Best rappers of all time

Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive. Complex is proud to present the Best Rapper Alive, Every Year Sincea best rappers of all time look back at every year of rap and which MC moved the crowd the most. Rap fans tend to get into arguments with other rap fans, and it doesn't take much more than someone declaring their Favorite Rapper. Your favorite rapper is a personal preference, one that requires the most subjective defenses.

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?

Best rappers of all time

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. Enter the likes of Drake, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Future, who took the baton and further propelled hip hop into the global limelight. In recent years, artists like Lil Baby, Young Thug, Vince Staples, and Denzel Curry have emerged as the vanguard of a new generation, fearlessly pushing the boundaries of hip hop culture and paving the way for fresh talent to make their mark. And over all these decades, rap fans and hip hop heads have sat around debating — who is the best rapper of all time? Cole, here are the top best rappers of all time. With her high-pitched, distinctive, and powerful voice, MC Lyte emerged as a female rap pioneer during the late s.

Run later emerged as the leader of the group, although what made Run-DMC work was the way they all gelled into a whole that was greater than the sum of its parts. Not since Kanye West has a rapper so plainly attempted to put every feeling they had into their music.

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.

Best rappers of all time

Thanks to their hard-nosed demeanor and gruff wordplay, Brooklyn duo M. Proud descendants of the Black cultural and human experience, Brooklynites Mos Def and Talib Kweli stood as inheritors of the grand hip-hop tradition. They were also representative of artists rejecting the overt violence characterizing the Notorious B. A follow-up album finally arrived in — but even if their output was limited to just that first, singular document, Black Star deserves its place in the pantheon. Together, the Tupelo, Miss. Who knew that wearing clothes backwards could ever become a thing? Blige — that percolated on uplifting, feel-good party vibes and smooth dance moves.

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Her leap to music was audacious, but it made sense that she would eventually reach new heights. Alongside fellow Bay Area legend E, he has also been instrumental in defining the independent hustle, proving that success can be achieved without the backing of major labels. And even if "Personality Jock," his joint with Fatback Band, was not the very first, you can't dispute the man's rhymes go on and on like the Energizer Bunny in a fuzzy Kangol. Finally, following the personal hardship after the loss of his mother and a moment of clarity after beefing with Jay Z, Nas regained the visceral firepower to bring it back to the streets of New York. The man is the truth. There are no limits to what a dreamer can do. More Donald Glover. Your favorite rapper is a personal preference, one that requires the most subjective defenses. It had been clear from his first verses on the Jungle Brothers debut in that Q-Tip had a remarkable, unique voice, and important things to say. Sure, DAMN. As a pivotal figure in the evolution of modern hip-hop, his influence on the emo rap subgenre can still be felt throughout the industry today.

They've shown originality, longevity, cultural impact, vocal presence. Who is the greatest rapper of all time? What does that title mean?

Despite his untimely passing at the age of 31, his music continues to resonate with fans and inspire a new generation of artists who carry on his legacy. Once he started experimenting with more and more styles, the results were fascinating. Hov spent the majority of the year riding off the success of Vol. MC WordWeaver is your lyrical guide to the golden days of hip-hop. He might have been a newcomer, but as his impressive debut proved, he could tell engrossing stories with pinpoint precision, adjust his cadence ever so slightly to give his words greater weight, and still sell a modest amount of records. While K. His stories were rich, oscillating between cartoons with morals, like "Children's Story," and ridiculous slices of life, like "The Moment I Feared. Meanwhile, his long-simmering beef with Ja Rule and Murda Inc. More Kid Cudi. But the mysterious masked supervillain of hip-hop is one of the most distinctive and clever musicians in the genre. Whatever it lacked in commercial appeal, Hell Hath No Fury made up for in cold, mechanical raps.