Last night, the 2017 BET Hip-Hop Awards offered rap fans around the world another installment of their yearly cypher series. Hosted by DJ Khaled at the Fillmore Miami Beach Jackie Gleason Theater, this year’s awards featured performances by a collection of artists that exist in different levels of fame. For one night, they were all brought together to showcase their talent on one of the biggest stages in the world. Although the performances were shot at different times, and in different locations, every cypher had a singular message. “Fuck Donald Trump.” Insults, inquiries, and endless knowledge were dropped by several of the artists, while some even took a knee or raised the fist of Black power. The political climate of the world has never made such a dramatic impact on the cyphers, and it was interesting to watch poets speak politics.
Of course, some cyphers were better than others. Some were less political, some more so. Some lacked flow, some relied solely on flow. It was apparent right away which artists were spitting pre-written verses, which is the norm, and which artists were actually freestyling. Some rhymes were polished and perfected, while others just didn’t hit the mark.
Before this ranking begins, let’s be real. Eminem is a rap god. When his cypher was announced, the internet nearly exploded. Everyone knows Marshall Mathers is a wordsmith that can rain lyrical onslaught down upon any victim he chooses. Fortunately for us, his victim was Donald Trump. For over four minutes Eminem destroys Trump, while touching on the several blemishes on his presidential resume. The Slim Shady’s previous BET cypher featuring his Shady Records cohorts, and TDE’s absolutely mind-blowing cypher where Kendrick dissed Drake, are always heralded as fan-favorites, and while Eminem didn't have his a crew around him this time around (although Shady Records -- featuring newly-signed Boogie -- have teamed up for a cypher release post-BET Hip Hop Awards, as it were, a "digital cypher"), he's left a similar impression on fans.
It is unfair to rank Marshall alongside anyone else, but we did it anyway. It is obvious he’s got the number one spot (sorry to spoil the surprise), but which group was the closest to reaching Em’s status? Which new talent made a name for themselves, and who has already been forgotten?
We're looking at the group as a whole -- which group (or in Eminem's case, person) ultimately left the largest impression on our collective minds, and how they managed to do that -- in one instance, it could be through lyrical onslaught, and in another, with a memorable flow or personality -- when all these elements collide within a group, you've got magic. This is our ranking of the 2017 BET Hip-Hop Awards cyphers.
Stay tuned as we will also be looking at the best individual verses as well.
Fat Joe, Belly, and Cyhi the Prynce
Fat Joe is a legend, no doubt. He came up alongside Big Pun and the Terror Squad in the 90s, and remained relevant through the early 00s with catchy singles. Then 50 Cent appeared. Since the G-Unit/Terror Squad beef cooled down though, Fat Joe has been handling business behind the scenes. While he was busy in the office, it seems he forgot that a cypher isn’t a place for sixteens. The veteran drops a verse that sounds like it belongs on a track he has on his hard drive, which is disappointing. Not to say Joe doesn’t spit a dope verse, his presence alone is legendary. The fans expected more though, and the Terror Squad creator failed to deliver. Belly, a Canadian rapper, is associated with both Roc Nation and XO. He handled the writing for The Weeknd’s Beauty Behind the Madness hit “Often,” and helped write “Earned It” as well. The kid can rap, but nothing was overly impressive. He mainly stayed in the pocket, and delivered a clever full-body verse that lacked personality, but was still polished. The on-again, off-again G.O.O.D. music rapper Cyhi the Prynce killed the cypher, as to be expected. Known as a wordplay master, Cyhi doesn’t disappoint as he easily cycles through different flows. He saves this cypher from being forgettable, but ultimately, CyHi alone isn't enough to push the group's cypher further up this list.
Standout performance: Cyhi the Prynce
Missed the mark: Fat Joe
Kash Doll, Rapsody, Leikeli47, and Tokyo Jetz
Ladies, Ladies, Ladies. We love them, and so do you. Kash Doll, hailing from Detroit, MI, drops punchlines for years, while Leikeli47, an NYC native, sounds like Missy Elliot meets Charli Baltimore. Kash Doll is an ex-stripper who left the nightlife to pursue her dream of rapping. We’re glad she did. Leikeli47, pronounced Leh-kay-lee, caught the world’s attention with her childlike personality and mysterious presence (she always wears a mask). She comes in singing-- which could have caused her to miss the mark, but thankfully, she doesn't pursue that entirely and quickly returns to the true cypher art form. Tokyo Jetz, a Jacksonville, Fl resident, gets lost among her fellow femcees. Her verse is unimaginative and she incorrectly tries to assert that Frank Lucas’ Blue Magic has some kind of connection to 90s babies. You can’t mess up drug references on a stage that big. Rapsody, a North Carolina queen, seemingly freestyles her whole verse, and she stands out the most, not only cause she closes the cypher. Her style is reminiscent of MC Lyte, and she isn’t afraid to offer an ominous olive branch to her famous female peers such as Nicki Minaj and Cardi B. Rapsody accomplishes absolute dominance in this cypher.
Standout performance: Rapsody
Missed the mark: Tokyo Jetz
Little Simz, 6lack, Mysonne, Axel Leon, and Tee Grizzley
How can you not be infatuated with Little Simz (and also excited she doesn’t spell her name “Lil”)? The British femcee kicks off the largest cypher group of the night. These five artists got it right. Simz, who is also an actress, has that thick accent that sounds cool and sexy as she lays down her verse, although the bars themselves aren't too exciting. Axel Leon, who has gained the support of Eminem and Fat Joe, is a Bronx native who brings a classic NY feel to his verse and a focus on his #bars. He, and Mysonne, also from the BX borough, might soon be the saviors of New York Hip-Hop. Their style is unapologetic and rugged yet informed, something sorely lacking from the east coast music scene. Tee Grizzley is another rapper who decides to actually freestyle, a risky move-- however if there's a criticism here, it's that we've heard this flow from Tee time and time again, nonetheless, he does his best to hold his own when stacked up against these lyricists-- but is it enough this time around? Last, but certainly not least, 6lack comes in and blesses/kills the cypher with a well thought-out verse. Halfway through, DJ Premier kills the instrumental and 6lack raps acapella. His soft-spoken yet hard-hitting bars linger in the air as he closes out a historic BET cypher.
Standout performance: 6lack
Missed the mark: Tee Grizzley
Cozz, J.I.D., Kodie Shane, and Ali Tomineek
These four young starlets give a solid, memorable performance. While both J.I.D. and Kodie Shane hail from Atlanta, GA, Cozz reps South Central LA and Ali Tomineek reps Phoenix, AZ. Cozz and J.I.D. are both signed to J. Cole’s Dreamville imprint, so their names may seem more familiar than the other two rappers. J. Cole, a lyricist himself, has surrounded himself with impressive emcees. Cozz starts the cypher, while J.I.D. ends it, which is a statement within itself-- he absolutely shines the most here, bringing everyone else up a notch by extension. Dreamville is here to open a new chapter. Ali Tomineek won Sprite’s Hot 16 contest, which gained him entry to this year’s cypher series. He drops a verse that is somehow both sporadic and smooth, and he capitalizes off the spotlight by keeping up with his peers. Kodie Shane, for her part, benefits more from her flow and personality than her verse here-- her personality shines through heavy, making it all the more fun to listen and watch her, despite missing the mark.
Standout performance: J.I.D.
Missed the mark: Kodie Shane
Ski Mask the Slump God, Ball Greezy, Zoey Dollaz, and Denzel Curry
South Florida in the building. The Sunshine State was recently hit by hurricanes, but the heat hasn’t been extinguished. The best thing about this cypher is the unity. Miami heavy-hitter Ball Greezy delivers a verse where he compares himself to other rappers. It's not extremely inventive or creative, and actually feels like a cop-out, as he basically ends up "recycling" a template for his bars, that explains why he exhibits the best traits of every rapper in the game. He doesn't manage to leave much of an impression after it's all said and done. Zoey Dollaz, another Miami native, tries his hardest-- by throwing in a Joe Budden diss, he manages to make his stand-alone verse more memorable than his predecessor, but still he's not quite strong enough in comparison to his Floridian peers. Ski Mask the Slump God executes a rapid flow that outshines everyone else, completely killing the beat provided by DJ Premiere. Finally, Denzel Curry wraps up the cypher with an excited verse that should have been performed before Slump’s. Altogether, these Florida hot boys show strength in numbers.
Standout performance: Ski Mask The Slump God
Missed the mark: Ball Greezy
Eminem
Predictably #1? Maybe so. But, G.O.A.T.
Marshall Mathers directs his infamous rage towards Donald Trump in what will be already is definitely the biggest headline of the week. Hopefully, Trump’s Twitter fingers are going to work right now in retaliation. A battle of words with Eminem…that’s not a battle he wants. Em has never been shy about delivering a political message, but this is insanity. My words cannot describe this lyrical massacre, so below is a snapshot at the bars, which we've covered more thoroughly here.
While Em killed this one solo dolo, we do have our critiques of his flow and cadence. The overtly harsh growl is hard on the ears, but when he softens and relaxes his voice a bit, we see the old Em seep through. Nonetheless we couldn't ignore the overall impact of Em's cypher (did you check the internets this morning?), the unrelenting message he packed into his verse, his lyrical skill (clearly still on par), and, tied altogether, the importance of it all.
- “Racism’s the only thing he’s fantastic 4, cause that’s how he gets his fucking rocks off and he’s orange.”
- “Cause you don’t have the fucking nuts, like an empty asylum.”
- “All these horrible tragedies and he’s bored and would rather cause a Twitter storm with the Packers.”
- “From his endorsement of Bannon, support for the Klansmen. Tiki torches in hand for the soldier that’s black and, comes home from Iraq and is still told to go back to Africa.”
- “…and any fan of mine that’s a supporter of his, I’m drawing in the sand a line, you’re either for or against. And if you can’t decide, who you like more in your split, on who you should stand beside, I’ll do it for you with this. FUCK YOU!”
The FULL verse that EVERYBODY is talking about! @eminem BODIED THIS! #HipHopAwards pic.twitter.com/zoS0wEwjQF