Rap has perhaps seen more legends emerge than any other genre, making it a dilemma to rate the 10 best rappers of all time. While the genre is sometimes maligned and underappreciated, you cannot help but acknowledge the effort that goes into making a successful rap career. Rap songs can be extremely diverse and easily adaptable, as evidenced in the 10 best rap remixes of popular songs, and is often known as the genre with the longest songs in terms of word used. Hence, it is no surprise that Eminem’s ‘Rap God’ is the song with the most words used, with an astounding 1,560 words used in the 6 minute song.
The criteria for judging a rapper can often vary; after all, there is no fixed formula. However, we have decided to use Topnews in order to rank the artists according to their earnings, as earnings are directly proportional to the success of a rapper. Furthermore, we have also used Wikipedia in order to rank the artists according to the number of albums sold, as the albums sold indicate positive critical reaction to songs from the audience. We have combined the aforementioned criteria to rank the 10 best rappers of all time, which are as follows:
10. Master P
Total earnings: $350 million – Ranking based on earnings: 9
Total albums sold: 9 million – Ranking based on total albums sold: 10
The average ranking: 9.5
One of the few rappers to be held in high esteem by other professional rappers, Master P combined his rapping and entrepreneurial skills to create a vast fortune, while also cementing a legacy.
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9. Ice Cube
Total earnings: $140 million – Ranking based on earnings: 8
Total albums sold: 10 million – Ranking based on total albums sold: 9
The average ranking: 8.5
Often called one of the greatest MCs of all time, Ice Cube is considered to be a pioneer of gangsta rap, which brought him great fame. He has since successfully starred in movies in addition to his extremely successful rap career.
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8. Lil Wayne
Total earnings: $135 million – Ranking based on earnings: 10
Total albums sold: 15 million – Ranking based on total albums sold: 6
The average ranking: 8
Lil Wayne has always been a prodigy, becoming the youngest member of Cash Money Records at the age of 9. While he has now claimed that he will no longer release albums in order to focus on his personal life, he has enjoyed a stellar career, with positive reception from the public as well as the critics.
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7. 50 Cent
Total earnings: $270 million – Ranking based on earnings: 9
Total albums sold: 16.8 million – Ranking based on total albums sold: 5
The average ranking: 7
Discovered by Eminem back in 2002, 50 Cent repaid the interest be becoming one of the richest and most successful rappers of all time. He managed to accomplish all this despite being shot 9 times from close range in 2000.
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6. Snoop Dogg
Total earnings: $135 million – Ranking based on earnings: 9
Total albums sold: 21 million – Ranking based on total albums sold: 4
The average ranking: 6.5
Discovered by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg made a dream debut with his first album topping the Billboard 200 chart. He has never looked back since, achieving unparalleled success, which has culminated in him releasing 13 solo studio albums.
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5. Tupac Shakur
Total earnings: $40 million – Ranking based on earnings: 10
Total albums sold: 41.5 million – Ranking based on total albums sold: 2
The average ranking: 6
Tupac’s legacy can be seen by the fact that he is the only rapper to make this list posthumously. Due to his untimely death in 1996, his earnings are much lower than other rappers. However, in the short time that he had, Tupac managed to sell over 40 million albums and is still regarded by many as the greatest rapper ever.
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4. P. Diddy
Total earnings: $700 million – Ranking based on earnings: 3
Total albums sold: 11 million – Ranking based on total albums sold: 8
The average ranking: 5.5
With nearly a quarter billion dollars to his name, Diddy has certainly made the most of his unique talent, managing to bag 3 Grammy Awards as well.
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3. Dr. Dre
Total earnings: $750 million – Ranking based on earnings: 1
Total albums sold: 15 million – Ranking based on total albums sold: 7
The average ranking: 4
Dr. Dre has managed to change the face of the industry, and in addition to his albums, is also credited with the discoveries of legends such as Eminem.
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2. Jay-Z
Total earnings: $550 million – Ranking based on earnings: 4
Total albums sold: 24 million – Ranking based on total albums sold: 3
The average ranking: 3.5
One half of perhaps the most powerful couple in the world, Jay-Z’s contribution to rap cannot be understated, with 21 Grammys under his belt to prove his point.
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1. Eminem
Total earnings: $210 million – Ranking based on earnings: 3
Total albums sold: 45 million – Ranking based on total albums sold: 1
The average ranking: 2
One of the world’s greatest rappers, Eminem has managed to become one of the highest selling artists in history as well, while managing to pick up an astounding 15 Grammy awards while being nominated over 40 times. Probably no one is surprised to see him tops this list of 10 Best Rappers of all time!
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