Top 50 Greatest Rappers Of All Time (Part II)

This week we are here with part 2 of the Top 50 Greatest Rappers Of All Time.

On this edition, we’re ranking the artist from #40-#31. Part I caused a lot of commotion and serious debates; we still stand by our decision that Will Smith should be on the list!

We can’t wait to hear your opinion on Part II, so let’s get this list going!

#40. Bun B

King of the trill and also one of the dopest. If you have been reading The Rap Hotline on Black Press at UH, then you will know that Bun B was our first artist that we interviewed. When the South was still making its way in the rap scene in the early 90s, two boys from Port Arthur, Texas, Bun B and the late Pimp C, got together to form one of the greatest duos in rap history, UGK which is an abbreviation for Underground Kingz. When you listen to Bun B verse on “Murder”, “Hi Life”, and “Underground,” you get that first person point of view of what it is like being trill with his deep and southern hospitality attitude on the microphone. While Pimp C had to go to prison and unfortunately passed away shortly after being released, Bun B made sure to keep the UGK brand strong. He displayed his makings as a solo artist which gained him even more respect with projects like “Trill” and “II Trill.” He is viewed as one of the pioneers of the dirty south and has always shown great support to rising artists like Drake and Megan Thee Stallion.

#39. Rick Ross

The biggest boss of rap comes from the great state of Florida. Dropping one of the hottest anthems of Summer 2006 with “Hustlin” and then dropping a great debut album with “Port of Miami,” a lot of people saw the potential in Ross on becoming not only the best out of Florida, but one of the best in the rap game. Ross never looked back. With his mafia boss voice tone over some of the most relaxing and soulful beats you’ll ever hear, Ross made a way to develop as a great artist on every project, song, and even features he was on. He launched the unstoppable label called Maybach Music Group which helped launch the career of rappers like Wale and Meek Mill. His unforgettable adlibs alone can be the best part of any song he’s on.

#38. Rev Run

Whose house? Run’s house! You have DMC majestic’s voice and the late DJ Jam Master Jay incredible mixing on the turntable, but Rev Run was the superstar of the group. His impacting voice and his incredible effort with flowing on the beat was why he made it on the list. The Adidas swag that Run and his crew always displayed was a trailblazer. Safe to say that they created the first official shoes of hip-hop. He led the group to groundbreaking heights and elevated the genre of hip-hop into mainstream. For example, the first hip-hop group to go gold in 1984 with “King of Rock,” first group to reach multi platinum status, and first hip-hop group to be on MTV.

#37. Ice-T

You might see him on your favorite crime drama show or your granny’s favorite crime drama show today, but dating back to the late 80s, Ice-T was one of the founders of “Gangster Rap.” His gritty and menacing voice about how he was as a hustler and gangster helped put West Coast on the map alongside NWA. He gave his own street testimonies with songs like “6’ N The Mornin,” “Colors,” and “Cop Killer.” He wasn’t afraid to face the backlash of the music he was putting out like “Cop Killer”, the song that almost ruined his music career because of how he was expressing his views on the police during the Rodney King riots. After he took a break from rapping, he turned into a solid actor featuring his performances on shows and movies like New Jack City and Law and Order: SUV.

#36. Ludacris

Atlanta’s first hip hop superstar of the 2000s. This “Southern Hospitality” rapper was on every airwave making anthems for the dirty south. From his playful rhymes that will go over your head the first time to his witty punchlines, listeners were giving Luda the respect he deserves. Besides Wayne and Jay-Z, Ludacris also had some of the best guest feature verses. For example, him going toe to toe with Jadakiss and Nas on the remix of “I Made You Look.” Whenever you talk about great rappers from the dirty south, you can’t forget Ludacris.

#35.Pimp C

Mr. Sweet Jones himself. The impact he had on a lot of southern rappers that we enjoy today can’t go unnoticed. Alongside with Bun B, Pimp C was a member of UGK. If the rap game had a good cop/bad cop persona, Bun B would be the good cop, while Pimp C would be the bad cop. Pimp C used to tell it how it is. No filter. No sugarcoating. His pimp-like tone with a slick southern accent on an 8 bar verse from “Big Pimpin” is what caught the attention of rap fans all across the globe. As an MC, Pimp C’s delivery was raw and rugged. He would always spit game about street life, music life, and personal life. If he hadn't passed away so soon, there’s no telling on what Pimp C would have been doing in today’s time.

#34. Nelly

The man responsible for putting St.Louis on the map. The man responsible for the increase in sales for bandaids in the early 2000s. Nelly was a force to be reckoned with coming into the new millennium. His debut and now diamond certified album, “Country Grammar,”already took him to superstar status. He brought the country lifestyle to the rap scene in his own way. He was a cheat code in the early 2000s R&B scene including one of the greatest collab songs in music history “Dilemma” with Kelly Rowland.

#33. Big Pun

The first Latino solo rap artist to sell over a million copies, drop one of the greatest debut albums in rap, and had a huge influence on the Bronx rap scene. Big Pun was on his way to become one of the best rappers from New York. Although his debut album “Capital Punishment,” was the only album he released while he was alive, his wordplay and elite storytelling is what made him the Bronx legend.

#32. Redman

This raw and rugged MC always caught the attention of his listeners with his comedic but serious at the same time rhymes. His three album run with 1992’s “Redman Whut? Thee Album,” 1994’s “Dare Iz A Darkside,” and 1996’s “Muddy Waters” helped him gain popularity and earned the right to one of the hottest rappers in the early 90’s before collaborating with Method Man. His creativity with his lyrics was second to none. Don’t believe me? Listen to his verse from “I Got My Mind Made Up” by Tupac featuring Redman.

#31. Busta Rhymes

“Rawr! Rawr! Like a dungeon dragon!” Fun fact, Busta was only 19 years old when he said that line off his big break on A Tribe Called Quest 1992 single “Scenario” when he was in a rap group called “Leaders of the New School.” If you haven’t listened to that song and Busta’s part, please do so. His animated and energetic presence on that song is what the rap game was missing at the time. He used to battle rap against all time greats like Notorious B.I.G, Jay-Z, and DMX while he was in high school. He paved the way for rap artists to be even more creative with their music videos by tapping in with Hype Williams like Dangerous and Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See. Albums like “The Coming”, “When Disaster Strikes,” and “Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front” is enough proof that he deserves to be on the list.