This write-up is based on the greatest rapper of all time, and the parameters for that would be majorly on longevity, mic skills, and commercial success. So, if i do not mention some rappers that you think are super dope lyricist, you would know why. I actually put off writing this article for so long because i didn't want to give the title to one person, and have people saying this and that. If you follow my write-up, you would know that the eventual winner fits all the three criteria i aforementioned. So, to satisfy everybody, i am going to write another post that would be titled- Best Rapper Alive. That one would strictly be based on lyrical abilities, and longevity; and i would put it up next week.
I would like to jump right into the analysis, and i am going to employ an elimination mode. I knew i could be here all day trying to explain all the reasons why this person and that person should or should not make the list, but with my elimination method, based on the three parameters i have mentioned above, i would be able to make this article as concise as possible. So, i am going to list 11 rappers, based on a lot of people's top 5 best rapper list (which i have compiled over the years from being on various hi hop sites), and then i would eliminate them one by one. I might seem a little harsh with my method, but if i don't do this, i would just be beating around the bush for the longest time.
So, here we go- Lil Wayne, Eminem, Rakim, LL Cool J, Biggie, Nas, Jay-Z, Tupac, Big Daddy Kane, KRS 1 and Big Pun. I would drop Lil Wayne first for longevity reasons. Although he dropped his first album in 1999 (The Block Is Hot), he more or less faded into the background. It wasn't until the mid 00s, that he started gaining momentum again with his Carter albums. Even-though he has been a success story since his 2008 album (Carter 3 sold 3 million copies), his previous albums (5 before that) weren't as successful. His first album sold a million, but the two that followed only managed to go Gold. He has been in the game for 11 years, and has dropped 7 rap albums to date.
The next to go off the list would be Big Daddy Kane. He was hot in the late part of the 80s, but most of his albums after the 80s weren't commercial success's. He has 7 total album, and was in the hip hop fore-front for only about 6 years. He went Gold with his first two albums (Long live the kane & It's a big daddy thing), his sales dwindled after that.
I would Chop out Biggie and Big Pun off the list next. They are two of the greatest lyricist of all time. Although Pun didn't enjoy the kind of fame biggie enjoyed, he was just as lyrical and skilled on the mic. Both Mc's dropped just 2 albums while alive, and one posthumous; so, they are off the list. And to add that they were in the game for just about 3 years. Yea, and a little correction from what i said above- biggie actually dropped one album while live...Live After Death dropped a few months after his death.
The next off the list is KRS 1. Although he is credited as one of the G.O.A.Ts, and most prolific rappers to ever hold a mic, he never enjoyed the commercial success as the rest of the people on the charts. He was prominent in the mid and late 80s, and continued to drop albums into the 90s, and 00s when he wasn't as successful as when he first began. He has dropped 17 abums till date, but just 2 or 3 of them went Gold. And, even though he has two "5 mics" albums, you can't ask even a college kid right now to name 3 or even two of his albums...he wouldn't know.
The next off the list is Tupac. Maybe if Tupac was alive, he might be the G.O.A.T. But you can't tell if people are buying his albums because he is dead, or because he is really that good. Of course i consider him one one of the best rappers to ever hold the mic. And in the 90s, i always said he was the G.O.A.T, but it would be unfair to say that with all the rappers that are still around and grinding hard, that he is still the G.O.A.T.
Rakim , although considered the God of rap, was only prominent for 5-6 years, before going off the scene. His first album, Paid In Full dropped in 1987, and the last one before his hiatus was in 1992. He eventually dropped 7 albums total. He has several platinum albums. But he wasn't relevant for too long, even-though he was the best during his time. He was taken off the list strictly based on longevity.
So now we are left with Nas, Jay-Z and Eminem. Eminem has sold the most albums cummulative, but that is just off 7 albums...Jay-Z has dropped 11 albums, and Nas has dropped 9, so that gives them an edge over him, plus the fact that they have been in the game longer than him. Eminem has officially been in the game for 12 years, jay-z has been in it 15, and Nas has been in it 17. Of course i am not going to be using just that, but their relevance in those years. Although Nas isn't as big a seller as the other two, he has managed to sell at least platinum (a million copies) with all his albums except the last one. I think that is pretty decent for someone that never, through-out his almost 20 years career, applied any gimmick formula to gain commercial status.
So, i'ma have to take Eminem off next. We are left with Jay-Z and Nas. Based on the criteria, it is easy to see that Jay takes the crown. The title of the Greatest of All Time Rapper goes to Jay-Z. To re-phrase it; Jay-Z is the G.O.A.T: the Greatest Of All Time in the Rap game...at least for now.
"We've got to stick together. That's one thing I try to do. Me knowing Drake's position in this rap sh*t right now, he's really the forefront leader of our generation," Chase said. "He's the G.O.A.T. right now. As far as, if we were to say, who's doing anything you want to do, success that the new generation wants to achieve, he's the one who's done it. He's the one paving the way for us in the street and the Internet." (The Source)