My Top 10 Rappers, and Why I Love Them

 


Hip hop (considered a genre by many, called "rap" by those who do not view it as a genre) is my all-time favourite genre of music. Rappers are leagues above most artists of other genres. Even in the genre itself, some are clearly superior to others. Many people will make lists of their top rappers, and I will do the same myself. Note that some of the rappers on the list can have their positions swapped (such as 2Pac being able to be swapped with Lil Wayne at times), and some Honorary Mentions can be swapped with some lower-ranking Top 10 rappers (such as Juice WRLD, MF DOOM, and XXXTENTACION being able to be swapped with Tech N9ne and Drake at times).

Honorary Mentions

This goes out to all rappers who I believe can come close to the Top 10 list, but cannot replace those already on it. In no particular order, I hold them to be MF DOOM, DMX, Juice WRLD, XXXTENTACION, 50 Cent, J. Cole, Denzel Curry, JAY-Z, King Von, Nas, DMX, Nicki Minaj, Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, Royce Da 5'9", JID, and many more.

10. Tech N9ne

Tech N9ne does not get the credit he deserves due to "rapping fast" and not being as mainstream as many other rappers. However, I still think in terms of technical skill, he is above many other rappers. I really think he executes this fast flow well, and has some really creative rhymes. He also is extremely creative in lyricism and can throw in references you need elite ball knowledge to understand. Additionally, I do like how he can easily blend rapping with genres such as rock, and how humorous he can get. He definitely deserves being called the most successful independent artist.

9. Drake


Lately, I have been growing an appreciation for Drake's music. For one, he is a master of flows, and is extremely loose with genres, creating a really unique sound, even if his voice can be monotone. This versatility makes his lyrical content interesting, ranging from melodic to serious. Plus, he absolutely kills it for features and choruses. Additionally, he is an underrated lyricist, even if he has faced ghostwriting allegations.

8. Tyler, The Creator

While Tyler, The Creator's lyricism usually is not as deep as other rappers I enjoy, it is very humorous, and can still be very skilled. Just like other good rappers, he can flow very well. Additionally, he is one of the rappers most versatile with genres, creating a very unique sound that changes with each album. Speaking of his albums, he is a master of doing concept albums, showcasing his skill in storytelling. Plus, I do adore how unique he tries to be from everyone else.

7. Travis Scott

Travis Scott has outstanding flows and cadences, whether melodic or trying to be more "hyped," and is actually capable of utilising Auto-Tune well in a way which does not make him sound weirdly robotic. His lyricism is highly skilled and incredibly underrated, although both fans and critics of Travis tend to only care for his "vibe." His sound is generally unique and easy to vibe with, and he can deliver a great feature. Travis is also the artist I personally enjoy listening to the most, alongside Eminem.

6. 2Pac


A master of lyricism and storytelling, 2Pac, alongside others, taught me that rap can have meaning and can touch upon serious societal topics in a non-corny way. His cadence was incredibly aggressive and melodic at the same time. Additionally, he remains extremely influential. I do think his managers could have handled his posthumous works and legacy better.

5. Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne's lyricism can be phenomenal, whether through rhyming, punchlines, or wordplay, often being quite humorous while rapping, with his lyricism reaching its peak. Despite his comedic lyrics, he can also have inspiring lyrics about life and its struggles. In addition to lyrics, he excels in flows and delivering features. He also has so many projects, with only a few really being "bad." One complaint I do have of Lil Wayne is how he always sounds like he just woke up.

4. Kanye West


Kanye West is, or at least used to be, an excellent rapper and producer. His conscience rapping is some of the best found in hip hop, covering a wide range of topics critiquing modern society and providing valuable life lessons. If "epicness" was manifested, it would take the form of West's various awe-inspiring albums, with him having one of the strongest discographies of any artist. I also think his lyricism can be both clever and funny, and his influence cannot be ignored. Aditionally, he possesses the skill of genre versatility, which I always adore.

3. The Notorious B.I.G.


In terms of cadence and flow, The Notorious B.I.G. was the greatest rapper in those areas. His loose, easy, cool voice made it easy for his lyrics, which were semi-autobiographical and demonstrated his superb storytelling, to flow along to any beat, and therefore helping the listener flow along to any song from him. His wordplay, punchlines, rhyming, and delivery were also always on point, and his influence puts him high. He may have been even higher if he did not tragically pass away, preventing more albums from being released to demonstrate his potential.

2. Kendrick Lamar


Kendrick Lamar is a master of crafting an album, able to conceptualise a concept perfectly. He also has deep, meaningful lyricism, delivered with outstanding storytelling. Lamar's raspy voice is incredible, although it can occasionally get annoying. Lamar can deliver some of the best features in music, and also act versatile with genres, delving into soul, funk, R&B, and jazz. His multisyllabic, internal rhyme schemes flow well and hardly come across roughly, enhanced by his cadence mastery. Unlike many rappers, Kendrick Lamar arguably has no bad or even mid albums. Overall, I think he represents everything good with rap post-2000s.

1. Eminem


Anyone who knows me will know how much I adore Eminem, and I honestly think he deserves all of the admiration. Different stages of his career show his mastery over different rapping skills, such as humour, subject matter, wordplay, delivery, flow, cadence, rhyming, storytelling, album conceptualisation, feature delivery (Em is well-known for smoking artists on their own tracks), enunciation, production, syncopation, relatability, replayability, freestyling, dissing, and influence (seriously, his influence across various genres of music is not appreciated enough; he even invented the word "stan"). Many agree that if one rapping skill was represented by Eminem, it would be rhyming, as he is capable of complex, multisyllabic, internal rhyme schemes bending words to fit a scheme perfectly which actually connect together perfectly (unlike the common perception of him "rhyming for no reason"). I do not like is how restrictive he is when it comes to the genres of music he can dabble in, although he can be fairly versatile with subgenres of hip hop, and some of his feuds like with Michael Jackson and Tyler, The Creator were unjustified.

Overall Conclusion

Although I have a certain preferences for rappers who debuted longer ago, I think of myself as being able to generally appreciate all types of rap, as seen by my love for rappers such as Tyler, The Creator and JID. Rap is definitely the best genre ever, and I may do other lists like these for non-rap musicians if I feel like it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Deconstructing the Giga

Image
Quite a while ago, the "Gigachad" meme has resurfaced on the mainstream internet. This meme from a few years ago was a celebration of hypermasculinity used for "liking things [the poster] like[d] and disliking things [the poster] dislike[d]" according to the Soyjak Wiki (which I do NOT fully endorse). Although it is being used for this again, it is being done so in even absurder ways. I shall attempt to deconstruct this meme; its relatively recent companion, a housefly known as "Gigafly" that Gigachad often rides as his personal mount; and how they reflect modern society. Gender Norms Gigachad originated from Ernest Khalimov, a Russian bodybuilder. What started as a somewhat digitally altered photo of the man appreciating his physique took off, in part due to how much it embedded stereotypical masculinity: Ernest has very toned muscles, is presumably quite tall, and has a moderately sized beard, a common symbol of manhood. Due to the assumption that men mu...
Read more

The "Islamic Dilemma" Is a Joke

Image
Relatively recently, I have seen Christian apologists claim the Holy Quran, the Word of God, "affirms" the Bible and claims it is preserved, which is a situation they call the "Islamic dilemma." I am writing this blog since my philosophy teacher for my current high school semester, who is a Catholic Christian, attempted to tell a classmate inquiring about the "Abrahamic faiths" about this so-called dilemma, with me having to correct her after class hours on this. The Claim The claim relies on a misunderstanding of Verse 48 of the fifth chapter of the Quran, Surat al-Ma'idah. The verse is the following: وَأَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِٱلْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًۭا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَمُهَيْمِنًا عَلَيْهِ ۖ فَٱحْكُم بَيْنَهُم بِمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ ۖ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَآءَهُمْ عَمَّا جَآءَكَ مِنَ ٱلْحَقِّ ۚ لِكُلٍّۢ جَعَلْنَا مِنكُمْ شِرْعَةًۭ وَمِنْهَاجًۭا ۚ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَجَعَلَكُمْ أُمَّةًۭ وَٰحِدَةًۭ وَلَـٰكِن لِّيَبْل...
Read more

Music Review: "Vanisher, Horizon Scraper" by Quadeca

Image
I wanted to start off a new "music review" series for my blog, so I asked my friend lafl!!!¢he! for an album to review. They told me to review Quadeca's fourth studio album,  Vanisher, Horizon Scraper , released on July 25, 2025. I have not listened to Quadeca before this, so my review will be unbiased. Cover Art The cover for this album is fairly simple. I do not think the cover is very noteworthy, although I do like the drawing techniques used for it. Overall Rating: 7/10 Track Listing NO QUESTIONS ASKED The first track on the album, NO QUESTIONS ASKED , has a beat using the acoustic guitar alongside some (layered) vocal sounds. Ambience is not exactly my style, but I will admit, this is above average. Overall Rating: 6/10 WAGING WAR WAGING WAR features Olēka. Again, another ambient, mostly instrumental track. I have to say, the instrumental on here was better for me and fit better. The vocals used were interesting, too. This is where I start seeing unique talent in Qu...
Read more