Top 10 Greatest Rappers of all Time

The argument of the greatest rapper of all time is not something that is coming to an end anytime soon, as it is a subjective argument that comes with  personal bias and measured based of different metrics. However RNN.NG has compiled an ultimate list of the greatest rappers of all time based on technical skill, authenticity, catalogue, legacy and  influence.

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1. Notorious B.I.G

Christopher George Wallace popularly known as the Notorious B.I.G is the greatest rapper of all time. He is well known for his distinctive laid-back lyrical delivery, offsetting the lyrics’ often grim content. His music was often semi-autobiographical, telling of hardship and criminality, but also of debauchery and celebration.

Biggie began his career in 1993, gaining exposure through features on several other artists’ singles that year. His debut album Ready to Die was released in 1994 and made B.I.G a central figure in East Coast hip hop. He was awarded the Billboard Music Awards’ Rapper of the Year in the following year.

His follow-up album Life After Death was released 16 days after his death. The monumental album rose to No. 1 on the U.S. album charts and was certified diamond in 2000 by the Recording Industry Association of America, one of the few hip-hop albums to receive this certification.

Biggie was an arch-contemporary of the legendary Shakur and was speculated to be involved in his murder. He was also killed in a drive-by shooting while visiting Los Angeles in 1997. Biggie Attained the legendary status after his death and serves as an inspiration for Rappers such as Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z and many others. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020

2. Tupac Shakur

The legendary, Amaru Tupac Shakur takes second place among the greatest rappers of the time. His greatness transcended the genre, with Rolling Stone ranking him 86th on its list of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Shakur was known for addressing contemporary social issues that plagued inner cities and is considered a symbol of activism against inequality.

Shakur began his legendary career, with the release of his debut album 2Pacalypse Now in 1991, and became a central figure in West Coast hip hops for his conscious rap lyrics.  He achieved further critical and commercial success with his follow-up albums Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z… (1993) and Me Against the World (1995). His Diamond-certified album All Eyez on Me (1996), was the first double-length album in hip-hop history. Six more of his albums have been released since he died in a driveway shooting in 1996.

Shakur may not be the greatest rapper of time but is definitely the most influential, as his music has inspired an entire generation of rappers, including the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z and 50 Cent. He is also one of the best-selling rappers of all time, with over 75 million records sold worldwide and was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame in 2002.

3. Jay Z

The legendary rapper and executive producer Shawn Carter, popularly known as Jay Z takes third place among the greatest rappers of all time.  Jay Z who is among the richest rappers in the world in 2022 is one of the most influential hip-hop artists in history and has been central to the creative and commercial success of artists including Kanye West, Rihanna, and J. Cole.

Jay Z began his musical career in the late 1980s; he co-founded the record label Roc-A-Fella Records in 1995 and released his debut studio album Reasonable Doubt in 1996. He went on to release twelve additional albums and two collaborative albums with Kanye and Beyonce.

Jay Z was the first rapper to join the Billionaire’s Club, thanks to his series of investment and business ventures over the years. Like many on this list, Jay Z has also inspired a generation of rappers such as Jack Harlow, The Game, Big Sean, Kendrick Lamar, Drake and 2 Chainz.

With over 125 million records sold, Jay Z is one of the best-selling rappers of all time. He is the recipient of 24 Grammy awards, NAACP’s President’s Award and is one of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, according to Billboard and Rolling Stone Magzine.

4. Nas

Lyricist and storyteller, Nas takes the fourth place among the greatest rappers of the time. Nas who is the son of jazz musician Olu Dara Jones began his musical career in 1989 adopting the moniker of Nasty Nas. He however attained the limelight with his debut album Illmatic in 1994. The album is considered to be one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. in 2021, the album was inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry.

His second album It Was Written (1996) debuted atop the Billboard 200 and charted for four consecutive weeks; the album, along with its single “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” (featuring Lauryn Hill), catapulted Nas into an international success.

One of Nas’s notable moments in the rapping industry was his highly publicized feud with Jay Z between 2001 and 2005. Amidst the beef, Nas released a couple of critical successful albums such as Stillmatic in 2001, God’s Son in 2002, and the double album Street’s Disciple in 2004.

Altogether Nas has released fourteen studio albums since 1994, ten of which are certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum in the U.S. After receiving thirteen nominations, Nas won his first Grammy award with his 12th studio album, King’s Disease for Best Rap Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

5. Eminem

Eminem may be taking he fifth place among the greatest rappers of all time but he is no doubt the greatest  white rapper of all time. He is is the first Hip-hop artist to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song and often credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America.

Eminem began his career in 1996, releasing his debut album, Infinite. He however began to achieve mainstream popularity in 1999, after he signed with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment. He has since then released 12 studio albums. His 2010 album, Recovery was the best-selling album in the world 2010, the same as The Eminem Show in 2002.

With over 220 million records sold, Eminem is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He was the best-selling music artist in the United States in the 2000s and the best-selling male music artist in the United States in the 2010s. He is a recipient of numerous awards including 15 Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, 17 Billboard Music Awards, an Academy Award and an MTV Europe Music Global Icon Award.

6. Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill is not just one of the greatest rappers of all time but the only female on the list. She is often regarded as one of the most influential musicians of her generation. Also credited for breaking barriers for female rappers, popularizing melodic rapping and for bringing hip hop and neo soul to popular music.

Lauryn Hill began her career as a member of The Fugees, alongside Pras Michel and his cousin Wyclef Jean. The group released two albums, including The Score (1996) which won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, making her the first woman to win the award.

Hill began to work on her solo album after splitting from the band in 1997. Her only solo album: The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill (1998)  is one of the best-selling albums of all time, with over 19 million copies sold world wide. The  album debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200,  the lead single “Doo Wop (That Thing)” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and made her the first female rapper to have reached No. 1 on each chart.

At the 41st Grammy Awards, Hill set a record for the most nominations in one night for a woman, with ten; while winning five awards including Album of the Year, becoming the first hip hop artist to win the award. The album was later selected for the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill is the only album she released before going on her self imposed exile.

7. Rakim

William Michael Griffin Jr. popularly known by his stage name Rakim  is an American rapper and one of the greatest of all time. He is generally considered as the the dividing line between old school and new school rap as he created the overall shift from the more simplistic old school flows to more complex flows

Rakim is considered a transformational figure in hip hop for pioneering  the use of internal rhymes and multisyllabic rhymes. He was among the first to demonstrate the possibilities of sitting down to write intricately crafted lyrics packed with clever word choices and metaphors rather than the more improvisational styles and simpler rhyme patterns that predominated before him.

He began his Music career in  1985, pairing with Eric B to form a  DJ/MC combo. They  release four studio albums before their separation in 1992.  After the separation, Rakim also  released three solo albums: The 18th Letter, The Master and The Seventh Seal. He is often credited  for setting the blueprint that rappers like  Nas and Kendrick Lamar still follow today.

8 Andre 3000

André Lauren Benjamin popularly known as Andre 3000 is not just a rapper but one of the best to do it. He embarked on his musical career in 1991, as a member of the Southern hip hop group OutKast, alongside fellow Atlanta-based rapper Big Boi.

André 3000 is known for his flamboyant style and cerebral rhymes that made him one of the most unique rappers of the 1990s and 2000s. Despite never releasing a solo album he has become known as a “feature killer” over the past ten years, laying down some memorable verses for rap’s most popular acts.

As a member of Outkast, Andre achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success in the 1990s and early 2000s, helping to popularize Southern hip-hop . Outkast, while featuring that distinct Southern sound, added their own flavor adding funk, jazz, techno, and rock elements to round out the aesthetic.

9. Kendrick Lamar

Compton raised Rapper, Kendrick Lamar takes the ninth place admist the greatest rappers of all time. He is arguably the greatest rap craftsman to emerge this millennium. Kendrick  embarked on his musical career as a teenager under the stage name K.Dot, releasing a mixtape titled Y.H.N.I.C. (Hub City Threat Minor of the Year) that garnered local attention and led to his signing with indie record label TDE

He began to gain recognition in 2010 after his first retail release, Overly Dedicated. The following year, he independently released his first studio album, Section.80 and  subsequently secured a record deal with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment.

His first major label  album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, was released in 2012, garnering him widespread critical recognition and mainstream success. Kendrick’s  third album To Pimp a Butterfly in 2015  is argurably one of the greatest Hip hop album of all time. His fourth album, Damn (2017) is the first non-classical and non-jazz album to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music.

With certified sales of over 70 million records in the United States alone, Kendrick is one of the best selling rappers of all time. He is a recipients of numerous awards including 14 Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, 11 MTV Video Music Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, and a Brit Award.

10. Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne is one of the most influential hip-hop artists of his generation and one of the greatest rappers of all time. He is one commercially successful artist in recent times,  His record label, Young Money was responsible for launching current Hip-Hop superstars like Drake and Nicki Minaj.

Wayne began his career in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label. He was Wayne was put in a duo with label-mate B.G. and they released an album titled True Story, in that same year.

The duo soon joined the southern hip hop group Hot Boys, with Cash Money, label-mates Juvenile and Turk in 1997; they released their debut album Get It How U Live! in 1997. The Hot Boys became popular following the release of the album Guerrilla Warfare (1999) and the song “Bling Bling”.

Wayne debuted his solo career in 1999, releasing his debut album Tha Block Is Hot in the same year. He has since then released 14 additional studio albums. With 120 million records sold worldwide, Lil Wayne is one of the best-selling rappers of all time. He is also a recipient of five Grammy Awards, 11 BET Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards and eight NAACP Image Awards.

Summary

For the sake of optimization and emphasis, here is a recap of the top 10 greatest rappers of all time.

1. Notorious B.I.G
2. Tupac Shakur
3. Jay Z
4. Nas
5. Eminem
6. Lauryn Hill
7. Rakim
8. Andre 3000
9. Kendrick Lamar
10. Lil Wayne