Six weeks, and 131 rappers later, and we’re down to four. And we can’t say we’re all that surprised, as the four MCs left standing—Eminem, 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z—are undisputed legends in the game. Still, it wasn’t a cakewalk. Well, at least not for everyone. Biggie, the No. 1 seed in Bracket III, faced the toughest competition making it to the Final Four. His defeat of fellow New York icon Nas by six percentage points (53 percent of the vote to No. 2 seeded Nas’ 47 percent) was the narrowest margin of victory for any of the rappers still in the hunt. The two other No. 1 seeds moving into the Final Four, Eminem and 2Pac, on the other hand, advanced with relative ease. In Bracket I, Eminem took down No. 3 seed Snoop Dogg with 80 percent of the vote, while in Bracket II, 2Pac also moved easily past a No. 3 seed, KRS-One, with 76 percent of votes cast. Jay-Z is the only rapper in the Final Four who didn’t enter the competition as a No. 1 seed. The Jiggaman, who entered the field as Bracket IV’s No. 2 seed, skated past the original God MC, No. 1 seeded Rakim, with 60 percent of the vote to Ra’s 40 percent.
Last week’s results stack the Final Four with two compelling matchups. On the left side of the field, the champions of Brackets I and IV, Eminem and Jay-Z, square off in a rematch of the finals of last year’s Best Rapper Alive competition, which Eminem took easily with 61 percent of the vote. And then there’s the other matchup: Biggie vs. ’Pac, nothing less than the rap debate of the ages.
Will Eminem triumph again and move on to the finals with the chance to unify the belts or will Jay-Z make a stand? And as for Biggie and ’Pac, well, which is it? Vote now here. And vote daily. And check back early and often for more updates on VIBE Presents The Best Rapper Ever!
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