By: Martin Rand, III
Date: August 24, 2011
Who is the greatest rapper of all-time?
Throughout my life this has been a topic of debate. Growing up in New York City, it seemed like it was up for discussion everyday. The automatic choices were either Biggie Smalls, Jay-Z or Nas. Then when I moved to Georgia, it was also up in the air as to who was the greatest. Although, the names were much different. I started hearing people like Andre 3000, Scarface and Ludacris being thrown into the mix.
This is when I decided the greatest rapper winner was dependent on your location at the time. Factors such as where you grew up and who your family and friends listened to influenced who won the debate. I would also imagine, if you're from the west coast, then people like Tupac, Snoop Dogg or Ice Cube were names that would probably be on top of the list.
I use to accept this line of thinking. Then it occurred to me that Hip-Hop was going to go through its existence without an out-right best rapper. Other genres have its top artist. Rock-and-Roll has The Beatles, Pop has Michael Jackson and Hip-Hop has... NOBODY!!! The only reason for this is bias regional opinion.
So, one day, my friend and I decided to come up with a way to prove who was the greatest without any bias to location. Here is the criteria we came up with:
- 1. Lyrics: being able to weave words together to create intricate stories as well as party songs.
- 2. Record Sales: this isn't just first week sales. this is all-time record sales for the rapper's career.
- 3. Performance: how well the rapper delivers his rhymes as well as stage presence when performing.
- 4. Influence: the greatest cannot just influence the people from their city, state, or country. they have to affect the whole world with their music. also have to have influence on other rappers.
- 5. Longevity: having one or two songs, albums or years isn't enough. the greatest has to be able to generate high albums sales and still have their music mean something well after their third album. a minimum of five albums is required.
As we put together this list, more and more names started falling off the greatest rapper list. Some rappers met one, two, or even three of these requirements. However, a small number (and I do mean small) meet all five. The only three rappers that meet these requirements are Tupac, Jay-Z and Eminem. Here's why:
Lyrics
All three are some of the greatest storytellers Hip-Hop has ever seen. With songs like "The Way I Am" by Eminem, "Dead Presidents II" by Jay-Z and "Changes" by Tupac, it's clear that their lyrics are heartfelt and provide insight into their lives and the world around them.
Record Sales
These are the three highest selling rap artist in Hip-Hop history. Eminem is one, Tupac is two and Jay-Z is three.
Performance
At the peak of their careers, each one of these artist shut the stage down when they performed. Eminem shut down Times Square during the MTV VMAs, Jay-Z shut down Madison Square Garden in a day and Tupac shut down the whole west coast.
Influence
Eminem influenced a whole nation and turned the rap world up-side down on its head. Jay-Z made rappers start thinking about being businessmen and not just rappers. He's the first rapper to start a profitable clothing line, sneaker line, and bar. Oh yeah, and his music has influenced the likes of Lil Wayne. Tupac's music is probably the most influential of any rapper. "Brenda's Got a Baby", "Keep Ya Head Up" and "I Ain't Mad At Cha" are small samples from his inspirational music library.
Longevity
Jay-Z has 10 solo albums and all are multi-platinum. Eminem has been around for a decade with six solo multi-platinum albums. Tupac has been around for over 20 years (majority of the time posthumous) and his albums still go to platinum status.
Verdict
Okay, after I put all the information on table, I came to a conclusion. The G.O.A.T. of Hip-Hop, without any biased regional opinion, is Tupac. I chose Tupac because his influenced in hip-hop is strong. His style, his music, all were so original that people still try to mimic him to this very day. While he has been dead for 15 years, good new music of his continues to surface which shows his dedication to his craft. Until recently, he was also the highest selling rapper for a long time.Plus, I don't know anyone who can hear Tupac's voice on a record and not stop and listen.
Tupac is the greatest. Let the debate end.
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