Best MC: Detroit

Motown.  This city is so slept on, it's ridiculous.  Eminem is not the only dope MC from Detroit.  He may be the only one that has gotten much shine, but they are finally starting to get some of the credit they deserve.  Big Sean is in the limelight right now.  J. Dilla is starting to reach that legend status since his untimely death.  Slum Village has been around for a long time and they are very under appreciated.  Black Milk is a dope producer who is coming into his own as a lyricist.  Danny Brown is anything but ordinary, unlike his name.  For me though, this becomes a three way battle ultimately comes down to longevity vs. ability.  Eminem, Royce da 5'9", and Elzhi are the three dopest from Detroit, but in what order?  Eminem has the fame and the talent.  So does Royce.  And so does Elzhi.  This became such a hard decision because it's hard to argue with what Eminem has accomplished.  I respect what he has done and I will always give him props, but for me, he's number three.  I have to ignore his longevity for the purpose of this discussion because one of these men has a shocking placement in my hierarchy of MCs.  Royce is a cold MC.  I've always liked him, but he had some things that held him back as far as reaching the masses.  Now that he's back with Eminem, he has been putting out his best work ever.  Unfortunately it's not enough to surpass my favorite young gunner for the past few years.  Elzhi.  Look him up.  He's just better than them.  There is no other way to say it.  He hasn't been around as long, but he is just better.  And that's saying something.  Hip Hop is competitive and Detroit is very tight knit as far as working together.  So there have been opportunities to hear most of these MCs together.  To me, more often than not, Elzhi wins.  Royce and Em are the kings of one liners, but Elzhi puts together whole verses. Detroit MCs have an amazing ability to fit huge words in to tiny spaces, none better that Elzhi.  There's a reason why he's called the syllable scientist.  It's hard to explain my affinity for him.  He came from out of nowhere.  I remember him from Slum Village after J. Dilla left.  He stole the show on the songs, "Tainted" and "Selfish" which also introduced to John Legend.  Good job.  After that I checked him out and he continued to shine.  Then he showed up on "Hiding Place" with Little Brother.  "Don't compare to me to jokes..."  After he said that it was over with.  Even another of my favorites, Phonte, couldn't keep up.  He's really my hope for the future of Hip Hop.  He has no clue how important he will become because so many people haven't heard of him.  This is my chance to give him some much needed shine.  Listen to The Preface.  Almost every song is unique and sounds like nothing out now.  He has potential to change the game if given the chance.  Check him out.  The Motown sound has changed forever.