Alter egos are as ubiquitous in hip hop as Yankees Caps. Do you think Snoop would be as famous if he still went by Cordozar Calvin Broadus? Some rappers get their names from the streets, but others pull theirs out of the weirdest places. They run the gamut from AZ to Z-Trip, and make no mistake, some are great and some are just flat out horrible. I am kind of a fan of clever wordplay, but there better be a great reference combined with a Gangster or Rap element. One of the best examples I can think of is my homeboy Busta Rhymes, who was given his name by Public Enemy's Rapper/Scholar Chuck D, after former NFL problem child, George "Buster" Rhymes (Story goes that while Buster was a Wide Receiver for the Miami Dolphins he was hit during a time-wide snowball fight, after which he immediately ran to his car and got his Uzi, firing it into the air).
George "Buster" Rhymes
Other names I am partial to are: Mos Def, Guru (RIP), Public Enemy, Madlib, Reflection Eternal, Xzibit, CunninLynguinsts, Flo Rida (He's from Florida), Slick Rick, Outkast and Ol' Dirty Bastard (Even though he wasn't old, he was definitely dirrrty).
Ol' Dirty Bastard, a.k.a ODB, a.k.a Dirt McGirt, a.k.a Joe Bananas, a.k.a Big Baby Jesus
Sometimes though a name has absolutely no appeal and I can barely stand to pollute my iPhone with it for non-ironic reasons. The following names are in that boat: Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Papoose, Swizz Beats, Chamillionaire, Styles P, Jeru Tha Damaja, Scritti Politti, Chali 2na (After the Canned Fish Mascot) and last but certainly not least, Party Artie (A.K.A. P-80 Mista Mudd, RIP as well.).
Overall though I do have to say one performer in particular stands out as having my favorite combination of Literary and Rap references. Edgar Allen Floe is an underground rapper who's name doesn't necessarily have the staying power of a Mos Def or a Busta Rhymes, but ending it with that "E" is just too good to ignore.
Do you have a favorite Rap Name or is there one that just sucks the proverbial bigg'un? Leave them in the comments section and we can keep the conversation going.
Do you have a favorite Rap Name or is there one that just sucks the proverbial bigg'un? Leave them in the comments section and we can keep the conversation going.
Song #166: Edgar Allen Floe - I For An I
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