Not too long ago in the year 40,000 BC, the playing of bone flutes began, and since then music has taken off in many shapes and forms. In 2022, we have had the privilege of hearing an abundance of exceptional tracks. However, most specifically in the last 20 to25 years have we seen the use of technology in music, specifically in rap. That said, who really is the greatest Hip-Hop artist in the last twenty years?

Due to the vast amount of rappers, I think it is important to first narrow it down to an average top fifteen list. To create this list I will dive deep into many opinions on the genre and create an accurate top fifteen lists in no order. Then I will pick the top rappers in each of those categories and speak on why they belong there.

The List: 2Pac, Notorious BIG, Eminem, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Lil Wayne, Drake, Jay-Z, J.Cole, André 3000, Nas, Future, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg. 

Within rap, there are many important subgroups that contribute to who really is the best. To find the best I will break it up by looking at all contributing factors: impact, production, lyrics, voice, delivery, discography, etc.

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The Impact:  To be the greatest rapper of all time, the impact is key. Whether it be through politics, religion, life, inspiration, influencing new sounds, etc, the impact is crucial.

Kendrick Lamar – When looking at impact we have to look at Kendrick Lamar, with 1 of the biggest albums of the last two decades Lamar influenced hundreds of thousands around the world to change the world and problems within the world.

Kanye West – Since producing multiple albums for 21-time Grammy artist Jay-Z, West has impacted every corner of the rap game. Since born West never went into the ´gangster rap´ and instead took his own route. Many doubted him and wouldn’t support him for these reasons. Not long after his debut release The College Dropout did many change their minds. Since this, West has inspired many new sounds with hundreds of his own songs and others songs he’s produced over the past two decades. Along with that, West like Lamar and 2Pac has touched heavily on politics as well as religion throughout his career.  All this said there is no doubting West’s impact on music. 

2Pac-Since releasing his debut album 2Pacalypse Now in 1991 2Pac impacted millions. Before 2Pac and a few others in the early 1990s, nobody had experienced the sounds of Hip-Hop on a grand level. Along with that, like Lamar, 2Pac has had a grand influence on many other topics within politics, lives, world issues, etc.

Eminem – Coming up out of Detriot, Eminem was always the ‘longshot’ and many doubted his chances of success. However, even now at the age of forty-nine, Eminem pulls in over 50 million streams on Spotify. Through songs including ‘Mockingbird’, and ‘When I’m Gone’, we see Eminem at his most challenging points struggling with being a good dad and rapper. For many dads now who grew up listening to Marshall Mathers (Eminem) these songs still impact them.

Lil Wayne-When looking at impact, debatably no rapper has come close to touching the influence on modern rap like Lil Wayne. From the start, Wayne changed rap sound through his own music, as well as his help to launch rap stars Nicki Minaj, and Drake. 

Others: While these are just a few of the most impactful rappers, there are many other impactful rappers, from Dr.Dre as one of the greatest producers ever, and 50 Cent pushing hardcore ‘gangster rap’, to Future’s impact on the trap.

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Lyrics, Delivery, and Voice: To be one of the greats and have an impact you must have lyrics that send a message, and if lyrics aren’t a specialty then your voice must be one enjoyed by many fans.  

J. Cole – When it comes to lyrics you can’t breathe the word without mentioning the 2010s phenomenon Jermaine Cole ( J.Cole) ever since dropping his debut album Cole World: The Sideline Story, Cole has spoken on many issues within the world, including challenges growing up with a single parent, poverty, being doubted, etc.

Kendrick Lamar – When it comes to lyrics very few near Lamar. When it comes to voice possibly nobody touches Lamar. The minute you press play on any Kendrick Lamar track the unique voice hits so perfect and you are left speechless questioning how it works so well, then to look at Lamar’s flow and lyrics is even wilder. Overall there are very few near the talent of Kendrick Lamar.

Snoop Dogg – With the start of rap also came  Snoop Dogg. Nothing matches the iconic sound of Snoop Dogg flowing on a track, then to match that with some great classic lyrics makes for an awesome career.

Lil Wayne – Listening to Lil Wayne may question you if his voice is autotuned or natural. Wild enough his voice is 100% natural, t

o look at voices and include Lil Wayne is a no-brainer!

Kanye West – With a smooth Chicago flow and meaningful lyrics on religion, as well as his mom, and struggles with fame, West has proven to know how to make every song he makes a classic.

Jay-Z– Jay-Z has always delivered great lyrics but along with that kept a great New York flow th

at has possibly never been matched.

Notorious BIG – Biggie has his name for a reason, and that reason is what

gave him one of the greatest voices in rap history, the iconic deep New York voice, paired with iconic, sometimes comical lyrics made for one of the all-time greats.

Nas– For Nas his biggest problem was always poor beats, but even with that, he made incredible music through great lyrics and delivery. Even now at 50 Nas has been great and was in the grammy running this year for album of the year.

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Discography: Many artists have one great song, but to be one of the greats you must have a plethora of hits, meaning not always a lot of music, but a lot of quality music.

Kanye West – Since 2004 West has dropped 11 individual albums and two duo albums, one with rapper Kid Cudi and the other with legend Jay-Z. Up until this year, there is a high percentage who would agree Kanye has not dropped a single bad project. However with the unofficial, incomplete, drop of Donda 2, many would say the project ‘flopped.’ But, the trend of Donda 2 is one West has replicated multiple times on other projects, whether it be delaying releases, changing stuff after the release, etc. All this said, Kanye may widely be considered to have the best discography of all time with so many quality projects, and so little margin of error, with every project sounding completely different than the last.

Kendrick Lamar – Since 2010 with his debut album Section. 80 Lamar has dropped zero bad projects. But, this has come at a cost. While dropping since 2010, Lamar has only dropped a total of six albums. That said, the wound of missing Lamar’s music was patched this year on May 13th with the release of Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers. This album marked Kendricks’s sixth album and the first in five years. For many seeing this data would take Kendrick Lamar out of the race for discography, but, with high quality on every project, it’s impossible to not mention Lamar under discography.

Lil Wayne – Since 1999 Wayne has dropped 13 albums, and two collaborative albums. Within that, he dropped five albums under the name ‘Tha Carter.’ During this, we got to witness five great projects. As with the way Wayne influenced music today, he did it heavily through his albums, to go through discography and not mention Wayne would be impossible.

Eminem -Since Dr. Dre discovered Eminem in 1998 and signed him, Eminem has been one of the most powerful artists. There is very little doubt about Eminem’s greatness through the 2000s, however into the 2010s the inconsistency has been noticeable. Due to age, the young, reckless, high-pitched Eminem is gone and for many, he will never be the same. However, Eminem has had multiple great projects in the 2010s. Starting with Recovery in 2010 we saw many great songs, from ‘Love the Way you Lie’ to ‘Not Afraid.’ Then following that with Marshall Mathers LP 2 in 2013 featuring mega-hit song Rap god. Then finally with Kamikaze in 2018 where Eminem definitely shut down critics and proved he still had something left in the tank.

Jay-Z – Since his start, ‘Hova’ has dropped thirteen solo albums and four collaborative albums, one of which was with Kanye West. On each project, Jay-Z has delivered quality and natural talent. Priding himself on using no autotune, he has always managed to stay fresh and legendary without all the audio tools some use.

J.Cole – From the jump, J.Cole made his statement on rap. With his debut album ‘Cole World: The Sideline Story’ then followed by Born Sinner and mega-hit album 2014 Forrest Hills Drive. Throughout Cole’s career, we have never seen bad quality or a bad album. Even last year in 2021 J.Cole dropped The Off-Season which many would claim to be his best album. With great lyrics and production, flow, etc, Cole has stayed fresh for the last twelve years and made his mark with a great discography.

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Production: In the past guitars, pianos, drums, etc, were the limits to instruments. However, with the addition of technology has come new abilities and expanded sounds and instruments.

Kanye West– In the early days of rap, it was simply a boom-bap beat with rapping layered on top. However, with the early 2000s came the consensus top producer of all time in Kanye West. From the first album ‘Ye’ ever dropped in ‘The College Dropout’ to his most recent in Donda 2, Kanye has reinvented himself every time. With new production, from old school summer-time high pitched styles on his first two projects, to the auto-tuned sad vibe on ‘808s and Heartbreaks’ to the dark evil feel on albums ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ and ‘Yeezus’. West has always stayed fresh and great, showing his versatility as a producer. Also for bonus points, Jay-Z whom many consider the greatest didn’t create his own beats. Along with others, a young Kanye West fueled the flame under Jay-Z to make him one of the greats.

Dr. Dre– If one man is too near West as the greatest producer it would be Dr. Dre. Before the 2000s Dr.Dre owned Rap. In 1999 Dr. Dre dropped the masterpiece ‘2001’ which featured artists Snoop

Dogg’ ‘Xzibit’ ‘Eminem’, etc. This album solidified Dr.Dre as an all time great producer and his greatness. Even with very few additional releases, this album and its incredible production made Dr.Dre at the top.

Others: With West and Dr. Dre being such great producers, nobody really nears their level. However, there are some other great producers, including, Kendrick Lamar who has had great beats on all his songs and made him a staple in the game. Then there is J. Cole who has always had simplicity as a key on his songs and let his vocals shine, but his great production level has allowed for this.

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Conclusion:

With so many great rappers picking one is near impossible. Having a legend from 1995 and then having one from 2015 is so hard to compare with 20 years of separation. However, through looking at all categories, and levels in each, I vote Kanye West the ‘GOAT’ of rap music.  I find West to have the best production and beat-making of any rapper ever. Then with lyrics near the top and a unique voice, West has hit after hit over the last two decades. West also has had a great look at celebrity life and has exposed the people to all aspects of celebrity life. From the highs and lows and all corners in between, West has been an example of all of it. While I find West to be the GOAT it would be disrespectful not to mention others.

Honorable Mentions:

Eminem -With two decades of hits great storytelling and inspiration, Eminem is definitely an all time great.

Kendrick Lamar – With debatably the greatest flow ever, great lyrics, and meaningful lyrics as just some of the many highlights, Lamar is a legend and always will be.

2Pac – As part of the generation that launched rap, Pac is a legend and will always be missed but never forgotten.

Jay-Z – From the late 90s to the mid-2000s Jay-Z owned the rap game and was unstoppable, for me Jay-Z is the third greatest of all time, and the thing holding him back is the inability to create his own beats.