It’s a bold statement and you know how those ruffle some feathers. Jay-Z has just been named the No. 1 rapper of all time by Billboard and VIBE.
Celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop continue. Billboard teamed up with VIBE to honor the culture by listing the Top 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, a list that they began revealing last month. They ran through the 50-11 rankings which included Queen Latifah, Dr. Dre, Future, Lil’Kim, Lauryn Hill, J. Cole, Andre 3000, Drake, and others. The publications made us wait to release their top 5 (I would have done the same thing) and the reveal got the conversations going.
The final five included Eminem, Tupac, Nas, Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z.
My opinion: Justified
Facts are facts. Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter has not only had a career decorated with all sorts of accolades, he continues to put in work. Billboard pulled the receipts:
“Hov has 14 Billboard 200 No. 1 albums (the most amongst solo acts), and over 140 million records sold. [Jay] has succeeded in every era, spitting regal-scented rhymes that speak to the struggle, and to the opulence that follows an intensely self-made greatness.” They continue, “maybe there are other rappers who could claim to match Jay at his peak. But there are simply none who can match his entire career — his longevity, the breadth of his accomplishments, and what he’s meant to hip-hop from a musical, cultural and financial standpoint for the last three decades.”
I agree. To be able to speak to multiple generations with the same tongue is not just a talent, but a gift. The list was full of lives that were cut short and unfortunately, we don’t know their full potential. But when we take a look at all that Jay-Z has done and continues to do for the culture, he is the greatest of all time.
Not everyone agrees.
What’d you expect? It’s 2023 and we literally make money off of having opinions now (I love it here, honestly). People were upset at the entire list.
What say you?
Is Jay-Z the greatest rapper of all time? Let me know on Twitter and Facebook, @BjamesLive. I think you can actually reply here as well but be nice. There are people watching! Ciao.
