microphone

Words by Matthew Mundy

Beats and rhymes. For the most part, these are the be-all and end-all of hip-hop – the twin anchors on which everything else hinges. Without a solid beat, lyrics often flutter aimlessly, impotent and formless without a backbone. Without good rhymes, you get empty vessels of pop culture, and a bumbling parade of songs more accustomed to the less-than-rigorous demands of snap music fans than to traditional hip-hop fans. While there are, of course, exceptions, these serve as pretty standard rules for any artist attempting to catch someone’s ear.

Of course, we all know these two pillars get more than their fair share of attention. But what people often leave out of their discussions is the voice of the MC, the final tether to which everything clings. In many ways, it’s an unfair category, and one an MC can’t necessarily control. The voice, while largely unheralded, is vital. While voices are an intensely personalarea of preference, I’ve decided to lay out a few voices of note that, while not making the MC who he is (I’ve decided to just focus on male MCs), certainly lay the blocks upon which the rest of their legacy is built.

Notorious B.I.G.

You knew this one was coming. The baritone to end all baritones, Biggie speaks with an authority that underscores and enhances his confidence as an MC. His voice thunders and shakes from his belly, battering and molding a track to fit his considerable demands. His voice is so rigid and unforgiving, it almost seems a physical impossibility the way he cuts and slices his way through tracks, wielding a flow that belies his substantial heft. He’s also got a few tricks up his sleeves as well, brandishing two distinctive, booming voices on “Gimme the Loot.” Biggie’s a legend first and foremost for his rhymes, but for my money, all that would have been near for naught had it not been for that singular voice.

“Gimme the Loot”

2pac

I don’t want to just roll out a list of legends and point out their voices as fantastic, but no discussion of great hip-hop voices can end without the hit-you-in-the-ribs, straight-from-the-gut voice of ‘Pac. One elongated ‘feel me’ will leave you near gasping for air. He rhymes with his heart in his throat, and his voice has all of the desperation and passion that he raps with and about. It’s impossible not be moved by his voice, as none provoke a more visceral reaction from me, and none are more emotionally exposed. One listen to “Hellrazor”, on which his voice is nearly torn asunder with anger, will leave you convinced.

“Hellrazor”

Jay-z

This one’s not as clear as the previous two, probably because Jigga doesn’t possess a voice that gives you that knee-jerk, primal reaction that Biggie and ‘Pac give you. But as his perpetually off-key voice barely escapes cracking as he weaves his flawless, off-kilter flow through a song, you can’t help but sit back and admire him. Similar to ‘Pac, he’s able to effortlessly convey loss and vulnerability, something that doesn’t come as easy as you would think from a man who exudes nothing but confidence. Finally, he employs the whisper flow like none other, dripping menace as he breathes his way across a track. It’s a stunningly versatile voice – one that can both affirm and contradict his sentiments in the same 16. Plus, I can’t imagine that any other artist will ever make a deadpan ‘ugh’ as a beat comes on sound nearly as nice.

“The Watcher 2″

“Song Cry”

Lil’ Wayne

Yeah, I know. He gets too much shine, he’s overrated, etc., etc., etc. But you can’t deny the appeal of his voice, a raspy gurgle that bubbles up from his larynx. He’s learned to employ it to great effect over the years, and like Jigga’s, it’s amazingly versatile. At some points it bleeds emotion – cracking and coughing up on the track as he skips his way across the beat – while other times, it’s an ominous cackle. He can bend it and shape it to convey whatever he wants, and that’s where his strength lies. Whether menacing or pain-ridden, it will grab hold of you as soon as he drops into the beat.

“La La La”

DMX

Leaving aside his nearly comical inability to stay on the right side of the law, and his failure to grow even one iota as an artist over his career, he’s still got a beast of a voice. A guttural bark, he doesn’t ooze menace as much he smashes you over the head with it. It lacks any subtlety or nuance, but instead, relies on fearsome anger and cartoonish hyperbole. Though he lacks the versatility of some of the aforementioned artists, his growl still remains a defiant pillar of strength as he stokes his own demons. Whether you agree or not, there’s no way you’ll ever mistake the sound of that bark.

“Slippin’”

“Bring Your Whole Crew”

Dizzee Rascal

I’ve already detailed the appeals of Dizzee’s voice – as have others – but it still bears substantial mention. Dizzee raps and yelps from the back of his throat, crashing his way through a track while his voice comes perilously close to breaking the entire time. His distinctive British accent, at times, verging on indecipherable, adds to his considerable appeal. Listen to “Pussyole (Old Skool)” for a perfect example, especially when he spits out that obscenely striking title, spilling over with phlegm, disdain and spite.

“Pussyole (Old Skool)”

Scarface

You can’t forget Scarface when you’re talking about great hip-hop voices. In a way, he’s a gleaming example of what I’m talking about. His voice exemplifies everything that is appealing about him as an MC. It brims over with wisdom, pain and authenticity, as both “I Seen A Man Die” and “On My Block” evidence. Rather than versatility, Scarface’s voice bleeds out everything at once, all old man knowledge and suffering, as he painfully details tragic stories of the ghetto. The boom is less explosive – like Biggie’s – than it is slowly heartbreaking. It hits you right in the gut.


“On My Block”

“I Seen A Man Die”

I could go on forever, and any discussion of this starts and ends with one’s personal preferences, but these MCs serve as a pretty diverse selection of what great voices consist of. Whether they are menacing, heartrending, cartoonish, or all of these at once, a great, distinctive voice in hip-hop is central to a great artist, providing that emotional center that everything else revolves around. Of course, the opposite works as well – an MC can be a swirling cauldron of talent, but they’ve got nothing without a voice to serve it all up with. That, of course, is a conversation for another day.

Need all the songs in one file?

“How Many Mics Do I Rip On The Daily…” File