You have just laced up a pair of timberlands, buttoned up a red flannel shirt, and shifted your trucker cap to the side. The year is 1996, and you love rap. A friend approaches you and asks a simple question: who is the best rapper alive, homie? Without hesitation, you scream either “2Pac!” or “Biggie!” and then pump some bass from your boom box.

You have just slipped on some moccasins and adjusted your fitted new era cap. The year is 2008, and rap sucks. Your friend approaches you and asks a simple question: who is the best rapper alive, cuddie? Your brow furrows and a bead of sweat dribbles from your forehead. “Uh…,” you say, “Probably Jay-Z, or wait, hang on… Lil Wayne, no actually maybe Kanye…?”

Such a situation is becoming more frequent during this gloomy era of repetitive lyrics and monotonous hip-hop. A true king has yet to immerge dominant and shock the world with wit while winning not only acclaim, but hearts as well. Therein lies the challenge of a great rapper. There’s more to the art than words. It’s just as much about delivery, crucial to inspiring charisma, and popularity, which means that the rapper must have the skills to reach out and be loved. The following is a collection of a few rappers and why none of them are the best rapper alive.

Jay-Z
Since debuting in 1994 with the classic album Reasonable Doubt, Jay-Z has been fading in a fairly linear pattern. He opened with ingenious lyrics that made your mind follow every word, but each album succeeding his first got worse and worse with a few exceptions, leaving his current lyrics still intelligent, but too much a mold of everything unoriginal in the mainstream. The best rapper alive has to be on top of his game and better than ever.

Kanye West
Although considered by many ‘011 to be the best rapper to ever live, Kanye is not a great rapper. His lyrics are clever and original, which is perhaps most important, but charisma? Kanye has none. His voice is steady but lacks a presence that is standard in many current rappers, and therefore fails to motivate like those with commanding delivery. The best rapper alive must prompt emotion through a powerful voice.

Lil Wayne
Although he grew famous as a part of mainstream club rap, Lil Wayne has shifted positively to a more serious brand of hip-hop. Although girls, cars, and money are common themes in his songs, he is at least intelligent and unique when expressing opinions about such subjects. With a unique squeaky voice and a good head, Lil Wayne could be on the way to legend status, but he’ll have to move further from the themes so often addressed in the mainstream. The best rapper alive has to define himself among the crowd.

Immortal Technique
One of the more eloquent players in the game, this Afro-Peruvian Harlem native gives a very unique opinion. His topics are incredibly diverse, intelligent, and well-researched. From government corruption to the real story behind cocaine deals, Tech reminds us of a time when MC’s were like journalists and dug to the bottom of things. If the question was best lyricist alive, Immortal Technique would be my favorite, but a being a rapper involves more than lyrics. I respect Technique for staying independent, but it’s not selling out if you stay true to the people you love and don’t get greedy. The best rapper alive has to be popular on a wide scale.

As of the March 2008, no one is the best rapper alive. Every candidate has their flaws from lack of individuality, consistency, or popularity. I hope that one day, the best rapper alive will be an obvious answer, but for now, musically speaking, I wish it were the ‘90s.