Looking at potential winners for the Letter 'N' of the Hip Hop ABCs, I saw a lot of heavyweights who can usually be found on many people's all-time top 5 lists. You had legendary groups like Naughty By Nature, which I will have the pleasure of opening for later this summer, and N.W.A., which has had a film biopic produced in their honor that also lands this summer. [Trailer below.]But you also had two of the best emcees from hip hop’s most storied city — Nas and the Notorious B.I.G. I thought it would be a three-way race because N.W.A.’s movement was so raw and powerful, and they boasted an entire coast of support. Nas has long been the thinking man’s emcee who could actually craft albums that made you move and meditate. None of that proved to be a match for the man who went from “ashy to classy” as he helped Sean Combs build an empire in the empire state.
Brooklyn’s own Biggie Smalls is the winner of the Hip Hop ABCs Letter N. In addition to headlining Conspiracy — his Junior M.A.F.I.A. clique’s debut album — The Notorious B.I.G. gave us just a single LP while he was alive, Ready To Die, and two posthumously. This small catalog makes it even more incredible that he received more than 50 percent of the votes in this week's competition. Kudos to you, sir. Hip hop certainly misses you, but we have not forgotten your greatness.
Next up is the Letter O. Who gets your vote?