Rap music is now incredibly popular all around the world. Rap music actually originates from the black population in America and has gone through ups and downs, giving rise to many famous rappers. Let’s check out the Top 10 Greatest Rappers of All Time with Seizeshirt.
2Pac
2Pac is among the top 10 greatest rappers of all time. While 2Pac may not be as well-known internationally as rappers like Eminem, Kanye West, Lil’ Shady, or some members of the New School, no one who listens to American rap can dispute that 2Pac is the best rapper and has done much to popularize Rap music globally. 2Pac and Notorious BIG, competitors from the East Coast and West Coast in this infamous Rap music war, were the two top rappers in the Rap village during the heyday of rap music. Against the East Coast at the time, 2Pac served as the pillar of the West Coast, the birthplace of gangsta rap. As a result of this struggle, 2Pac was shot dead in 1996 in Las Vegas at the age of 25. Despite the fact that 2Pac passed away at a young age, his name has become legendary. As January 2007, 2Pac had sold more than 75 million albums globally. On Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the best artists of all time, he is ranked 86th.
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- Real name: Tupac Amaru Shakur
- Year of birth: June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996
- Generation: Old School, West Coast-East Coast War
- Group: NWA, Death Row Records
- Featured Songs: Hit Em Up, Changes, Life Goes On, Ghetto Gospel, So Many Tears, Dear Mama
Notorious B.I.G.
Notorious BIG, the leader of the East Coast, is up against 2Pac. TwoPac and Notorious BIG were formerly good buddies before the East Coast vs. West Coast battle began. Rap songs were used by 2Pac and Notorious BIG to continuously engage in combat throughout the East Coast vs. West Coast battle. Notorious BIG was the target of an automobile assassination attempt after 2Pac was killed. Notorious BIG was rushed to the hospital after the murder but passed away there. Rappers from both sides of the conflict—whether they were war veterans like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg or neutral artists like Eminem and Jay-Z—began to lean toward peace after the passing of the two East and West Coast commanders, who are also two Rap legends.
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- Real name: Christopher George Latore Wallace
- Year of birth: May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997
- Generation: Old School, West Coast-East Coast War
- Group: Junior M.A.F.I.A, Bad Boy Records
- Featured Songs: Who Shot Ya, One More Change, Get Money, Hypnotize, Juicy, Kick In The Door
Eminem
Eminem is undoubtedly the most well-known rapper today and is referred to as the “King of Rap” in terms of name recognition. The Top 10 Greatest Rappers of All Time list places Eminem below two legends, 2Pac and Notorious BIG, yet he is still even more successful and well-liked than those two “seniors.”
Eminem was born at the same time as Notorious BIG and 2Pac, however he did not achieve success as quickly as these two rappers. Because he was a white rapper at a period when rap music was mostly associated with black music and because he was the only white rapper among the Top 10 Greatest Rappers of All Time, Eminem’s road was made more difficult. Eminem didn’t release his debut album until 1996, and it wasn’t until 1999 that he started to see his first commercial success. Eminem is the most successful person, even though his success came relatively later. From 1999 to the present, Eminem’s name has never stopped being mentioned.
He outsells 2Pac in terms of record sales, selling over 172 million worldwide. He is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, on par with Michael Jackson, The Beatles, and the Back Street Boys. Eminem’s music is well-liked because it frequently conveys important life lessons, offers encouragement, fosters empathy, and gives listeners the drive to conquer challenges. In addition, Dr. Dre, a renowned music producer and the guy responsible for the success of the NWA, Tupac, and many other well-known rappers, is a very close friend of Eminem and also his boss.
With 15 Grammy Awards under his belt, Eminem was rated 83rd on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the best performers of all time. The soundtrack for the song “Lose Yourself” from the film 8 Mile, which was based on her own experiences, also earned Eminem an Oscar.
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- Real name: Marshall Bruce Mathers III
- Year of birth: October 17, 1972
- Generation: Old School, New School
- Group: M&M, D12, Interscope, Shady Records
- Featured Songs: Stan, Lose Yourself, Not Afraid, Love The Way You Lie, The Way I Am, We Made You
Eazy-E
We can’t talk about rap music without mentioning Eazy-E, the head of the legendary rap group NWA, which includes Dr. Dre, Tupac, and Ice Cube. The pioneers who established rap music as a genre in the US were Eazy-E and NWA. Prior to that, Rap music was only perceived as the low-class street music of the “nigga” (a derogatory term for black people); however, it was Eazy-success E’s with the NWA that made Rap music popular all over the world. The “Godfather of Gangsta Rap” is Eazy-E.
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- Real name: Eric Lynn Wright
- Year of birth: September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995
- Generation: Old School
- Group: NWA
- Featured Songs: Fuck Tha Police, Straight Outta Compton, Boyz-n-the-hood, Real Muthaphuckkin G’s
Jay-Z
Jay-Z is a successful producer and entrepreneur from the East Coast who is also a neutral rapper. Along with the 40/40 club and the New Jersey Nets basketball team, Jay-Z is the owner of the two record companies Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam. In addition to being a commercial success, Jay-Z has won 21 Grammy Awards, sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, and was named 88th among the greatest musicians by Rolling Stone magazine. Best Multi of All Time
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- Real name: Shawn Corey Carter
- Year of birth: December 4, 1969
- Generation: Old School – New School
- Group: Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam
- Featured Songs: Hard Knock Life, Holy Grail, 99 Problems, Empire State Of Mind, Renegade
Dr. Dre
Dr. Dr. _, another founding member and pillar of NWA Early in his career, Dr. Dre and NWA spread the popularity of rap music across the country. Later, in the East Coast-West Coast conflict, Dr. Dre and producer Suge Knight founded Death Row Records, a well-known West Coast record label. Dr. Dre was one of the first rappers to make peace after 2Pac and Notorious BIG were shot and killed. Later, Dr. Dre progressively transitioned into music production. Eminem’s career and reputation were established by Dr. Dre when he founded the record labels Interscope and Aftermath. Additionally, Dr. Dre founded the well-known Beats by Dre headphone brand, which was so prosperous that Apple, the leading technological company in the world, eventually bought it. Dr. Dre is one of the greatest and most well-known rappers of all time, despite having achieved greater success in the producing and business worlds.
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- Real name: Andre Romelle Young
- Year of birth: February 18, 1965
- Generation: Old School, New School
- Group: N.W.A, Death Row Records, Aftermath
- Featured Songs: Let Me Ride, California Love, Forgot About Dre, Still DRE, Straight Outta Compton
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg is one of the most “greatest” musicians in the rap music scene. Snoop Dogg, a West Coast rapper who participated enthusiastically in the East Coast vs. West Coast conflict of the time, is one of the more seasoned rappers of the day along with 2Pac. Dr. Dre’s protégé Snoop Dogg is also a successful musician. Despite being nominated seven times, Snoop Dogg has never taken home a Grammy.
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- Real name: Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr.
- Year of birth: October 20 , 1971
- Generation: Old School
- Group: NWA, Death Row Records
- Featured Songs: Young Wild And Free, Who Am I, Gin And Juice, Drop It Like It’s Hot, Doggy Dogg World
Nas
Nas is a well-known rapper and music program MC who was named fifth on MTV’s list of the greatest MCs ever. Even in the early years of his career, Eminem was compared to Nas because Nas was one of the rappers that affected Eminem’s early approach. Of course, Eminem conquered that and developed his own style after that. Nas and Jay-Z were once close pals, much like 2Pac and Notorious BIG, but then there was friction and back-and-forth fighting. Nas’ eleventh album received a Grammy nomination.
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- Real name: Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones
- Year of birth: September 14, 1973
- Generation: Old School – New School
- Group: Bravehearts
- Featured Songs: Nas Is Like, One Mic, Street Dreams, NY State Of Mind, Life’s A Bitch, Nast
Rakim
Rakim, like Nas, is a rapper and MC for music shows. Rakim was named first on The Source magazine’s list of rappers who write the most meaningful lyrics and fourth on MTV’s list of the greatest-ever MCs. In Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the best musicians ever, Rakim is included at number 227.
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- Real name: Eric Lynn Wright
- Year of birth: January 28 , 1968
- Generation: Old School
- Group: Ra Records, Aftermath
- Featured Songs: I Ain’t No Joke, Paid In Full, Microphone Fiend, Hit It Up, Once Upon A Rhyhme
Kanye West
The 10th greatest rapper of all time is ranked last. The newest rapper on our list is Kanye West. Kanye West is a real New School rapper with a sound that differs from traditional Rap music. His career began with Jay-Roc-A-Fella Z’s record label. R&B, pop, and some rock are influences on Kanye West’s fashion sense. Kanye West is one of the most digitally sold musicians of all time, selling virtually no records other than digitally. Kanye West was ranked 500th last on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the best musicians ever.
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- Real name: Eric Lynn Wright
- Year of birth: 08/06/1977
- Generation: New School
- Group: Def Jam, Roc-A-Fella
- Featured Songs: Homecoming, Girls Girls Freestyle, Tha’ Bounce, The Good Bad Ugly, Through The Wire