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Earlier i compiled a list of the top ten current rappers, this time around its time for me to countdown the top rappers over the span of the decade. This list was a bitch to come up with, and I'm still skeptical about some of my pics.
To qualify each rapper would have had to release at least 3 CD's this decade.
The always controversial 50 Cent cracks the list at number 10. His solphmore album "Get Rich Or Die Tryin(Yes that was his second album)" is known as one of the best albums of the decade by many. On that album he showed that he was one of raps up and coming stars. He had one of the best rappers ever in Eminem backing him, and one of the best producers ever in Dr. Dre behind him as well. Unfortunately he could never re-deliver that same "awe factor" that he had on that album. His second album "The Massacre" was a great success(selling over 5 million copies) but it was not nearly as good as GROD. After the release he started feuding with label mate "The Game", and he was never the same since. Every album after that feud has been a poor attempt in my opinion. But there is no denying that 50 Cent put his stamp on the new millennium.
9. The Game
Over the span of the decade West Coast Hip-Hop started to fade away into the far depths of peoples minds, and the glory days of the West Coast soon became an after thought. That was until The Game dropped his first official album "The Documentary". With some help from West Coast legend Dr. Dre The Game's album became a huge success going on to sell over 5 million copies. After a huge beef with 50 Cent, The Game switched labels and dropped his second album without the help of producer Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. With the release of "The Doctor's Advocate" The Game proved that he could make a good CD without the help of Dre or 50, although it is still a debate whether or not the CD was better than his debut album. His last album of the decade "LAX" was a good album but he did not make as much "noise" before the release so it went mildly unnoticed by some casual fans of Hip-Hop, but The Game has proven to be the West Coast's Hip-Hop king this decade.
The self proclaimed "Best rapper alive" hits the list at number 8. It was hard to figure out where Wayne should go, ultimately it came down to the fact that his impact on the decade did not come until the last four year, and in this last year he has fallen off a bit. Wayne started with the Hot Boyz group consisting of Wayne, BG, Lil Turk, and Juvenile, but once he ventured into a solo career he started to take off. "The Carter and The Carter II" were both great albums, but it wasn't until after the release of those two albums that Wayne really shined. He made a huge impact on rap by delivering some of the best mixtapes ever. His much anticipated album "The Carter III" was a huge success and another great album, that album help Wayne make his mark in not only rap, but music as a whole. For a second i would have agreed that Wayne was "The Best Rapper Alive"
7. T.I.
The self proclaimed "King Of The South" T.I. rolls in at number 7. I originally had him as high as 4 but after a lot of thinking he fell down a bit. Either way T.I. had a great decade. T.I. along with Ludacris really helped bring southern rap into the mainstream. "I'm Serious" was T.I.'s first major label debut, while it was a decent CD no one really heard about it. He made a bit of an impact with "Trap Muzik", once again it was a good CD, but nothing that really caught anyones attention(although it was certified platinum). He really showed that he arrived with the release of "Urban Legend", on that CD his true swagger, talent, and flow showed. Then he released "KING" which could possibly be one of the best Hip-Hop CD's of the decade. The lead sing "What You Know" is one of the best songs of the decade. His next album "T.I. Vs T.I.P" was another great success. Then after song legal troubles he released his sixth album this decade "Paper Trail", which could be argued as his best album. This decade T.I. was easily one of the best rappers in the game.
6. Nas
In my opinion these next the two artist at six and five can be switched around easily. Nas will go down as one of the top five artist ever, he had a great run in the early to mid 90's, but then he fell off a bit, but he entered the new millennium with a bang. He had a much publicized feud with Hip-Hop star Jay-Z as the new millennium rang in. This fued contributed to one of the best diss tracks ever released "Ether", with this Nas showed that he wasn't done with Hip-Hop. He released Sillmatic in 2001 one, with the release of the album came of release of one of the lyrically best songs ever written "One Mic". As the feud with Jay-Z died out Nas continued to show he still had enough in him to stay atop of the game. He released to more CD's later in the decade "God's Son" and "Street Disciple". Controversy once again found Nas when he announced the tittle of his next album would be "Hip-Hop Is Dead". The album came at a time when Hip-Hop started to fall into a deep depression(which is where we are now). Unfortunately it could not save Hip-Hop, but it showed that there were still some true MC's left out there. Controvery about his album tittle once gain rose when he announced his next one would be entitled "******", the tittle was later changed to "Untitled", it was released in 2008 and it was another great album by Nas and a great way for him to close out the decade.
The humble yet passionate Chicago MC Common just slips into the top ten. Although he went mildly unnoticed most of his career, Common was an easy choice for the top ten this decade. He delivered some great CD's this decade. He started off the decade with the release of "Like Water For Chocolate". His next album "Electric Circus" was a good album, although it was "different". After that he released "Be" with some help from Kanye West it became easily his best album. It was his highest selling album and it remains so. The album that followed titled "Finding Forever" was another great album by him. The last album he released this decade "Universal Mind Control" were just meh, but with his previous albums Common showed that he is the meaning of Hip-Hop.
4. Ludacris
Ludacris originally was number two on the list, but as with T.I. he fell off after some thinking. Yet in still he is lyrically one of the best out there, and his lyrically quality has always been there. Ludacris has been the voice of the south over the past ten years. He released six albums this year and all of them have been hits. He has been one of the few artist this decade to not release a bad or mediocre album. Out of all the albums that he released this decade "Release Therapy" might be his best album eve, his song "Runaway Love" is a bone chilling emotional song that will reel you in . There is so much to say about all of his albums that I won't even get into it, all you need to do is take a listen. He is one of the few souther rappers who never talks about selling drugs, which has been his staple. Luda definitely deserves his spot in the top 5.
3. Eminem
Eminem had a great decade for the most part. He released his second album "The Marshal Mathers LP" in early 2000, and it became the fastest selling solo album ever. His song "Stan" became his most critically acclaimed songs, and has marked its place in the Hip-Hop history books. His much anticipated third album "The Eminem Show" was one of the best albums of the decade and in my opinion his best album. Then after staring in a movie he released a great track in "Lose Yourself" as a lead single for the movie. After that he released "Encore", this was probably his weakest effort. The lead singles were the best songs off of the album, everything else was complete garbage. After a long hiatus he returned with the release of "Relapse". While it was not as good as his first three albums, it was a good sign for the future, and it helped everyone forget about that POS that he released before "Relapse"
2. Jay-Z
What Jay-Z not number one, then who could it be? Jay-Z was my introduction into Hip-Hop and i have been a fan ever since, but he does not make it to number one. Jay-Z started off the decade releasing "The Dynasty: Roc La Familia", which was just used to show off other Roc-A-Fella artist, now onto the real thing. His decade really started when his beef with Nas did. Just like Nas he released a legendary beef track with "The Takeover", then he released a great album in "The Blueprint". Then came the "Blueprint 2", once again lets just run past this. In 2003 he announced his retirement and his last album tittled "The Black Album", the album was hailed by critics and fans alike as one if not his best album ever. He then returned in 2006 with "Kingdom Come" in an attempt to bring Hip-Hop back. Although many people did not like "Kingdom Come" it was one of my favorite albums by him and contained some great songs. Jigga finished off the decade by releasing two more albums "American Gangster" and "The Blueprint 3". Jay-Z has been a music icon this decade, but who's number one?
1. Kanye West
Surprised, you should not be. Kanye West takes the top as the best rap artist of the decade. If you take his three CD's and put them against any other rappers top three CD's this decade, i guarantee you that Kanye's would come out on top. He first started as a producer, then we heard him on Twista's "Slow Jamz". Then he shocked the music world with his single "Jesus Walks". His first album "College Dropout" was an instant hit. He then released "Late Registration". Those two albums are among two of the top albums of the decade not only in the Hip-Hop genre but music in general. 50 Cent challenged him to a battle to who's album would sell the most between "Curtis" and Kanye's next release "Graduation", in which Kanye easily won. His album "808s & Heartbreak" was an experimental album that was a mild success. With his great lyrical content and cocky swagger, Kanye has the personality and talent to stick around for a while, but will he be able to hold this spot in the next 10 years?
Artist Who Just Missed The List
Talib Kweli
Young Jeezy
Nelly
Busta Rhymes
Ghostface Killah
Tupac
To qualify each rapper would have had to release at least 3 CD's this decade.
10. 50 Cent
The always controversial 50 Cent cracks the list at number 10. His solphmore album "Get Rich Or Die Tryin(Yes that was his second album)" is known as one of the best albums of the decade by many. On that album he showed that he was one of raps up and coming stars. He had one of the best rappers ever in Eminem backing him, and one of the best producers ever in Dr. Dre behind him as well. Unfortunately he could never re-deliver that same "awe factor" that he had on that album. His second album "The Massacre" was a great success(selling over 5 million copies) but it was not nearly as good as GROD. After the release he started feuding with label mate "The Game", and he was never the same since. Every album after that feud has been a poor attempt in my opinion. But there is no denying that 50 Cent put his stamp on the new millennium.
9. The Game
Over the span of the decade West Coast Hip-Hop started to fade away into the far depths of peoples minds, and the glory days of the West Coast soon became an after thought. That was until The Game dropped his first official album "The Documentary". With some help from West Coast legend Dr. Dre The Game's album became a huge success going on to sell over 5 million copies. After a huge beef with 50 Cent, The Game switched labels and dropped his second album without the help of producer Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. With the release of "The Doctor's Advocate" The Game proved that he could make a good CD without the help of Dre or 50, although it is still a debate whether or not the CD was better than his debut album. His last album of the decade "LAX" was a good album but he did not make as much "noise" before the release so it went mildly unnoticed by some casual fans of Hip-Hop, but The Game has proven to be the West Coast's Hip-Hop king this decade.
8. Lil Wayne
The self proclaimed "Best rapper alive" hits the list at number 8. It was hard to figure out where Wayne should go, ultimately it came down to the fact that his impact on the decade did not come until the last four year, and in this last year he has fallen off a bit. Wayne started with the Hot Boyz group consisting of Wayne, BG, Lil Turk, and Juvenile, but once he ventured into a solo career he started to take off. "The Carter and The Carter II" were both great albums, but it wasn't until after the release of those two albums that Wayne really shined. He made a huge impact on rap by delivering some of the best mixtapes ever. His much anticipated album "The Carter III" was a huge success and another great album, that album help Wayne make his mark in not only rap, but music as a whole. For a second i would have agreed that Wayne was "The Best Rapper Alive"
7. T.I.
The self proclaimed "King Of The South" T.I. rolls in at number 7. I originally had him as high as 4 but after a lot of thinking he fell down a bit. Either way T.I. had a great decade. T.I. along with Ludacris really helped bring southern rap into the mainstream. "I'm Serious" was T.I.'s first major label debut, while it was a decent CD no one really heard about it. He made a bit of an impact with "Trap Muzik", once again it was a good CD, but nothing that really caught anyones attention(although it was certified platinum). He really showed that he arrived with the release of "Urban Legend", on that CD his true swagger, talent, and flow showed. Then he released "KING" which could possibly be one of the best Hip-Hop CD's of the decade. The lead sing "What You Know" is one of the best songs of the decade. His next album "T.I. Vs T.I.P" was another great success. Then after song legal troubles he released his sixth album this decade "Paper Trail", which could be argued as his best album. This decade T.I. was easily one of the best rappers in the game.
6. Nas
In my opinion these next the two artist at six and five can be switched around easily. Nas will go down as one of the top five artist ever, he had a great run in the early to mid 90's, but then he fell off a bit, but he entered the new millennium with a bang. He had a much publicized feud with Hip-Hop star Jay-Z as the new millennium rang in. This fued contributed to one of the best diss tracks ever released "Ether", with this Nas showed that he wasn't done with Hip-Hop. He released Sillmatic in 2001 one, with the release of the album came of release of one of the lyrically best songs ever written "One Mic". As the feud with Jay-Z died out Nas continued to show he still had enough in him to stay atop of the game. He released to more CD's later in the decade "God's Son" and "Street Disciple". Controversy once again found Nas when he announced the tittle of his next album would be "Hip-Hop Is Dead". The album came at a time when Hip-Hop started to fall into a deep depression(which is where we are now). Unfortunately it could not save Hip-Hop, but it showed that there were still some true MC's left out there. Controvery about his album tittle once gain rose when he announced his next one would be entitled "******", the tittle was later changed to "Untitled", it was released in 2008 and it was another great album by Nas and a great way for him to close out the decade.
5. Common
The humble yet passionate Chicago MC Common just slips into the top ten. Although he went mildly unnoticed most of his career, Common was an easy choice for the top ten this decade. He delivered some great CD's this decade. He started off the decade with the release of "Like Water For Chocolate". His next album "Electric Circus" was a good album, although it was "different". After that he released "Be" with some help from Kanye West it became easily his best album. It was his highest selling album and it remains so. The album that followed titled "Finding Forever" was another great album by him. The last album he released this decade "Universal Mind Control" were just meh, but with his previous albums Common showed that he is the meaning of Hip-Hop.
4. Ludacris
3. Eminem
Eminem had a great decade for the most part. He released his second album "The Marshal Mathers LP" in early 2000, and it became the fastest selling solo album ever. His song "Stan" became his most critically acclaimed songs, and has marked its place in the Hip-Hop history books. His much anticipated third album "The Eminem Show" was one of the best albums of the decade and in my opinion his best album. Then after staring in a movie he released a great track in "Lose Yourself" as a lead single for the movie. After that he released "Encore", this was probably his weakest effort. The lead singles were the best songs off of the album, everything else was complete garbage. After a long hiatus he returned with the release of "Relapse". While it was not as good as his first three albums, it was a good sign for the future, and it helped everyone forget about that POS that he released before "Relapse"
2. Jay-Z
What Jay-Z not number one, then who could it be? Jay-Z was my introduction into Hip-Hop and i have been a fan ever since, but he does not make it to number one. Jay-Z started off the decade releasing "The Dynasty: Roc La Familia", which was just used to show off other Roc-A-Fella artist, now onto the real thing. His decade really started when his beef with Nas did. Just like Nas he released a legendary beef track with "The Takeover", then he released a great album in "The Blueprint". Then came the "Blueprint 2", once again lets just run past this. In 2003 he announced his retirement and his last album tittled "The Black Album", the album was hailed by critics and fans alike as one if not his best album ever. He then returned in 2006 with "Kingdom Come" in an attempt to bring Hip-Hop back. Although many people did not like "Kingdom Come" it was one of my favorite albums by him and contained some great songs. Jigga finished off the decade by releasing two more albums "American Gangster" and "The Blueprint 3". Jay-Z has been a music icon this decade, but who's number one?
1. Kanye West
Surprised, you should not be. Kanye West takes the top as the best rap artist of the decade. If you take his three CD's and put them against any other rappers top three CD's this decade, i guarantee you that Kanye's would come out on top. He first started as a producer, then we heard him on Twista's "Slow Jamz". Then he shocked the music world with his single "Jesus Walks". His first album "College Dropout" was an instant hit. He then released "Late Registration". Those two albums are among two of the top albums of the decade not only in the Hip-Hop genre but music in general. 50 Cent challenged him to a battle to who's album would sell the most between "Curtis" and Kanye's next release "Graduation", in which Kanye easily won. His album "808s & Heartbreak" was an experimental album that was a mild success. With his great lyrical content and cocky swagger, Kanye has the personality and talent to stick around for a while, but will he be able to hold this spot in the next 10 years?
Artist Who Just Missed The List
Talib Kweli
Young Jeezy
Nelly
Busta Rhymes
Ghostface Killah
Tupac
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