There's a God on the Mic

There's a God on the Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs is a 2003 book by the old school hip hop MC Kool Moe Dee,^[1] where he ranks what he believes to be the Top 50 greatest MCs of all time, giving a breakdown of each artist.^[2] The book also features a foreword from Chuck D and includes full color photos from hip hop photographer Ernie Paniccioli.^[3]

There’s a God on the Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs

Author	Kool Moe Dee
Cover artist	Lorie Pagnozzi
Language	English
Subject	Hip hop
Genre	Non-fiction
Publisher	Da Capo Press / Thunder’s Mouth Press
Publication date	2003
Publication place	United States
Pages	224 pp
ISBN	1-56025-533-1
OCLC	52424168
Dewey Decimal	782.421649/092/2 21
LC Class	ML394 .K66 2003

MCing elements

Kool Moe Dee breaks MCing down into several different elements in order to effectively judge the skills of the artists – this includes originality, concepts, versatility, vocabulary, substance, flow, flavor, freestyle, vocal presence, live performance, poetic value, body of work, industry impact, social impact, longevity, lyrics, and battle skills.^[3]

MCs on the list

The list includes artists from a wide range of eras and regions, including old school hip hop legends such as Grandmaster Caz, Melle Mel, and Kool Moe Dee himself, Golden age hip hop MCs such as Rakim, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, KRS-One, Slick Rick, Chuck D, Pharoahe Monch, MC Shan, Scarface, Snoop Dogg, and Ice Cube, and more recent MCs such as Mystikal, Big Pun, Ras Kass, and Lil' Kim.^[3]

The book also includes other MCs on several additional lists scattered throughout the book, such as “11 Best Kept Lyrical Secrets” and “10 Best Hip-Hop Pop Kings” - Kool Moe Dee also explains ten of his thirteen “battle laws” in the book.^[3]

Sequel

In There's A God On The Mic, Kool Moe Dee refers to a follow-up book called The True 50 Greatest Groups In Hip-Hop, which has so far not been released.^[4]

References

1. "Kool Moe Dee". Archived from the original on 2010-06-21. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
2. Kool Dee; Chuck D; Ernie Panniccioli; Kool Mo Dee; Chuck D (November 20, 2003). There's a God on the Mic. The True 50 Greatest MCs. Da Capo Press. ISBN 9781560255338. ^{[dead link]}
3. Kool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press.
4. Kool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press, p. 111.