Joe Budden vs. Method Man

My good friend Colin Marshall starts off the week with his analysis of a highly controversial claim that Mr. Joe Budden made this weekend on his now famous online television-station, JoeBuddentTV. Colin and I go back to middle school, with Colin really becoming a hip-hop head much earlier than I did. He introduced me to the Wu-Tang Clan, and I kind of took off from there. Anyway, enjoy it, it's a good, in-depth look at two of the best MCs to do it in hip-hop.

Earlier this week, rapper Joe Budden released a video on his website (joebuddentv.com – if you’ve never checked it out, do so, it’s the funniest shit in Hip Hop right now) where he went off on a current Vibe Magazine, bracket-style online tournament to see who is the best rapper ever. Budden took issue with the seeding of the bracket which had placed him at 31. Now obviously, as a real rapper Budden thinks he is the best and he should, and he was displeased with his seeding – but his biggest problem was with who was seeded ahead of him and other rappers of his caliber. Names like Webbie and Nelly were placed higher than top tier MC’s such as Talib Kweli and Black Thought, so obviously the list is bullshit. Anyway, in the video, Budden (who is with his friend and fellow MC Joell Ortiz; who didn’t even make the list which is blasphemy) talks about how he is better than most of the names on the list, which he is. Had Budden left his remarks at that it wouldn’t have caught my attention, but at the end he claims that he is a better rapper than Wu-Tang’s own Method Man – and that’s what caught my ear. Method Man has earned his spot in Hip Hop and I was surprised that Budden called him out… Sort of. I spent a good several hours after watching the video (because I have nothing better to do with my time) thinking about who was a better MC between the two and my inner-debate was only exacerbated by Budden arguing with his fans on Twitter about the same subject. Like most “who’s the best” hip hop debates this one doesn’t have a simple answer but I did eventually come to my conclusion. The Vibe bracket in question asks: Who is the best “MC” ever? Now MCing is an art form and there are several aspects of it rappers must master before they can be considered the best or in this case better than another MC. Both Meth and Budden are official MCs, and I’m a big fan of both. Budden is probably one of my personal top five MCs of the moment, but in a "best ever" argument, is he better than Meth?

Now Joe Budden is currently one of the Elite MC’s in the game. After making a name for himself with pop anthems like “Pump It Up” and “Fire” Budden returned to the underground and released the Mood Muzik mixtape series which saw him grow in leaps and bounds as a lyricist. In February he released his second album, Padded Room which was extremely complex and a far cry from his first album, the self-titled Joe Budden, in terms of depth and skill. Line-for-line Budden is a better MC than Method Man. The complexity of his rhymes and wittiness of his punchlines are also superior to Meth’s. Budden covers more diverse and introspective topics and could probably beat Meth in a rap battle.

Method Man is basically a living legend in Hip Hop to people in the know. He entered the game with a bang, first appearing on the undisputed classic; Wu-Tang Clan’s debut 36 Chambers in 1993. Since then Meth has gone on to a list of accomplishments including three platinum albums (one with partner Redman) and a Grammy for best rap song for his duet with Mary J. Blige, “You’re All I Need.” Meth’s last album, 2006’s 4:21… The Day After Tomorrow was an unbelievable album and highly underrated. Skill-wise Meth is only slightly below Budden in terms of pure lyrics and word-play, but he’s been consistently at the top of his game since he appeared on the scene – so going on 17 years. Contrast that with Budden who’s only been around since 2001 and a great a MC since around 2003. Meth is far superior to Budden in terms of charisma and delivery which is a very important aspect of MCing. Also his live show (which I’ve been to) is something to be witnessed. Meth could get a crowd of middle-aged, suburban republicans on their feet and vibing along with him. Finally Meth possesses the best flow in Hip Hop, hands down. Hell Meth could rhyme nonsense over a mediocre beat and make it sound nice.

In conclusion I prefer Budden, but if you take non-biased look at the argument, Method Man’s duration, influence, accomplishments and intangibles place him ahead of Joe Budden. Sorry Mouse.