5 Worst Rappers of the Last 5 Years

Hip-hop has changed dramatically since its beginnings in the late 1970s. The days of socially conscious lyrics produced by the likes of Kurtis Blow, Public Enemy, and Eric B. Now such lyricism and dedication to the challenges associated with being an African American are lost to many so-called rappers with the exception of a few like Immortal Technique.

The sad reality is that most of the folks on the airwaves today have no talent and confuse illiteracy and megalomaniacal gloating and grandstanding as being representative of art when, in fact, it is merely garbage.

This list is not based on promotion or marketing or image, which the latter could also be included on, but rather sheer lyricism and verbal alacrity, or better yet, the lack thereof.

5] Jim Jones: New York Rapper and member of the Dipset could easily make the list if it was based on lack of character alone. If it were not for liquor, handguns, money and cards it seems that his vocabulary would be limited to pronouns. For example: "The .40 cals is mine, the nina's we could split; Cock back, squeeze off, started feedin 'm with the 5th …"

On a level of skill from one to 10, he gets a negative integer, and he uses the N-word so much he could be the black Mel Gibson.

4] OJ Da Juiceman: Representing the dirty south, this rapper has a similar preoccupation with guns, money and drugs as rapper number five. Moreover, he loves to use pseudo words, which by definition are words that don’t exist and are completely made-up. For example take these lyrics from his song "Make The Trap Say Aye": 'm boomin I'm buggin I'm termin all the Baites; Rap game ezy but da dope game gravy; Young juice man and my life is the Japerz; With stupid fruity crazy swag jumpin in Yo lader; Banana donk chevy interior like the Lakers."

For the record, baites and japerzs are not words, not to mention da is a prefix indicating to the 10th power, not an article. As much as he talks about numbers, one would have anticipated that he would know better.

3] Plies: This rapper sounds more like a circus clown and looks just as bad with a dash of oompa loompa and leprechaun thrown in for flavor. Although his popularity has increased and by some miraculous feat he has become a sex symbol, he still demonstrates limited ability to use subject verb agreement. I'm not sure but I think his name is an acronym for Pathetic Lyricist in Everlasting Suspension, because all of his songs are monotonous and misogynistic and should be labeled DNR — do not resuscitate. This is evident by the number of times the pronoun "I" can be heard in his songs. Take the lyrics from "Me & My Goons": "I am come solo tonight, I'm wit' my clique; I haven't seen her since I f---ed that b----; And I haven't called her so I know she sick …"

The first stanza shows that he did not attend let alone complete the fourth grade and the rest that he has no respect for women. I guess you could call him the Trey Songz of hip-hop because all he talks about is sexing women. I am sure there is more in his mind than that — psych.

2] Waka Flocka Flame: I think he would better be served if he was called Waka Flocka Fool, for a fool by definition is one who is deficient in judgment, sense, or understanding or more fittingly, one who acts unwisely on a given occasion. I don't have enough content to evaluate his true lyrical astuteness but I can say he needs to work on his enunciation of words. His club banger, “O Lets Do It,” highlights his lyrical deficiencies: "1 shot man down; His brains go ka-pow; … But that happen often off in riverdale georgia; You gone pay the life you live off in riverdale georgia”

What is this, an episode of “Batman?” Ka-pow? Plus it isn't hard to rhyme Riverdale, Georgia with Riverdale, Georgia. All it tells me is that I’m glad my kids are not in school in Clayton County.

1] Soulja Boy: Probably one of the most popular on this list, yet least talented with respect to lyrical prowess and content. Jewelry, fashion designers and I seem to be the only nouns and pronouns used in his songs. Moreover, it is more than obvious that if the pseudo word "swag” had never been created, he would run out of song titles and hooks. In " Turn My Swag On" he uses the word seven times and in "Pretty Boy Swag" it is mentioned 19 times. And let us not forget the song "Booty Got Swag." His “talent” can be summed up with these lyrics from the song "Gucci Bandanna." It's Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, I roll with Shawty Lo; I got so much snow, Gucci head to toe; Chain on chill, watch on freeze; So much ice I got lookin' like Chinese." What is the relationship between ice and Asians, can someone tell me?

Now there were others in the running, including the entire Dipset, Lil Flip, and Slim Thug and many others who are deserving of honorable mentions. Maybe one day rap will return to its greatness and be more than what many of today's rappers talk about (or maybe not), but I will keep my fingers crossed.