Inspect Her Deck
Skins of all colours come together as brothers
We've reached the end of this series. Want to thank everyone for participating in the poll votes, the discussion and the weighting submissions. Thanks to you guys I have collected all the results I need to determine the top 10 based on how much weighted points they have accumulated for their top 5 finishes ranging from the years 1985-2015.
I'm gonna start with the numbers 10 to 6 in descending order.
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10. 50 CENT
Credentials:
MVP: 2003
2nd: 2005
4th: 2002
TOTAL WEIGHTED SCORE: 27 points
50 Cent has one of the surprise additions into this top 10 as he only finished with 17 raw points, but winning the MVP in a 1.5 multiplier year and most importantly securing the second place finish in a 1.8 multiplier year (2005 is the highest rated 2000s year along with 2000) has allowed him to climb over other artists who may have scored higher in the raw point totals initially. 50 Cent blew up like nitroglycerine when he made his studio album debut in 2003 with Get Rich or Die Tryin', and his dominance in "real life" reflected in his tyrannous grip on the 2003 MVP race, winning the lions-share of votes. He edged out Lupe Fiasco for that 10th spot, winning by just 1.5 points.
9. GHOSTFACE KILLAH
Credentials:
MVP: 2000
3rd: 2001, 2006
4th: 2014
TOTAL WEIGHTED SCORE: 29 points
Maybe the rumours of Ghostface pushing 50 Cent down a flight of stairs are true....how else can you explain Ghost finishing above him in the MVP race? In all seriousness, Ghost's consistency is what has landed him here, as he is routinely viewed as the most consistent MC certainly within the Wu-Tang Clan but possibly of all-time amongst all MCs. Securing an MVP in a 1.8 multiplier year did Ghost wonders, and he showed his continued relevancy by snatching a couple of points in 2014. He could have finished even higher if he had something to show for his efforts in the ultra competitive 1996. But what this tells us is that as great as Ironman was, Supreme Clientele is considered his magnum opus and he was the only person that could be so magnificent to the extent that one could dethrone Eminem in the year 2000.
8. THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G.
Credentials:
MVP: 1997
2nd: 1994
3rd: 1995
TOTAL WEIGHTED SCORE: 31 points
"What if" is always the question that will forever loom over Biggie's career, and the "what if" that is expressed in this MVP race is a microcosm of the broader question in real life. Biggie only blessed us with two albums, two magnificent classics at that, so he was in sporting terms 2 for 2. It took Nas and the generally accepted GOAT album Illmatic to knock Biggie off his perch in 1994, but he would not be denied 3 years later when he released Life After Death and won the MVP in more than conclusive fashion. Perhaps the most impressive of those three year finishes is the 3rd he placed in 1995 merely for releasing singles and being a member of the Junior M.A.F.I.A. album. That's how big time Biggie was! Just imagine if he had more years to compete in...could we argue he wouldn't finish at the top of the race and cement himself as the true GOAT?
7. KENDRICK LAMAR
Credentials:
MVP: 2011, 2012, 2015
TOTAL WEIGHTED SCORE: 34 points
This might be the most contentious result so far in the race, but when you win an MVP in each of the three years you are nominated, it is no surprise that Kendrick Lamar has found himself in 7th spot. In fact, what has held him back is the fact that he won those MVP awards in relatively less competitive years (1.0 and 1.2 multipliers). No matter how fair you think this rating is, what it does illustrate is that Kendrick is truly the best the new school has to offer, and he is heads and shoulders above the rest of his peers. Many people would in fact argue that Kendrick is nothing but money since releasing Section.80 in 2011, and unlike Biggie, he has a chance to further that legacy and show how he can follow-up his latest masterpiece To Pimp a Butterfly.
6. RAKIM
Credentials:
MVP: 1987, 1988
4th: 1990
5th: 1992
TOTAL WEIGHTED SCORE: 37.4 points
The god MC peaked early but boy did he peak! Rakim achieved all his points off the strength of his four album run with Eric B., having nothing to show for his efforts in the 'solo' career that kickstarted in 1997. He was the first artist to win back to back MVPs, winning what was pretty much a guaranteed award in 1987 following the ground-breaking release of Paid in Full. Perhaps more surprisingly was his repeat win in 1988, one of the most stacked years of all-time where he fought off stern competition from the likes of Big Daddy Kane, KRS-One and Chuck D. That 1988 victory scored him 20 points, and allowed him to catapult above the likes of Kendrick, Biggie and Ghost. Maybe if Ra could maintain that consistency and release more often in the years after the early 90s he could have snagged a top 5 spot but it is what it is.
I'm gonna start with the numbers 10 to 6 in descending order.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. 50 CENT
Credentials:
MVP: 2003
2nd: 2005
4th: 2002
TOTAL WEIGHTED SCORE: 27 points
50 Cent has one of the surprise additions into this top 10 as he only finished with 17 raw points, but winning the MVP in a 1.5 multiplier year and most importantly securing the second place finish in a 1.8 multiplier year (2005 is the highest rated 2000s year along with 2000) has allowed him to climb over other artists who may have scored higher in the raw point totals initially. 50 Cent blew up like nitroglycerine when he made his studio album debut in 2003 with Get Rich or Die Tryin', and his dominance in "real life" reflected in his tyrannous grip on the 2003 MVP race, winning the lions-share of votes. He edged out Lupe Fiasco for that 10th spot, winning by just 1.5 points.
9. GHOSTFACE KILLAH
Credentials:
MVP: 2000
3rd: 2001, 2006
4th: 2014
TOTAL WEIGHTED SCORE: 29 points
Maybe the rumours of Ghostface pushing 50 Cent down a flight of stairs are true....how else can you explain Ghost finishing above him in the MVP race? In all seriousness, Ghost's consistency is what has landed him here, as he is routinely viewed as the most consistent MC certainly within the Wu-Tang Clan but possibly of all-time amongst all MCs. Securing an MVP in a 1.8 multiplier year did Ghost wonders, and he showed his continued relevancy by snatching a couple of points in 2014. He could have finished even higher if he had something to show for his efforts in the ultra competitive 1996. But what this tells us is that as great as Ironman was, Supreme Clientele is considered his magnum opus and he was the only person that could be so magnificent to the extent that one could dethrone Eminem in the year 2000.
8. THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G.
Credentials:
MVP: 1997
2nd: 1994
3rd: 1995
TOTAL WEIGHTED SCORE: 31 points
"What if" is always the question that will forever loom over Biggie's career, and the "what if" that is expressed in this MVP race is a microcosm of the broader question in real life. Biggie only blessed us with two albums, two magnificent classics at that, so he was in sporting terms 2 for 2. It took Nas and the generally accepted GOAT album Illmatic to knock Biggie off his perch in 1994, but he would not be denied 3 years later when he released Life After Death and won the MVP in more than conclusive fashion. Perhaps the most impressive of those three year finishes is the 3rd he placed in 1995 merely for releasing singles and being a member of the Junior M.A.F.I.A. album. That's how big time Biggie was! Just imagine if he had more years to compete in...could we argue he wouldn't finish at the top of the race and cement himself as the true GOAT?
7. KENDRICK LAMAR
Credentials:
MVP: 2011, 2012, 2015
TOTAL WEIGHTED SCORE: 34 points
This might be the most contentious result so far in the race, but when you win an MVP in each of the three years you are nominated, it is no surprise that Kendrick Lamar has found himself in 7th spot. In fact, what has held him back is the fact that he won those MVP awards in relatively less competitive years (1.0 and 1.2 multipliers). No matter how fair you think this rating is, what it does illustrate is that Kendrick is truly the best the new school has to offer, and he is heads and shoulders above the rest of his peers. Many people would in fact argue that Kendrick is nothing but money since releasing Section.80 in 2011, and unlike Biggie, he has a chance to further that legacy and show how he can follow-up his latest masterpiece To Pimp a Butterfly.
6. RAKIM
Credentials:
MVP: 1987, 1988
4th: 1990
5th: 1992
TOTAL WEIGHTED SCORE: 37.4 points
The god MC peaked early but boy did he peak! Rakim achieved all his points off the strength of his four album run with Eric B., having nothing to show for his efforts in the 'solo' career that kickstarted in 1997. He was the first artist to win back to back MVPs, winning what was pretty much a guaranteed award in 1987 following the ground-breaking release of Paid in Full. Perhaps more surprisingly was his repeat win in 1988, one of the most stacked years of all-time where he fought off stern competition from the likes of Big Daddy Kane, KRS-One and Chuck D. That 1988 victory scored him 20 points, and allowed him to catapult above the likes of Kendrick, Biggie and Ghost. Maybe if Ra could maintain that consistency and release more often in the years after the early 90s he could have snagged a top 5 spot but it is what it is.
in the top 5 huh?
