[ A Tier ]
7. Jia (Miss A)
Now that we’re approaching the final few, it’s time for the surprise Jia placing! When I first started drafting this list, Jia was more towards the middle of the pack. However, a few key reasons compelled me to place her at #7. Jia is the first foreigner on the list. Not only is she not Korean, but she has some pretty fast raps, only made harder since Korean isn’t her native language. “Goodbye Baby” and “I Don’t Need A Man” are extremely great examples of fast high quality raps with sass and charisma, and her other work is not too far off, making her really consistent. Jia, like Yura, also benefits from being in a small group that gets actual singing lines outside of just rapping, and her singing voice is okay. Solid marks all around for Jia.
6. Amber (f(x))
And now we’re onto Amber, another non-Korean. Out of all the rappers, it’s hard to argue that Amber has got the character / charisma section down pat. She also is a talented rapper, with the attitude and appeal she has to fans. But. But. But. This is, unfortunately, f(x) we are talking about, and if Bora suffers the most from being underrepresented in her group, Amber suffers the most from having awful marketed raps. There are some good stuff out of f(x), like in “La Cha Ta” and…plenty of music that isn’t f(x) songs. That’s a pretty bad problem if your best works aren’t from your own group. Amber is also useful as a utility vocal, but despite her having a better voice than Sulli or Victoria, she never got lines until recently. Amber is skilled at her role, but is just horribly managed.
5. Minzy (2NE1)
If Hyorin’s ranking was embarassing because she isn’t a rapper, Minzy’s is probably worse. Minzy definitely gets (or got) more exposure at rapping, to be fair. Older songs like “Clap Your Hands” and “I Don’t Care” show that Minzy can be an explosive rapper, all the while knowing that she is an excellent vocalist (“Lonely”, “Ugly”). Minzy is yet another member on this power ranking that is a balanced idol in all aspects, as her score will show. Being better marketed places her above Amber, and being better in singing and overall utility places her above Jia. But I didn’t want to place her too high up.
4. CL (2NE1)
Because CL is next. For the third time, two groupmates have been ranked next to each other. Something tells me that isn’t a coincidence, by now. Anyways. Whether you love CL or hate her, there’s certainly no denying that her stage presence is off the charts. She controls the crowd and is always the center of attention. Energy and charisma are CL’s best traits, not to mention a very respectable singing voice, compared to her group (and to other rappers). I’ve always taken a liking to CL, but I personally prefer the old CL, along the 2010-ish era of “Can’t Nobody” and the like. Releases like “Baddest Female” and “Do You Love Me” haven’t been as exciting in my eyes (or ears). I’d have ranked her within the top 3 a year or two ago but the relatively deteriorating quality of recent songs will keep her just outside the S Tier.
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[ S Tier ]
3. Yubin (Wonder Girls)
Here we are. The final set. The superstars. The best in the class. Whatever may be, Yubin starts us at #3. Yubin is a staple in Wonder Girls (was). We’re looking at the debut Yubin in “Tell Me”, to the prime time “Nobody”, and the more contemporary “Like This”, and I’d be hard pressed to find a rap I genuinely disliked. While I would classify her rapping more on the tamer side, since she lets her ridiculously low voice (seriously, she makes everyone else previously mentioned with a low voice sound light) do the bulk work, she’s just as good when she goes extreme like in Ivy’s “I Dance”. Wonder Girls’ songs tend to be very catchy by nature; adding Yubin’s distinct low voice plus solid execution makes her a very memorable rapper.
2. Erin (9MUSES)
The first piece (#20 through #8) was written before news of Sem and Eunji’s departure from 9MUSES. Eunji’s withdrawal (I refuse to acknowledge this as a “graduation”, despite the group’s track record for maintaining stability), solidifies Erin into the full rapping position and one of the very best rappers. Erin has really good control over her energy and charisma, along with some of the more enjoyable lives with her stage presence (no doubt in part to her 4D personality). While other rappers may be sort of holed into one way of delivery, (Bora’s serious sound, CL’s style) Erin keeps almost everything fresh. The negative qualities of Erin are how little she’s utilized with singing, and line distribution, both of which are difficult when the group (used to be) is 9 members. Erin proves to be one of the best.
1. Miryo (Brown Eyed Girls)
You’d have thought my endless praise for Erin throughout the last year would have placed her at #1, but someone edges her out of this spot, which rightfully belongs the queen: Miryo. Miryo AKA Johoney is the straight up master of charisma, in studio and on stage. She exudes energy, is probably the fastest rapper on this list for pure speed. Different styles and structure of rap mean nothing to her. “Kill Bill” is as different from “Abracadabra” is to “Sixth Sense”, but Miryo executes the rap breaks in near perfect ability. Miryo’s faults would be the very popular “lack of vocal utility” in most rappers, as I can’t recall a memorable moment with her voice. All in all though, for the most important, Miryo is pretty much perfect.
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Final Glance
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And there you go. This was plenty of fun to write / think about, so I can only hope you had similar enjoyment. Maybe I’ll do something for vocalists in the future. Maybe not, heh.
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