For decades, people have been trying to pit Monica and Brandy against each other. The two R&B sensations saw the rise of their careers around the same time, and after they collaborated on "The Boy is Mine," there were rumors that the two ladies were at odd on wax and in real life. While there have been stories shared about the singers not getting along in the past, over the years they've seemed to mend any lingering animosities. With the ever-growing popularity of Verzuz battles taking over social media people want to know if one day Monica will take a turn and face-off with another artist—specifically, Brandy. 

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"I doubt it," Monica told The Morning Culture. "I guess I kinda feel like...I understand the idea of it, and I think it's really, really entertaining. And it is an incredible idea. Now, what I do like, is it's kind of turning into a celebration. I can handle a celebration. I think battles—one thing that has happened to me my whole career is being put against someone else that I'm not even remotely similar to. I think the reality is that us being polar opposites makes it dope. I tell people all the time, the only battle or Verzuz they want to see with me is me against Brandy."

Monica added, "The reality is, people have put us against each other for 20-something years. The reality is that I think 'The Boy is Mine' is such a phenomenal record because we're polar opposites. I think that's dope. She's one of the greatest artists of my time as well. Can we do a celebration or something of that sort? That would be the only thing that makes sense to me because I've been trying to tell people for 25 years, 'You can like both, my G! You're gonna turn this into 1998 all over again and I have no interest in that.'"

Would you tune in to watch Monica and Brandy go through their hits together for Verzuz? What tracks would you expect to hear? Listen to Monica explain her stance on Instagram Live Battles below.

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When asked about a #Brandy battle. She’s open to do a real celebration.

A post shared by the Jasmine BRAND (@thejasminebrand) on May 1, 2020 at 9:56am PDT

There’s no pussyfooting around the fact that Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Three 6 Mafia are two of the greatest hip-hop groups of all time — anyone who would dispute that fact should have any credibility revoked on the spot. It was really no surprise that news of a forthcoming battle, nay, a face-off between the two titan-esque entities sparked massive cultural hype.

 Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

And while the announcement was initially falsely cited to be a Verzuz production, it would appear that Timbaland and Swizz Beatz have officially stepped forward to change that. As you might know, the battle was originally supposed to take place last night. Instead, Krayzie Bone took to Instagram to confirm the delay, revealing that it would officially be presented on Verzuz after all.

“We have just come to an agreement with @verzuztv and they are now officially involved with the face-off between #Bonethugs and #three6mafia,” writes the legendary rapper. “With that being said we have agreed with #versustv to reschedule to a new date that will allow everyone involved an opportunity to set this up the right way with no flaws or interruptions during the face-off.”

Be sure to keep an eye out for the new date, as this will be one for the ages. With both groups boasting absolutely ridiculous discographies, it’s nearly impossible to predict a “winner” — save for the obvious, and undeniably cliche answer of us fans. Who do you got walking away with the proverbial title?

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It’s been one of the hottest stories of the week and finally, the day has come. Krayzie Bone (of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony) and DJ Paul (of Three 6 Mafia) announced that the two legendary rap groups would be going head-to-head in a hits battle on Instagram Live and, tonight, it all goes down. However, there were some clarifications to be made as some accused the two of ripping off a concept started by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz for their Verzuz battles.

When they announced that they would be facing off on Instagram Live, many assumed that the groups would participate on Verzuz, which Timbaland and Swizz Beatz established a few weeks back. However, this is a separate operation. That doesn’t mean DJ Paul and Krayzie Bone are opposed to working with Timbo and Swizz though.

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“It’s crazy, man. This is what the fans been waiting on so we gon’ give it to ’em,” said DJ Paul, speaking to TMZ. When asked about the people accusing them of ripping off Verzuz, DJ Paul said it’s nothing but love and he would be pleased to actually be part of the platform.

“Nah, it’s not a rip-off, we would love to do it on Verzuz,” said the Three 6 Mafia member. “Verzuz is lit. It’s the hottest thing on the internet right now. We would love to do it on that. We haven’t talked to them or nothing, we just wanted to do our own little friendly competition. We’ll call it a celebration.”

Despite this beginning in a few hours, there’s still time to make it an official Verzuz battle. Let’s make it happen, Timbo and Swizz!

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It sucks that we’re all in quarantine right now (and for the foreseeable future) but our beloved hip-hop artists have been keeping us entertained with a number of hits battles on Instagram Live. We’ve seen Teddy Riley go up against Babyface in a legendary head-to-head and there are rumblings that Diddy and Dr. Dre will go up to bat next. Before that takes place though, the next Verzuz battle has just been announced.

As announced by members of both groups, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Three 6 Mafia will be battling in the next hit battle this week. The reveal was made on social media with thousands of excited fans marking down the date and time on their calendars.

“Celebrating over 50 combined years of hits,” wrote Krayzie Bone on Instagram.

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Of course, because of social distancing rules, the groups will not be able to be together during the battles. However, representatives from Bone Thugs and Three 6 Mafia will be present to play their biggest hits. 

In Bone Thugs’ corner, Krayzie Bone will be the leading man and on Three 6 Mafia’s side, DJ Paul will come through.

This is sure to be one of the most exciting battles to date and, on paper, either one of these groups can win. This is going to be neck and neck.

The live-stream will happen on Thursday, April 30 at 8 PM EST. Exclusive merch will also be available to commemorate the battle!

It may be a bold declaration, but PnB Rock wants artists to recognize that he's the leader of the singing-rapping wave. It's unknown what prompted the rapper to take to his Twitter and share these thoughts with the world, but PnB Rock made it clear that he doesn't appreciate other artists mimicking his style.

“I wish so many mfs stop tryna sound like PNB," he tweeted. "I created my own wave ain’t ride off nobody sh*t.. i got Enuff Kidz." A Twitter user disagreed with the rapper and commented, "I need names ?? Ion really hear nobody sounding like him." The remark didn't go unnoticed, and PnB Rock hit the Caps Lock to issue a response.

"I STARTED THIS SINGIN TRAPPIN AND RAPPIN SH*T... DO YA GOOGLES," the rapper said. "CAME HOME FROM UPSTATE PENITENTIARY 2013 NOBODY WAS DOIN THIS SH*T BUT ME NO FUCKIN CAPP... JUST STATIN ALL FACTS." However, some people refused the rapper's claims and named off artists like Max B and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Meanwhile, PnB Rock never revealed which artists he was referring to with his initial tweet. Check out the messages below and let us know who you think kicked off the "singing, rapping, and trapping" wave.

If you ever come across somebody unwilling to recognize that Bone Thugs-N-Harmony are among the most influential hip-hop groups of all time, don’t be mad at them — it is your responsibility to enlighten, not to judge. It goes without saying that the Cleveland based collective has earned their place in the pantheon of greats, having laced countless classic records and all but invented some of today’s most ubiquitous melodic flows. Suffice it to say, they’ve earned their rights to speak as authorities, and Krayzie Bone recently laid down his take on Tekashi 6ix9ine on The Domenick Nati Show. 

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When asked about the game’s most “overrated” rapper of the moment, Krayzie wasted little time in naming the Rainbow Wonder. “I never really had nothing against him, but I really didn’t get it,” explains Krayzie. “There are a lot of artists out there like him that I really don’t get. What’s the purpose? For one, there’s a lot of artists that come out today, I have no idea who they are, where they came from. I’m in the music business, I listen to everything. I even listen to the younger generation that’s coming up. But some dudes they throw at us, we never seen this dude in our life and they talking about — what do you feel about such and such getting arrested– and I’m like who the hell are these people?”

“There’s a lot of that in hip-hop going on,” he continues. “That’s how they introducing these cats to people. Such and such was arrested. Look in the comments when they post this stuff. Look in the comments, everyone else be saying who?! But I guess that’s how they breaking artists these days. By telling you, oh this dude got arrested. He’s got a felony charge. It’s crazy.” When asked whether 6ix9ine’s release will help him blow out, Krayzie appears relatively cynical. “Man, these days you can do anything in the media besides have a sexual assault case, and blow up. No lie.”

For more from Krayzie, be sure to check out the full episode of The Domenick Nati Show below. Do you agree with his take on Tekashi?

Bizzy Bone, who first rose to prominence as part of the legendary crew Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, is easily one of the fastest rappers of all time. For anyone doubting his ability, songs “Thug Luv” and “Notorious Thugs” reveal the dazzling depth of his flow; check them out should you need a refresher course. Alas, it’s been a minute since Bizzy has been chopping at rapid-fire speeds, and in the interim Eminem has come through to seize the crown as the game’s fastest spitter. As it happens, Em’s open invitation to participate in the #Godzilla challenge was exactly the sort of bat signal Bizzy needed.

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In a video uploaded to his Jam TV channel, Bizzy opens by shouting out the “little homie” Eminem. “Anybody down with Dr. Dre, down with Ice Cube, part of the whole Mo Thug family is immediately cousins, brothers, and relatives,” says Bizzy. “I finna take the ‘Godzilla’ challenge, I been getting too many calls.” After indulging in a vegan feast, Bizzy once again shouts out Eminem and proceeds to step into the booth.

Unlike many who have been spitting Em’s climactic verse verbatim, Bizzy switched up the rules and simply aimed to surpass the syllable count. Rather than spitting live, he plays back an acapella verse recorded for the occasion and deadpans the camera while his machine-gun bars rattle off. Off the bat, it doesn’t appear that Bizzy’s speed is enough to match Em’s, but it stands as a valiant effort all the same. Suffice it to say, the Bone Thug legend clearly still has what it takes to chop with the best of them. Check it out for yourself below and sound off — who is capable of hitting higher speeds? Eminem or Bizzy Bone? 

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony have announced that they've supposedly changed their name to "Boneless Thugs-N-Harmony," as part of a promotional campaign for Buffalo Wild Wings' new boneless wings. The iconic rap group's shocking announcement will have you double-checking the calendar to make sure that April Fools' Day hasn't come early. A "Behind The Scenes" video shared on social media details how the name change came to be and shows the obstacles that the group faced in making the decision. They also made a statement on their official website, whose URL has been adjusted to indicate the name change.

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This would’ve been a good April fools joke ??? chicken wang chicken wang ???

A post shared by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony ™ (@btnhlive) on Feb 18, 2020 at 10:20pm PST

"For 25 years, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony have continually reinvented rap," says the narrator of the clip. "But today, a name change threatens to tear the group apart." The narrator explains that the boys' "new love for boneless wings lead to a new name." According to Krayzie "Boneless" (née Bone) in their statement, "we were sitting down having the new [boneless] wings and it just hit me all of a sudden–I was like, yo, it’s time for a change. We need to be Boneless Thugs now. Bottom line." However, not everyone was on board.

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"I ain’t changing sh*t!" declared Layzie Bone. "It's preposterous." Bones' manager, Stevel Lobel, explains to Lazyie that it's "always majority rules" with the group, and right now, he's outnumbered. Even after trying to boneless wings from Buffalo Wild Wings, Layzie doesn't budge, but the group makes the executive decision to go through with the name change regardless. The video ends on a cliffhanger, as the fate of the Bone(less) Thugs-N-Harmony is left undecided. Will the new Buffalo Wild Wings' boneless wings be the end of the Bone Thugs?

Likely, no. If you feel like you're stuck in a fever dream, worry not. The name change is almost certainly not permanent, but rather a temporary, satirical move to promote BWW's new boneless wings. Despite the lighthearted, comedic nature of the campaign, the group did actually launch some limited edition "Boneless Thugs-N-Harmony" merch, available for purchase on their online store while supplies last.

What do you think of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's "new" name?

Not many artists can say they have a song with both 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G in their repertoire. The legendary Method Man had the honor of dropping “The What” with Biggie off Ready To Die, as well as “Got My Mind Made Up” off 2Pac’s All Eyez On Me. Buju Banton provided vocals on one of Pac and Big’s rare collaborations “Runnin’ (From The Police). Yet for many hip-hop fans, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s respective sessions with Pac and Biggie led to two of the greatest collaborations the culture has ever seen: “Thug Luv” and “Notorious Thugs.”

2Pac and Bone’s “Thug Luv,” which was recorded prior to Pac’s passing in 1996, was released as part of the classic The Art Of War. Released on July 29th, 1997, Bone’s first double album became an instant commercial success; by the following year, it was already certified quadruple platinum — four million copies. Though the project houses many enduring records, “Thug Luv” stands out as a lightning rod, the quintessential blend between horrorcore and unflinching gangsta rap. Sparking off with an electrical hum evocative of Frankenstein’s laboratory, DJ U-Neek’s eerie instrumental is reminiscent of vintage horror flicks from the seventies and eighties. A tense synthesizer loop provides the basis, an ominous piano triplet alluding to the unknown. In the background, Bizzy Bone’s hellish chants of “POP POP run with us, Pac and Rip with Thug Luv” strike a disorienting chord, lost beneath the intensity of Pac’s brazen shit-talking; you can almost picture him in the booth with two shotguns drawn, the inspiration for the gunfire-based percussion.

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection

Though Bone and Pac seemed destined to clash over a misunderstanding gone awry, they eventually found mutual respect for one another upon crossing paths in Cleveland. Said respect eventually led to Pac and Bizzy Bone hitting the studio with LA rapper Sylk-E-Fyne, where they laid down an original version of “Thug Luv.” Interested parties can actually check out that version below, featuring a stripped-down version of the instrumental, an additional verse from Bizzy Bone, and Sylk-E-Fyne rapping in place of Krayzie, Layzie, and Wish. It’s not entirely clear as to why the group decided to replace Sylk and revisit the track for their sophomore release, but given “Thug Luv’s” undeniable quality it’s easy to formulate a theory.

In its current iteration, the one that served as track two of Art Of War’s second disc, U-Neek’s instrumental revisions enhance the preexisting sense of menace. Violence permeates “Thug Luv,” and Bizzy himself plays a pivotal role in magnifying the track’s unsettling qualities. His opening verse is frantic yet graceful in its delivery, his opening biblical imagery poetic in its juxtaposition against murderous threats. Perhaps emboldened by the 2Pac’s presence, Bizzy lets fly one of the best verses of his career — one that can stand alongside any rapper’s finest work. Everything from his chilling cadence to his impeccable melodic navigation serve in elevating “Thug Luv” from a thriller to a full-scale horror flick. And that’s all before Pac himself bursts in, his baritone threats clearing the room before any gun need be drawn.

Likely recorded around the time he was working on All Eyez On Me, Pac’s thug persona was at an all-time high. Musically, songs like “Ambitionz Az A Ridah” and “No More Pain” spoke to his gravitation toward the darkness; not to mention ongoing feuds with Biggie Smalls and nihilistic warnings like “Hail Mary” and “Troublesome 96” all but foretelling his tragic fate. On “Thug Luv,” all his sneering arrogance spilled into the mic, cementing him as hip-hop’s ground-level boogeyman figure; not only would he rain death upon his enemies but he would laugh while doing so. A stark contrast to Bizzy’s rapid-fire flow, Pac opts for a more methodical delivery, choosing his words carefully and letting the gravity behind them resonate. Pac’s cadential mastery comes alive as he stretches his syllables, drawing from personal experience as he pens reflections on crime and punishment. “I’ll probably be punished for hard living, blind to the facts, thugs is convicts in God’s prison, hands on the strap,” he raps, in his opening bars. “Praying so Father please forgive me, police be rushing when they see me, I flaunt it — America’s Most Wanted, live on T.V.”

LISTEN: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony ft. 2Pac – Thug Luv

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Where “Thug Luv” is the pre-war battlecry, “Notorious Thugs” is the post-massacre reflection. Dead bodies litter the floor as a grand piano is ushered in. Recorded at some point between 1995 and 1997, the Notorious B.I.G’s double album Life After Death saw Bone Thugs-N-Harmony once again setting disc-two ablaze. In many ways, the sprawling and dreamlike epic that is “Notorious Thugs” draws many parallels with its darker counterpart. Each song begins with a chant of sorts, both centering around the respective names of Pac and Biggie. Each song features the presence of piano, albeit used to different effects. Where “Thug Luv” utilized the keys to drive tension, “Notorious Thugs” uses them to soothe. It’s over a minute before Big actually starts rapping, giving the hypnotic refrain of “it’s Bone and Biggie Biggie” room to sink into your subconscious.

During the recording sessions for Art Of War, Puff Daddy reached out to Bone Thugs with an invitation to record — as specifically requested by Big himself. Honored by the request, Bone hit the studio only to find an assortment of various liquors and an abundance of marijuana. Before long, they succumbed to the sweet call of studio inebriation to the point where Big was left prodding their unconscious bodies. Luckily, the Thugs were able to rally and hit the booth as intended — you can actually hear Krayzie reflecting on the hilarious experience right here. He explains that Big wasn’t feeling laying a verse then and there, instead opting to bring the instrumental back to his pad and continue his writing there. When he returned to lay down his verse, “Notorious Thugs” transformed from a regal posse cut to a genre-defining anthem.

Serving as a snapshot on his career, Big’s reflection arrives by way of razor-focused flow. Allusions are made to his beef with “you know who,” to his relationships with several female artists. His complicated history with the Wu-Tang Clan is addressed by way of homage. Dominance is asserted through classic East Coast mafioso imagery. His inclination to share wisdom as famously seen on “Ten Crack Commandments” shines through as he warns of the perils of inexperience. For those who value technical prowess, look no further than Big’s transition from two different schemes, rapping “Then I blew like nigga move like Mike, shit, not to be fucked with, motherfucker better duck quick, cause me and my dogs love to buck shit, fuck the luck shit — strictly aim, No aspirations to quit the game.”

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Though Biggie’s verse remains the most impactful — fair, given that the song stemmed from his album — Bizzy, Krayzie, and Layzie kept pace with the late legend. With each member bringing their own unique personality into the fold, it’s hard to say which Bone Thug emerged with the standout verse. Bizzy’s frantic delivery brings no shortage of highlight quotables, while Krayzie’s restrained performance gives his harmonies room to land the most effectively. Tasked with closing the six-minute-plus epic on an elevated note, Layzie Bone opts to channel the macabre energy of one Stephen King, planting a melodic refrain Redrum on anyone looking to contest. Together they combined to live up to their namesake, and it’s no wonder an artist of the Notorious B.I.G’s caliber was eagerly seeking them out to collaborate.

Over twenty years removed from the release of “Thug Luv” and “Notorious Thugs,” they endure. Each member of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony should be proud of what they contributed to the game — not only as a collective, but as respected collaborators to a pair of hip-hop’s most celebrated figures. Only a handful can say they worked with both 2Pac and Biggie. Not only did Bone Thugs do exactly that, but they also happened to give us two of the hardest-hitting anthems of all time, keeping pace with artists often deemed GOAT-tier. And with that in mind, what does that say about Bone Thugs? 

LISTEN: Notorious B.I.G. ft. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – Notorious Thugs

On Eminem’s Music To Be Murdered By track “Godzilla,”  he closes the track by spitting two-hundred-and-twenty-nine words in thirty seconds. Making short work of his own preexisting world record, Em’s dexterity raised the bar for speed rap to lofty technical heights. Given that he’s currently the fastest rapper in the world, it seems a fitting time to reflect on the evolution of double-time rap, otherwise known as chopping. 

In the early eighties, while rappers like Kool Moe Dee and JJ Fad pushed the boundaries of expected tempo with “New Rap Language” and “Supersonic” respectively, Rakim was evolving the art of flow to new heights. Though the legendary emcee attacked instrumentals with more fluidity than ever before, New York rapper Jaz-O, also known as The Originator, stands as a key pioneer behind the “triplet flow.” A student of music theory, Jaz explained that his dexterous approach was the product of necessity. “I had to stuff those words, those extra syllables in the sixteen so it would transform those syllables into twenty-fourths, which became a triplet of an eighth,” he explained. “That’s why I called it the triplet style.”

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That style was on full display on 1990 single “The Originator,” which featured his young protege Jay-Z long before Reasonable Doubt. In his opening bars Jaz is spitting straight up tongue-twisters: “My rhyming and singing technique is applaudable, living in luxury, and it’s affordable /  no other brother is better than me, the J, the A, the Z.” That’s twenty-six words and forty-one syllables in five seconds. A groundbreaking development, one Jaz picked up from studying blues and jazz. Even the Jigga Man gets in on the action, following the leader with the most dexterous and alliterative verse of his career; he even riffs the oft-memed “lyrical miracle” scheme.  

LISTEN: Jaz-O & Jay-Z – The Originator

Meanwhile in Chicago, a young emcee by the name of Tung Twista was on the verge of making history. On April 7th, 1992, Twista dropped his debut album Runnin’ Off At Da Mouth. The titular track ultimately earned him the Guinness World Record for fastest rap, a title he held for a decade. Over some breakbeat production from DJ Rhythm, Twista let fly syllables at an insane rate, notably quicker than The Originators and other aspiring double-time spitters. “Flowing the lyrical magic of mine I be mopping and sweeping, and breakin’ ’em up and then makin’ ’em break in a sweat,” he spits, after pledging to take a deep breath. “I be makin’ ’em jump and then sit up and lift the style, I be kicking and popping the rhythm I’m rocking and pumping.” Though the substance is somewhat surface-level, the sheer defiance of physiology is enough to astound even today. Unlike Jay-Z, who moved way from speed-rap, Twista embraced it as an integral component of his sound — even to this day. 

LISTEN: Twista – Runnin Off At Da Mouth

It’s impossible to discuss the art of chopping without mentioning Cleveland’s Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Arguably one of the most influential groups in hip-hop history, Bizzy, Krayzie, Layzie, Wish, & Flesh-N-Bone developed a new take on double-time flow, deting away from the breakbeat influences and implementing melodic elements. Their first recorded album Faces Of Death (1993) skewed closer to traditional hip-hop of the time, the double-time flows similar in approach to Jaz and Tung Twista. After linking up with Eazy E and signing to ruthless records, Bone Thugs brought a new style to Creepin On Ah Come Up. Alternating between singsong sections and machine-gun bursts, the group’s flow on breakout single “Thuggish Ruggish Bone” earned immediate acclaim. Though their fastest flows would come later on, with 1997’s Art Of War standing out as an absolute clinic, Bone endure among most commercially successful double-time spitters in the game. In hindsight, 1997 was one of the greatest years in speed-rap history, with Bone’s double album and Twista’s classic Adrenaline Rush hitting shelves. The similarities in style were enough to spark a beef over alleged biting, though it was quickly resolved before any escalation.

LISTEN: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – Handle The Vibe

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty Images

While Jay-Z was revisiting his “Originators” origins on the Jaz-O assisted “N***a What, N***a Who,” Kansas City’s own Tech N9ne was in the process of building the Strange Music Empire. His first recorded album The Calm Before The Storm clearly drew influence from Bone Thugs’ gothic brand of G-Funk, and while Tech wasn’t speedy as a general rule, he was more than capable of kicking up the acceleration. As his style progressed, Tech began implementing more fast flows into his arsenal, with 2002 Anghellic: Reparation track “Breathe” solidifying his prowess. Absolute Power tracks like “The Industry Is Punks” showcased his ability once more, but Tech wasn’t always associated with chopping like Twista or Bone; that came later, when he sparked the movement on 2006’s “Welcome to the Midwest” and once more on the spiritual successor “Midwest Choppers.” By the time he arranged his piece-de-resistance in “Worldwide Choppers,” a song many consider to be a crowning achievement in double-time spitting, Tech had all but incorporated double-time into his recurring repertoire of flows. 

LISTEN: Tech N9ne – Breathe

Speaking of “Worldwide Choppers,” Busta Rhymes is another integral piece of the puzzle. It began with his scene-stealing introduction on A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario,” a classic that instantly slammed Bus-a-Bus into stardom. Though some current-day listeners may have become conditioned to the idea of Busta as a fast-rapper, his early music skewed closer to Ol Dirty Bastard than Twista. Flirting with quick-tempos as his career progressed, Busta’s emergence as not only a speed-rapper but potentially the speed-rapper was the Dr. Dre-produced “Break Ya Neck.” One of the greatest singles of the early millennium, “Break Ya Neck” received such acclaim that Busta doubled down on the chopping. For a while, his verse on Chris Brown’s “Look At Me Now” became the pinnacle of modern-day speedom, a Titianesque display of virtuosity. From that point, Busta often brought that high-octane intensity to every guest verse he blessed, the point where many forget he was once the “Dungeon Dragon.” It wouldn’t be surprising for many younger emcees eager to try their hand at chopping to name Busta Rhymes as one of their primary influences. 

LISTEN: Busta Rhymes – Break Ya Neck

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It’s impossible to shine a light on everyone. Since its creation in 1973, hip-hop has brought many slept-on fast rappers into the mix. Ruff Ryders rapper Drag-On set fires on the Swizz-Beatz produced “Down Bottom.” Independent QN5 leader Tonedeff set his sights on the syllable record on Extended Famm’s “Velocity.” Twisted Insane brought chopping and horrorcore together to diabolical results. Given the scope of the competition, it’s almost surreal that Eminem has officially claimed the title as the fastest rapper in the world — again. Especially given his double-time style came, like Busta Rhymes, relatively late in his career. Arguably sparking on “Forever,” Em’s fascination with chopping served as a means of asserting his technical dominance. “Rap God” and Tech N9ne collaboration “Speedom” found him pushing the boundaries even further, with the former’s “supersonic” section securing him the Guinness World Record for speed. Forever in competition with himself, Slim shattered his own record on “Godzilla,” delivering the fastest piece of recorded music ever put on wax. Clocking in at 7.6 words and 11.3 syllables per second, the dazzling conclusion marks the final evolutionary stage of “Chopper Em,” the product of all those pioneers who paved the way. 

LISTEN: Eminem ft Juice WRLD – Godzilla