50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, Presented by the Soul In Stereo Cypher

You’ve seen the GOAT lists and the photoshopped Mount Rushmores and the horrible, horrible Twitter takes.

So I decided to turn to the experts to once and for all answer the eternal question:

Who is the greatest rapper of all time?

To do that, I brought some friends along.

This isn’t the usual rankings list compiled by yours truly. This time, I reached out to 14 hip-hop fans from across the globe for assistance. Here’s how it went down:

Each of the 15 panelists (myself included) submitted a list of 25 nominees for rap GOAT, ranked from bottom to top. These weren’t lists of personal faves or biggest sellers or most viral tweets – rankings were determined by technical skill, influence, creativity, consistency and legacy.

Once all the nominations came in, they were compiled into one master list. Three artists received 15 nominations, so they became our rap top 3. I averaged the total scores together to determine their placement.

The next three artists received 14 nominations, so they became Nos. 4-6 on the list. No 7 got 13 nominations, Nos. 8 and 9 got 12 nominations, and so on.

A huge shoutout to our Soul In Stereo Cypher panelists for their hard work: Bernard Oliver, Luke James, Jason Henry, Troy Smith, MikeNSam, Victor Luckerson, Akjhan Yerkin, Derrick Dunn, George Littlejohn, Justin Jones, Joshua Burchfield, Peter Luces, Lindsay Frazier and Brandon “Theo” O’Sullivan.

Enjoy the fruits of their labor – the 50 best MCs ever to touch a microphone.

Artists that received votes but didn’t make the cut: Kxng Crooked, Will Smith, Joyner Lucas, Aesop Rock, Ja Rule, Mystikal, Eve, Run, Heavy D, Phife Dawg, Dr. Dre, DJ Quik, Rick Ross, Devin the Dude, Jeezy, Z-Ro, Kurtis Blow, GZA, Grand Puba, Kool Keith, Bun B, Freddie Gibbs, Pusha T, Guru, Sean Price, Killer Mike, MJG, Project Pat, Pimp C, Too Short, Juvenile

Honorable mentions: Prodigy and Tyler, the Creator

50. Pharoahe Monch

Two nominations

Bernard: One of the most lyrically gifted, versatile, and overall brilliant MCs to live, Pharoahe Monch is one of the absolute best to ever do it. On a technical level, he is top 10. From his days in the underrated duo Organized Konfusion to his solo work including the stellar debut Internal Affairs, the man has almost always delivered. When you talk about the art of rap, you can’t leave Pharoahe off of a list.

49. Masta Ace

48. Method Man

47. Queen Latifah

46. AZ

45. Lupe Fiasco

44. Nicki Minaj

43. Busta Rhymes

42. MC Lyte

41. Missy Elliott

40. Royce da 5’9

Three nominations

Peter: Nickel 9 has earned his spot on this list. Royce has been overlooked by many but try and find a bad project he’s on – you can’t. Everything he’s on from Bad Meets Evil, Slaughterhouse and now Prhyme is elite lyricism. He goes toe-to-toe with best kind of lyricist and holds his own every time. Royce’s bar delivery is top tier and easily comparable to the likes of Nas, Big Pun and Big L.

39. T.I.

38. Slick Rick

37. Lil Kim

36. Raekwon

35. Common

34. Mos Def

33. J. Cole

32. Q-Tip

31. 50 Cent

30. Big L

Five nominations

Joshua: Big L is the freestyle hero. His album Lifestylez ov da Poor and Dangerous, while a masterpiece, cannot fully capture his ability and legacy. The greatest punchline technician in rap history, his ability to consistently throw haymakers in quick succession is unmatched in the pantheon of rap. One can easily make the argument that L was the most talented rapper to ever live and they wouldn’t be wrong. Anyone who has not taken a deep dive into this various freestyles and dusty bootlegged footage owes it to themselves to do so.

29. Redman

28. MF DOOM

27. Big Boi

26. Drake

25. Big Pun

24. Ludacris

23. Chuck D

22. Kool G. Rap

21. Kanye West

20. Lil Wayne

Six nominations

Justin: If speaking greatness into existence had face in Rap, Lil’ Wayne would be who you’d see. Declaring himself the “best rapper alive” before he actually was in 2005, Wayne fulfilled that prophesy by outworking and outperforming his peers from ‘05-‘12. Dropping classic albums and mixtapes alike, and inspiring a generation that exists today. If Jay-Z is Jordan to Drake’s Lebron, Wayne was certainly much like Kobe in his prime; consistent and unstoppable.

19. DMX

18. Jadakiss

17. Snoop Dogg

16. Ice Cube

15. Ghostface Killah

14. KRS-One

13. Big Daddy Kane

12. Black Thought

11. Scarface

10. LL Cool J

10 nominations

Brandon: James Todd Smith needs no introduction: He was the pioneer of pop rap and the original ladies’ man in hip-hop. LL Cool J made the term ‘GOAT’ famous in hip-hop, hence how he named his 2000 album. He achieved big success as a rapper outside of Run-DMC and Kurtis Blow, which helped get Def Jam off the ground with classic albums under his belt. His run in the mid-80s crowned him the new rap prince. Before artists like Drake, Cool J made songs that cater to ladies (“I Need Love”) while also crafting hard-hitting tracks that James gets busy on the microphone (“Mama Said Knock You Out”). Unfortunately, the younger audience knows him for acting chops and a show host, so give him his flowers while he’s still here to smell them over his 40-plus year career.

9. Ms. Lauryn Hill

12 nominations

Lindsay: Lauryn Hill is worthy of GOAT status because her music transcends time and generations. Even years later, despite complaints a lot of people still look forward to hearing from Ms. Lauryn Hill. Her lyrical ability is beyond measure which puts her in her own lane, especially being a woman!

8. Kendrick Lamar

12 nominations

George: Kendrick Lamar, or as I refer to him King Kendrick, deserves his Top 10 slot for so many reasons as he checks so many boxes. He is an elite lyricist. His lyrics are full of feeling and depth. His flow is distinct which makes him recognizable. His musical choices often attract non hip-hip heads, i.e., To Pimp a Butterfly, a classic fusion project that tied funk, jazz, soul and spoken word. He also came along at a time when mainstream hip hop was, for the most part, lacking lyrical depth. Many people have frowned at putting him on top list, saying he is too new. Not true – his first mixtape was released in 2008 and he is still growing 13 years later artistically, continuing to find mainstream success along the way (which is very hard to accomplish in this current era). The ability to maintain major mainstream relevance and success while still pushing artistic boundaries alone earns his spot.

7. Rakim

13 nominations

Derrick: Rakim is a GOAT primarily because of his wordplay and the man never cursed in his raps. It’s no secret that Rakim helped to pioneer the use of internal rhymes and multisyllabic rhymes. I think what did it for me though is the song “What’s On Your Mind.” It’s not Rakim at his best and is commercial but the way he tells the story about meeting a potential is just creative. The way he referenced Bill Cobsy and the Huxtables is still one of my favorites.

6. Eminem

14 nominations

Akhjan: Eminem is the best-selling hip-hop artist of all time and with actual substance behind it. When he’s not worried about mass appeal, his music is next-level in terms of complexity, vocabulary, rhyming phrases you never think to put together, etc. With respect of his peers and accolades such as his Grammy and Oscar wins you would be lying to yourself to not put him on your top list of 10 Greatest Rappers of all time.

5. Andre 3000

14 nominations

Victor: Andre 3000 bats around the English language like a soccer player juggling before a scrimmage. Like Tiger Woods in that one Nike ad toying with a golf ball. It sounds unfathomably dexterous and effortless at the same time. But instead of devolving into rappity-rap, as many gifted lyricists do when they run out of things to say, Andre uses introspection and self-doubt to bring an honest reassessment of the world to every new verse. “You only funky as your last cut,” he told us on Aquemini, and he still hasn’t misfired as an MC since.

4. 2pac

14 nominations

MikeNSam: I feel like 2pac is one of the greats because he reminds me of the ancient Greek poet Homer mixed with Langston Hughes. The man is a great storyteller and poet. He has that thing that speaks to many in and out of our culture. Hell, his art literally speaks to the literature nerd in me. Many have tried to duplicate his style and flow but have failed. I understand why but there can only be one. He has been gone for 25 years and his legacy is still studied to this day. I feel the same way about Nas but one of the differences is he’s still with us. Tupac’s legacy speaks volumes and he will forever and always be GOAT worthy.

3. Jay Z

15 nominations

Luke James: I’ve considered Jay-Z to be the GOAT for many years now and it mostly has to do with his longevity & versatility. Jiggaman has been in the game for 30+ years and it’s always been impressive to me how he can get on damn near any beat with anybody and not feel out of place. Throughout his career he’s given us club bangers, heartfelt tracks, top-tier verses & more. On top of all that, dropping a critically acclaimed project in 2017 (4:44) after decades of great music is a further testament to his greatness & impact.

2. Nas

15 nominations

Troy: Nasir Jones is the quintessential hip-hop lyricist. If Rakim set the bar for rappers in the 1980s, Nas reset it in the 1990s with his classic guest verse on Main Source’s “Live at the BBQ” and then with Illmatic, arguably, the greatest rap album of all time. The second half of his career — from Stillmatic on — has only cemented Nas’ legacy by giving him the kind of longevity that eludes 99% of emcees.

1. The Notorious B.I.G.

15 nominations

Jason: For the rest of my time on this earth, the only Christopher I acknowledge is Wallace. From rhyme schemes to breath control to flow and idioms, Biggie is the type of rapper we’d create in a lab. While dark and sometimes ornery when rapping, the Notorious One made images with his music and is the zenith of rap’s golden era. The greatest of all time died on March 9 but is forever seared into rap’s foundation.

Our top 50 is done but what about yours? Share yours below.