Best Hip-Hop Artists of the 20th Century

The Top Ten
1 Tupac Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known as 2Pac, was an American rapper and actor born on June 16, 1971 in East Harlem, New York. Tupac sold over 75 million records worldwide and has been referred to in multiple major publications such as Rolling Stone as one of the greatest music artists of all time. 2Pac was assassinated on September 1996 at the age of 25... read more
2 The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace, born May 21, 1972, better known by his stage name The Notorious B.I.G (sometimes Biggie Smalls or just simply Biggie), is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. On March 9, 1997, he was murdered in a drive by shooting in Los Angeles, California at the age of only 24. To this day it’s unknown who murdered him... read more
3 N.W.A. N.W.A was an American hip hop group from Compton, CA. They were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and are widely considered one of the seminal groups in the history of hip hop music.
4 Nas Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, better known by his stage name Nas, is an American rapper and entrepreneur born on September 14, 1973 in New York City. His album, Illmatic, is considered to be one of the best rap albums of all time. He is also considered to be one of the best rappers of all time.
5 Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter, known by his stage name JAY-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur and investor born on December 4, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for his albums Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and The Black Album. He is considered to be one of the best rappers of all time.
6 LL Cool J James Todd Smith, known professionally as LL Cool J, Is an American rapper, actor, author and entrepreneur from Queens, New York.
7 Rakim William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim Allah (or simply Rakim), is an American rapper and record producer. One half of golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs of all time.

Rakim is considered a transformational figure in hip hop for raising the bar for MC technique higher... read more
8 Eric B & Rakim
9 Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American hip hop group consisting of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, Khari Wynn, DJ Lord, and the S1W group.
10 DMX Earl Simmons, known professionally as DMX and Dark Man X, was an American rapper and actor. He was born on December 18, 1970. He passed away on April 9th, 2021 after suffering a heart attack.
The Contenders
11 Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and was the president of Death Row Records. Dr. Dre began his career as a member of the World Class Wreckin' Cru in 1985 and later found fame with the... read more
12 Salt-N-Pepa Salt-N-Pepa is an American hip hop trio from Queens, New York. The group, consisting of Cheryl James, Sandra Denton and originally Latoya Hanson, who was replaced by Deidra Roper, was formed in 1985 and was one of the first all-female rap groups.
13 Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens, known professionally by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, model, television producer, record producer, comedian, and talk show host.
14 Snoop Dogg Cordozar Calvin Broadus, Jr., (born October 20, 1971) known professionally as Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and television personality from Long Beach, California.
15 Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. is an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He was discovered by Brian "Baby" "Birdman" Williams at a very young age, and was signed to Cash Money Records, where he would be one quarter of the rap group Hot Boys. In the years to follow, he would go on to find his own label, Young Money, where he would sign popular artists such as Drake, Nicki Minaj and Tyga, and he... read more
16 Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American singer, rapper and songwriter. She is known for being a member of Fugees and for her solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which won many awards and broke several sales records.
17 Run-D.M.C. Run-DMC was an American pioneering hip hop group consisting of Run, DMC, and Jam Master Jay. They were formed in 1981 and disbanded in 2002 after Jam Master Jay was murdered.
18 The Sugarhill Gang
19 Grandmaster Flash Joseph Saddler, better known as Grandmaster Flash, is a Bajan-American hip hop recording artist and DJ.
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