Takeover Magazine 1st issue april 15th 2016 | Page 16

Greatest Rappers of All Time
Diehard fans, music nerds and critics love lists. But in rap, rankings like this take
on a special level of import: aside from moving a crowd (shouts to Rakim), MC means
proving you’re the best. In no other genre do artists so blatantly express their desire
to outdo competition. That made Billboard's editorial list a more high-stakes
undertaking than usual. Many favorites -- Kane, Drake, KRS -- didn’t make it, and
each of those omissions hurts deep down. Note: we’re ranking these folks as MCs,
not artists. That’s why Dr. Dre and Kanye West, for example, two legendary
producer-rappers who don’t match the mic skills of those listed here, were left out.
Even Tupac, perhaps the most influential rapper ever globally, is arguably known
more for great songwriting than dominant bars.

10. Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne’s commercial success speaks for itself -- just ask Elvis, whom Weezy
surpassed three years ago as the artist with the most Billboard Hot 100 hits of
all time. But leaving that aside, his dizzying run of mixtapes, albums and guest
spots from around 2004 to 2009 is arguably the most prolific example of quality
meets quantity hip-hop has ever seen. No MC has ever rapped that well, on that
many songs, for that long of a time period.
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