Beyond the Shadows: Excellent emcees who are never seen outside the shadow of their friend/mentors

                It’s far too easy to sleep on great emcees. Remember Eminem and Common toiled in the underground? How about the way the Fat Boys got way more commercial exposure than Rakim and Big Daddy Kane ever got for making rap songs about pizza (too be fair, they still spit better Rick Ross at times)? It’s even easier to ignore rappers who happen to have a far more famous and successful counterparts that more people have heard of. Though that’s hardly fair to those fighting in the underground when they might be better at times (or altogether) than their mainstream counterparts. This is a tribute to those underground emcees. I’m doing this off the top of the dome, so the list may seem…lacking. I’ll try to return to topics like this in the future, but for now here they are:

Royce Da 5’9”: Mainstream Friend: Eminem Song to Listen too: Boom

Poor Royce. He had one feature on Em’s debut album, and acted as his hype man from 199-2001. He got signed to Aftermath records, and was bubbling on the surface of success, more so than anyone else in D12 (Eminem’s posse). Than whoop, one little freestyle causes a beef that splits him apart from Marshall for nearly a decade.  It’s a shame, because one can’t help but think Royce’s departure aided the dark age of Eminem (2003-2009). He recently re-united with Em last month to put out an EP.

                Still, one can always criminally underestimate Royce. Every list of the top 50 emcees I see, Royce appears in the low 30’s. Blasphemy! Royce has put out one of the best Dj Premier Collaborations ever (Boom) gave Eminem one of his best flows of all time (Royce: First verse, Em: Final Verse) and crafted of the greatest dis songs of all time on a goddamn mixtape (Malcom X). Technically, he’s far more consistent than his white friend. So stop sleeping, and go listen.

AZ: Mainstream Friend: Nas Song to Listen too: Life’s a Bitch (first verse)

Poor-er AZ. Like Royce he had a guest spot on his friend’s debut. Then he goes on to put out one of the best Mafioso albums of all time (Sugar Hill, cop it, its fucking great). Nas lays down some sold verses on this album, and begins to slightly bite AZ’s angle and style. Then…nothing. AZ has appeared on a Nas album once since then (ironically Stillmatic) and his own output is shotty at best. However, there is no excuse to ignore his accomplishments in mid 90’s. It would be hard to argue that anyone in that time-period could spit internal rhymes better than him or  

Others who I wish I knew enough about to write an accurate piece on them: Killa Priest (GZA) Cormega (Nas)