The Illest Rap Name Ever?

In reading this interview with Tragedy Khadafi up on XXL, I had a wild realization: while his new name is very militant and shit, he gave up on such an ill name: Intelligent Hoodlum. I mean, not only did it work with the music he put out back then (“Arrest The President” is still a beast), it just had a dope FEEL to it.

This is something that seems to be missed these days in Hip-Hop: names that both mean something and sound cool when said. Take Cannibal Ox: the name just SOUNDS ill, and blends well with what Can-O is all about: tough talk with an abstract aura around it. It seems like not too many Rap groups can think of names that ill, nor do they seem to put any effort into it: it went from calling oneself ‘Del tha Funky Homosapien’ to maintain an identity to everyone being “Young”.

In conversing with resident iC Rafi, we kicked around a few other dope additions to the “Illest Rap Name Ever” list, which included names like the Wu-Tang Clan, Special Ed, Juggaknots, and others. Oddly enough, most of these artists were either considered “mainstream” or “underground”, which then made me wonder: which new school artists are coming with hot names? Both above and below this imaginary “ground” that really just separates those who sell records and those who do a shitload of touring due to lack of records sold, the names of many newer cats are kind of wack: Mr. Lif? Saigon? Nelly? What kind of horseshit is this?!

Rafi brought up cats like Devin the Dude and Murda Mook, who definitely have some of the more interesting names I’ve heard. But for every Devin the Dude, there’s too many Shop Boyz, Kia Shines, and the like polluting Rap radio. Common used to have one of the nicest names out there (Common Sense), but got sued b/c his moniker got to be too common (go figure); “Will.I.Am” only sounds good if you are wearing "mink boots in the summertime", and given the amount of records sold, do you think “Rich Boy” is contemplating a name change? And please, do not get me started on the odd obsession with placing “Lil’” and “Young” in front of your name: it’s kind of interesting to sit back and think about how masculine many MCs try to be… all the while wearing tons of diamonds, wearing pink and calling some other dude “Daddy”, but I’m getting ahead of myself…

I ask you, the readers, what names would you add to the “Illest Rap Names Ever” list? Old or new, crew names are also acceptable.

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