Best rappers of all time

Finally, a definitive list of the best rappers of all time, ranked by fans all over the world. From old school to the current top rappers putting out today's biggest hip hop hitsthis list counts down rap's best lyricists and game changers in history. Famous rappers from all cities, best rappers of all time or alive, and all races, from white and Black to Asian and Hispanic, are all vying to be crowned the greatest rapper ever. What makes a rapper great?

Born in the gritty South Bronx during the s, hip hop culture emerged as a voice for the marginalized, with park jams and block parties serving as the stage for its rapid growth. Over the decades, the culture has emerged as a local phenomenon in New York to become one of the most powerful pop culture forces in recent history. Along the way, there have been hundreds, if not thousands, of rappers who have graced the microphone with all of them battling it out to be the dopest MC in the game. From the poetic mastery of Melle Mel and Kool Moe Dee, who crafted vivid narratives and intricate wordplay, to the captivating stage presence of Run-D. The s saw the emergence of commercial juggernauts like 50 Cent, whose gritty street tales and melodic hooks took hip hop to new heights, and Lil Wayne, whose eclectic approach to wordplay and punchlines set the stage for a new era of lyrical creativity.

Best rappers of all time

Ranking musicians is an impossible task, of course, because everyone brings their own criteria and preferences. For example, we recently tried to rank the greatest American rock bands , and we realized there was no perfect science. Rap is so much more about the way something makes you feel, which makes it very hard to judge and quantify. How exactly does one define greatness? Is it your personal favorite rapper, or is it more based on accomplishments and influence? How much do we factor technical ability relative to storytelling? What weight is given to flow compared to popularity? We all had our own definitions so we had to really just trust our gut here. What about collectives? Rap groups e.

But still, despite all of the accolades you can give him during that period, he just wasn't the top lyricist. Throughout the year Drake would best rappers of all time in, drop a new song or severaland basically nothing else in hip-hop would matter for the next few days. Whatever it lacked in commercial appeal, Hell Hath No Fury made up for in cold, mechanical raps.

After finding God, Rev. His lyrical intensity and fearless aggression are battle-tested, as he sparred with the likes of 50 Cent and Beanie Sigel in the s before single-handedly dismantling Dipset in a Verzuz battle. However, the Port Arthur native born Bernard James Freeman twangy flow ended up being far more influential than his initial underground career aspirations. Now a rap elder statesman, Bun keeps a keen eye on next-gen talent, offering key co-signs to such contemporary stars as Drake and Kodak Black. Thee Album became an instant hip-hop classic with its early use of funk samples and hilarious punchlines.

After finding God, Rev. His lyrical intensity and fearless aggression are battle-tested, as he sparred with the likes of 50 Cent and Beanie Sigel in the s before single-handedly dismantling Dipset in a Verzuz battle. However, the Port Arthur native born Bernard James Freeman twangy flow ended up being far more influential than his initial underground career aspirations. Now a rap elder statesman, Bun keeps a keen eye on next-gen talent, offering key co-signs to such contemporary stars as Drake and Kodak Black. Thee Album became an instant hip-hop classic with its early use of funk samples and hilarious punchlines. But few rappers, if any, have repped the Bay longer or stronger than E Dre would be the first to tell you that he is not a traditional MC. Five No. After serving a two-year prison sentence in for firearm possession by a convicted felon, a rejuvenated Guwop subsequently went on a mainstream run like he was a new artist.

Best rappers of all time

Any list of the greatest rappers of all time is going to be divisive. Everybody has an artist they think of as their favorite or think they know who has the best skills on the mic when compared to everyone else. MC skills, flow, linguistics, vocabulary, rhyme schemes, speed, personas, themes, and even the era they came up in can all play a part in how a rapper is viewed. For our list, we took into account all of those skills but also added weight to the commercial success a rap artist was able to achieve and how big of an influence they became in the hip hop landscape.

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Watch Next. His strikingly honest lyrics and commanding delivery captured the attention of fans and critics alike, earning him widespread success as both an artist and an actor. His versatility has been showcased through collaborations with artists across the spectrum of hip-hop, including T. That might have something to do with why, as soon as people finally accepted his rapping, he abandoned it to move on to singing. Unlike much of the competition in Atlanta and the rest of the South at the time, Tip balanced his unapologetically Southern drawl with a lyrical focus. But yeah, he'd punch you in the fucking mouth, too. Instead, he was able to coax inspired performances from Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross, the latter of whom saw his growth as a rapper reach its apex on "Devil in a New Dress. But pinning that title on Kris Parker, a. Since embarking on his solo career, Big Boi has continued to demonstrate his versatility as an artist, pushing boundaries and exploring new sounds while remaining true to his Southern roots. No matter how you view it, Kendrick Lamar proved himself to be the best rapper alive. You can pick out any verse Andre appears on with basically any OutKast song, and you instantly pulsate with excitement. Famed for his powerful storytelling and unparalleled flow, this legendary figure undoubtedly changed the landscape of East Coast hip-hop in the '90s.

Determining the best rappers of all time is no easy task. Hip hop fans could spend hours debating who should top this list.

Complex is proud to present the Best Rapper Alive, Every Year Since , a comprehensive look back at every year of rap and which MC moved the crowd the most. Despite releasing two stellar albums in and , he was seen as a great producer and great songmaker but never a great MC. Ghostface Killah. Bill Simmons once called LeBron James the car wash "everything" package, saying, "You see an athlete get handed the 'everything' package maybe only five times in your life. Yet, the verse of the year belonged to Nicki Minaj, whose manic energy on "Monster" took her from buzzing to being invited on stage with Jay Z and Kanye West at Yankee Stadium. In , Kanye West made a triumphant return to rapping full time. If you want the intelligentsia up in arms about aesthetics and the merits of conscious rap, broach the subject over dinner. Known for his lightning-fast delivery, intricate rhyme schemes, and larger-than-life stage presence, this Brooklyn-born rapper has been captivating audiences with his energetic performances and infectious hits since the early '90s. More importantly, consider that if Drake had strapped together all his major guest verses and added a couple of strong solo cuts, he would've had a third album better than most rap releases last year. The accusation was shocking but more so was the imminent validity. To run rap, you have to create music that applies to a multitude of scenarios and situations. His work with G-Unit, however, was more promising.