Features : WHO HAD THE BEST VERSE OF JANUARY?

Lyricism is the backbone of hip hop. Although there are a ton of rappers who aren’t saying a gotdamn thing, there are those who are exceptionally gifted at putting words together over a beat. And with so many songs dropping during any given month, we feel that those rhymes that combine lyrical dexterity and cleverness with verbal gymnastics should be celebrated. Enter: Verse Of The Month.

It’s the first month of 2018, and if we get the high quality of aural dope for the rest of the year like we did in January, it’s safe to say we will have a great year for lyricists. For starters, look at the roster of finalists this time around: Lloyd Banks, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Royce 5’9″, Lil Wayne and Drake.

Banks continued his At Your Request rampage, absolutely manhandling araabMUZIK’s “Soul” for “Young & Reckless.” Slim Shady barked back at critics of his eighth consecutive chart-topper, Revival, with an update of “Chloraseptic.” Wacky Future verse aside, Kendrick did what he normally does on “King’s Dead.” Royce outpaced Mickey Factz on his own track, “The Sermon.” Drake addressed his current situation and unloaded a few barbs at a familiar foe on his Billboard Hot 100 record breaker, “Diplomatic Immunity.” And finally, Wayne managed to find a way to rhyme “Giannis Antetokounmpo” for a clean 60 seconds; while we still have trouble just pronouncing the NBA All-Star’s name.

Okay, some of the picks clearly lean toward the lower end of the spectrum. However, there’s no denying the dopeness of the nominees. We’re still having trouble deciding who took it as well; Shake is leaning toward Banks, while Wongo and Meka are going with Wayne. Our votes are in. Now, we need yours. Press play and let us know.