Where Is Waka Flocka Flame On This Great Chart Of Rap Names?

Fans of rap and of organization will really enjoy this Grand Taxonomy of Rap Names tree chart made by the poster-design duo Pop Chart Lab. It’s terrific, and definitely worth falling into for a few minutes today. But, sadly, it does not include the newest addition to the all-time great rap names pantheon*, Riverdale, Georgia’s Waka Flocka Flame. A member of Gucci Mane’s Brick Squad crew who’s found recent success on the strength of singles like “O Let’s Do It” and “Hard in the Paint,” Flocka would have fit nicely into the “Rhyme” category of the “Wordplay” branch, or started any one of various possible new groupings: An “Avian” subset of “Animals” with Birdman and Byrdgang, or a “Heat” or “Fire” category (which would have provided some nice oppositional balance to the expansive “Coolness” section) with folks like the Hot Boys, Drag-on and Smoke from Field Mob.

Nit-picking a chart like this seems unfair. It is a beautiful thing, and great fun, and any such project is a completist’s nightmare. That said, some particularly egregious omissions were made: Freddie Foxxx belongs at the nexus of the “Animal” and “XXX” categories along with Renegade Foxxx; M.O.P. should be in the “Three Letters” group; Doctor Octagon should be counted among “Doctors,” obviously; and who was the “Titles/Honorifics” branch established for if not Grand Puba?

Back to Flocka, though, who I’ve come to like very much this year. It’s such a shame he was left out of the taxonomy chart. His is such a wonderful rap name, so lyrical and absurd. So instantly noteworthy, it definitely put him on my radar before I’d ever heard his music. I think Flocka first came to my attention last year, while I was editing a Gucci Mane story for XXL. Then, in April, he put out the mixtape, Lebron Flocka James Pt. 2, which caught my eye with its incredible cover art.

But Flocka’s music is pretty wonderful, too. He is not a gifted lyricist, as he’ll be the first to tell you. And he has a gun fetish that can be disturbing, especially considering the fact that he was shot earlier this year at an Atlanta car wash. But he chooses excellent beats-often from the burgeoning young Virginian producer Lex Lugar, who made him music for “Hard in the Paint” and “By the Gun” and “Luv Dem Gun Sounds” (which I absolutely can’t stop listening to lately)-and he has a way with subtle melody, and a knack for bolstering both with frequent rhythmic exclamations (“Yuh!”) He also has a great, plaintive voice that sounds honest and winning, even as it rhymes the same word over and over again. This is an all-too-common habit in rap, and one that usually strikes me as lazy and distasteful, but one which Flocka takes to a weirdly compelling extreme, I think, on songs like “Fuk Dis Industry.”

Rap is a lyrics-centric form of music. More so than rock. But like rock, it can succeed based on the strength of few words. Think of Flocka’s music like “Louie Louie,” it’s more about about the other elements of a song-the energy, or a mood created, to get all amorphous about it-than about technically excellent rhymes.

The guy’s no dummy. He knows he’s onto something. And he plays the brand recognition his unforgettable handle provides for all its worth. I’m not sure I can think of another rapper who says his own name so much. But then, I’m not sure I can think of another rapper who’s name I enjoy hearing more. Here’s the video for his latest single, “For My Dawgs,” from is first official album, Flockaveli, which comes out October 5th. I’m psyched.

*Okay. Top 10 rap names of all time. (Off the dome, as they say in rap. I’m sure I’ll miss some good ones.)

1) Kool G. Rap
2) Slick Rick
3) Ghostface Killah
4) Big Gipp
5) Memphis Bleek
6) Pharoahe Monch
7) Spoonie Gee
8) Gucci Mane
9) Tony Yayo
10) Ol’ Dirty Bastard