The Greatest Rap Crew Competition Recap: How Death Row Family Came Out On Top
In recognition of hip hop's 50th anniversary, BET Digital, in partnership with Ambrosia For Heads, celebrated the culture by hosting a bracket-style competition that allowed voters to determine hip hop's greatest crew.
Rather than having "experts" tell you who is the greatest of all time, this was an opportunity to collectively make that decision. After giving any and all fans the opportunity to provide feedback on which crews should be included, 32 collectives from different regions, styles, and generations have been selected—all vying for that #1 spot.
After more than 30 matchups, the winner of the #1 spot has now been determined. As announced at the BET Awards 2023 pre-show, the Death Row Family won the tournament, after defeating Wu-Tang Clan in the championship.
Snoop Dogg reacted to the win with an Instagram post of the announcement, adding “Wow” and tagging the BET Awards account with gratitude. Since 2022, Tha Doggfather now owns the label responsible for launching his career and has involved various crew members in current and upcoming plans. In that same post, Wu-Tang star Method Man wrote “Well-deserved” with fire emojis to Snoop. The two artists, whose careers launched a year apart from each other, have collaborated several times over the last 30 years.
The crew, including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, Tha Dogg Pound, Warren G, DJ Quik, The Lady Of Rage, and others, swept the West Coast regional bracket, defeated the Dirty South region winner YMCMB to reach the title matchup. There, they bested a star-studded Clan, including the nine members of the Wu group, as well as talented affiliates such as Cappadonna, Killah Priest, and others. For their part, Wu-Tang Clan won the East Coast bracket before besting Midwest region winner G.O.O.D. Music to make the final competition. Over the years, there have been overlapping histories, collaborations, and side groups between these respected entities.
The complete tournament marked an exciting celebration among beloved hip-hop crews. As expected, the competition was tight. The first round bid farewell to incredible collectives in some thrilling contests—especially in the East Coast bracket. The Juice Crew advanced against Native Tongues, G-Unit bested Roc-A-Fella, and the Ruff Ryders won against the Bad Boy Family. The Dungeon Family won out in a talked-about bout in the Dirty South region versus Maybach Music Group.
Round 2 provided some interesting narratives. In the West Coast, two eras of Dr. Dre's extensive career did battle. The Death Row Family faced N.W.A. & The Possé faced off, with Dre's later iteration advancing (and eventually winning). In the Dirty South, a hometown rivalry between YMCMB and the No Limit Soldiers was close competition—before the Young Money Cash Money Billionaires ultimately had more votes. The other Dirty South semi-final was an Atlanta-based competition between So So Def and Dungeon Family, with Jermaine Dupri's crew winning out.
In the regional finals, Wu-Tang bested the Ruff Ryders—two innovative and rugged New York City crews who hailed from under-represented areas of the Big Apple. In the Midwest, G.O.O.D. Music and Hypnotize Minds clashed before Kanye's squad ultimately advanced. YMCMB defeated So So Def in the South, while the West featured two oft-compared crews, TDE and the Death Row Family squaring up.
The semi-finals between G.O.O.D. and Wu-Tang, and YMCMB and Death Row found squads with collaborative relationships and overlapping histories, respectively. In the 30th anniversary year of the core group's debut album, Wu-Tang advanced to meet Death Row—celebrating new ownership and a reported Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre reunion album.
Congratulations to Snoop Dogg and The Death Row Family on this win in an epic celebration of hip hop and its many crews, from those 32 decided at the beginning of the tournament to the pioneers, the underground, and those making moves now and into the future.
