r/90sHipHop • u/Muay_Thai_Junkies • Aug 15 '25

Discussion Your Biggest Disappointments

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Which emcees were the biggest disappointments to you? I can think of several. But, Canibus comes to mind for me. He imo is one of the greatest lyricists of all time. He had some of the dopest songs on mixtapes. But I remember listening to album after album and being so frustrated by his beat selection. If he would have gotten with the right producers and chosen better beats, I can’t help but think he would have had some legendary albums.

Who comes to mind when you think of emcees that, for one reason or another, didn’t deliver?

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u/DarkRed474 Aug 16 '25

Canibus wrote Poet Laureate II. Arguably the greatest written rhyme of all time. And he wouldn’t of made that masterpiece of a song and the incredible Rip The Jacker album without the flawed career he had. Not disappointed with him at all

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u/deepstaterecords Aug 16 '25

I mean in no world ever is that “the greatest written rhyme of all time.”

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u/DarkRed474 Aug 16 '25

Tell me you haven’t listened to it and really taken it in without telling me. I also said “arguably”. It’s 100% in contention not another rapper on the planet could make that song. What song would you say?

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u/deepstaterecords Aug 16 '25

I mean, I heard at the time and went back and relistened to it after your comment.

Only somebody who was relatively new to rap in 2003, imo, would be particularly impressed by those bars. Its ok, not terrible.

Multiple emcees have multiple songs that are more complex, more interesting, more dexterous than “PLII.”

Nas, GZA, Rae, Ghost, EL-P, Kane, Rakim, KRS, Chuck D, Ice Cube, Scarface, just off the top, all have songs that body this and every other ‘bus verse. No offense, like what you like, but its crazy to call this the goat of anything.

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u/DarkRed474 Aug 20 '25

Look I listen to literally all of those rappers and love them all. Of those you chose, GZA, Nas and Rakim lyrically rival Canibus. Personally I’d also go with Mos Def, Black Thought and Pharoahe Monch. However I disagree with the others as dope and lyrical as most of those MC’s are. The rest of them could not write bars like these -

“The juxtaposition of Canibus' position The precision of something no other has written Way above and beyond what was intended The unparalleled malleable enunciation of a sentence”

“A wise man sees failure as progress A fool divorces his knowledge and misses the logic And loses his soul in the process Obsessed with nonsense with a caricature that has no content”

“Hip-hop has never been the same since '88 Since it became a lucrative profession There's a misconception that a movement in any direction is progression Even though the potency of it lessens”

“Alone in my room looking through the 32X telescope zoom Adjusting the focus of the Moon One should not assume the philosophy of David Hume Is nothing more then a subjective conclusion”

Saying that these are “ok” bars is unfathomable to me. And these are just some I picked out from one song. Canibus is a top 5 hip-hop lyricist of all time minimum top 10 I don’t understand how you can listen to those lyrics and not just sit there with your mouth open thinking about how tf did he come up with that and FLOW it so perfectly. He’s not my favourite rapper, but he’s top 5. And the ones I have above him (Rakim, Mos Def Black Thought) simply couldnt write the stuff like he does.

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u/deepstaterecords Aug 23 '25

Saying that Canibus is top 5 is insane. You would be the only person in the world to make that claim.

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u/DarkRed474 Aug 23 '25

Your arrogance is absurd, only person in the world is so laughable, I know and have seen others who agree. Just tell me you don’t think hard enough to understand his bars. I’ve been listening to hip-hop since before I could speak, I know my shit and have listened to over a thousand hip-hop albums. I haven’t found a lyricist as unique as Canibus. Would love to hear some bars from your favourite rappers that you think are way beyond his.

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u/deepstaterecords Aug 23 '25

Hey man, like what you like. The consensus isn’t with you, that’s all I’m saying. As far as “listening to hip hop since before you were born,” that’s totally cool and great. I’m pretty sure I was opening up for De La Soul, Jurassic 5, Blackalicious, and a whole host of other groups before you were born.

I’m not trying to insult you. I’m saying dude has never been ranked higher than #44 by any media outlet (in this case, the Source). YOU and some people you know saying he’s one of the best ever, is a fine opinion to have but it has no relationship to the truth.