When you look at great hip-hop producers who became lame MCs, no two disappointments are the same. Some don’t know who they are on the mic. Others simply try too hard. Ultimately, it was challenging for them to find their voice after years spent creating for others.
The best producer/MCs are those who are comfortable in their own skin. Mannie Fresh knows exactly who he is, and it shows on every track he raps on. The same can be said about Pharrell Williams. Meanwhile, Kanye West’s narcissism allows him to excel in both roles. Puff Daddy is by no means a great rapper, but his sheer confidence and presence makes it feel like he belongs.
On the other hand, there is nothing quite as painful as seeing great hip-hop producers be lame MCs. It takes away from their luster. It’s like watching Deion Sanders play for the Baltimore Ravens or the cast of Boy Meets World come back for a crappy spinoff decades later. Here are three examples of producers who should have stayed away from the mic.
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Great hip-hop producers who were lame MCs
1) The Alchemist
The Alchemist is a legendary producer. One of the best to ever make beats. Sure, he grew up writing lyrics and rapping. But he still sounds like a total noob. It is seriously painful to watch him in the Hold You Down music video. Everything from his flow to his look in the video just feels forced. But this hides a bigger question.
Why does The Alchemist need to be rapping at all? He is undoubtably the weak link to every song he appears on as an MC. And by a very wide margin. The beats are always great and his guest artists usually hold up their end of the bargain. But things go off the rails the second he starts cosplaying as a rapper.
2) Ron Browz
Look, I don’t think Pop Champagne is a bad song. However, most people assume it is a Jim Jones track and probably have no idea that it was, in fact, Ron Browz’s biggest hit. This sums up why he is a lame MC.
Ron Browz is nothing but autotune. Literally anyone could have been saying his lines. He’s so generic. And if you listen to any of his other songs, things get real bad, real quick. There is a reason why no label wanted to release any of his albums.
Prior to focusing on his work as an MC, Ron Browz had built a strong rep for his production skills. He created Ether for Nas and was working with Big L, 50 Cent, Ludacris and Fat Joe among others before kicking some rhymes. These days, he is an afterthought as both a producer and MC.
3) Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz is a disaster as an MC. Whereas The Alchemist doesn’t seem comfortable in the role and Ron Browz is a random person with a ton of autotune, Swizz Beatz tries exceptionally hard to be a rapper. And he is just terrible at it.
A Slant Magazine review of Swizzy’s first album described a track on it as “hollow, soulless, and devoid of purpose”. In reality, that sums up all of his work as an MC. There is nothing of substance and no need for it to exist.
His credibility was also damaged when he allowed an edited version of It’s Me Bitches, called It’s Me Snitches, to be released. What a freaking joke.
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