Hip-Hop Distilled: The Four Types Of Emcees

Hip-Hop is evolving, with west coast influences infusing east coast rap and vice versa. Emcees generally adopt one or more of the following four styles. Which type of emcee is your favorite rapper?

4. All About The Flow

Rappers in this category may not have lyrical substance, but they have achieved “flow” – combining a catchy rhythm with a catchy tune. A lot of one-hit wonders are all about the flow, and are typically remixed by other emcees. Think Tuesday by I Love Makonnen.

3. All About The Lyrics

The truth is any sentence can be performed with an instrumental on beat (on time). Some emcees do just that. But the best in this category put together extraordinarily clever and creative rhymes. Don’t write these emcees off. Even if their melodies don’t “stick,” their mind-blowing lyrics more than compensate. Think Illmatic by Nas.

2. Remix-Reliant

Some emcees rely solely on remixing popular music, which can gain them broad exposure. If they don’t remix the song entirely, they may use the same flow as a popular hit single, but adapt it and call their version an “original.” Think Mike Stud.

1. Hype-Heavy

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Some emcees hype the heavy drama in their lives. The lyrics and the hype surrounding them – focused, for example, on a jail sentence, death threat, or long anticipated project – draw audiences who may otherwise never bother to listen. Think Dr. Dre, whose Detox album may be the most popular album never released.