Hip Hop covers over 30 years of legendary artists who have released great bodies of work. The debate over which rappers are the "greatest" has long been a topic of debate in barbershops, lunch tables, and everywhere that hip-hop fans congregate. However, the former HipHopDX News Editor Steven J. Horowitz and Billboard's Senior Editor Alex Gale who created the "The 10 Best Rappers of All Time" list claim that: “We’re ranking these folks as MCs, not artists.” This added fuel to the on-going "fire" of an intense debate, and perpetuated the conversation. Here's Billboard's list:
Some can’t help but wonder what rubric they used? Was it about albums sold or general popularity? Regardless, you can’t please everyone with this list. When it comes to making lists "of all time," they tend to be opinionated. According to Billboard, “That’s why Dr. Dre and Kanye West, for example, two legendary producer-rappers who don’t match the mic skills of those listed here, were left out. Even Tupac, perhaps the most globally influential rapper ever, is arguably known more for great songwriting than dominant bars.” Of course, rappers and fans alike took to none other than Twitter to voice their opinions.
On the other hand, all but two of the rappers on the list released their first album between the years of 1993 and 1999. The only two rappers who released their debut albums outside of that window are Rakim and Kendrick Lamar. Rakim is the only one on the list who represents the '80s. Whereas Kendrick Lamar is an A-list rapper in Hip/Hop today. His overall body of work isn’t deserving of this list. There’s a reason that Lauryn Hill’s solo debut never got a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album, since the Academy specifically states that at least 51 percent of an album must contain rapping. Even Tupac was snubbed from the list! How can you have Biggie and no Tupac, as if the whole '90s East Coast vs. West Coast beef didn’t exist?
When you make a list such as this there needs to be a better way to evaluate skill and impact on our culture. Do you agree with Billboard’s choice of "The 10 Greatest Rappers of All Time?"
