Originally Posted by
JGlass
I was thinking about the best hip-hop duos of all time today, and so far I've come up with these 4. Keep in mind, I'm talking about HOF level hip-hop duos today, so while I'm sure there are some other really great duos, I'm not sure how many others make the list.
Right off the bat you have Public Enemy. I know Chuck D had a DJ, and Flavor Flav really didn't contribute much to the group lyrically, you can't deny that if you say Public Enemy, most people would know exactly who you're talking about.
I think one of the other most obvious ones is Dre and Snoop. It's just assumed that when one raps, the other one is going to show up eventually. What I think is slightly less obvious, but has produced probably just as many hits as Dre and Snoop is Dre and Eminem. Everyone knows that Dre discovered Eminem, or at least helped him blow up the way he did, and Eminem has never been shy about sticking by Dre through thick and thin in return. Unlike Dre and Snoop, I think Dre and Eminem are equal talents, so magic happens whenever they get together.
Another clear first ballot Hall of Famer is Outkast. Andre 3000 is one of the sharpest minds in hip-hop history in my opinion, and while Big Boi is often remembered as the less talented of the two, he's a fantastic rapper in his own right. Stankonia is one of the best rap albums of all time, and THE best album to come out of the entire South, if not ATL. They remain one of the most uniquely talented rap acts of all time, and I'm happy to hear they occasionally perform together, I'd love to see them live some day.
This may be my most controversial pick, but I think Jay Z and Kanye are clearly HOF material. Kanye provided Jay Z with a lot of great beats before they made Watch the Throne together. Watch the Throne is a phenomenal album combining a certain level of introspection with FUCKING. BANGERS. That album alone I think puts them in the conversation, and their years of work prior on a song by song basis puts them over the top.
After that, I'm not sure there's anybody I can come up with that's a clear cut all-time great. I personally want to say Run The Jewels, Raekwon and Ghostface, and MF Doom and Madlib, but I think I might be personally biased there.
So I guess to sum up my post, my Mount Rushmore of hip-hop duos is...
1) Public Enemy
2) Dre and Snoop (with Eminem's face carved onto the mole on Dre's upper lip, I think he'd be honored right?)
3) OutKast
4) Jay Z and Kanye
Change my mind.