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2. 10. Pete Rock
City: Mt. Vernon
Years active: 1991-present
Obviously Soul Brother #1 isn't commanding his spot in hip-hop (and Westchester) history due to mic prowess, but Mr. Phillips' lyrical contributions to the Pete Rock & CL Smooth albums have been slighted in lieu of his production. Taking nothing away from CL (who was obviously the better MC), Pete brought comic relief and countered his partners' constant rhyme onslaught.
Look at it like this: the average Pete & CL song was over 5 minutes. Only Too $hort can do that shit without instigating a reach for the ffwd button. But lines like "tie your girl to the back of my jeep, butt naked," "I keep a mag in the trunk of my Jag, in case some punk fag wants to catch one bad" and "honey gave me skins and I told my friends I ate her" all broke up the rappity rap vibe of the albums and are far more quotable than anything on "Lots of Lovin'." Point blank, Pete made those albums easier to digest in one sitting. And Grand Puba wrote his rhymes. 914 for the win!
3. 9. Styles P
City: Yonkers
Years active: 1994-present
I first heard the Lox when they were calling themselves The Warlox. This was circa 1993, when my boy from Gorton High in Yonkers slid me their demo, "Duck or Get Bucked." The song was a mirror image of Yonkers itself: Grimy, corrupt and vicious. Nothing's changed, as Styles is still one of the grittiest on the mic today, not just in the pantheon of 914 reps but overall. Although he didn't get the acclaim his partner Jadakiss did on a major scale, Styles still holds an iron fist in the streets. "The Hardest" with Large Pro and AZ is the proof: Styles "comes through the hood on a mountain bike when cars is out."
4. 8. Lord Jamar
City: New Rochelle
Years active: 1989-present
Grand Puba and Sadat X have garnered more acclaim overall, but one can't forget Lord J's contributions to Brand Nubian, one of the greatest groups of rap's proclaimed "Golden Era." Admittedly I wasn't that huge of a Jamar fan early on, but with Puba's departure after One For All, Lord J stepped up hugely on In God We Trust. His rhymes on "Steal Ya Ho," "Punks Jump Up To Get Beatdown" and "The Godz Must Be Crazy" (with the latter boasting the ever-quotable "they want a nigga clean cut like the Ancient Greeks, but the Ancient Greeks...were fuckin' freaks!") are ones for the record books. Jamar's staunch seriousness was the perfect yin to Puba and Sadat's yang.
5. 7. CL Smooth
City: Mt. Vernon
Years active: 1991-2007
CL Smooth takes some time to appreciate fully. And as much as I loathe the term "grown folks rap" (or anything for "grown folks") because I have Peter Pan syndrome, that's exactly what CL Smooth excels in. As a teenager, I bought Pete Rock & CL Smooth records for the beats. But as I aged, I began to appreciate the penmanship of Mr. Penn. Particularly The Main Ingredient LP. CL was batting the gorilla mink on the front cover. Only a grown man does that. "The Sun Won't Come Out" is nothing short of brilliant and CL at his best. Dude could rhyme his ass off, but you don't realize it till you're well into your 20s.
6. 6. Breeze Brewin
City: New Rochelle
Years active: 1995- present
Breeze Brewin of The Juggaknots may very well be the most underappreciated MC of all time. If butter could really be metaphorically used to describe a rapper, it would describe Breeze. Uncanny concepts, top notch wordplay, an onorthodox cadence and perhaps, ironically, his limited output (which is in part due to his demanding full-time gig as a teacher), have all catapulted him into the short list of legends with short discographies.
When Breeze appears on ANYTHING, it's an event for those who know the 411. Whether citing his brilliant approach to the topic of interracial dating ("Clear Blue Skies") or his ability to deliver on a concept LP (Prince Paul's Prince Among Thieves LP), Breeze is one of few artists (from Westchester or otherwise) to not have one single dud come out of his rhymebook. Recent Breeze greatness can be heard on The Juggaknots' sophomore LP, Use Your Confusion, and on last year's single from yours truly, "The Fox Hunt."
7. 5. Jadakiss
City: Yonkers
Years active: 1994-present
Whether you cite the aforementioned Warlox's "Duck or Get Bucked" demo or The Lox's first appearance on the second Main Source LP ("Set It Off"), it was obvious Jadakiss was always the group's star and one of Westchester's best. Jada's talents are equally respected worldwide, and although they have yet to fully blossom on a whole album project, his individual moments portfolio is as strong as anyone's. "Checkmate," a 2007 diss aimed at 50 Cent, was some shit legends are made of and the following year, the introspective, well-written "From Now Till Then" secured his spot on this list and in the rap game.
8. 4. Sadat X
City: New Rochelle
Years active: 1989-present
Sadat X was one of the most effective group members in rap history. He was so completely different than yet complimentary to Grand Puba and Lord Jamar, that regardless of what the Brand Nubian line up was, he was the perfect accent. Solowise, he's fared the best of the group - every post-Brand Nubian album he's done can stand on its own. Sadat also joins the ranks of Masta Ace as an artist from the "Golden Era" that's managed to stay relevant and not play himself by conducting business like it's still 1990.
9. 3. DMX
City: Yonkers
Years active: 1993-present
He's "not-a...nice...person!" And we love him more for it. DMX put to bed all notions that Westchester and its artists had no grime that was on par with the boroughs. The man is from School Street in Yonkers - not exactly a place you want to be caught singing Christmas carols in public. X's agitated, frenetic, gutter, misanthrope style is unparalleled, and purists who just didn't like Ruff Ryders-sample free, semi-cheesy late '90s anthems would be foolish to omit him from the list of all time greats.
Mr. Simmons is as real as they come and will still rob you despite the platinum plaques. With a career beginning humbly with intense battles against fellow Yonkers legend Bill Blass in the gymnasium of School #12, his legacy balooned from Westchester local psycho to all-around star over the course of two decades. And despite it all, X remains an underdog, making him more real than your average successful rapper. I want "What's My Name?" played at my funeral. Make it happen, somebody. Please.
10. 2. Grand Puba
City: New Rochelle
Years active: 1987-present
Fuck a Westchester list - Grand Puba had the potential to be on a Top 20 all time list (and in my opinion, he still is in the Top 20). Former Elektra Records A&R Dante Ross once said Puba had more potential than just about anyone he'd seen. But post-Brand Nubian and Masters of the Ceremony (with the latter being one of Westchester's first notable groups, if not the first), a promising solo career was stymied by limited output and patchy albums (Understand This). Although Puba had all the tools to be a much bigger star than he was (rhymes, flow, personality, fashion sense, production skill), his legacy is still safe and spans further back than most in the county. Paradoxically, his low profile as a guest artist in recent years has made a Grand Puba guest spot and the prospect of more music from him more exciting and noteworthy than most of his peers.
11. 1. Heavy D
City: Mt. Vernon
Years active: 1987-2011
Heavy D was many, many things to many people, but to me he will always be the Godfather of Westchester rap. I was first exposed to Hev's music at a friend's house in Mt. Vernon, right around the time his Livin' Large LP dropped. The stigma attached to Westchester as being "upstate," soft and devoid of talent was buried when Hev showed all of us it was possible. He was light-skinned, too. Even more reason for me to not be scared to pursue a rap career. He debunked many a rap myth when he put the Vernon on the map and pioneered as a rapper from north of the Bronx.
But objectively, Hev's greatest feat was being able to walk the fine line of commercial appeal and street respect like a ballet dancer - at 300 pounds. (He could dance his ass off, too.) Your grandmother loved "A Better Land." Your mom loved "Somebody For Me." Your sister loved "Now That We Found Love." Your rap nerd, purist friend loved "Let It Flow." Your hard rock cousin loved "A Buncha Niggas." Your aunt loved "Black Coffee." Hev not only put Westchester County on the map and showed all of us it was possible, he flat out did it all. And he left us too soon. R.I.P.
