Which zodiac sign has the best MCs? A scientific look into a critical question.
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OPINION: If all the rap artists of each sign were to battle, who would win?
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Astrology can be a deep way of understanding the world, but does it give us a deep way of understanding hip-hop? For example, have you ever wondered which zodiac sign has the best MCs? Like, if there was a Versuz where we grouped MCs by zodiac, which one would win? I think there’s one sign that would be the clear winner.
First off, I know it’s not my sign, Pisces. We’ve got Method Man, Tyler, the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt and Lil Dicky. That’s a solid four but there are better signs.
I know it’s not Leos — their best is Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert and Chief Keef. Those guys have sold a lot but there are better signs. Taurus is also a little thin — Travis Scott, Meek Mill and no one’s favorite, 6ix9ine.
Sagittarius has a very strong roster — Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, The Game, DMX and Offset. So does Aquarius — J. Cole, Gucci Mane and Megan Thee Stallion. But they’re tied for No. 3 at best.
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In my estimation, the No. 2 zodiac sign for MCs is Libra. They got Lil Wayne, Snoop, Eminem, 21 Savage, A$AP Rocky, Young Jeezy, Cardi B and Childish Gambino. That’s a very strong roster. That’s like an all-star team of MCs.
As an aside, is there a correlation between the traits of Libras and the personality of great Libra MCs? According to Susan Miller, my wife’s favorite astrologer, the Libra man is “Highly intelligent. Libra rarely lets emotion get in the way of the analytical process. They are continually taking in new information and reprocessing it, trying, as the scale tips and dips, to find their center.” I’m not sure that those descriptions match those MCs.
The No. 1 sign for sure is Gemini. You’re talking Kendrick Lamar, Andre 3000, Biggie, Tupac, Ice Cube, Lauryn Hill, Ye, Takeoff. No one is beating that group. They’re intellectual, they’re innovative and they’re some of the leaders of the old school and the new school.
Does the traditional Gemini personality fit with the great Gemini MCs? I think it kind of does. Susan Miller says the Gemini man is “full of wit and charm and is often the center of attention, as he delights everyone with a new joke he just heard or a story about what happened to him at work. Since Gemini rules Hermes, the messenger of the Gods, Gemini men are often writers or reporters.”
That does, somehow, kind of fit this group. When I think of Kendrick, 3K, Kanye, Big and Pac, I think of people who are witty and often the center of attention in hip-hop culture. They are surely writerly MCs who focus on lyrics and reportage about their worlds. There’s also a stark duality in many of these people — Kendrick, 3K, Big and Pac all rhymed about the streets and love. Their music makes you embrace multiple sides of humanity.
There’s definitely something special about this sign — Prince, Lenny Kravitz, and Patti LaBelle are also Geminis. Happy birth month to most of the Geminis out there. You have one more thing to celebrate — your musical brethren are leading the culture.
Toure is a host and writer at TheGrio. He hosts the TheGrio TV show “Masters of the Game,” and he created the award-winning podcast “Being Black: The ’80s” and its upcoming sequel “Being Black: The ’70s.” He is also the creator of “Star Stories” and the author of eight books, including “Nothing Compares 2 U an oral history of Prince.” He also hosts a podcast called “Toure Show.” He is also a husband and a father of two.
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