Added by Lightning Francis on 6 Feb 2016 02:48

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Top 50 Rappers of All Time

Sort by: Showing 50 items

Rating: List Type:

Snoop Dogg

T.I.

MF Doom

50 Cent

The Game

Ludacris

Afrika Bambaataa

Queen Latifah

Lupe Fiasco

Kanye West

Kurtis Blow

Method Man

Q-Tip

LL Cool J

Guru

Common

Kool G Rap

Lupe Fiasco

Raekwon

Jadakiss

Talib Kweli

DMX

Busta Rhymes

Big Daddy Kane

Scarface

Redman

Big L

Rakim

Bun B

Pimp C

Lil Wayne

KRS One

Pharoahe Monch

Ghostface Killah

Masta Ace

Mos Def

Kool Keith

203

Lauryn Hill

GZA (Genius)

Notorious BIG

Chuck D

Slick Rick

British, donning an eyepatch and full of bling, he's unforgettable. He was a totally different kind of rapper, being a master of mellow storytelling raps with positive messages.

Black Thought

Big Pun

The first Latin rapper to sell platinum. His heavy thunderous delivery and lightning-fast rhymes were second to none, though unfortunately his weight and poor health cut his life and career short.

Eminem

He smashed race and sales barriers with a creative persona, full of intense anger and humor alike. His rhymes have been among the most complex and intricate in the business

Jay-Z

He's mastered it all between wordplay, storytelling to club hits. Arguably the most consistent rapper of all-time, prolific and shifting his style every few years to adapt with the modern times.

Ice Cube

Andre 3000

Tupac Shakur

Nas

Criteria: innovation, storytelling, delivery, lyricism, flow, versatility, songwriting, consistency, impact, influence and sales.

Caveats:
1) This list mainly consists of well-known artists who have shaped the genre. There are lots of great indie artists out there which this list does not cover.
2) This list mainly considers rapping ability, not production or business management skills.
3) This list will consist of mostly 80's, 90's and early 00's artists - and not a lot of modern artists because it takes time for their legacies to shape.