Missed the BET Hip Hop Awards? Well let’s get to the good stuff. Not the winners or performances. How about those Cyphers???
Grand Hustle Cypher:
Chip- Sorry, I couldn’t get passed his cute little British accent, but his verse was complex and intriguing. London rappers seem to be on the come-up!
Iggy Azalea- People have doubted Iggy, including myself but she clearly didn’t become a XXL freshman for nothing. She came hard, making a few subliminal stabs (maybe at Azealia Banks?) but held her ground as the sole female of the cypher.
B.o.B- “They wanna f*ck my swag and marry my wealth” and “your girl’s thirstier than third world villages” were two of the most memorable punch lines. He was the STAR of this cypher due to his creativity and wow factor.
T.I.- A little cliché talking about cars and money. These are things we already know T.I. has. He also shouldn’t talk about women, when we see his show with Tiny and their kids. T.I. was def outshone by the others. Isn’t it about that time for T.I. to hang up the mic anyway?
2nd cypher:
Jaybird- I can see why he won the competition to be on the cypher. “Drink some water with AIDS mix” was a tough punch line but he went a little too far with the Pac analogy. You can’t compare yourself to Pac when no one knows you.
Hopsin- His role-playing was genius, but his eyes were scary and distracting. He was very reminiscent of the old Slim Shady, dark and deranged.
Schoolboy Q- Super chill, and didn’t seem to try as hard as the others. Calm but certain. He didn’t end well though, mumbling and turning around was a bad way to exit.
Mac Miller- Changed his flow from calm to hype and kept the cypher interesting. Mac was definitely the STAR due to his versatility.
Mystikal- I know we all said the same thing “Oh sh*t,” he was still crazy and didn’t make sense but it was nice to see him. Funny how his voice hasn’t changed a bit and is still very comical in content.
3rd cypher:
Jean Grae- She was okay, but paused a lot which didn’t come off as hot as she probably thought. She seemed more nervous than in control.
Sarkodie- WTF is the point of having an MC that no one can understand??? I’m all for global hip-hop but subtitles ruin the whole point. Moving on…
Ab Soul- Smooth flow, “so fly I don’t need no feet” was a memorable line. He stayed consistent without pausing and rapped clearly.
Talib Kweli- Spoke truth!! “Want me to spit but they don’t play me.” Talib still got it. “I’m Frank Ocean at Chick-fil-a, I’ll never get served.” If that line didn’t make you scream, you don’t love no hip-hop. The STAR of this cypher, hands down!
Iron Fist cypher:
Angel Haze- She did the dramatic pause the right way!!! Swagged out and wasn’t a “female MC” but a rapper. Killed it and held her own as one of the boys.
Joey Badass- Rapped consciously about having potential and being knowledgeable. I appreciated the different lyrics.
Driicky Graham- Spat some freaky lyrics and his verse sounded like a song that could be played in the club. Didn’t trip when the beat switched up. Seemed to have fun with it.
Childish Gambino- LMFAO at white people problems. You gotta love Donald..opps I mean Childish.
A$ap Rocky- Kept true to his style. Very cocky but backs it up with his lyrics. “First four words were f*ck you pay me.” Yet another “ohhhhhhh!” final punch line.
*For this cypher it’s hard to call a STAR since everyone killed it in his or her own way.
West Coast Cypher:
Xzibit- X to the Z still has the same style of rapping, from his gut. Gave us the old hood Xzibit, which was nice to hear since he has been ghost for a while.
YG- Mumbled through some lines. It’s not surprising to be high while rapping, but we shouldn’t be able to tell.
Kurupt- He kept his flow consistent. “Too bad to be good” was a nice ending
E-40- Quick paced, the infamous uhhhhh, and animated as usual.
DJ Quik- I liked the making his own beat while rapping and keeping it going.
Kendrick Lamar- Very deep, talked about real life in Compton, “Snoop passed the torch, I’m gonna burn you with it.” Way to end Kendrick!
Snoop Dogg- Killed it at the end, flow was classic Snoop, lyrical but also with a melody. STAR of this cypher.
Ruff Ryders Cypher:
Mook- Straight Harlem. Word play was crazy and spoke about current events (politics, jobs, etc.). It was definitely a change from the regular cypher topics.
Cassidy- Also spoke truth! Haven’t heard from him in a while but still sounded good. Killed it!
Eve- Melodic flow, Eve was rapping like she never left, smooth and full of fire! Repped women as well, to keep doing what we gotta do.
DMX- Energetic as X always is. We probably missed a lot since the curses were blocked out but we know X went hard. “Ryders don’t sleep!” You know X is serious when he’s talking about chopping bodies up with machetes. Straight gutter!!!! STAR of the cypher.
MVP of them all? Talib Kweli
Best Cypher? Ruff Ryders
