Now before you click off this article because of who is number two, and as a result who is number one, let me break down why Biggie falls here. That kind of leads into one of his "flaws," in that there were times were he felt less like a rapper, and more like an artist beyond any genre, which combined with his relatively short career leads some to doubt his rap credentials in comparison to the two who sit above him. Where Nas is the best pure lyricist in rap history, 2Pac was the best pure songwriter in rap history, with the distinction coming from Pac's versatility helping him do more than craft great verses, but put together entire albums that felt like something that was beyond rap. I might not ever be allowed back in California after this, but make no mistake that being the third greatest does not mean that Tupac Shakur wasn't great, it's just of the top three, he had the most "flaws" to hold him back. When "The Don" raps, the people should listen because Nas has earned his place as the best pure lyricist in rap history.
Nas and Jay-Z elevated each other to new heights, with Nas returning to the form that made him the first King of New York, Rakim preferred the moniker of "The God MC," and he delivered the best diss track of all-time in Ether. Nas vs Jay-Z for the throne of New York, and really the whole East Coast, rap is the second best beef in hip-hop history, but that's only if you call the East vs West beef as one giant one rather than dividing it into the individual beefs. That's not to say that Jay-Z is a slouch by any means, to hold the crown of the King of New York rap at any point in history is an amazing feat, and Jay-Z has written some of the best rap anthems ever with tracks like 99 Problems and Empire State of Mind. Picking among the top five is why I put that head-to-head tiebreaker rule in place because, despite King Hova's success and ability, the four other Kings of Rap ahead of him owned him when they went toe-to-toe. Jay-Z is the most successful rapper of all-time from the standpoint of awards, and is near the top from a commercial standpoint. 3000" is the head of his class when it comes to personality. He may not have the most complex metaphors, platinum plaques, or a myriad of styles, but "Mr. Andre 3000 used his overload of charisma and ability to deliver with one of the cleanest cadences is rap history. Andre 3000:Īndre 3000, along with his fellow OutKast member Big Boi, changed rap forever when they emerged from Atlanta as the Kings of Southern Rap. Given that Ice Cube went on to write and star in movies, he was limited in his rap career from a length standpoint, but his song-writing with Dre's producing was legendary. Ice Cube had a similar approach to Ghostface Killah, or rather Ghostface had a similar approach to him, in that most of his songs are in attack mode, which is a forward, aggressive cadence that Cube nailed, but it was limited. Ice Cube wrote/helped write almost all of N.W.A.s' songs, his songs, and some songs for other artists that are legendary in rap history. Dre helped make Snoop Dogg into a star, but Snoop isn't on the level of the two other legends that worked the legendary producer. He has one of the smoothest deliveries in rap, and he has used it to become one of the most-successful rappers of all-time. Snoop isn't the type of rapper to spit the hardest, or the fastest, but he has a style all his own that he applies to every track he is on.
He has an approach any beat and do something special with it, but he still has room to improve, which is insane given his accomplishments so far. Lamar may have a lot to prove still, but he takes every opportunity to prove that he is one of the greatest. "King" Kendrick Lamar has been earning that nickname over the past decade, and may top this list one-day, but he's got decades to go before he can challenge the top of this list. So let's break down the ten greatest rappers of all-time.