….
4) Red Man
5) Kool G Rap
6) E-40
7) kool Keith
8) Aesop Rock
9) Mf Doom
10) Derrrick X
11) Grand Puba
12) Celph titled
13) Vinnie Paz
14) Nore
15) Tash- The liks
16) Erick Sermon
17) Rza
18) ODB
19) Xzibit
20) Madlib, Dilla, & Diamond D
Cool list…some others to consider…
Lord Have Mercy (Flip Mode)
Abstract Rude
Saafir
RBX
Micah 9
I’d add ODB and Sick Jacken (Psycho Realm)
And, how could i forget- Vinnie Paz.
Del tha Funky Homosapien should probably be up in the top 5 at least. Plus Lil John’s voice probably shouldn’t be described as great lol.
Quasimoto, Lord Quas, Madlib??
Talkin bout voices- where’s Nine?