1. Eminem. Eminem introduced rap listeners to a unique style.
Juice WRLD was revered as one of the best and most creative cloud rap artists. Many sources have said the diminishing relevance of SoundCloud rap correlates directly with his death, insinuating that he was shouldering the subgenre alone—quite the feat.
1 Hits. Drake has tallied 11 No. 1 hits on the Hot 100 in his career, the most among rappers. Among all artists, though, he's tied with Whitney Houston for the seventh-most, after The Beatles (20), Mariah Carey (19), Rihanna (14), Michael Jackson (13), The Supremes and Madonna (12 each).
According to Guinness World Records, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" (1942) as performed by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies.
The Beatles, unsurprisingly, lead the way with a record 20 No. 1s, all earned between 1964 and 1970. The Fab Four also scored 34 top 10s (second only to Madonna's 38), hitting No.
With his dominant album sales, YouTube views and social-media scores, Eminem takes the title as the current King of Hip-Hop.
#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.
DJ Kool Herc is widely credited with kicking off the genre. His back-to-school parties in the 1970s were the incubator of his burgeoning idea, where he used his two record turntables to create loops, playing the same beat over again, and extending the instrumental portion of a song.
Led by the singles "Robbery" and "Hear Me Calling", it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 165,000 album-equivalent units.
What he brought to hip hop was a level of rawness and a poetic drive in the way he delivered his words. He had a level of self-empowerment that made people want to listen to what he had to say. Even today, you could fly anywhere and surely there'd be someone who knows of Tupac.
Lamont Coleman (May 30, 1974 – February 15, 1999), known professionally as Big L, was an American rapper. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most lyrical rappers of all time, and is known for helping to pioneer horrorcore.
Schoolly D and Ice-T. Philadelphia rapper Schoolly D is generally considered the first "gangsta rapper", significantly influencing the more popular early gangsta rap originator, Ice-T. Ice-T was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1958.
2021's Hottest Rapper Alive: Drake.
99 Percent is an American hip hop duo from the Bay Area that consists of Cameron "Camo" Schauer and Johnnie "JayB" Jacob Jr. The duo gained their initial notoriety by from their 2013 single "Yike in It". In 2014, they released "iTwerk (She Twerk)".
Of course, Dr Dre and MC Ren can be regarded as originators of the genre, but it was their counterparts, Ice Cube and Eazy-E, that really drove the point of gangsta rap home. Eazy-E is, without a doubt, the most notorious gangsta rapper of all.
Born Kurtis Walker in 1959, Blow, who turns 60 on Aug. 9, was the first rapper to sign with a major label and the first to become a mainstream star. Signing with Mercury Records in 1979, Blow was managed by an up-and-coming Russell Simmons and had instrumentalists Orange Krush playing on his tracks.
Due to Eminem's race and lack of lyrical ability, he was never afraid of failure; therefore, he worked tirelessly to perfect his lengthy rhyming skills. He drew inspiration from his hardships to write some of the most acclaimed songs of all time, which many consider masterpieces.
Cher's career as a recording artist spans seven decades and she is the only artist to have a number-one single on a Billboard chart in each of the past six decades.
The Beatles
Comprised of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, The Beatles are globally recognized and are credited with inspiring many famous musicians to pursue music. The most influential band of all time, The Beatles are creative and innovative, and a deserving band at the top of this list.