Image via Complex Original
We know, rap is supposed to be about the music, man. It’s supposed to be about the art, the passion, the craft. But let’s be honest, some of it just for the entertainment. People used to say rap was a lot like the WWE, but it’s a bit less of a contact sport nowadays. Really, rap is—like it always was—a three-ring circus. And you don’t just go to the circus and only see the ringmasters like Dr. Dre, the elephants like 50 Cent, or the tightrope walkers like Eminem. Whether you like it or not, you’re also going to see the clowns. And you know what, you should enjoy it because clowns are funny.
That’s not to say we consider all the people on this list clowns. It’s to say that we’re often entertained more by their mere presence than their actual music—even if on occasion their music is actually decent. They’re the kind of people who usually have interesting news stories going on about them, just not much interesting art. We suppose that makes them a troll, but in these modern times, fame—even mild, Internet driven fame—is an art unto itself. And some people are just good at being famous. That's why these rappers are better entertainers than they are rappers.
Azealia Banks
Azealia Banks had a spark when she started and now she’s mostly flamed out, known best for beefing on Twitter. Banks hit the scene with “212” (a song that, by the way, has 51 million views on YouTube) but hasn’t made anything worthy of it since. We suppose we all missed the message the video was trying to tell us when it kept focusing on her mouth.
Ever since she was ushered in by sites like Complex as well as The New York Times, Banks has proven to be an outspoken diva. She comes off like a stereotypical Uptown girl but she’s too well traveled, knows too much about the larger world. Yet, rather than being as refined as her tastes (props to her for being such a big Styles P fan) she’s ratchet on social media and seemingly gets in beef as often as Gucci Mane goes to jail. But anyone who grew up on a steady diet of rap knows that beef is what’s for dinner. It might be greasy and we’re not sure how long Azealia can keep serving it up before we get bored, but for now we’re going to keep ordering her Beef Lo Mein.
Riff Raff
First of all, Riff Raff is a better artist than you think (peep his “Time” video for proof). Our theory is that he’s a method actor, a guy playing a role so ridiculous that he can’t break character. It’s hard to tell how serious anything he ever does is, but through it all you can always see a hint of awareness—he’s always breaking the 4th wall but never explicitly. We don’t love all his songs, but we do love all his interviews, catchphrases, Vines, emails, and text messages. Maybe he’s not a method actor, but his commitment to character just might make him the rap game Andy Kaufman.
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Lil B
Lupe Fiasco was right, Lil B is a genius...we’re just not sure what he’s a genius of. It’s certainly not music itself, he often makes songs with blatant disregard for songwriting, structure, or anything resembling competence. Half of his bars don't even rhyme and we can’t discern a reason. He compares his looks to people who look nothing like him. He puts out 676-song mixtapes just so we can make jokes about his 676-song mixtape. All of this often feels like an inside joke—he could make real music but chooses not to. It’s like he’s actively trying to be wack.
Yet he's so funny. He's a world class troll. NYU invited him to speak at their school and of course it was amazing. He asked, “How lucky we are to have this structure. Who built this? Tell me who built this building, please.” TIME declared he had one of 2013’s best Twitter feeds (he does). And he’s got a diehard fanbase that not only offers to let them fuck their bitch, they occasionally pop up on Fox News or MSNBC to rep for him.
Ultimately, anyone can get behind his message, usually summed up as loving and accepting everything and everyone (even though he’s gotten into beefs himself with the likes of Kevin Durant and Joey Bada$$). We haven’t forgiven him for copping out and adding the (I’m Happy) part to his album title and he's been fairly quiet as of late, but we’re sure that soon enough we'll happily be reading yet another ridiculous news story about him.
Soulja Boy
Hate him or hate him more, Soulja Boy used to have hits. He wasn't a great technical rapper in any sense, but he did manage to make singles like "Crank Dat" and "Turn My Swag On." Now that he's lost that muster, he seems determined to just bite whatever Internet style becomes popular every few months—be it Lil B or A$AP Rocky or Riff Raff or Chief Keef—which means he’s playing firmly out of position aiming for the Internet cool kids crowd rather than the pop charts.
So nowadays his entertainment value comes mostly comes from his misfortune (like getting dropped from Interscope) or being plain old misguided (like his recent threats to murder Chief Keef). It’s sad but it’s what happens when you face the ire of a rap Internet that booed you in your heyday. Or as Mel Brooks once said, “Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.” (Not saying we want him to die, stop taking things literally.)
Kreayshawn
Kreayshawn exists just so rappers like A$AP Rocky can be like, “$1.7 million for your solo deal? I said, ‘As long as I get more than Kreayshawn, I’ll do it.’” Kreayshawn is rap’s easiest punchline, a one-hit wonder who shot to success and had a huge flop of an album. But you know, we always had a thing for the Oakland white girl because even if her music wasn't great, her antics and crew made up for it.
The White Girl Mob (which always seems to break up and get back together) is more fun to follow than it should be. Mostly because V-Nasty might do or say anything, Lil Debbie looks like a model, and Kreayshawn just pisses people off so much it's amusing that people could get that worked up over her.
We’re always reminded of that feeling we got when we watched the amazing video for “Gucci Gucci,” like we were entering this Internet meets real life world that was more cartoon than reality. With word that she’s now pregnant—and V-Nasty and Lil Debbie making solo moves—Kreay might fall back a bit in the coming months, but we fully expect her crew to reunite sooner rather than later. We don’t expect great music to come of it, but certainly some great drama.