A lot of people believe the 90s was the golden era of Hip Hop, so I decided to list the top 10 hottest rappers of the 90s in this post. As I always like to point out before every sensitive post like this; I'd like to state that I am compiling this list based on the criteria which is clearly stated in the title of the post. So, the rappers I would be listening are rappers that were the HOTTEST rappers on the Hip Hop scene BETWEEN 1990-1999. This is not about who was the most lyrical at that period, or who was hot for a year or two.
Now that we got that out of the way, lets go. I have to say it was so hard to narrow down the hottest rappers of the 90s to just 10...there were so many hot rappers from that era.
10. Lil Kim
Lil Kimberly Jones is still the female G.O.A.T to me. She was riding next to Big while he blew up, and even though people made up stories that Biggie wrote all her rhymes, she still did her thing after Big's death, and even dropped better music. Kim went toe to toe with her male counterparts; making songs with Biggie, Puffy, Mobb Deep, and a host of male rappers, and never getting out-shined on them. Some of her notable hit songs from the 90s include; No Time, and Not Tonight.
9. Missy Elliot
Missy dropping her catchy rhymes on Timberland's out-of-this-world beats was something else back then. She was a complete entertainer. She could rap, sing, and dance. With two multi-platinum albums released in the 90s and countless hit songs (The Rain, All n My Grill, She's a Bitch...), you can't leave out Missy when you are talking about Hip Hop of the 90s.
8. Puff Daddy
Puff brought us Biggie, Mase, The LOX, and he always he always made sure he stole some of their shine; that's how he stayed popular. Whether dancing in background of a Craig Mack video, or rapping along side Biggie and Mase, Puff leveraged on his artists to make himself hot throughout the 90s. Asides from appearing on his artists albums, he also released two solo albums in the 90s; one of them (No Way Out-1997) has sold over 7 million copies to date.
Some of his most popular hit songs from the 90s are; Been Around The World, It's All About the Benjamins, I'll Be Missing You, Can't Nobody Hold Me Down, Satisfy You...
7. Busta Rhymes
Busta can be all animated and all that, but you can't dispute the man's skills on the mic. He had three multi-platinum selling albums in the 90s alone, with mega hit songs such as Dangerous, Woo Hah, Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See, and What's It Gonna Be to his name.
6. Dr. Dre
Dre was similar to Puff in that he used the shine of his artists to his advantage. Dre dropped two of the most critically acclaimed rap albums of the 90s; The Chronic, and Chronic 2001. He had countless hits in the 90s like; Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang, Still D.R.E, Xxplosive, Forgot About Dre...
5. Biggie
Two albums dropped in his lifetime, and both of them classics. Biggie was the master of wordplay and lyricism. He was a complete rapper in that he could make very lyrical songs, and still make them appealing enough for radio; I guess we have to thank Puffy for this. Biggie's hit songs include; Juicy, One More Chance, Mo Money Mo Problems, and Hypnotize.
4. Snoop Dogg
Biggie once rhymed; "I'm sitting in the crib dreaming about Lear jets and coupes, and how to sell records like Snoop." With four platinum selling albums in the 90s alone, Snoop has hit songs for days. Some to mention are; Who Am I (What's My Name), Gin and Juice, Murder Was the Case, and Snoop's Upside Your Head.
3. Nas
Even though Nas's debut album, Illmatic received 5 mics from The Source Magazine, and has been named by many as the best rap album in Hip Hop history, it had no real hit songs. It was from his second album that he started getting some mainstream attention. With four platinum selling albums from the 90s, Nas's catalog of hit songs include If I Ruled the World, Hate Me Now, Nastradamus, and You Owe Me.
2. Jay Z
I don't even have to tell you that Jay Z's catalog is filled with hit songs. He dropped an album every year from 1996-1999, and beyond, so he definitely deserves to be number 2 on this list. His hit songs include; Ain't No Nigga, Hard Knock Life, Can I Get A, Money Ain't A Thang, Big Pimpin, and a host of other hit songs from the 90s.
1. Tupac
Who else deserves this but Pac? He dropped 4 albums in the 90s while alive, and another 3 posthumous albums also in the 90s. That's a total of 7 albums from one artists in the 90s. He was a workaholic, and it showed in how much he stayed relevant after his death in 1996. He was in jail when he got his first number one album with his Me Against The World album in 1995. His hit songs include; Keep Ya Head Up, Brenda's Got a Baby, Dear Mama, How Do You Want It, California Love, Do For Love, and the list goes on and on and on.
Honorary mentions include DMX, Mase, Redman, Methodman, Mobb Deep, and Outkast.
Now that we got that out of the way, lets go. I have to say it was so hard to narrow down the hottest rappers of the 90s to just 10...there were so many hot rappers from that era.
10. Lil KimLil Kimberly Jones is still the female G.O.A.T to me. She was riding next to Big while he blew up, and even though people made up stories that Biggie wrote all her rhymes, she still did her thing after Big's death, and even dropped better music. Kim went toe to toe with her male counterparts; making songs with Biggie, Puffy, Mobb Deep, and a host of male rappers, and never getting out-shined on them. Some of her notable hit songs from the 90s include; No Time, and Not Tonight.
9. Missy Elliot
Missy dropping her catchy rhymes on Timberland's out-of-this-world beats was something else back then. She was a complete entertainer. She could rap, sing, and dance. With two multi-platinum albums released in the 90s and countless hit songs (The Rain, All n My Grill, She's a Bitch...), you can't leave out Missy when you are talking about Hip Hop of the 90s.8. Puff DaddyPuff brought us Biggie, Mase, The LOX, and he always he always made sure he stole some of their shine; that's how he stayed popular. Whether dancing in background of a Craig Mack video, or rapping along side Biggie and Mase, Puff leveraged on his artists to make himself hot throughout the 90s. Asides from appearing on his artists albums, he also released two solo albums in the 90s; one of them (No Way Out-1997) has sold over 7 million copies to date.
Some of his most popular hit songs from the 90s are; Been Around The World, It's All About the Benjamins, I'll Be Missing You, Can't Nobody Hold Me Down, Satisfy You...
7. Busta Rhymes
Busta can be all animated and all that, but you can't dispute the man's skills on the mic. He had three multi-platinum selling albums in the 90s alone, with mega hit songs such as Dangerous, Woo Hah, Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See, and What's It Gonna Be to his name.6. Dr. Dre
Dre was similar to Puff in that he used the shine of his artists to his advantage. Dre dropped two of the most critically acclaimed rap albums of the 90s; The Chronic, and Chronic 2001. He had countless hits in the 90s like; Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang, Still D.R.E, Xxplosive, Forgot About Dre...
5. Biggie
Two albums dropped in his lifetime, and both of them classics. Biggie was the master of wordplay and lyricism. He was a complete rapper in that he could make very lyrical songs, and still make them appealing enough for radio; I guess we have to thank Puffy for this. Biggie's hit songs include; Juicy, One More Chance, Mo Money Mo Problems, and Hypnotize.4. Snoop DoggBiggie once rhymed; "I'm sitting in the crib dreaming about Lear jets and coupes, and how to sell records like Snoop." With four platinum selling albums in the 90s alone, Snoop has hit songs for days. Some to mention are; Who Am I (What's My Name), Gin and Juice, Murder Was the Case, and Snoop's Upside Your Head.
3. Nas
Even though Nas's debut album, Illmatic received 5 mics from The Source Magazine, and has been named by many as the best rap album in Hip Hop history, it had no real hit songs. It was from his second album that he started getting some mainstream attention. With four platinum selling albums from the 90s, Nas's catalog of hit songs include If I Ruled the World, Hate Me Now, Nastradamus, and You Owe Me.
2. Jay Z
I don't even have to tell you that Jay Z's catalog is filled with hit songs. He dropped an album every year from 1996-1999, and beyond, so he definitely deserves to be number 2 on this list. His hit songs include; Ain't No Nigga, Hard Knock Life, Can I Get A, Money Ain't A Thang, Big Pimpin, and a host of other hit songs from the 90s.
1. Tupac
Who else deserves this but Pac? He dropped 4 albums in the 90s while alive, and another 3 posthumous albums also in the 90s. That's a total of 7 albums from one artists in the 90s. He was a workaholic, and it showed in how much he stayed relevant after his death in 1996. He was in jail when he got his first number one album with his Me Against The World album in 1995. His hit songs include; Keep Ya Head Up, Brenda's Got a Baby, Dear Mama, How Do You Want It, California Love, Do For Love, and the list goes on and on and on.Honorary mentions include DMX, Mase, Redman, Methodman, Mobb Deep, and Outkast.
No comments:
Post a Comment