The grand 'Taxonomy of Rap Names'

via kissmyblackads.blogspot.com

Highly Entertaining. Thanks for sending Deebeezy.

“Empire State of Mind” Covered by the Glee Cast

via thehiphopupdate.com

I think this song has gone mainstream...

Guest Blogger: Evan Swittenberg - "The Top 10 Rapper's Right Now"

So, my 16 year old son Evan has a pretty high hip hop IQ. I mean, he's as enamored with today's lame rappers and as any other teenager, but he does have an interest in the broader culture and a healthy respect for old the school MCs who've made rap what it is today. I like his curiosity and his interest in what these guys are saying, how the music gets made, and how it impacts him and his friends.

And quite frankly, he knows a whole lot more about what's going on with today's emerging hip hop scene than I do. I can name a lot of good music that he's introduced me to over the past year or so (of course it helps that he's a teenager with massive amounts of free time on his hands). Overall though, I think he has a good ear, and he definitely has some interesting observations about current events and new music.

In an effort to advance his critical thinking skills and to get him to focus in long enough on one topic to actually write something down, I asked him to create his "Top 10 Rappers Right Now" list to compare and contrast against mine (still in development). The deal was, he couldn't just list them out, but he had to also articulate his reasons for selecting the rappers on his list . Below is his submission . I can certainly take issue with a few of his selections (Rick Ross, seriously?), but in general I found it to be fairly insightful. Enjoy.

Lamont

Evan's Lists: "The Top 10 Rappers Right Now"

1. Drake - Hip hop’s golden boy. Easily the hottest right now.

2. Eminem - His quick and incredible come back proves that he’s not only one of the hottest right now, but that he could go on the list of the greatest of all time.

3. Lil Wayne - Even from in jail he manages to stay in our headphones and speakers, Plus, he keeps us asking: what will he think of next?

4. Jay-Z - Almost 15 years under his belt and he's still the talk of the town, When he gets on a song with somebody he pretty much embarrasses them.

5. Rick Ross - Teflon Don is a masterpiece.

6. B.o.b - I don’t even really mess with this guy, but he's pretty tough though, wouldn’t you agree?

7. Kanye West - “No one man should have all that power” – enough said.

8. Kid Cudi - The man on the moon has got to be one of the most down to earth rappers, which is why his appeal is so huge. I mean c’mon who doesn’t like Kid Cudi?

9. Wiz Khalifa - Incredible skill and epic mix tapes, and yet he’s so chill.

10. Gucci Mane - Just down right entertaining. He always gets your head bobbin'. If he's on a song with somebody, it's just dope.