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[Vigolo]

With 75% of the vote, the man who said he was a combination of House of Pain & Bobby Brown ("I was humping around and jumping around") . . . Indeed:

BIGGIE SMALLS IS THE ILLEST!!!

Notorious stormed through the tournament like my beloved Tarheels!! Some of his foes made a little noise - in order of the highest scorers in match-ups with BIG: Jay-Z, KRS-ONE, and Outkast. But, with an average of 78% of the votes, Frank White simply dominated the competition!!

Some argue that he and Pac have benefited too much from their deaths; Others say that the personal impact Big Poppa had on them made him a no-brainer. Whatever your feeling, for many this Tournament served as a catalyst for revisiting some of their favorite artists and reminding themselves of why they still hold them in such esteem. The most interesting part? Reading the decisions people grappled with about longevity and impact, influence and style . . . But, when it came down to the last few rounds, folks just voted their hearts. Can't argue with that.

THANK YOU ALL for taking part - couldn't have worked without the voters. Look for next year's . . . I'm already working on it . . .


Oh! Folks have been asking me who I had in the Tourney . . . Since I never counted my own votes, tried not to influence yours, and did not share any of my own opinions, I thought I'd tell you a little here:

- My Elite 8 had three #1 seeds, a 2, 3, 4, 6, and a 7.
- I struggled most when I picked against Rakim.
- And, Outkast won it all -- and, would have out of any region; no disrespect to BIG, Comm, or any other artist, but these are my dudes.


Last note: The "RPI" - the determining factors when The Committee made the seeding - we considered each of the following:
- Strength of albums, singles, and appearances
- Lyrical skill
- Creativity
- Impact on the music
- Impact on the culture
- Importance to his/her/their region
- Longevity
- Club play
- Tangible influence on others (not, "He sounds like _" but more like, "He started with _.")
- Gender

Some people were left out in every region (from E-40 to Jadakiss) - but, there's still the NIV . . .