I am a Hip-Hop fan and a fan of comic books. Today I will be talking about which Hip Hop artist best represents a comic book super hero. I will be comparing a combination of lyrics, music, and style with the mythology of their comic book counterpart. I’m working on doing a DC & Marvel version. I may split up the X-men and the Avengers but that depends on how well this write up is received. Today I will be starting with DC’s Justice League. I will be sticking to the core members because there are so many comic book characters, and there are even more hip hop artists. So without further ado I will begin.
First we will start off with the most popular comic book character of all time in my opinion. The Batman is a kick ass human that sits on top of Gotham putting fear into the hearts of criminals. There is only one hip hop artist that displays this type of persona.
Jay-Z is hip hop’s Batman and Bruce Wayne. He is a very intelligent rapper and business man. He has put fear into the public by conspiracy theorists that call him the illuminati. With songs like ‘Lucifer’, Heaven, and Run this Town, Jay-Z has become a symbol of fear as well as a symbol of success.
Wonder Woman is arguably the strongest woman in comic book history. Naturally I would choose the strongest female lyricist in history.
MC Lyte is confident, brazen, and not afraid to put a male MC in his place. She shines lyrically in a male dominated genre. Her lyrics are like a shield from her femininity, it you listened to her without knowing she's a female you would think she was one of the guys. MC Lyte is hip hops Wonder Woman.
Green Lantern can literally make things out of thin air with his power rings. The hip hop artist that is very close to that persona is Rakim.
When listening to classic Eric B & Rakim’s album, every time Rakim says a verse, it feels like the words are put into pictures right in front of me.
“So follow me and while you’re thinking you were first,
let’s travel at magnificent speeds around the universe,
what could you say as earth gets further and further away,
Planets as small as balls of clay, astray into the Milky Way”
he rhymes on “Follow the Leader”. Rakim is hip hops Green Lantern.
Flash is the fastest man alive. Who is the fastest rapper alive? There is one rapper who made the Guinness Book of World Records 1992 for being the fastest rapper in history, at a rate of 11.2 syllables per second. His record has since been beaten by other rappers.
Twista was hip hops fastest rapper for many years. In my opinion he still is, but there has been some debate that other rappers have taken the crown from him. Flash is still the fastest man alive, Twista is still the fastest rapper alive.
Man of Steel was the hardest character to choose. The hip hop artist that represents him would have to have hard lyrics, a hard persona, but still enough charisma to be a romantic as the Man of Steel has shown us.
The artist I chose to represent the Man of Steel is LL Cool J. LL is hard enough to hang with the gangsta rappers, but smooth enough to get the ladies wet. His lyrics have been in our ears for well on 30 years now. LL has had rap battles with several hip hop artists over the years and has come out on top. LL is a real life tough guy. He beat the hell out a burglar that came into his home in 2012, leaving the guy with several bruises including 2 black eyes. LL is hip hops version on Man of Steel.
As I round out my Hip Hop superhero’s I came across one lyricist that works great as a villain. The Joker is sadistic, psychotic, and an all-around menace. The artist that directly represents the persona of the Joker is the bad guy himself Eminem.
Eminem constantly lets you know in his lyrics how sadistic and psychotic he is. Em is always rapping about kidnapping, raping women, gay bashing and the abuse of alcohol and drugs. I honestly believe Eminem has created a few serial killers, or stalkers in this day with his lyrics. Much like the Joker Eminem has influenced a bit of chaos in our society.
In no way do I want any of these artist to act or play these characters in a future movie. This is my way of relating two of my favorite topics together. For those who are not fans of the hip hop genre, I do not need or want your negativity. This is purely for fun about the hip hop and comic book genres. Let me know who best represents your hip hop artist in the space that lets us all relate. Peace
About The Author:
I began reading comics as a child. My father owned stacks and stacks of different books from the 50's through the 70's. I started off with the comics like Archie and Hot Stuff. The concepts of these comics were very simple for a child my age. I quickly graduated to Action Comics and Marvel. I stuck with Marvel through my teen years as they were more relatable to my persona.
During those years I got hooked onto the X-Men series. The diversity and storytelling of the X-men kept me very interested on a day to day basis. I really enjoyed the different powers, and the different cultures and history of each character. I grew up in the Bay Area where there are many different ethnic backgrounds, which is probably why the X-Men appealed to me so much.
As an adult I am very much still a comic book fan. The good thing now is there are movies that bring them to life. Its something I always dreamed of as a child.
My father bestowed upon me his vast collection of comics, some I've never read, and didnt even know he had. I own some of the earliest incarnations of Superman, Batman, Avengers, Iron Man, X-men, Captain America, and Tales to Astonish (not in mint condition).
I am proud to be a fan of a genre that is just now being brought to the general population. I am a fan of all CBM's. I nitpick like the rest of the nerds but it never stops my enjoyment of seeing my favorite characters brought to life.