Marc Lamont Hill Names His Top 5 Greatest Rappers of All Time

Author/TV personality/Activist, Mark Lamont Hill was interviewed on DJ VLad TV two days ago, and he was discussing many things, till the discussion kind of veered to who he considers the greatest rappers of all time. He answered with...




"For me, top 5 is Jay Z without a doubt; Nas without a doubt; Andre 3000 without a doubt. Umm! I'm putting Lauryn Hill in my top 5." (DJ VLad Interview)








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Top 5 Most Paid Rappers of 2015: Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings

The Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings list of 2015 is out and you would be surprised at the people that are not on the list, and the new addition to the top 5. I have been telling dudes that this dude is currently making more money than the rapper that signed him, and they think I am crazy. 


According to Forbes, below are the top 5 rappers that made the most money in the last 12 months. 


5.  Pharrell- $32 Million 
(The “Happy” singer is one of the more diversified performers on the list, clocking multimillion-dollar checks from touring, music and his role as a judge on The Voice. He also mingles his fashion sense with an entrepreneurial streak, as evidenced by his Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream clothing lines.)

Top 5 Nigerian Rappers

In 2014, a couple of rappers that were hot in 2012/2013 have gone cold, so I want to list the top 5 rappers in Nigeria that are still on top of their game.






5.  Ice Prince
He may not be the most skilled rapper, but you got to give it to the dude for putting in the work. He was probably the hottest in 2012/2013. He did his thing with his Fire Of Zamani album last year, with all the hits and multiple international collaborations.





4.  Vector
Even though I still can't get over the fact that he sounds exactly like Jay Z, I can't dispute the fact that this dude is super talented. Listening to the two songs (Popular and Police) he dropped towards the tail end of last year, you know the dude's music will stand the test of time, and become the classics of the future.









3.  Phyno
After he and Olamide collaborated for Ghost Mode two years ago, Phyno hasn't looked back ever since. From Man Of The Year, to the numerous guest appearances he does, Phyno lets the world know that he is not just a fad, but the real deal.







2.  Reminisce
I was skeptical about dude at first. I heard his early party jams in 2012, and even though I heard some creative lines in them, I thought he was going to be a flash in the pan. Then 2013 came, and he started dropping real raw rap songs. He still does songs like Daddy (feat. Davido) to keep the show-money flowing, but this dude has got bars for days. The fact that he spits his rhymes in a mixture of Yoruba and English doesn't reduce his fan-base, but the mystique around that makes him more popular.








1.  Olamide
I tell people all the time that Olamide is the most hard working rapper in Nigerian music history, period! I think he had to work harder than ever to prove people he wasn't a Da'Grin wannabe, and that he had his own style too. This dude is killing everything right now...dancehall songs, rap songs, R&B songs, afrobeat songs...you name it. He is super versatile, and he doesn't seem to be slowing down with the creativity any time soon. I crown Olamide the King of Nigerian rap right now in 2014.

M.O.P's Billy Danze Names His Top 5 Favourite Rappers Dead Or Alive

M.O.P is a legendary rap duo consisting of Lil Fame and Billy Danze who started out around the mid 90s. In a recent interview, one half of the rap group, Billy Danze let the world know who his top 5 favourite rappers dead or alive are. Check them out below.

• This is definitely going to start off with M.O.P., first off. There's no way you can't put M.O.P. in there. No explanation needed.
• There's a dude that nobody probably knows of. I need you to go and look this dude up. His name is Mr. Mike. I believe he's from Texas. He had an album called Wicked Wayz back in 1997 I believe. I don't think he ever put out another album but Mr. Mike? A beast. At that time it was kind of hard for the South to get any light but when I tell you he used to wrap circles around the top guy at that time. The dude is bananas. His name is Mr. Mike. It's crazy.
• Bun B is kinda hot. He's always carried that flag for Houston for years. A lot of people respect Bun B and he goes hard on the track. Bun B is fire, so you can't take that away from him.
• One of my favorites, Raekwon, has to be in there. I think Raekwon is one of the dopest emcees to ever grip a mic. A lot of people know but there's still a lot of people that don't know. When we talk about dope emcees, we should really be talking about dope emcees. Like when we came out, rapping was more about your lyrics or your style alone. Raekwon actually had both. A lot of people didn't have that. A lot of people would have style but no lyrics. Some people would have lyrics but no style. Raekwon had both and he had that whole street feel. Raekwon is another one.
• We can't forget about Guru. Let me tell you something. His voice alone? I wish I had that man's voice. His voice alone was bananas. He never changed his voice. You never heard him get on a record and chance his voice. The same way he talked to you was the same way he rapped. He would preach to you, [but didn't] try to make you feel like he was smarter than you like a lot of rappers do. Guru would preach to you and teach you things that kids today don't even understand. He was a sharp dude. This dude would glow on stage. I was blessed to tour and work with him. This dude was special. Guru would be my top pick. (sohh.com)

Freekey Zekey Names Top 5 Dead Or Alive

Dipset member, Freekey Zekey has let the world know who are his top 5 favourite rappers, dead or alive. You can check his list out below.

I would give it to Kanye West. Kanye is really unique. He creates ill f*cking styles with the way he says his sh*t. He's just really unique with his sh*t and I like that.
• 
  Drake is on there. Drake is like Kanye. [He's] just something new and different. He really don't sound like anybody that's out. He's got his own little style; you could say he's really unique with his sh*t too.
• 
  I'm going to say The LOX because Jadakiss is nice and I like Styles P's sh*t. The LOX, especially Jada and Styles, they just got that real hard street sh*t. They say sh*t that I can relate to, too. They do it in a good way. Their voices sound ill and I like how their deliver is. That sh*t is ill.
• 
  Definitely have to put Eazy-E on that list. He gave birth to some sh*t. Eazy-E, he really started the whole trend of that hardcore sh*t. He really had fun with it. He used to say a lot of really hard sh*t, but it was fun at the same time.
• 
  I would have to say 50 Cent. Son is real nice with his sh*t. When it comes to 50, he just says some sh*t that I can really relate to. I can really relate to his sh*t. He almost reminds me of myself, how we rhyme. Crazy sh*t. You listen to him and say, "D*mn, he just said some sh*t." I can relate to that. Sh*t from the hood and what goes on. That's my type of sh*t. It's real sh*t and he's not playing. He means that sh*t.

Kendrick Lamar Names His Top 5 Favourite Rappers

Kendrick Lamar is on the rise, and he is one of the few new rappers to really look out for if you know what i mean. Check out his top 5 favourite rappers list below-

“My top five, dead or alive. Tupac, definitely. Tupac because the emotion that he put in and how much he related to the people, and how much he connected. That’s what music is about,” he said. “Music is supposed to move, whether you’re saying the most intricate stuff or the most simple, dumbed down. You gotta make some type of connection, and I feel like he did that the best.”

 “Biggie, because of his wit. Biggie’s wit was incredible. His wit and his character, his personality and his flow and most of all, his confidence. Anybody that can talk about themselves on a record and still have screaming women at the front of the stage, unless you know it goes a long way with your confidence in being an artist.

“Jay-Z, it’s an incredible thing where you can listen to his music and feel like you’re having a sit-down with him,” he continued. “Nas, the art of storytelling, I think Hip Hop is really based on that and getting your point across. Nas does that incredibly. Eminem, just being a wordsmith, an amazing wordsmith.

This isn't my own top 5 list, maybe one or two of the rappers he mentioned are on my list, but i agree with him on what he said about every individual rapper on his list.

Forbes Top 5 Wealthiest in Hip Hop (2012)

Diddy has been on this list for as long as i can remember using the internet, so it doesn't come as a surprise that he makes it again this year. What i just wish is that he would make it to a billion. Below is news on the top 5 wealthiest individuals in hip hop.

Diddy is the closest to becoming a billionaire, leading the pack with a net worth of $550 million. The Bad Boy Records founder has remained a mainstream mainstay for 15 years thanks to his knack for self-promotion. Next up is Jay-Z at $460 million. Unlike his fellow Forbes Five members, Jay-Z still churns out music and goes on tour--most recently with pal Kanye West--adding to his considerable war chest. He sold his Rocawear clothing label for $204 million in 2007 and signed 10-year $150 million deal with Live Nation in 2008, and also holds stakes in the New Jersey Nets, his 40/40 Club chain, ad firm Translation, cosmetics company Carol's Daughter and other businesses. (Forbes)

Other close contenders include Interscope Records' Dr. Dre and 50 Cent.

Dr. Dre ranks third with $270 million, doubling from a year ago thanks to a major sale. In August, handset maker HTC paid $300 million to buy a 51% stake in Beats Electronics, the company founded by Dr. Dre and Interscope chief Jimmy Iovine in 2008. Birdman clocks in at No. 4 with a fortune of $125 million. He cofounded Cash Money Records with brother Ronald "Slim" Williams two decades ago, inking very favorable $30 million distribution deal with Universal in 1998. Rounding out the Forbes Five is Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson at $110 million. The Queens-born rapper earned $100 million on the sale of his Vitaminwater stake in 2007--and tens of millions more from touring, record sales and clothing--but spent freely on cars and renovations to his mansion, formerly owned by Mike Tyson. (Forbes)

After getting named the first hip-hop artist to likely hit a billion bucks last year, Diddy downplayed the hype surrounding his buzz.

"To be honest, on that list, I was on the cover of Forbes back in '98," Diddy explained in an interview. "I been on that list. I don't really get caught up into the list. I think people think that I have that money actually sitting at home in the basement...It's really like if I sold all my companies, and I take pride in [building] something as a black man that's worth that much...To everyone calling me for a loan today, I do not have that money today! ... It helps inspire people and it shows the power of hip-hop." (MTV)

Red Cafe Names His Top 5 Hottest Rappers

I remember hearing Red Cafe for the first time on a DJ Whoo Kid mixtape back in my second year in college...i think that was 2003. For someone i had never heard of, i liked him instantly. I started telling people about him, but i didn't here from him in later years. He started buzzing again a couple of years back...and then he signed with Bad Boy Records. Diddy has promised to drop his album next year...2012. Anyway, he was recently asked who he considers the hottest 5 rappers in hip hop right now, and his answer is below-



"Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Drake, Fabolous, and a toss up between Andre 3000 and Kanye," Cafe said in an interview. "I've been a fan of hip-hop from the early days. Hip-hop was just putting words together and having fun. Then rappers like Nas who rapped about the neighborhood and things that we were going through. And Biggie Smalls. I got a story too. My stories are interesting. I did it for fun and then people started getting interested. Now if your music is being appreciated, people want you to continue because it helps them get through their days." (Global Grind)



It's his list, so i can't judge it, but if i were to, i would pick Kanye and not Andre 3000. Right now, Kanye is hotter than Andre. Personally, i think Andre 3000 gets away with so many B.S. Of cos i know he is lyrical, but he made a full r&b album, but no one complains about that. But they keep giving Drake a tough time. Anyway, that's just my opinion.


If i am to name the top 5 hottest in the rap game right now, i would say- Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, and The Throne (Jay and Kanye west)...i wish i could squeeze Big Sean in there too.