Seven years ago, Nas released a record called Hip Hop Is Dead. Many hip-hop die-hards, including my colleague Reuben Friedman, hold the same opinion and I agree for the most part. However, with the recent mainstream success of Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore and the emergence of young bucks like Joey Bada$$, things seem to be looking up. To me, the state of hip-hop is like the U.S. economy: things aren’t that great right now, but they sure as hell are better than the way they were five years ago. But in order for hip-hop to reach that same level that it was 15-20 years ago, there are certain people who need to change their ways or just disappear all together. Now, if there’s one thing in this world that I absolutely hate with every ounce of my being, it’s ignorance. And as an African-American, nothing pisses me off more than grown-ass black men being ignorant, so this issue is one of personal importance for me.

Honorable Mentions: Gucci Mane, 2chainz, Tyga, Nicki Minaj, Birdman, Lil B

5. Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, the Creator falls under that category of people who just need to change their ways. Now there are definitely rappers who are more ignorant than him, but because of his potential to do good, I have to call him out. Even though his music isn’t my cup of tea, I kinda understand where the dude is coming from. He’s got a lot of talent and is one of the most innovative rapper out there. In fact some of his style was mimicked on Yeezus. While I understand what his goals are, his way of going about achieving them is all wrong. I feel that Tyler does things just so he can piss people off and cause a stir. If you want proof, just go on YouTube and search “Tyler the creator mountain dew.” Tyler probably thinks that hip-hop is dead, but you can’t beat ignorance with ignorance. Wise up Tyler, before you turn into some of the other dudes on this list.

4. Lil Jon/Ying-Yang Twins
Don’t get me wrong: “Get Low” is one of those songs that’s everyone’s guilty pleasure, including myself. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a shit song. What’s every sadder is that Lil Jon is actually a very smart and articulate guy, so I don’t understand why he had to stoop so low. I'm not gonna spend too much time on Lil Jon and the Ying-Yang Twins because they haven’t been relevant for a long time. But that doesn't excuse them for their body of work, which is despicable, and above all else, ignorant.

3. Lil Wayne
Now those of you who read my review of I Am Not A Human Being II are probably shocked that Weezy isn’t #1 on this list. That just shows you how ignorant I think the next two guys are. I've spewed enough hatred about Mr. Dwayne Carter in the past, so I won’t waste time. But let’s not forget that this man formed the most destructive label in hip-hop, Young Money, ruined the career of a hip-hop legend in Busta Rhymes, signed Paris Hilton, and then attempted to destroy rock music as well. Not only that, but he made some pretty fucked up comments about Emmitt Till on IANAHB II. Shame on you, Dwayne.

2. Trinidad James
Just look at this mothafucka…

1. Soulja Boy
Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you the Ayatollah of Ignorance, the Pope of Pickaninny, the Sultan of Sambo, the Crown Prince of Coonery himself…Soulja Boy. If ignorance was a basketball statistic, the man would put up numbers like Wilt Chamberlain. Soulja Boy is more than a cancer to hip-hop. He’s Lou Gehrig’s disease. This young man had the temerity, the nerve, the gall to say that Nas killed hip-hop. That’s right…Nas, as in Nasir Jones. Nas, as in the man who gave us “The World Is Yours.” Nas, as in the man who gave us Illmatic. Nas, as in the man who is one of the great poets of our time. That Nas. And do you know the reason why Mr. DeAndre Way made this outlandish statement? See the first sentence of this post. That’s right…Soulja Boy said Nas killed hip-hop when he said that hip-hop was dead. However, Nas isn’t the only hip-hop legend that Soulja Boy has beef with. A few years ago he was engaged in a war of words with the O.G. himself, Ice-T, and it seems that Ghostface Killah doesn’t seem to like Mr. Way either. Here are his opinions of young Soulja Boy (this is what he wrote verbatim, so it may be hard to read):

This nigga also deserves recognition as the coon of the decade namsayin. I dont even kno how muthafuckas listen to this niggas music....nevermind callin that shit hip hop. If it was 1930 this nigga would be rockin a necklace made of chicken legs n pigs feet n be tap dancin on watermelons for a livin. Anyways...sons music is only technically hip hop....like drinkin a beer wit a straw n a umbrella in the bottle is technically drinkin a beer namsayin. Hidin behind 50 Cent wont protect you from ya own bitchassness tho son. This nigga been germinatin in the garden of wackness for a hot minute now. This nigga done splashed hisself wit enough water from the fountain of coonery to last 12 lifetimes. Stop givin this nigga a pass jus cos he young. Muthafuckin Run DMC was around this niggas age when they made King Of Rock yo. LL Cool J was on his first comeback when he was this niggas age yo. NWA made Fuck The Police when they was this niggas age son. You cant hide behind youth forever you clown ass muthafucka. If I see you Imma smack the slaves outta you nigga. Its open season on you son.

I'm gonna piggy back off of Big Ghost’s comments about Soulja Boy’s age. Nas, the man who DeAndre claims killed hip-hop, was 21 when he released Illmatic. Soulja Boy is 22. Nas was 21 when he dropped arguably the greatest hip-hop record of all time while all Soulja Boy can claim is that he successfully erased over 200 years of social progress by his ancestors in just 6 years. But I guess that’s somewhat impressive, but sad. If MLK and Malcolm X had the misfortune of hearing Soulja Boy’s music, they’d probably join the KKK. I'm willing to forgive Obama for all this NSA and PRISM shit if he would just sign an executive order to drone Soulja Boy’s jiggaboo ass. It’s not like me to wish death upon anyone, but in this case, it might be necessary. But that’s just my opinion…

Now before you click away, I want to leave you guys with this song by the man who killed hip-hop, Nas. Even though, as a Laker fan, I could've gone without the Kobe diss and it's dated shout-out to Tiger Woods, it pretty much embodies the message of this article.