Best Hip Hop Artist Bracket - Sweet Sixteen

 

There were very nearly some huge upsets in the second round as Nas, LL Cool J, and Wu Tang Clan all snuck through by one vote.  But alas, there are no cinderellas as all four brackets feature the top four seeds.  This is the first time that has happened in any bracket I’ve made.  I don’t know if that’s a testament to my seeding or just a reflection of the greatness of those artists.  Either way, we have some heavyweight matchups moving forward and it’s a shame that some of these acts will have to lose in the next round.  So let’s take a look at the bracket and cast your votes.

Best Hip Hop Artist of All Time - Second Round

 

Round 1 is in the books and there were, surprisingly, very few close results.  Only two matchups were decided by two votes or less, with Cypress Hill edging by Kendrick Lamar and Beastie Boys coming back to sneak by DMX.  Also, there weren’t that many upsets as the higher seeds mostly held their own.  Warren G and MC Hammer advanced as 11 seeds, but they were the lowest seeds to move on.  The matchups get a little tougher in this round so we’ll see who comes out on top!

Best Hip Hop Artist of All Time - First Round

Fifty years ago, the genre of hip hop music was born.  You may have been seeing lots of tributes on various awards shows and news programs throughout the year.  And seeing as hip hop is one of my favorite music genres, I felt it was only fitting to do a tribute in my own way.  I know I usually reserve my brackets for March, but I felt this momentous anniversary deserved its own special bracket.  So I decided to create a bracket to find the greatest hip hop artist of all time.  I’ll admit, though, that this bracket is slightly skewed to my favorites from the 80s and 90s.  I did put in some of my usual data crunching, looking at top 100 hits and placement on other greatest artist lists, but I also made sure that some of my favorites made the cut.  

And now I’m giving you all the chance to vote for your favorites. From Sugarhill Gang to Run DMC to Jay-Z to Drake, I tried to at least represent all eras and both groups and solo artists.  I hope you all enjoy this special fall bracket madness and keep voting through to the end.  Without further adieu, here is the bracket and your chance to vote.

Best One Hit Wonder - Champion

In another close battle, decided by only two votes, the winner of the Best One Hit Wonder Bracket is (drumroll please) Baby Got Back!

Congrats to Sir Mix-a-Lot and all the Baby Got Back fans out there.  It is a worthy winner and a classic song.  I will admit, though, that despite it being a 1-seed I’m surprised that it won.  But that’s why I do these brackets, because there’s always a surprise.  

And speaking of surprises, the race to decide next year’s theme was even closer than the championship match.  Every option got at least one vote, but in the end TV Couples edged out Holiday Movies and Chain Restaurants by one vote.  So check back in next year for the Best TV Couple Bracket!  And just because I love hearing from all of you, drop your favorite TV couple in the box below and maybe they will make the list.

Thank you again to everyone who voted over the past month.  I hope you all have as much fun participating in these brackets as I do making them!

Best One Hit Wonder - Championship

This is what a Final Four is supposed to look like!  Both matchups were decided by fewer than 5 votes, and if you could have seen the voting progression throughout the week you would have seen lots of ties and lead changes.  All four songs held a lead in their matchup at one point throughout the week.  It was two classic back and forth battles.  But, alas, only two are left to fight it out for the title of Best One Hit Wonder!  

So now we are left with Baby Got Back vs Come On Eileen.  80s vs 90s.  Which song will get their one shining moment?  It all comes down to this.  Ok, enough with the dramatic cliches.  Time to vote!  And as I’ve done in the past, I’ve included a bonus question if you want to help determine next year’s theme.  Thank you to all who participated in the voting this year.  I really appreciate it.

Best One Hit Wonder - Final Four

We made it to the Final Four!  And despite the many upsets, two 1-seeds survived and will square off for a chance at the championship.  Take On Me has been one of the most dominant songs in the bracket and ended the Cinderella run of 15-seed Stacy’s Mom.  Baby Got Back has been the other dominant song and took out Tubthumping with relative ease to make it here.  It will be interesting to see where the votes go in this matchup.  

In the other matchup, there is one song that was probably a good sleeper pick from the beginning and one song that I think is a bit of a surprise to see in the Final Four.  Come On Eileen has been a popular song for going on 40 years now, and despite being a 5-seed, I think it’s safe to say that it was a favorite heading into the bracket.  It even took out some other heavyweights in Ice, Ice, Baby and the Macarena to make it here.  I am shocked, however, that I’m Gonna Be is here.  Every week I thought it would lose, and it just kept winning, culminating with a narrow two vote victory over Jump Around to make it to the Final Four.  Does it have what it takes to knock out Come On Eileen?  We’ll find out.

I included the music videos this week in case you need a refresher on these songs before voting.  Enjoy and keep the votes coming!

Best One Hit Wonder Bracket - Elite Eight

This was probably the least suspenseful round of voting, as most matchups were decided by 15 votes or more.  But the results left two 1-seeds out and a 15 seed with a chance to reach the Final Four.  I’m pretty sure this year’s bracket has had the most upsets of any other bracket I’ve done.  Only 2 of the top eight seeds remain and 5 of the remaining 6 songs are a 4-seed or lower.  And in the battle for decade superiority, the 90s have clearly taken the lead with 5 of the remaining songs.  But despite all of this, there are some classics battling for the chance to go to the Final Four.  I’m curious to see how things play out (Get it? Play, because it’s music.  Ok, enough with the bad puns.)

We’ll see if this round has any closer results than the last round, so be sure to cast your votes and share with friends!