Top 5 rappers of all time..

[Fresh Kid]

pick your top 5..

[9erempiree]

2Pac
Snoop
Rakim
Biggie
Nas

Honorable, mostly my favorites during my time. I was fortunate enough to grow up buy mixtapes and cassettes of these artists:

Black Thought of the Roots Crew
Q-Tip
Phife Dawg
Guru (Gangstarr)
Slick Rick
Masta Ace
Raekwon
Jeru the Damaja
Mos Def
Redman
LL Cool J
Jay-Z
Eazy E

[Fresh Kid]

2Pac
Snoop
Rakim
Biggie
Nas

Honorable, mostly my favorites during my time. I was fortunate enough to grow up buy mixtapes and cassettes of these artists:

Black Thought of the Roots Crew
Q-Tip
Phife Dawg
Guru (Gangstarr)
Slick Rick
Masta Ace
Raekwon
Jeru the Damaja
Mos Def
Redman
LL Cool J
Jay-Z
Eazy E
good list, idk about snoop and jay z tho:confusedshrug:

[FiveRings]

For me it's probably

Pac
Nas
Em
Biggie
DMX


good list, idk about snoop and jay z tho:confusedshrug:
I agree. Snoop was good early in his career but hasn't put out much good for over ten years. Jay Z has always made shitty music and been a clown.

[9erempiree]

good list, idk about snoop and jay z tho:confusedshrug:

I like Snoop. His delivery is second to none. He's just too gangster for a lot of people. Jay-Z is a fantastic rapper when he was hungry and coming up. Too bad he has put out more albums being a successful man than, when he was up and coming. So his street style is somewhat lost. I expect that as rappers grow old and no longer rap about real life since their real life is being millionaires now.

For the kids that don't remember or didn't know. Here's a Snoop track with DJ Premier, it gives you a sense of what he would be like with East Coast flavor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rNipX6kqy0

[Fresh Kid]

For me it's probably

Pac
Nas
Em
Biggie
DMX


I agree. Snoop was good early in his career but hasn't put out much good for over ten years. Jay Z has always made shitty music and been a clown.
yea snoop was kool back then but I think he gets most respect today for being in tha game for over 20 years, radio hits, and working wit dre and pac. Jay z definitely iz a clown, he sold out for that money and bigger ranks.

[Fresh Kid]

I like Snoop. His delivery is second to none. He's just too gangster for a lot of people. Jay-Z is a fantastic rapper when he was hungry and coming up. Too bad he has put out more albums being a successful man than, when he was up and coming. So his street style is somewhat lost. I expect that as rappers grow old and no longer rap about real life since their real life is being millionaires now.

For the kids that don't remember or didn't know. Here's a Snoop track with DJ Premier, it gives you a sense of what he would be like with East Coast flavor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rNipX6kqy0
dont get me wrong they both was nice its just now they both are sellouts and not tryna be real anymore, just thinkin about that money and sales.

[9erempiree]

Jay-Z did not sell out.

I respect Jay's music because at least it's honest. He can't be rapping about the streets anymore because he doesn't live on the streets. No more drug dealing and hustle.

Classic Jay

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BCsxQg3NE4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DitP6zlxWTE

[pauk]

Biggie
Tupac
Nas
Eminem
Jay Z

[SilkkTheShocker]

Mystikal :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

[MMM]

i don't think he is top 5 but why does big daddy kane not get love. He fathered a lot of the rappers that came out in the early 90's/mid 90's that people have in their top 5.

[9erempiree]

To be honest, everyone was that damn good in that era. You can argue who's the greatest and it would be a never ending argument.

I forgot to even list KRS-1, although I'm not a very big fan of his.

He had beef in regards to where hip hop was originated and made this dope song to diss QB.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-alEhlHSzk

[CelticPride13]

2Pac
Biggie
Rakim
Nas
Jay-Z

[Fresh Kid]

Mytikal :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:
he was nice, could of been a lot better tho.

[Fresh Kid]

2Pac
Biggie
Rakim
Nas
Jay-Z
jay z is definitely tha most overrated rapper of all time to me.

[Fresh Kid]

i don't think he is top 5 but why does big daddy kane not get love. He fathered a lot of the rappers that came out in the early 90's/mid 90's that people have in their top 5.
true, biggie and jay z looked up to him.

[CelticPride13]

jay z is definitely tha most overrated rapper of all time to me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BCsxQg3NE4

[9erempiree]

Jay-Z

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljdzX7a4_Xs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxtn6-XQupM


One of my favorite Jay track
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbS3MJ59CBQ

[Fresh Kid]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BCsxQg3NE4
cmon man, I know that song, gotta do better than that:lol

[CelticPride13]

People who think Hova is overrated have clearly only listened to his recent stuff.

[Fresh Kid]

all this jay z love iz funny:oldlol: , remember that song by nas called ether?:lol

[CelticPride13]

cmon man, I know that song, gotta do better than that:lol
Can't get much better than that....

[CelticPride13]

all this jay z love iz funny:oldlol: , remember that song by nas called ether?:lol
You still have yet to post your top 5....

[MMM]

Not much of a Jay Z fan but he has grown on me over the years. There are still a ton of rappers that i prefer over him though.

[9erempiree]

all this jay z love iz funny:oldlol: , remember that song by nas called ether?:lol

To be honest, if people are going to have Nas as their top 5, somewhere in there should be Jay-Z. Nas dropped a classic album for sure but hasn't done jack after that besides some of the stuff with The Firm.

All people remember are Jay's hit songs, which were more club tracks but for those that actually bought Jay-Z albums, I would say the old schoolers because we actually listen to the entire album, rather than today just downloading certain songs, Jay had a lot of hidden gems.

I'm not even including mixtapes that Jay was on. Something you guys probably can't find. I have them on cassette. Let's not forget those B-side tracks on wax too. You guys just know Jay, the mainstream guy, some of us actually listened to him when nobody knew who he was. We get his stuff from promoters. Damn, I'm old.

[SilkkTheShocker]

Jay-Z new stuff is hot garbage but just about everything from RD to Black Album is a classic. I know its not his most popular one, but Vol. 1 might be my favorite Jay album.

[Fresh Kid]

You still have yet to post your top 5....
I really dont have a top 5 now, but If I were to pick..

2pac
nas (old nas)
eminem/rakim
biggie (mostly his flow and stories)
and tha last slot iz left open for someone special

[SilkkTheShocker]

To be honest, if people are going to have Nas as their top 5, somewhere in there should be Jay-Z. Nas dropped a classic album for sure but hasn't done jack after that besides some of the stuff with The Firm.

All people remember are Jay's hit songs, which were more club tracks but for those that actually bought Jay-Z albums, I would say the old schoolers because we actually listen to the entire album, rather than today just downloading certain songs, Jay had a lot of hidden gems.

This. Nas won the battle, but Jay-Z's career still takes a hot steamy poo on his career. And I like Nas a lot. But the only rapper with a better body of work is 2Pac imo.

[Fresh Kid]

There are still a ton of rappers that i prefer over him though.
great answer:applause:

[SilkkTheShocker]

he was nice, could of been a lot better tho.

I thought he was always underrated. Still a huge fan to this day.

[Fresh Kid]

This. Nas won the battle, but Jay-Z's career still takes a hot steamy poo on his career. And I like Nas a lot. But the only rapper with a better body of work is 2Pac imo.
I agree, 2pac lived in that studio more than anybody.

[Fresh Kid]

I thought he was always underrated. Still a huge fan to this day.
Yea,but I think he really messed up by hangin with young money.

[christian1923]

I have to put hov at the top just cause he's been REALLY popular in 3 different decades now. No one does that.

[9erempiree]

2Pac killed it with All Eyes On Me. Every damn track was a hit in my opinion, it may not be on Billboard because radio couldn't play his songs. Something that he has rapped about too.

I'm having a hard time figuring out which is the best disc. Disc 1 or disc 2. That's how good it was.

[SilkkTheShocker]

I agree, 2pac lived in that studio more than anybody.

The funny part is, 2Pac could work with anyone and make it work. Look at The 7 Day Theory. 2Pac was feuding with most of the Death Row staff/producers. He locks himself in a studio for a week with two no-name producers and The Outlawz and makes arguably his best album. Or at least my favorite one. There wasn't any better than 2Pac. The guy had amazing range on the mic and charisma that won't ever be matched.

[SilkkTheShocker]

2Pac killed it with All Eyes On Me. Every damn track was a hit in my opinion, it may not be on Billboard because radio couldn't play his songs. Something that he has rapped about too.

I'm having a hard time figuring out which is the best disc. Disc 1 or disc 2. That's how good it was.

underrated All Eyes On Me track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAI4VJ-M230


And probably my favorite track on 7 Day Theory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbli3CZFaFE

[Fresh Kid]

I have to put hov at the top just cause he's been REALLY popular in 3 different decades now. No one does that.
thats tha big difference. top 5 popular jay z is in there hands down. Top 5 best hell no.

[Fresh Kid]

2Pac killed it with All Eyes On Me. Every damn track was a hit in my opinion, it may not be on Billboard because radio couldn't play his songs. Something that he has rapped about too.

I'm having a hard time figuring out which is the best disc. Disc 1 or disc 2. That's how good it was.
Yea that sure was classic, so was 7 day theory, and me against tha world.

[East_Stone_Ya]

2Pac
Nas
GZA
Guru
Big L

[Fresh Kid]

The funny part is, 2Pac could work with anyone and make it work. Look at The 7 Day Theory. 2Pac was feuding with most of the Death Row staff/producers. He locks himself in a studio for a week with two no-name producers and The Outlawz and makes arguably his best album. Or at least my favorite one. There wasn't any better than 2Pac. The guy had amazing range on the mic and charisma that won't ever be matched.
Yea true, thats why rap today iz garbage. Rappers today are scared to go out like 2pac. 2pac didnt care what anybody else say or think, he was gonna be as real as he could be.

[Fresh Kid]

2Pac
Nas
GZA
Guru
Big L
nice list, a lot of people forgot about big L too.

[SilkkTheShocker]

Yea true, thats why rap today iz garbage. Rappers today are scared to go out like 2pac. 2pac didnt care what anybody else say or think, he was gonna be as real as he could be.
Agreed. I have said it multiple times, but 2004 was the last good year of music. I can't get into this new shit for the most part.

[Fresh Kid]

Agreed. I have said it multiple times, but 2004 was the last good year of music. I can't get into this new shit for the most part.
This new shit iz horrible, rappers like montana, fake rick ross, 2 chainz, gay ass drake, future and lil wayne taking over tha radio now.

[longhornfan1234]

Jay Z

Biggie

Andre 3000

Eminem

Kanye

[SilkkTheShocker]

This new shit iz horrible, rappers like montana, fake rick ross, 2 chainz, gay ass drake, future and lil wayne taking over tha radio now.
Future alright by the rest are trash

[Fresh Kid]

Jay Z

Biggie

Andre 3000

Eminem

Kanye
Kanye??:oldlol: and damn not jay-z again:facepalm

[Bless Mathews]

El p
kool Keith
eminem
twista
rakim

[WayOfWade]

2 words... Yeezus

[Fresh Kid]

2 words... Yeezus
:lol

[CelticPride13]

Honorable mentions are Andr

[Bigsmoke]

Nas
Pac
Hov
Biggie
Common

[SilkkTheShocker]

Rakim is good, but they guy is boring as shit to listen to. Nas can be the same also.

[Jasi]

You guys all ignore the real pioneer of rap music.
This (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BSnTRXTLrE) is from 1972.


: )

[Fresh Kid]

Rakim is good, but they guy is boring as shit to listen to. Nas can be the same also.
I think thats why they couldnt be successful in making mainstream hits like jay-z and others.

[Fresh Kid]

Nas
Pac
Hov
Biggie
Common
Common was good back then, now he sold out as well.

[Fresh Kid]

El p
kool Keith
eminem
twista
rakim
El p iz underrated, and twista was good back then too.

[GOBB]

Biggie
2pac
Jay Z
Nas
Big Daddy Kane

[CelticPride13]

thats tha big difference. top 5 popular jay z is in there hands down. Top 5 best hell no.
Why the **** do you spell like that?

[Fresh Kid]

Why the **** do you spell like that?
cuz thats how it iz:coleman:

[SilkkTheShocker]

Where do you guys rank Method Man? Not top 5, but he is pretty damn good in own right.

[Fresh Kid]

Where do you guys rank Method Man? Not top 5, but he is pretty damn good in own right.
I say top 25 top 30.

[Kblaze8855]

Biggie, Jay, and nas are in my top 5 and the other 2 spots are wide open.

Pac, Big Pun, Slick Rick, Common, Andre, Eminem(maybe #1 all time far as how good an average verse of his can be expected to be), or even Dre if all we consider is how good the average song is, Cube if we ignore everything after Friday came out, Pharoahe Monch to me just off lyrics and flow, Rakim, KRS, and BDK were miles ahead of their time and set the stage for everyone, Snoop might be the first name people think of when asked who a rapper is and in his prime had a flow nobody could **** with, Scarface has not had a bad verse in 25 years and dropped like 4 classic albums counting Geto boys, and im not sure any of them just out rhyme Black Thought.

Shit....Chuck D has to be mentioned. LL is one of the "greatest" but not the best to me. Mos def and Talib...

Too many people to choose from to put in that 5th spot.

[Kblaze8855]

Thinking about it...where I am now...

In the south Scarface probably gets that top 5 spot.

His 90s albums up to the fix are pretty much known start to finish by everyone I know.

Hand of the Dead body, I see a man die, no tears, And now you feel me?, guess who back? In cold blood?

Scarface goes like 7 albums deep classics wise.

[LosScandalous]

1. Nas - bottom line the goat storyteller, he wrote the bible
2. Big K.R.I.T. - better discography in 3 years than most guys have in their entire career, king of the south, future GOAT
3. 2pac - in his prime was the goat
4. Notorious - good prime
5. Rakim - original goat

HM: Eminem, Blackstar, Common, Andre 3000

[Fresh Kid]

1. Nas - bottom line the goat storyteller, he wrote the bible
2. Big K.R.I.T. - better discography in 3 years than most guys have in their entire career, king of the south, future GOAT
3. 2pac - in his prime was the goat
4. Notorious - good prime
5. Rakim - original goat

HM: Eminem, Blackstar, Common, Andre 3000
I agree except for big k.r.i.t, he's ok but not all that.

[Fresh Kid]

Biggie, Jay, and nas are in my top 5 and the other 2 spots are wide open.

Pac, Big Pun, Slick Rick, Common, Andre, Eminem(maybe #1 all time far as how good an average verse of his can be expected to be), or even Dre if all we consider is how good the average song is, Cube if we ignore everything after Friday came out, Pharoahe Monch to me just off lyrics and flow, Rakim, KRS, and BDK were miles ahead of their time and set the stage for everyone, Snoop might be the first name people think of when asked who a rapper is and in his prime had a flow nobody could **** with, Scarface has not had a bad verse in 25 years and dropped like 4 classic albums counting Geto boys, and im not sure any of them just out rhyme Black Thought.

Shit....Chuck D has to be mentioned. LL is one of the "greatest" but not the best to me. Mos def and Talib...

Too many people to choose from to put in that 5th spot.
2pac has to be in your top 5 tho. Chuck D and mos def definitely iz underrated.

[Kblaze8855]

Nas tells a hell of a story but I dont know if id put him ahead of Biggie(****** bleed, story to tell, Everyday struggle, and so on), Slick Rick, or even Ghostface.

Biggie has you ready to watch a movie about his verses.

Nothing to lose tattooed around his gun wounds...everything to gain...embedded in his brain.....

[Kblaze8855]

Pac is hard for me. Hes not a better rapper than a number of guys. But hes got a top voice ever, the most energy, and he makes you feel what hes saying. Hes kinda hurt by some shitty beat selection on some of his less famous songs. Pacs top 20 hangs with anyone elses. But he had a lot of songs that suffer from boring beats and "They found this ho down the street and put her on the song" hooks.

And I bet Pac wouldnt tell you Chuck D is overrated.

[Fresh Kid]

Pac is hard for me. Hes not a better rapper than a number of guys. But hes got a top voice ever, the most energy, and he makes you feel what hes saying. Hes kinda hurt by some shitty beat selection on some of his less famous songs. Pacs top 20 hangs with anyone elses. But he had a lot of songs that suffer from boring beats and "They found this ho down the street and put her on the song" hooks.

And I bet Pac wouldnt tell you Chuck D is overrated.
Naw I said underrated, and yea what made pac great was his aggresion, pain in his voice and lyrics.

[Jackass18]

My favs:

Nas
Biggie
Method
GZA
Pac

Honorable mentions:

Andre 3000
Chuck D
Rakim
Prodigy
Em

[Jackass18]

I agree that Jay-Z is incredibly overrated.

[Fresh Kid]

I agree that Jay-Z is incredibly overrated.
thank you.

[GOBB]

Overrated how? I'm trying to understand because you put him up against your fav rapper he goes toe to toe. :confusedshrug:


Scarface I could never get into. I dont own a single album from him. He has some songs that are fire and features he rips it. But overall? I dont know. To hear someone say he has 7 albums of classics? Mindboggling. I know southerners love him tho.

[Jackass18]

A number of people think he's great, but I think he sucks.

[LBJMVP]

prime wayne is top five... that is a fact.

2pac
biggie
eminem
nas
lil wayne

[GOBB]

prime wayne is top five... that is a fact.

2pac
biggie
eminem
nas
lil wayne


Ummm no. :no:

[Bless Mathews]

El p iz underrated, and twista was good back then too.
El p is next level. twusta too

forgot about bust a

and busdriver

[Fresh Kid]

prime wayne is top five... that is a fact.

2pac
biggie
eminem
nas
lil wayne
lil wayne??? thats hilarious:roll:

[AboveTheRim.]

Top 5
Nas Has arguably the greatest album of all time and has put out many solid projects after Illmatic (Stillmatic, It was Written, and Life is Good)
Biggie Ready to Die is one of my favorite albums and he is the greatest storyteller to me.
Big L Tragic how little music he was able to put out, but I think Lifestylez is in the top 5 debut albums of all time (Illmatic, Reasonable doubt, The Chronic, Ready to Die...don't know what else I'd put there).
Tupac While I think he gets fairly repetitive with a lot of his songs, he is probably the most influential rapper of all time, and I enjoy most of his songs.
Ghostface This probably won't be a really popular opinion, but I love Ghostface. Supreme Clientele and Iron Man are two of my top albums and I think he gets left out of these conversations quite a bit.

Honorable Mentions:
Kanye: 3 great albums (College Dropout, Late Registration and MBDTF)
Common: Really big fan of Resurrection and Be
Mos Def: Black on Both Sides and his work on Blackstar
Big Pun: Incredible lyricism, listen to Capital Punishment if you haven't
Reks: Hear me out, I don't think he's top 5 of all time, but he is so incredibly underrated that I wanted to give him a shout out. Grey Hairs, More Grey Hairs, Rhythmatic Eternal King Supreme and his newest album Revolution Cocktail are all very good. If you've never listened to it, give Grey Hairs a chance, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
Jay Z: Reasonable Doubt + The Blueprint mmmhmmmm

Edit: Forgot Jigga

[Bucket_Nakedz]

1. pac - goat
2. ghostface - best discography alive bar none
3. nas - most influential
4. mos def - most impactful
5. still open and could possibly move up to the 4. never fan of biggie, still don't like jay after second album, big l not enough stand alone content do to tragic circumstances, eminem... lol no, already have ghost so no need for other wu rappers.

[Kblaze8855]

Scarface I could never get into. I dont own a single album from him. He has some songs that are fire and features he rips it. But overall? I dont know. To hear someone say he has 7 albums of classics? Mindboggling. I know southerners love him tho.

Scarface is the pastor of southern hiphop. Kinda Pac like in that he goes from Brendas got a Baby/Keep your head up to You Cant C Me/Bomb First like nothing happened. Hiphop hypocriacy at its finest.

But he does both well. Im sure you know Seen a Man Die and Mind playing trick on me so...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSmgxkyBHoQ


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-yYwKYqtsU


^
The pastor


And then...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InKsYayajPw


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlpFpaQWMHY




South loves him like Pimp C. Friend of mine blames him for ending Lil Flips career. All he did was side with TI on some argument and the south disowned Flip.

Scarface is a "Your favorite rappers favorite rapper" type. Gets nothing but respect.

[Kblaze8855]

Something I just saw....from Jay Zs book Decoded:



Scarface is one of my favorite rappers and maybe the first truly great lyricist to come out of the South. He's known as a "rapper's rapper". and its true, he gets respect across the board and his influence is enormous. His music is an extended autobiography and his ability to weave complicated emotions into his songs is uncanny. But where Slick Rick specialized in crisp rhyming that creates spaces where the listener can fill in emotions, Scarface's voice itself always seems filled to the top with feeling. Slick Rick keeps a certain distance from the listener; his songs are playful and witty. But Scarface always feels like he's rapping right in your ear, like the guy on the next bar stool unburdening himself of a story that keeps him up nights or a nightmare that comes back to him all day.

The power of his stories comes in part from his willingness to pull the covers off of taboos, to get into the sh1t that people pretend isnt really happening, whether he's rhyming about street life or being in a Mental Institition.

His most famous verse - on the Geto Boys "Mind Playing Tricks on Me". is a great example. He's starts the song in the middle of a nightmare: At night i cant sleep, I toss and turn/candlesticks in the dark, visions of bodies being burned. As the song progresses, you realize he's writing about an all consuming paranoia, the kind that comes from a guilty conscience or even from a kind of raw self hatred. (in the song he's being stalked by someone who wears a black hat like I own/a black suit and a cane like my own, lines that are both beautifully structured and cinematic.)


Ive done a couple of collaborations with Scarface and theyre always pretty intense. The first one was on the Dynasty album, a song with me and Beanie called "This Cant Be Life". the track we were rapping over was an early Kanye production, driven by a sample from "Miss You" by Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes, with big strings, Strings always pull me into a pretty deep place, in terms of the feelings and ideas they bring up. On my verse i went into some dark personal storytelling about the time in my life when i felt truly confused and lost, between worlds, the voice in my head screaming at me to leave the street sh1t alone, while outside i watched Big and Nas blowing up. On top of that i got heartbreaking personal issues dogging me.

On the day we were supposed to be recording Scarface's verse, we were all just sort of sprawled out, bullsh1tting in the front room at Bassline Studios. We had a pool table and some couches and we were just shooting, joking around with my engineer Guru, and getting ready to go into the booth. Then Scarface's phone rang, and as soon as he picked it up, the look on his face changed. He kept saying the same thing over and over again, "Nahh.... nahhh man..." Then he was quite for a while. When he hung up, he told us what happened. His homeboy had called to tell him that a friend of theirs had just lost one of his kids in a fire. We're all just sitting there like, fukk. Then Scarface was back on the phone to his own wife to tell her the news and to check on how his own kids were doing.

When he got off the phone i told him, "yo, we'll get the verse another time." He shook his head. "Nah, Jig, nah, I'll do it now" He went off on his own for a while to compose his verse thats on the album in one take. His first lines were "Now as i walk into the studio to do this with Jig, I got a phone call from one of my nigs"

Scarface turned that moment of pain instantly into a great piece of writing, which he followed with a powerful vocal performance. It was incredible to watch. But really what he did was to just compress the normal act of hiphop songwriting into a matter of minutes. The raw material of life got mixed into that song, for real... in this case, the sudden sadness of life. But the great hiphop writers dont really discriminate. They take whatever's at hand and churn it into their work. Whatever feeling demands a release at a given moment finds its way out in the songs. The music is as deep and varied as life.

[GOBB]

I dont know, he said some stuff in those songs but I cant put a finger on it why I'm not that moved as I should be. Being how great and legendary he is. Think its the glasses. :lol

[JEFFERSON MONEY]

Bubba Sparxxx
Macklemore
Paul Wall
Mac Miller
Atmosphere

[KNOW1EDGE]

Nas
Biggie
Pac
Eminem
Big L


Honorable Mention:

Rakim
Jay-Z
Kool G Rap
Guru
Big K.R.I.T
Andre 3000
Method Man
Ras Kass
Royce 5' 9" -way too underrated

Its basically all opinion though.

[Pointguard]

LL Close to one of the originals. His style of moving and camera dominance lasted nearly the entire life span of rap. Critical to rap staying alive when it was about to fold. Best sex/sensual rap record. Best rage record and he never cursed while doing it. Set the tone on how to battle. Could excel without machismo. Was among the top when rap was at its peak in versatility and different looks. And was still taking people out in Biggie and Jay Z's era

Nas -
Biggie
Tupac
Rakim/Chuck D


Eminem
Ras Kass

[Rasheed1]

Scarface :applause:

My mind was blown away when I first heard "city under siege". I had never heard anyone break down American politics the way did in that song.. I remember going and looking sh*t up after I heard it...

[fpliii]

2Pac, Nas, Eminem to me (pretty clearly in that order). Don't know who else I'd put there, but I need to listen to a lot more before I can put together a solid list.

Nice to see the Method Man mentions. I've tried to get into Eric B. & Rakim, but I only have two songs in my rotation that I won't skip (Don't Sweat the Technique and It's Been a Long Time).

I have to educate myself...

[9erempiree]

2Pac, Nas, Eminem to me (pretty clearly in that order). Don't know who else I'd put there, but I need to listen to a lot more before I can put together a solid list.

Nice to see the Method Man mentions. I've tried to get into Eric B. & Rakim, but I only have two songs in my rotation that I won't skip (Don't Sweat the Technique and It's Been a Long Time).

I have to educate myself...

Rakim - Microphone Fiend

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zpjOP-_1cg

[Rasheed1]

2Pac, Nas, Eminem to me (pretty clearly in that order). Don't know who else I'd put there, but I need to listen to a lot more before I can put together a solid list.

Nice to see the Method Man mentions. I've tried to get into Eric B. & Rakim, but I only have two songs in my rotation that I won't skip (Don't Sweat the Technique and It's Been a Long Time).

I have to educate myself...


try this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFOeJOtq_xc

Rakim gives a good taste of his skills.. he destroys the track :bowdown:

[9erempiree]

There is still hope for hip hop. Didn't expect so many people to actually know who some of these guys were and not only that but dropping tracks that they like too.

I'm more the jazzy type stuff.

Big fan of the Roots and A Tribe Called Quest.

[fpliii]

:cheers:


Rakim - Microphone Fiend

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zpjOP-_1cg

One of my favorites of his too. I've skipped it before though so I didn't mention it.


try this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFOeJOtq_xc

Rakim gives a good taste of his skills.. he destroys the track :bowdown:

:bowdown: Thanks.

[B-Low]

My favorite 5:
Pac
Eminem
Jay
Andre 3000/Outkast
Kanye

My top 5 greatest (based on skill, impact, success, influence etc):
Pac
Biggie
Eminem
Nas
Jay

It's sad cuz listening to College Dropout Kanye had all the potential in the world to be a lot higher on the all time list

[Kblaze8855]

Has ever a rapper improved more in death than guru?

He wasn't in a top five ever while living. Or twenty. Not that big l was either.....

[Lamar Doom]

Has ever a rapper improved more in death than guru?



Tupac

[KNOW1EDGE]

Has ever a rapper improved more in death than guru?

He wasn't in a top five ever while living. Or twenty. Not that big l was either.....

Guru always had an elite following because GangStarr is possibly the greatest hip-hop duo ever.

He was the "King of Monotone", his lyrics, and the beats he rapped over were both top notch. DJ Premier is the best producer of all-time, no ifs ands or buts.

I was too young to listen to Big L while he was alive. But have respect for the music he made.

I think its cool that the younger generation appreciates the music of artists who died at an early age. Just like wine, music gets better with time, I guess.

[9erempiree]

Has ever a rapper improved more in death than guru?

He wasn't in a top five ever while living. Or twenty. Not that big l was either.....

The Guru was a top MC. He was just overshadowed because of Preemo.

The funny thing is Preemo's best tracks are with Guru. I love his other stuff with different artists but nothing as good with the Guru.

[L.Kizzle]

Has ever a rapper improved more in death than guru?

He wasn't in a top five ever while living. Or twenty. Not that big l was either.....
Nope, that would be Big L.

[lpublic_enemyl]

in no particular order

Nas
2pac
biggie
rakim
Eminem


jay-z would prolly be next

[Just2McFly]

My faves:

Drake
2Pac
Kanye
Lupe
50

[GOBB]

:cheers:



One of my favorites of his too. I've skipped it before though so I didn't mention it.



:bowdown: Thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPkWYTUiPTo

One of my favorites. Listen to the lyrics!

"bulletproof down in case brothas try to bomb me"

"try to put shame in my game to make a name/im going to put it on a bullet, put it in ya brain"

:bowdown:

[Kblaze8855]

Guru would be the sixth best rapper in the Wu tang clan. Ive been reading these topics since i was on the hip hop infinity boards 13 years ago. Guru never got high on these lists till he died. Kinda like people who heard YouTube freestyles of big l in 2008 and made him goat.

Lack of breathing is not a talent. Well maybe from a breath control point of view but you know what i meant

[Fresh Kid]

My faves:

Drake
2Pac
Kanye
Lupe
50
drake:oldlol:

[Just2McFly]

drake:oldlol:
NWTS September 17th:bowdown: :bowdown:

[AboveTheRim.]

My favorite 5:
Pac
Eminem
Jay
Andre 3000/Outkast
Kanye

My top 5 greatest (based on skill, impact, success, influence etc):
Pac
Biggie
Eminem
Nas
Jay

It's sad cuz listening to College Dropout Kanye had all the potential in the world to be a lot higher on the all time list

Late Registration is as good if not better than College Dropout, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (while very different) was a great album as well. With 3 really solid albums, I don't see why people hate on Kanye so much when it comes to people naming their favorite rappers. (I'm obviously not referring to you, just using your post to rant a little).

[AboveTheRim.]

My favorite 5:
Pac
Eminem
Jay
Andre 3000/Outkast
Kanye

My top 5 greatest (based on skill, impact, success, influence etc):
Pac
Biggie
Eminem
Nas
Jay

It's sad cuz listening to College Dropout Kanye had all the potential in the world to be a lot higher on the all time list

Late Registration is as good if not better than College Dropout, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (while very different) was a great album as well. With 3 really solid albums, I don't see why people hate on Kanye so much when it comes to people naming their favorite rappers. (I'm obviously not referring to you, just using your post to rant a little).

[Fresh Kid]

Late Registration is as good if not better than College Dropout, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (while very different) was a great album as well. With 3 really solid albums, I don't see why people hate on Kanye so much when it comes to people naming their favorite rappers. (I'm obviously not referring to you, just using your post to rant a little).
Overall I respect Kanye as a producer not a rapper, he fell off with a lot of potential to be a "real" great rapper but he failed in my book.

[AboveTheRim.]

Overall I respect Kanye as a producer not a rapper, he fell off with a lot of potential to be a "real" great rapper but he failed in my book.

I'm just curious as to why you think that. Like I said in my earlier post, College Dropout and Late Registration are both great albums and MBDTF is also phenomenal in its own right. He also had some decent songs off of graduation and Yeezus.

I'm not saying that you're wrong to have that opinion, I'm just curious as to why you think he isn't a real great rapper.

[lefthook00]

Individuals:
Pac
Big
Cube
Nas/Jay/G Rap/Rakim/KRS/Em/Snoop tied, any two will do..

Groups(this is the category that I'm most sure about):
Bone
Wu
Outkast
Three 6
So many good groups, too hard to pick a #5..

Producers:
Dre
Premier
Quik
Kanye/RZA/Daz/Blaze/Pete Rock/Timbo/Neptunes tied, any two will do..

[Fresh Kid]

I'm just curious as to why you think that. Like I said in my earlier post, College Dropout and Late Registration are both great albums and MBDTF is also phenomenal in its own right. He also had some decent songs off of graduation and Yeezus.

I'm not saying that you're wrong to have that opinion, I'm just curious as to why you think he isn't a real great rapper.
Its mainly his potential that he dont live up to, His lyrics could be way better as well.

[LBJMVP]

lil wayne??? thats hilarious:roll:


sorry... prime wayne is top 5 goat, and thats thats.

carter 2
dedication 2
carter
drought 3
suffix
prefix
lilweeziana
drought is over 2
dedication
no cielings
squad up mixtapes


for that period of time he was the best rapper in the game...

[KNOW1EDGE]

sorry... prime wayne is top 5 goat, and thats thats.


for that period of time he was the best rapper in the game...

lol

"prime wayne"

meaning he is gay as f*ck right now and has been for the last 5 years.

He was never the best rapper in the game.

It is all a matter of opinion, so I respect your opinion and fandom of Wayne. But that's not that. lol

[andremiller07]

Based on skills/styles I like in particular order

Chino Xl (amazing lyrics)
Guru (Gangstarr him and Premo were insane)
Dilated Peoples (iris and Ev were a killer salt and pepper combo)
Talib Kweli (reflection eternal amazing album)
Jedi Mind Tricks (first album could be my favorite everz)
You can also throw in Nas and pretty much take out anyone other than Guru/Chino from the list.

Was never a fan of Pac/Biggie the people normally consider the G.O.A.T.S to me guys in there era like Kool G Rap and Big L were better.

[LBJMVP]

lol

"prime wayne"

meaning he is gay as f*ck right now and has been for the last 5 years.

He was never the best rapper in the game.

It is all a matter of opinion, so I respect your opinion and fandom of Wayne. But that's not that. lol

who was better from 05-07

like father like son is sooo underrated its crazy.

drought 3 is the best mixtape of the decade
dedication could very well be second

carter two is a classic

carter three would have been ever better if it didn't leak

and all the mixtapes in between were all grade A.

sorry, no one was better in that time period.

[KNOW1EDGE]

I used to be a Wayne fan, like his older stuff, but always thought he was weird and sometimes had the corniest and weakest lyrics ever.

In my opinion, here are the rappers I liked better, and feel were better than lil wayne from 05-07. Its all an opinion thing and a matter of preference.

Eminem
TI
UGK (specifically bun B)
Andre 3000
50 cent
Royce 5'9"
Ras Kass
Kanye

[LongLiveTheKing]

1.Eminem
2. 2pac
3. Biggie
4. Nas
5. Jay Z

[Fresh Kid]

sorry... prime wayne is top 5 goat, and thats thats.

carter 2
dedication 2
carter
drought 3
suffix
prefix
lilweeziana
drought is over 2
dedication
no cielings
squad up mixtapes


for that period of time he was the best rapper in the game...
and thats pretty damn sad that people thought he was tha best rapper back then as well:facepalm :oldlol: nas was right man:facepalm

[fpliii]

and thats pretty damn sad that people thought he was tha best rapper back then as well:facepalm :oldlol: nas was right man:facepalm

I've listened to a bit in the past few months, I think my top 5 at the moment are:

2Pac
Big L
Em
Nas
Andre 3000

No disrespect to Jay or Biggie. Gonna try and listen to a bunch of Scarface (I have The Fix ofc, but wanna see what else he has out there).

[The-Legend-24]

The lack of Kanye is hilarious. His discography is the best in hip hop, that alone puts him in there. Not one of these rappers has put out a better album than MBDTF, except for Hov and Nas.

[Loneshot]

Pac (can never be duplicated. you can't even bite him that's how original Pac is)
BIG (I didn't always appreciate him, but as i heard more i realized this dude was so raw he could have been punk)
Nas (Cole, Kendric, Drake, Wiz, and so on...all these guys were birthed out of Nas. I feel like Nas' style has done more to influence people to want to try their hand at being an MC than Pac or BIG)
Em (while he's fallen off now, his prime is incredible and few spit with such an energy)
OutKast (together there hasn't been anything like them and probably never will without us noticing them biting OutKast)

[KingBeasley08]

My list pretty much changes all time but there's a few n*ggas that I always like to rep on lists like these.

1. Nas- In my opinion, the GOAT. Lyrical prowess and flow on the mic are straight up filthy and his impact on hip hop has been huge.

2. 2Pac- I don't think Pac's technical skills are as good as someone like Jay Z or Nas but he had power and GOAT charisma. Those are as important as flow IMO

3. Biggie- Greatest flow of all time. Straight up killed any beat that he was given and lyrically was amazing. Didn't produce as much music as Pac though and didn't connect emotionally a lot of the times so I gave Pac the edge

4. Eminem- Perfect combo of success and acclaim. Amazing flow and lyrical ability. Dude got lazy on some tracks and didn't kill it like he could have

5. Jay Z- Could argue Jay for GOAT. Unique and inspiring rapping style and drops nasty bars

Honorable mentions would go to Andre 3000, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, both of whom were nasty as hell. Tough to come to a decision. Rakim was the most influential, Andre the most talented, and BDK was something of a combo of both. As for Kanye, as a rapper he's just ok but as a pure hip hop artist, dude's amazing. College Dropout, Late Registration, and My Dark Twisted Fantasy are all amazing albums. Even Yeezus which is probably his weakest hip hop album has some great tracks and awesome production. Kanye is either in the edge or right outside my top 10

[MetsPackers]

1. Nas - the GOAT, I don't understand why more people don't have him number 1, I thought it was basically consensus at this point

2. Biggie

3. Jay-Z

4. 2Pac

5. Eminem