In hip-hop culture, GOAT status is highly coveted. Fans will go to lengths unseen to defend the honor of their favorite artists, whether in real life or on the internet. In such a competitive scene, the discussion of "top five dead or alive" remains a recurring one, and has been throughout recent history. Everybody has their own opinion, including the rappers we all respect and listen to.
So who's the greatest of all time? We've looked back on responses and opinions from some legends of the game, and gathered a diverse array of nominations. But the discussion doesn't end there. Leave your own favorite rappers in the comment section. Make your case, or simply discover something new.
Photo credit: Kristian Dowling / Getty Images
Eminem
Year: 2002 / 2013
Picks: (2002) Redman, Jay-Z, 2Pac, Biggie, Andre 3000, Jada, Kurupt, Nas, Himself / (2013) LL, Run DMC, Beastie Boys, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, Treach
In his 2002 hit, "Till I Collapse," Em famously rattles off his top rappers. Years later, he revisited the subject of his favorite rappers with Elite Daily, giving the shine on his formative influences:
“I don’t know if I can put an order on it. I would probably say all time… LL would have to be in there….There’s too many I wanna throw up in there. Run DMC, Beastie Boys, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, Treach…”
Jay-Z
Year: 2010
Picks: Big, 2Pac, Kool G Rap, KRS One, Eminem, Nas
"Big's ability to tell stories, to be humorous, to be dead serious...he just had it all."
Ice Cube
Year: 2013
Picks: Chuck D, KRS One, Ice T, Rakim, Himself
On Chuck D, Cube stated "His music was life changing. It wasn't just rapping, it was more than that."
Kendrick Lamar
Year: 2012
Picks: 2pac, Biggie, Jay-Z, Nas, Eminem
"The emotion (2Pac) put, and how much he related to the people. How much he connected, I think that's what music is about. Music supposed to move. Biggie, because his wit. Biggie's wit was incredible, his character, his personality and his flow, and most of all his confidence. Jay-Z - it's an incredible thing where you can actually listen to his music and feel like you're having a sit down with him, but he's connecting and rhyming these words in the craziest ways. Nas - the art of storytelling. Eminem just been a wordsmith - an amazing wordsmith."
50 Cent
Year: 2013
Picks: KRS One, Rakim, Biggie, 2pac, Nas
"KRS, cause of the aggression he came with The Bridge Is Over. Hip-Hop has always been competitive, so there's always been battling as part of the artform, and he came in with the kind of energy necessary to make a statement."
T.I.
Year: 2014
Picks: Eminem, Jay-Z, Andre 3000 & Lil Wayne
On Andre: "He in the top 3 or four. You cannot deny his contributions and his skillset. You got to acknowledge that."
Jadakiss
Year: 2015
Picks: Big, Jay-Z, Nas, Styles P, 2Pac
"It's really too hard to just put 5, if you're a real hip-hop head. Whenever you bring it up, every individual will have a different top 5."
Year: 2012
Picks: Kanye, Jay Z, Wayne, Common, Nas
"Ye killed on that Throne album."
Busta Rhymes
Year: 2015
Picks: Rakim, Nas, Biggie, Jay-Z, Eminem, Himself
J Cole
Year: 2014
Picks: Pac, Nas, Jay, Eminem, Andre 3000
"3 is not enough, somebody gon' be getting a disservice cause you got Nas, and Jay...To leave Eminem out, I wouldn't even be able to do a top 3. I can't leave people out, can't leave Andre 3000 out."
Royce Da 5'9"
Year: 2014
Picks: Eminem, Jay Z, Lil Wayne, Nas, Pusha T
Em Jay Wayne Nas and Push RT @DomChirico80: @Royceda59 top 5 rappers alive
Logic
Year: 2014
Picks: Himself, Drake, Kendrick, J Cole, Kanye
"I'm missing some, I love a lot of people."
Ab-Soul
Year: 2017
Picks: Jay Z, Nas, Em, Lupe Fiasco, Lil Wayne
"I gotta catch Jay-Z before he retire."
Rick Ross
Year: 2010
Picks: Ice Cube, Big Daddy Kane, Notorious Big, Jay Z, Weezy or Birdman (though we imagine he's since changed his mind)
Redman
Year: 2009
Picks: KRS One, Slick Rick, Notorious Big, Eminem
"Nobody fuck with [KRS & Slick Rick], I don't care who they are. You don't fuck with KRS One and Slick Rick."
King Los
Year: 2015
Picks: Canibus, Big Pun, Big L, Eminem, Nas, Yasiin Bey, Andre 300
"Eminem is the wordsmith. He's the guy who takes consonant clusters and compound syllable structure and he bends words. He's the word bender. Between [Andre & Mos], I can't pick. I think they the most vicious, humble, don't ever piss those dudes off. They have all knowledge, they the smarest, most intelligent guys, and the flyest."
Year: 2010
Picks: Big Pun, KRS One, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Dre/Snoop
"You can't just always say Big and Pac. You know they the greatest, they the best, but we tryin' to make it diverse."
Kool G Rap
Year: 2013
Picks: Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, KRS One, Nas, Jay Z, Big Pun, Eminem ("he's a lyrical beast"), Ice Cube, Scarface
Snoop Dogg
Year: 2013
Picks: Slick Rick, Ice Cube, KRS One, Snoop Dogg & Snoop Lion
Vince Staples
Year: 2017
Picks: Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg
"Right now? Kendrick, easy, not even close. If we go there it's obvious...Kanye, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg."
2 Chainz
Year: 2012
Picks: Scarface, Andre 3000, Nas, Biggie & Pac
"But I gotta say Hov too."
Kanye West
Year: 2013
Picks: Jay Z, Nas, Crucial Conflict, Psychodrama, Twista, Common
Danny Brown
Year: 2014
Picks: Himself, Kendrick Lamar, Earl, Lil B, Cheif Keef
"I think I'm the best rapper ever. I think I'm the George Carlin of rap...I'm the best rapper right now, there's only two or 3 rappers I can think of that can fuck with me. Kendrick is one, Earl Sweatshirt is one."
Discussion begins around the 1:08 mark.
Raekwon
Year: 2016
Picks (excluding Wu Tang): Rakim, Slick Rick, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, KRS One
"[KRS ONE'S] a real intelligent, philosophical brother that write crazy to me."
Joell Ortiz
Year: 2014
Picks: Nas, Pharoahe Monch, Crooked I
"Pharoahe Monch, one of the most underrated lyricist. THAT DUDE IS NICE...Pharoahe is an alien. I toured with him. Pharoahe is crazy, like clinically, but that dude's rhymes is crazy. Crooked I's a fuckin' alien."
Nas
Year: 2016
Picks (New Generation): J Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross
