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The Student News Website of Susquehannock High School,   Glen Rock, Pennsylvania.

SHS Courier

The Student News Website of Susquehannock High School,   Glen Rock, Pennsylvania.

SHS Courier

The top 5 greatest rappers

  Plenty of hip-hop enthusiasts have their own opinion regarding who are the top five greatest ever. Nas, Tupac, Biggie, Jay-Z, and Eminem are popular among many when asked, but some question if these really are the best to ever perform.

  Kanye West is ranked number five on our list. Kanye’s capability to keep coming out with solid albums and to keep selling records makes him unique in the hip-hop industry. Many rappers struggle at one point in their career and see a dip in album sales. Kanye has shown that he can keep coming out with great albums over and over again over the last ten years.

Kanye West performing at Lollapalooza Santiago.
Kanye West performing at Lollapalooza Santiago.

 Rapper the Game is at number four. Game is an underrated rapper out of Compton, California. Game released his first album, The Documentary, in 2005 with limited success. After releasing LAX in 2008, Game began to make a name for himself in the hip-hop market. His content and lyrics are better than most.

The game performing in April 2011.  Eva Rinaldi [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The game performs  April 2011.
Eva Rinaldi [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

  Number three in our top five belongs to the Notorious BIG. Biggie released only one album before his death in 1997, but he is still considered one of the greatest to ever do it. With hits such as “Juicy” and “Big Poppa,” “Biggie Smalls” saw quite a bit of success on the hip-hop scene.

Biggie Smalls posing for a photo. By Bad Boy Records (http://imgarcade.com/1/biggie-smalls-coogi/) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Biggie Smalls poses for a photo.
By Bad Boy Records (http://imgarcade.com/1/biggie-smalls-coogi/) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

  Jay-Z is a very close second in the top five greatest of all time. Jay-Z’s lyrics and content are beat by few to none. His use of similes within his rhymes put him near the top. With over 17 albums released, Jay-Z has been putting up hits since the late 90’s. Many of Jay-Z’s songs are popular with not only teenagers, but also the older generation. Jay-Z’s massive audience helps him to achieve number two on our list.

Jay-Z performing in concert. By i am guilty (JAY-Z, original resolution) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Jay-Z performs in concert. By i am guilty (JAY-Z, original resolution) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
  Above all, sitting at the top, is Nas. Nas changed the rap game in 1994 with his masterpiece “Illmatic,” his first album. Illmatic is considered one of the greatest records ever made with every track being close to flawless. He has nine albums that have peaked at number one, second only to Jay-Z. Nas is considered the greatest lyricist to ever do it.

Nas back stage in concert. By kokuziu (Nas the Pimp, original resolution) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Nas celebrates back stage in concert. By kokuziu (Nas the Pimp, original resolution) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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The top 5 greatest rappers