[[Open Mic]] Top 20 Writer Hotlist

[Split]

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This is, in my personal opinion, the dudes whove been dropping the hottest bars as of the past COUPLE months and been the lifeblood of OM the past couple months. inspired by PCB's top 20 boarder list in part. *Sort of* an apology for not having a mag up and not doing much as a mod, tho things have been running smoothly. Ranked ppl for fun, capped at 20 so i didnt off myself. Ratings are based on quality of writing, activity, amount of current influence (writing and feed), contribution and originality. All opinion. tried to be honest/ unbiased tho

didnt include myself because im not a faggot

OM's Writer Recap, June-August

REQS: Must have dropped once in the past month. Must be active twice in the past month, for starters. Must have dropped constructive feed twice in the past month...
I didnt detective dudes. Its a rough estimate.




1. Zygote
Zygote's writing is a complicated mesh of many aspects of his personality. On one side, you have what is perhaps the truest Zygote, the simple wording, statement-making/ statement-delivery working man philosopher. It's this type of writing where he's speaking on some shit, and often his most underappreciated writing. On the next level, you have the multi and scheme crazy flexer, dropping INSANE flex verses that would body anyone on the site, period. Swag and flow you out of your parents' inheritance. Sometimes these are weirdly worded/ enunciate too much, but theyre too grimy to nitpick through.

On the next level up, you have the distant/ spacey topicalist who drops some mind-melting bars, always invoking dope imagery and some incredible perspectives. Really advanced in every aspect, and even more flexible.

Finally, Im sure some of you remember his Imitation verses... Zygote penned some incredibly dope rhymes in the styles of some of the best writers on the site, left them unnamed, and everyone was like "damn I know exactly who this is". The pieces were excellent of their own accord. Rarely collabs anymore. Did a memorable one with DageLion.

Basically, you see of Zygote what he wants you to see, and exactly nothing more, which at its worse is alienating and at its best is art.

Feed: more sparse than it used to be, still very appreciated. Shows love to everyone and gives very helpful advice without conforming to formality.



2. Vulgar
Vulgar's writing is distinctly Vulgar. Not vulgar. He writes what can only be described as Chyeahhh activating his 7th chi. Oftentimes Vulgar will step into an entire historical time frame to illustrate an argument, emotion, or concept. Always fresh topic selection. Many readers feel just as lost in every Vulgar verse, but at the same time whatever you do grasp is always mad unique. Vulgar keeps these bars in a tight flow, that transfers insanely well to audio despite having audio-unfriendly content. From time to time, Vulgar drops flex joints with pure fire concepts. Something about "you'd think my lawn was full of hyperlinks so many cliques guarding my door".

Vulgar is the essence of abstraction, and pulls it off incredibly well. Historical deviant. Rhetorical medium.

Feed: as nebulous as his writing. Quick to point out what is good about your verse. I don't think Vulgar has every criticized someone's style, rather gives constructive criticism in positives, which is refreshing w; the nature of rap sites lmao.



3. Dead Man
Black 2.0. Not as active as of late, except in the feed department. Sometimes I get the feeling that Black could write to the same topic ten times, and the verses wouldn't get old. Black has what I suspect is a very finely honed set of rhyming/ storytelling skills that fleshed out long before anyone can remember his developing stage, and is/will always be uniquely Black. Very strong rhyming style that's spaced to the perfect width, something you won't appreciate til you accidentally emulate it. Sometimes but rarely is overbearingly dystopian and debby downer. Great wording and memorable phrases, top tier topical battler. Very interesting on collabs- with NYCSPITZ, BlackPancake, Genocide etc, brings out the best of other writer without switching up his style.

Dead Man is ephemeral but relateable, stringing together chains of hazy imagery into plodding footsteps along a topic's shoreline. the views dope

Feed: is always appreciated.. always real too, not afraid to speak his opinion as well as constructively dissect what you are doing. Very anti textcee-zeitgeist which is interesting to me.



4. Objective
Objective style rings true of the archetypal text MC. His storytelling prowess shines through in his verses, and his fills a somewhat 'standard' style as far as topical goes- but does so excellently. Rich characterization, daring angles on topics, mechanically sound and lyrically interesting. Objective drops a story whose ending you want to read. Captures emotions well but sometimes they seem aloof. Objective's bars never seem forced, and while his verses arent often chock full of powerful/ quotable quotes they are worded excellently as a whole, and string together nice. Puzzles freshly unboxed.
Objective also dabbles in battles, Swag and Flow, and flexes. More versatile than most OM writers of his caliber, part of the prestigious yet inactive Above the Rest.

Objective is a strong, shining example of a topicalist. He shows aptitude and ease of expression, almost every time coming out with a dope well-rounded discussion of whatever he wanted to write on. in one phrase- Well-Balanced.

Feed: Objective's feed really nailed him this spot. Some of the best feed in the OM, not afraid to write paragraphs, and cogent/coherent enough to make them really work. Many times I read a piece then read what Objective wrote and really believe he nailed it on his head, walks the whole 5k in the writer's shoes. Dope analyzer. Great constructive aspect as well as honest, very well-balanced.



5. Nigma
Nigma is always underrated, I feel. One of the best flexers and one of the best natural rhymers on site, no codeman/no police tape. Kinda dropped off in activity. Shines in flex collabs more than anything. Dopedopedope version of typical flow and structure. So good at the status quo it's become his own. Interesting Vulgar-esque references throughout his verses, great stories that really encompass "depth" of emotion, themes, plot and immersion. Sometime the topic consumes his plot. BUT Nigma got BARS for days.

Nigma drops ill, flexes and stories on deck. Born rhymer. Generates quotes and imagery at an incredibly rate.

Feed: Standard feed. Doesn't feed too often unless returning favors, but is insightful and honest. Great at pointing out where your rhymes shined and why.



6. Void and associated aliases
Really dope collection of writers who are all unique and yet similar. Often uses very, very advanced rhyme schemes that flow on some next level shit. Doesn't want to care about this anymore, but definitely does. Some of the best verses ever on NCs that are too long, too paragraph for people to give the props they are do. Originated from where CopyPat came from I think. Great wordplay and subtle metaphors that always work multiple ways. Impressive use of literary devices. Sometimes tend to pace the same old path in their separate cubicle cells? But very fresh even with recurring material. Could collab more. Bwhaha and Void bodied the top ten pages of OM with their collaboration a month ago, though. Mixes between dropping for themselves and dropping to show they're dropping for themselves. Very talented in any case.

Void, BWHAHA, Darth Yoda, Dull Boy, Pen Prick and Zombie all are unique, long-winded tight-typing rhymers who mix multis, syncopation and numbered rhyme schemes in masterful fashion.

Feed: Kind of lackluster, but powerful... Sometimes plays favorites, who doesn't? More about giving head nods than correcting poor form, rather. Reminds me of some old wise mountain guru. If they quote a line of yours it is worth noting.



7. Oats
Oats is dope, simply put. Accessible without being simple. Late-comer to Netcees but seems to be staying longer than he has at other forums as of late? Seamless imagery and excellent driving ideas behind verses. Genocide-level structure steez. Flexes, tells stories, cyphers, drops diss tracks. Whole shebang. Very real and honest writing. Getting better every drop, already copped a HOF seat.

Oats is a recent addition to the OM roster who has mastered his style, very old-school style in a way that is refreshing. Feel like the base for his style was built in 99 and it shows.

Feed: Intelligent but relatively sparse feed. Could help out newer or less developed writers more.



8. PancakeBrah
Has been there the whole way, sort of. Consistent cypher poster. Deleted many old works which knocked him way down in the ratings. Probably the most individual and true-to-self writer of the text scene 2010s, but not sure since its all 2010s to me. Really dishes out some fascinating verses and memorable lines that stick with you a week later. Got over his Black 3.0 phase, got over his Dull Boy phase, came out a better writer.Fantastic wording, very jazzy style, very hipster beat poet, except more selfish in an existential way. Struggled for a long time with a lack of motivation, but you can't ignore "Visiting Friends" or "IDIOTTTT" which were classics. Coming back in a big way these past few weeks.

PancakeBrah is distinctly Cake. Loose wording, lucid imagery, organic content, very original in every aspect. Or plays the part very well w/ a knack for rhyming.

Feed: very astute/ perceptive of talent and tone. Can tell when something is forced or corny better than any writer I've seen, probably whittled down to science after years (read: years) of internet trolling. Very often makes feed personal, but doesnt really affect things too much.



9. Mike Wrecka
Mike Wrecka has fantastic rhymes, flow and stories that pass under the radar. Should probably bump and push his stuff more. In writing leagues, gets matched with heavyweights, goes toe-to-toe and loses by a hair more than is fair. Audio-type rhythm. Cool ideas and fresh stories every time. Sometimes is confined by strict rhyme schemes but other times uses that to his advantages and puts out 16 perfectly metered bars. Interesting but sometimes his description distances you from the story, hard to explain.

Mike Wrecka is too subtle for his own good on every front, nicely transitioned verses with impeccable cadence.

Feed: Better than average and goes out to almost everyone, but tends to only feed when his verses are put up. Sort of a flow nazi.



10. Whys Ways
The rawest cat in OM. Completely original style, doesnt give a fuck what you think. Strings together some crazy wordplay+concepts with ragged description and rapid-fire flow. Very freewrite- type writer, wouldnt say stream-of-consciousness but Whys writes what it is. Hardly drops lately, but when motivated spits fire. Every 1 out of 10 drops seems forced or rambling, which is a very dope ratio. Whys+ CopyCat collab was superb, one of a kind. Would love to see him collab with some other cats soon.

Whys Ways has been around a minute and it shows, has a very fresh individual style that's real as fuck and 100% gully. Can display every emotion while discussing fucking your mother with a bat-grenade.

Feed: Always drops a thought if he likes someones shit or not, always hitting up different people, carrying underdogs, always 100% barebones honest, rarely picks apart what you wrote but doesnt have to, dude is one of my favorite feeders. The essence of antidickryder.



11. Namix
Namix has gotten more than his share of criticism from several writers, but lettuce beef real tea he is a legend for a reason. Very unforced, pedagogical style with unchecked flow and multiple levels of coherency. Can make shit resonate on any dimensional plane. Is the crayak, if you read your bookfair books. Great philosophy, great disses and very decent flexes. His style's consistent to a T from drop to drop. Sometimes very impersonal and/ or top-down which hurt his rank a little bit. Also rarely collabs, pieces are few and far between.

Feed: Top tier feed, probably got my best feed ever from namix on a different site. Haven't seen him drop much of anything on that level since, though. Maybe it is reserved for when he is really feeling it. Would appreciate a return greatly.



12. CopyPat
CopyCat is old school, one of the best letter-for-letter flows in the Open Mic. When I read CopyPat drops I see at least a few lines that I could picture some of the best rappers ever spitting. Pretty much transcribes audio, and in a "storytelling/writing" aspect sometimes he comes across a shallow, but he's not meant to be read like that. Much respect for doing what he does. Near perfect structure and as Pancake said "rhymes the fuck outta things" every time he touches a keyboard. Merks the cypher. Drops kinda often but not in quantity.

Feed: Could be a lot better, but also couldn't. Don't think Copy is looking to break apart a verse the way we do, really only gives props when dudes work to catch his attention. Focuses strongly on flow/rhythm, and its great to have someone who specializes. However, really only feeds the same people and doesnt drop more than a couple notes on stuff he wasnt quite feeling.



13. Genocide
Genocide should be tip-top of the list, but alas as of late has been busy with audio. Geno's nasty with topicals, proficient in flexing and dabbles in battlerapz. Very from the heart kinda dude, spur of the moment keys what he's feeling, last of a dying breed in this game. Solid mechanics and wording, shows command of language and rhymes that takes years to get to. Talks his piece and moves along. A little rusty, or uninspired lately... missing a rhyme or two that never used to happen. A few in-your-face collabs w/ Oats, Pancake, etc. Real decent work in the Write Week Cypher.

Feed: Pretty standard stuff, has been writing more than he feeds lately but always has good insight about how people are doing as writers. Good at telling you how you're doing. Doesn't spread the love as much as he used to but def manages to hit up new guys that other people miss.



14. Flo Real
Flo Real surprised me when his style began coming together. It's still in the heart of becoming it's own, but he's been dominating in the Challenge League and put forth a volley of collaborations with Lars Larsen. Has a very paragraph-oriented, free-flowing stream of concepts that are straight-forward but poignant. Bodied his verse in the Banana Monkey cypher, everyone slept on it seems. Writes easily to any topic I've seen him post, not sure if Lars or natural ability. Once he contains his flow and structure better, he could be a force to be reckoned with.

Feed: drops above average feed that catches some fine details a lot of people miss. doesn't dissect to an intense level, but still sifts through lyrics at a notable level. Isn't magnanimous with his feed but deff does more than he has to. Endlessly bumps his old stuff.



15. Mr. J
Mr. J's got a tightly packed, untethered style that's heavy on humor and wit. Really nice stuff, love reading his drops, but they're always slept on- I admit sometimes I just don't know what to comment. Could be more consistent with long drops. Nice multis that he fits in where he thinks they should go, flows nice without rhyming to excess, loosey goosey. Original dude, is the glue of any collab he's in.

Feed: back in the day on Netcees 1.0 was the best feeder around- literally would hit up every drop with something worthwhile to say, seems to struggle to find time or motivation lately. Did the above once that I've seen, still pretty cool tho.



16. ill nik-a
Ill nik-a's style is like 20 years in the making, and it comes through. Wrote a story about a Boston Strangler that had perfect delivery, multis everywhere but makes them work. More introspective than the pink slipper of the Disc board might seem. ILL diss track that put a tourney in motion, decent at swag and flow. Good writer all around tho he pretty much resents topicals except when he writes them. Still a powerhouse in the OM, even if drops go unfortunately uncommented.

Feed: Doesn't feed anyone. Acts like he doesn't want feed on his shit other than acknowledgement. Kinda puzzling whats going on, maybe wants another HOF, nik-a is admittedly competitive. Minimal feed really hurt his spot, but his feed is highly respected when given, so there's that. Has thrown a few "dope"s around. And also gave me a great vote on a BA topical once



17. Brian Bryan
Baron Mynd himself! Surprisingly active compared to the dude i remember from NC 1.0. Dropped mostly collabs with Flo Real and maybe Objective once. Real active in the cypher, but doesn't throw too many verses around like back in the early days of the site. Struggles with disinterest and short verses. Actually saw him put out a 40 line verse which is probs the longest he's done in a decade, and merked it. Dope flow and bleeds schemes perfectly, lyrical greatness. Sick with collab verses. Also has great transitions. Honestly should be higher up, but just drops less of everything than everyone above him.

Feed: Has given some great feed lately. Smart. Practiced.



18. Certain Serpent
New cat on the come up. Cool freeform style, unpredictable rhymes and transitions that capture a thought really well. Develops that thought droplet into a thought puddle. Neat and original style, catching recognition for having strong lyrical ability all around. A+ word choice and wording. Is relatively new. Could do with longer drops and more variety, which he's already started... could move on to do big things.

Feed: Some of the best of the best, feeds every/anyone, really insightful and well-developed. Some opinion thrown in but always justified. Upstanding NCitizen.



19. oXus
Has an originality of style that is almost poetic, very abstract thought processes that usually outline complex relationships in the subject matter and on a deeper level. Like, metaphysical and stuff. Still manages to rap about cool stuff while doing that. Smooth as fuck flow n wording, sometimes too aloof to get the message. Get the feeling sometimes hes disappointed in what his readers pick up on, due to the depth of his verses intended meaning. Very poignant commentary in all his verses. Could drop a lot more.

Feed: Whys Ways level honesty, and feeds back people who show him love. Even if they drop a single word. Perceptive, brutally honest. Not prolific but sufficient.



20. VERITAS
really enigmatic character. crazy off-the-wall topicals usually stuck at mind-fuck on the psych-o-meter. cool collab w/ Objective. Veritas tends to talk in riddles and scientific parables that make it hard to get at what he's talking about. Sometimes flow raises the bar, sometimes is just ignored. Pretty much the only person writing at his discussion level except maybe Namix in simpler words. Veritas is heavy slept on, really interesting to read his stuff. Had a Classic battle with Dead Man in the AOWL that everyone should peep. Cool word choice but off-and on wording.

Feed: great feed especially on battle verses. picks up on lyricism and tells analyzes your stuff on a literal level, but doesnt really delve in too often. itd be interesting seeing what he interpreted from some of the higher energy verses thatve been dropped, seeing as Veritas has a lot to say.



Conclusion



There you have it folks. The hotlist.

Nothing personal if you dont like your spot, just how I see things. Hope I tickled motivated some of y'all/ made up for no mag.

[Certain]

I don't completely get the criteria. I'm pretty sure DeadMan hasn't posted an open mic verse in the month I've been here. Meanwhile, you knock a bunch of other people lower on the list because of lack of activity.

With that said, thank you for the acknowledgment and the effort.

[Split]

Originally Posted by Certain Serpent

I don't completely get the criteria. I'm pretty sure DeadMan hasn't posted an open mic verse in the month I've been here. Meanwhile, you knock a bunch of other people lower on the list because of lack of activity.

With that said, thank you for the acknowledgment.

I changed it to encompass the whole time since the last mag which (I think) was june

also he had two or three since July

Lars, Geno, Namix all were pretty much affected by frequency as well


Lars- consistently small, CYPHER 2013 size verses that show talent but arent hard hitting or fully fleshed, then enter Challenge League Verses
Genocide- really on then really off about posting, tends to get swallowed up in the quick moving pages
Namix- dropped two or three total on the site? idk. certainly not as active as those above him
Dead Man- DeadmanSpitz which was a good number of lines, then every battle in the AOWL playoffs, as well as (maybe) something about the sun in the OM
NYCSPITZ- merked some collabs but hasnt returned since and wasnt around before. Ran train on the Write Night parade, but hasnt fed almost anyone


maybe its really more like a list of cumulative trends

[Certain]

Originally Posted by Split Eight

I changed it to encompass the whole time since the last mag which (I think) was june

also he had two or three since July

Lars, Geno, Namix all were pretty much affected by frequency as well

Lars- consistently small, CYPHER 2013 size verses that show talent but arent hard hitting or fully fleshed, then enter Challenge League Verses
Genocide- really on then really off about posting, tends to get swallowed up in the quick moving pages
Namix- dropped two or three total on the site? idk. certainly not as active as those above him
Dead Man- DeadmanSpitz which was a good number of lines, then every battle in the AOWL playoffs, as well as (maybe) something about the sun in the OM
NYCSPITZ- merked some collabs but hasnt returned since and wasnt around before. Ran train on the Write Night parade, but hasnt fed almost anyone


maybe its really more like a list of cumulative trends

Nah, word. I didn't mean to sound like an unappreciative dick. I just have been around for a little less than a month, and it seemed like I hadn't really seen anything from some people on the list.

Good looks.

[Geno]

This is dope. Excellent shit @Split Eight

[Brian Bryan]

Appreciate the props, love the challenge of the league to be honest, the topics are really open-ended for you to do what you want with and that freedom for creative control just appeals to me entirely. I was from a league where often the storyline(s) are wrote up and you just have to do your take on it, at this point I feel like I've just hit a plateau and write for the enjoyment of it rather than being super-competitive about winning or being one of the best.

I love my writing. Simple but true. Winning is just a added bonus these days to let me know I still have it.

All kudos greatly appreciated! :^)

[Wise Wiggles]

Appreciate the time and effort and all that blah blah
I hardly post anymore though.. Too busy drinking myself into an early grave I guess lol?
Anyways respect <3

[dead man]

split every verse ive ever written is on the same topic lowkey

you are the man and i could make an argument for the accuracy of almost every aspect of your list. i was surprised at first by objective's ranking, but you make very valid points for your choices which is why this is dope.

[Lars]

shouts to everyone at the top who is either a former RapFlava head or Myrmidon alongside me haha!

the styles ununmistakable

[oats]

I dig, thanks for the good looks Split.

[Mike Wrecka]

lmao @flow Nazi , i really am one.

oh and you nailed zygote. even now that I co-mod a league with him and speak with him frequently, i still feel like i know nothing of his personality. he is either a robot or an alien. i am convinced

good work split. this was cool

[Spoken]

Just surprised how some names surpass me but word nice list dope shit

[Nigma]

Dayum thanks for the love <3 @Split Eight that was a badass arrow too, I respect a good arrow.

[veritas]

Split should have my spot tbh....I dont drop enough.

[Nigma]

Shoutout to @NYCSPITZ for dropping the most interesting feedback ever. I use to enter other peoples drops to read this mans feed.

[NYCSPITZ]

Originally Posted by Nigma

Shoutout to @NYCSPITZ for dropping the most interesting feedback ever. I use to enter other peoples drops to read this mans feed.

lol it's coming soon, got any pieces pm me

[Nigma]

Originally Posted by NYCSPITZ

lol it's coming soon, got any pieces pm me

I'm going to write an OM just so you can feed it. Any preference?

[PancakeBrah]

Although I think I'm better than 8, it's hard to argue with anyone above me.

This was dope.

Like any self respecting member of NC's I only read my part. And that analysis was spot on. Laughed at the Black 3.0 and dull boy phase. Too true. Good eye.

Props.

EDIT- nigma's ranking is way too high, actually. My only qualm. Not even about my dislike for the guy, he just isn't that dude.

[NYCSPITZ]

cool list tho

[Certain]

I'm going to feed everything on Page 1, write three verses, add at least two cypher posts and send Split Eight a ridiculous collab by this weekend. I've decided to eschew society in favor of boosting my standing on this list. No. 18 is fine if you're Peyton Manning or Kyle Busch.