Jay-Z and Nicki Minaj have been ranked by Billboard as the best male and female rappers of all time. The publication released its 'Top 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time' on Wednesday, in honour of hip-hop's 50th anniversary.
' Cardi B is the only female rapper to win a Grammy Award for 'Best Rap Album As A Solo Artist' and just the second woman in the genre to be nominated for the category. She also holds the record for most songs to surpass one billion streams on Spotify.
Nicki Minaj is the first female hip-hop/pop star, giving her the “Queen of Rap” Pinkprint/Queen (2010).
Nicki's been around longer than Cardi, which naturally explains her larger audience. While miss B's 33.5 million is impressive, miss Minaj crushes it with almost triple the followers.
When it comes to female rappers, Nicki Minaj is recognized as the best of the best. The “Super Bass” artist has officially been ranked as the best female rapper of all time by Billboard.
With almost 20 million copies sold worldwide, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is one of the best-selling albums of all time, and the best-selling album by a female rapper. In 2021, the RIAA certified the album Diamond, making Hill the first female rapper to achieve this milestone.
Referred to as the "Queen of Rap", Minaj is one of the best-selling music artists, with more than 100 million records sold worldwide. Billboard ranked her as the top selling female rapper of the 2010s and the greatest female rapper of all time.
Queen MC Nicki Minaj continues to reign, as she's just surpassed her Young Money brethren Drake's chart record.
Rapper Jay-Z whose real name is Shawn Corey Carter was ranked the number one best male rapper, while Onika Tanya Maraj, professionally known as Nicki Minaj was ranked number 10, peaking at the top 10 list, making her the greatest female rapper of all time.
Sharon Green (born 1962), also known as MC Sha-Rock, is considered the "first female rapper" or emcee. Born in Wilmington, North Carolina, she grew up in the South Bronx, New York City during the earliest years of hip hop culture.
Lee Ok-joo (born December 6, 1985), better known by her stage name Tymee (formerly known as E. via and Napper), is a South Korean rapper, songwriter, and pianist. She is currently represented by Outsider's label ASSA Communication and is known for being Korea's fastest female rapper.
According to Chart Data, Minaj has extended “her record as the rapper with the most #1 songs in US iTunes history.” She currently has 37 No. 1 songs. Minaj has had a pretty successful 2023.
Billboard: Nicki Minaj Breaks Tie with Drake To Become Rapper with Most #1 Digital Hits. Barely a month after Nicki Minaj made headlines for tying the all-time record for most #1 digital hits (thanks to her out-of-the-box smash 'Red Ruby Da Sleeze'), the Rap Queen has become the title's sole owner. Details inside.
#1 Jay-Z. Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, is an American rapper who hails from NYC—a fact he raps about consistently over the course of his nearly three-decade career. He quickly rose to fame in the mid-1990s when he released his debut studio album, Reasonable Doubt, from his own record label Roc-A-Fella Records.
Cardi B single-handily has the most certified digital single units for any woman rapper in history, reports AllHipHop.
Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)" topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998, while other women have come close.
Lauryn Hill is the most awarded female rapper, with eight Grammy Awards.
Nicki Minaj! She's the Queen of Rap, she revives female rap.
Madonna is believed to have sold the most records among any female music artists in history, with 300 million records sold worldwide.
As of 2023, that privilege belongs to Ashley Graham, the model who is known as the 'Queen of Curves'. Ashley, who has 20 million followers on Instagram, is a world-renowned model, TV host and activist.