There's a host of cocksure yet affable rappers out there for whom people can't help but cheer these days: Kanye, Lupe, etc. But who wants to read a list of the most beloved rappers in the game when there are so many jackasses worth writing about? Here's a list of the most hated figures in hip-hop. Man, was it hard to narrow this down!
Soulja Boy: Man cannot live by "Booty Meat" alone.
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10. Soulja Boy: Look, anyone who raps like he has Down Syndrome and yells "Yoouuuu" as the chorus of his hooks is going to wind up on a lot of people's shit lists. This Atlanta-based MC is barely mature enough to have facial hair (he's 17), and his pubescent voice is plain annoying. He's already a platinum-selling artist — via ringtones, not albums — yet everyone seems to agree he has no talent. To his credit, he did come up with a dance that's more popular than the moonwalk, but between his wack sunglasses and songs with titles like "Booty Meat" and "Pass It to Arab," it's hard to think he'll amount to anything more than a two-hit wonder.
9. Paul Wall: The grills are getting to be too much. Southerners undeniably have a strong love for teeth that shine, but Wall's diamond-encrusted smile is taking it too far. Call it reverse racism, but platinum grills just don't look right on white dudes. His rhymes about candy-coated slabs are becoming passé, and the novelty of hearing a white guy chopping and screwing beats has already worn thin. Eminem manages to reinvent himself; Kid Rock switched to country-fried rock and roll, and, if Wall hasn't gotten the memo, white guys have to keep it moving to remain relevant in hip-hop. We wish this wasn't a double standard, as too many rappers are complacent in general.
8. Cam'ron: Few rappers in history have ever fallen out of the hood's good graces like Harlem's Cameron "Cam'ron" Giles. He's flirted with wackness throughout his career, and he's better at creating drama than good music. Cam'ron came out on the short end of his beefs with Jay-Z and 50 Cent, and when he got shot last year, he wanted the world to be proud of him for "not snitching" on the culprit. He immediately lost whatever cred that gained him by going on 60 Minutes to keep the "Stop Snitching" campaign alive. Does it really need support?
7. Nelly: This dude's raps are so misogynist even other rappers had to call him out on it. KRS-One can't stand him (a bad sign), and he's banned from performing at several universities because female student groups shut down his shows. Think about it: The lyrics to his most popular song to date include, "Drop down and get your eagle on, girl!" If that's not enough, his attempt at jacking Run DMC's "My Adidas" and turning it into "Air Force Ones" just further cemented the notion that he's an ass clown who should be permanently banned from making music.
6. Fergie: Ms. Fergalicious may have enjoyed a successful year as a pop solo act, but it wasn't that long ago she was pimping hip-hop with the Black Eyed Peas and ruining one of the genre's most original acts in the process. Before Fergie joined, the Peas were a respectable trio with crisp rhymes and hilarious skits on their albums; check out Behind the Front and Bridging the Gap for proof. Then the group went from ultra-underground to super-commercial with one bad decision: hiring Fergie. She's sort of the Peas' Yoko Ono; despite bringing them fame and fortune, she utterly ruined their reputation.
5. DJ Khaled: Despite how much South Floridians love Khaled, most other people don't feel the same. They think he's a self-aggrandizing blabbermouth who's a great radio DJ but that's about it. Certain Khaled-isms, like "Lissssten" and "We the Best," annoy the shit out of people north of the Mason-Dixon line, and since he doesn't really produce, rap or engineer any of the tracks on his albums, a lot of folks can't figure out what the hell he does. Call it lingering 9/11 racism if you must, but America still isn't ready to hear a big, surly Palestinian bragging on the microphone.
4. 50 Cent: "Piggy Bank" and "How to Rob" got Fitty into beefs with practically every rapper in the industry. The guy routinely disses his own crew, and steroids have made him little more than a hip-hop bully. He flat-out promised to retire if Kanye West sold more records than he did, and when Kanye did just that, 50 went back on his word. If folks can't trust you, they won't like you, and that's just part of why 50 gets the hateration treatment.
3. Diddy: Consider this a global hateration. You know those sweatshops in Honduras and Burma where your Sean John clothing lines are made, Mr. Puff Daddy (or P. Diddy, or whatever you call yourself these days)? The people there would like to make more than 25 cents a day — and they'd appreciate maybe a bathroom break once or twice a week, or even potable water and no more mandatory pregnancy tests. Human rights come before profits, mogul man. Sure, you throw a mean party, but way to leave Shine hanging on that gun charge.
