From “The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air “(Will Smith) to “Degrassi Jr High,”(Drake) seeing rappers on TV shows is hardly anything new. But what about if rappers WERE actual TV shows? Are the characteristics that make us gravitate to our favorite wordsmiths the same reasons we throw hands over the remote on a given night? Who breaks bad in the midst of scandal while trying to make it in America more than an MC?
Well, Rapper and singer Phonte Coleman ( of The Foreign Exchange pondered that very question on Twitter after making the declarative statement:” #TheWire :: Jay :: #BreakingBad :: Nas. Come at me, bro. ” He defended his opinion rather succinctly by adding, “I liken Jay to #TheWire because in terms of what he’s accomplished as a whole throughout his career, dude really is the Greatest. But even in the midst of Jay’s/#TheWire‘s greatness, if you’re asking who I’d prefer to hear rap at any given moment? Esco all day. (#BB)”
He could have easily dropped the mic on the whole thing when he concluded, “If Jay’s #TheWire and Nas is #BreakingBad, Rakim is #TheSopranos. He laid the foundation and all the greats are standing on his shoulders.”
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But thankfully he kept going (“I’ll try to keep this Rappers As TV Shows game going on as long as I can. This is fun…lol”) and his observations about his peers (and himself) were so spot-on that we had to share. And yes, please support his new album, “Love In Flying Colors” in stores now because geniuses can’t eat your praise.
Click to see which TV shows he equated to Biggie, Tupac, 50 Cent, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, T.I., Rick Ross and more!
“Oz” is 50 Cent; a gritty show with a great premise whose downfall was due to a focus on sensationalism over content.
#Lost is Kanye: An unorthodox story that became an unlikely cultural phenomenon and just got weirder and more ridiculous with each season.
#BoardwalkEmpire is T.I.: A notable contender with all the right ingredients but lacks that one intangible to place it amongst the greats.
#LawAndOrder is Snoop Dogg: Same formula for over 20 years, but it’s a show where your whole family knows at least ONE episode by heart.
#HowToMakeItInAmerica is Biggie: A promising show that was cut short after two seasons just as it was starting to find its voice.
#TheCosbyShow is A Tribe Called Quest: The pioneer who showed America there was a viable market in the portrayal of Black middle class life.
#ArrestedDevelopment is Phonte: A critical fave with a cult following that got pulled by a major, but came back indie and got his bread. lol
