Most Influential Hip Hop Artists
Eminem, born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, is an American rapper, actor and music producer born on October 17, 1972 in St. Joseph, Missouri. Eminem has sold over 300 million records making him the bestselling hip-hop artist of all time. In addition to his solo career, he is a member of D12 and (with Royce da 5'9") half of the hip-hop duo Bad Meets Evil.
Rolling Stone ranked him 83rd on its list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, calling him the King of Hip Hop. Including his work with D12 and Bad Meets Evil, Eminem has had ten number-one albums on the Billboard 200 and 5 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, and 13 worldwide. The real slim
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. They exposed Los Angeles police. That's definitely good enough reason for them to be #1
They Deserve To Be Number 1
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. RUN DMC and NWA Influenced everyone before Tupac. Tupac Influenced many during his lifetime and after his lifetime.
Why isn't he on top of this list? -.-
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.
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 gangsta rap group N.W.A. The group popularized explicit lyrics in hip hop to detail the violence of street life. During the early 1990s, Dre was credited as a key figure in the crafting and popularization of West Coast G-funk, a subgenre of hip hop characterized by a synthesizer foundation and slow, ...read more. Thanks to him we have Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar in this list.
Eric Lynn Wright better known by his stage name "Eazy-E", was an American rapper who performed solo and in the hip hop group N.W.A. He is affectionately called "The Godfather of Gangsta Rap". He was born to Richard and Kathie Wright in Compton, California. On March 26, 1995 Eazy-E dies from complications of AIDS, one month after his diagnosis, at the age of 30. Everyone on this list owes a lot of their success to his influence
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.
The Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group from New York City, originally composed of East Coast rappers RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, Ol' Dirty Bastard and Cappadonna.
Ye (born Kanye Omari West; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and fashion designer. He is regarded as one of the most influential, as well as controversial, artists of the 21st century. ...read more. Ye changes the game with each and every album. He's always done what he wants and has been ahead of the game since TCDO. He changed the hip-hop culture with fashion but mainly with his amazing albums. He's changed the game mor than anyone else.
(also, bellow queen latifah? really? )
He perfected the use of sampling and made it popular.
without 808's and Heartbreak the entire emo/sad rap genre wouldn't exist and autotune would not be as popular as it is today.
Created the wave of rappers wearing high fashion after Yeesuz.
Kanye should be higher on the list because Graduation completely changed the style hip hop
Kanye is the best, shout out to Kanye #Good Music
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.
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. ...read more. Rakim deserves to be first, he's considered the "God Emcee of Rap" by all the greats
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.
Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy (January 23, 1998 - June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, and often referred to as X, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and criminal.
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. Nas basically inspired every popular 2000's rapper. Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Bronson, Tech, Wayne, J Cole, hell even Jay Z admits to it.
Shocked to see Nas this low
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.
Public Enemy is an American hip hop group consisting of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, Khari Wynn, DJ Lord, and the S1W group.
The Beastie Boys were an American Rap/Rock group that was formed in 1981 by its three original members, Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz, and Adam "MCA" Yauch.
Nathaniel Thomas Wilson, better known by his stage name Kool G Rap is an American rapper from the Corona neighborhood of Queens, New York City. Your favourite rappers favourite rapper. Was on gangsta/Mafioso Rap before NWA, his God-like flow and lyrical style influenced the likes of Nas, Biggie, Jay Z, Big Pun and Raekwon etc. Very underrated MC. He along with the likes of Rakim, KRS One and Big Daddy Kane changed the way people rhymed and made it more complex and skilled.
Robert Matthew Van Winkle, known by his stage name, Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor and television host.
A Tribe Called Quest were an American hip-hop trio that was formed in 1985, and was composed of MC and producer Q-Tip, MC Phife Dawg and DJ and producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. From The Low End Theory (1991), Midnight Marauders (1993), to We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service (2016), nearly everything produced by the Tribe were instant classics. Their distinct blend of jazz, rock, and hip hop created a sound unrivaled by any other artist at the time, as well as their unparalleled beats, lyrics, and flow.
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, better known by his stage name Kid Cudi, is an American recording artist and actor from Cleveland, Ohio.